Two Electricians

Understanding the purpose and power of prayer

12/14/2021

Mt 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Today, December 14, is the feast of St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite doctor of the church and mystic of prayer. Did I ever describe to you why I wanted to become a Carmelite several years ago? The bishop graciously allowed me a three-month sabbatical to explore this "vocation within a vocation," to discern if God was calling me to be a Carmelite. I would like to share a little of that “phone call from God” with you.

Most people, including Catholics, do not know what Carmelites are or what they do, so here is how I explain it, with an analogy to electricians. You know what an electrician is, right? Imagine you come home one day and flip the light switch but nothing happens. Your lights at home do not turn on. What would you do? You may check the light bulbs to see if one had burned out, or perhaps even the breaker box to see if it was a simple fix.

But if that didn’t work, who would you call? Most likely you would call an electrician. He or she would come to your home, evaluate the situation and suggest a solution. Maybe a wire had short-circuited or some other more serious issue was the culprit. He would fix the problem, you would pay him, and your lights would work perfectly again. Everyone is happy. End of story.

But did you ever wonder where the electricity comes from that feeds the power lines in your house? Often that source is a hydroelectric plant hidden far away in a river that most people never give a second thought to. But day after day, there are electricians and engineers who faithfully go to work at that hydroelectric plant and do their job to provide electricity.

And here is the big difference between the two types of electricians. The fellow at the hydroelectric plant provides electricity not for one home, but for thousands of home, indeed for hundreds of thousands of homes. Do you see the difference? The first electrician helps one family at a time; he helped you when your light switch didn’t work. The second electrician helps thousands of families at a time.

That is the fundamental difference between a diocesan priest and a Carmelite friar. Your parish priest baptizes your baby, he blesses your new home, he solemnizes your children’s marriages, he hears your confession, he anoints you in the hospital, and he presides over your parents’ funerals. You have a spiritual need, you call him, and he provides s sacramental service, by giving you God’s grace. Everyone is happy. End of story. Right? Wrong.

Did you ever wonder where that grace, like the electricity, comes from? That is, is there a sort of “spiritual hydroelectric plant” that provides God’s grace to everyone and not just one family at a time? Yes there is, and they are called Carmelites, who spend hours in prayer each day called contemplation. Contemplative prayer is as close as you can get to the source of all life, light and grace.

Notice, too, that just like the anonymous worker at the hydroelectric plant, most people never give a second thought to these men and women hidden and working in obscurity and silence. In other words, it’s not as sexy as being an electrician who comes to your home, whom you can see and thank. The reason I felt a call to be a Carmelite was based on how many people you can help: do you want to help people one at a time, or millions at a time?

Perhaps another analogy may hit closer to home for you. The difference between being a diocesan priest and a Carmelite friar is like the difference between being a parent and a grandparent. When you are a parent, you focus all your love and energy, time and talent on your own children. When you become a grandparent, you experience a new level of love that can be focused on as many grandchildren as you can get.

When my father had grandbaby number 9, his only comment was: “Keep them coming!” One new grandmother happily observed: “I never thought I could love anyone more than my own children…and then I had grandchildren.” In other words, she felt a new level of love, a greater love, a love that was getting closer to God’s own love. Grandparents, like Carmelites, are stepping closer to the source of all life, light, love and grace. But it's hard to explain that to parents.

Robert Frost wrote a famous poem called “The Road Not Taken.” Here are a few lines: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I would not travel both. And be one traveler long I stood, And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth.” Then Frost finishes: “I should be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by; And it has made all the difference.” Well, I did not take the road less traveled by and become a Carmelite. But maybe now you can understand why someone would.

Praised be Jesus Christ!