25/01/2026
A Reflection on Language and Our Spiritual Family
To our Reverend Mother Liz
I wanted to write to you with my heart full of gratitude for your leadership and your deep care for the dignity of women within our faith. It is in the spirit of our shared devotion to the Carmelite charism that we offer these brief reflections on the language of our tradition.
The Universality of the Human Family
In our ancient tradition, terms like "all men" or "mankind" have historically been understood not as a means of exclusion, but as a way to describe the collective human soul. This language seeks to capture the universal experience of the children of God. As St. Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:28:
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
When we encounter these traditional expressions in our texts, we might view them as a call to rise above earthly "social protocols." While the world is often divided by categories, our spiritual goal is to reach a higher level of consciousness where we see ourselves primarily as members of one divine family, united under the headship of Christ.
The Power of the Carmelite Feminine
The Church has stood for two millennia with a profound recognition of the power of women. Our own Carmelite history is illuminated by women who did not need "inclusive language" to exercise immense spiritual authority.
St. Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church, taught us that the soul has no gender when it comes to the interior castle.
She wrote:
"The soul is not a man or a woman... it is a spirit that burns with the desire to be one with its Creator."
Furthermore, St. Thérèse of Lisieux showed us that the "Little Way" is a path available to every soul, regardless of the labels the world may apply. These women didn't just participate in the Church; they shaped its very foundations through their mystical wisdom.
Our Eternal Reality
As we look toward our final home, we recall the words of Our Lord in Matthew 22:30, noting that in the resurrection, we are like the angels. In heaven, the distinctions of s*x that define our earthly politics fall away, leaving only the pure light of the soul.
We are never without a champion for the feminine. In Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we have the Queen of Heaven—the "Divine Feminine" who stands as the Mother of all mankind. Because she encompasses all of us in her mantle, a reference to "men" in a text can never truly exclude us, for she is the bridge between the human and the divine.
A Call to Spiritual Peace
I humbly ask that you consider these masculine references not as "s*xist," but as artifacts of a long history that nonetheless holds a place for every daughter of God. By looking past the letter of the word to the spirit of the truth, we can find a peace that the world’s debates cannot provide.
In the grace of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Rev Seth Ben Archer.
