Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Arabic and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Welcome beloved viewers to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television.

The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was founded centuries ago by a group of hermits who lived close to the Spring of Elijah on Mount Carmel in Palestine. The two roots of the order’s spirituality are found in the Prophet Elijah and the Virgin Mary.

At the beginning of the 13th century the hermits received an official rule of life which was written by St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem. However, the Carmelites had to leave their new order due to the unstable situation in the land. They traveled to Europe, where soon monasteries were founded. Today, there are approximately 800 establishments for nuns and 500 for friars throughout the world.

In the Holy Land, there are groups of Carmelite nuns in Bethlehem, Haifa, Mount Carmel, Jerusalem, and Nazareth.

Supreme Master Television had a chance to visit with a Carmelite nun in the Carmel of Bethlehem, also known as the Carmel of the Holy Child Jesus, to learn more about them. This particular Carmel has 15 resident nuns from all corners of the globe, including the Philippines, France, Poland, Madagascar, and Palestine.

To honor the Carmelites’ origins with the hermits who had once lived secluded on Mount Carmel, the windows of the edifice have metal grids. They symbolize the renunciate’s wish to maintain a certain degree of solitude and silence, away from the mundane world.

My name is Sister Anne-Françoise of the Presentation. I am from France and I live here in Bethlehem since the year 2003.

The Order of the Carmel exists all around the world. There are about 800 monasteries of Carmelite Sisters all around the world. And in Holy Land we are four Carmel. Our life is quite the same everywhere.

In the Bible, we can read that the Prophet Elijah lived on this Mount Carmel, with a prayer of sometimes going with the people, among the people. And in this we have the same spirit of Prophet Elijah. Also the Virgin Mary was honored on this Mount Carmel. That’s why we are connected with the Mount Carmel. But in Palestine, for here, the Carmelite sister who founded this Carmel is Blessed Maria. It was in the 1875 that she came here with nine sisters from France, and they began this life of Carmel here.

The special intention here, it is that Jesus Christ was born here two thousand years ago, and so it’s a little special because of this. And we are called the Carmel of the Holy Child Jesus. The way of a Carmelite nun is a way of constant prayer and striving toward oneness with God.

We have two hours of silent prayers. One in the morning, one in the evening, and with someone that we love. And we speak to Him but with the heart, not always with words, in silence. One hour in the morning, one hour in the evening. Also during the day we have seven times of prayers from the morning early to the evening, to the night. It is with souls and we are all together. And also we have the mass every day. Also we have work; every sister has her work.

And we pray, while working. But it’s not the same prayer. First it is like that Jesus, that God is in every heart. So if we live in our heart with Jesus, with God, we can join everyone in the world. We think that there is not a lot of people who are thinking to God and God has created us and God loves us. It’s important also that for some people that we give all our life for Him. Any people can also do in the way that he has, but it’s our way.

The Carmel of Bethlehem is also called “Tower of David,” built in a cylindrical shape. This was the specific direction communicated by Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified. Sister Anne-Françoise introduced us to this extraordinary young Palestinian woman who founded the Carmel of Bethlehem.

The Blessed Maria, the one who found this Carmel, told that here it was in the past, the house of David. That’s why our convent is built as a tower, in a circle. And also there is a grotto under the church, and in this grotto she told that David was anointed as King by the prophet Samuel. So it is a holy, holy place in the Holy Land.

When we return, we will find out more about Blessed Mary, founder of the Carmel of Bethlehem, Palestine. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. The founder of the Carmel of Bethlehem in Palestine was Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified. She was born as Miriam in 1846 in Abellin, a small village between Haifa and Nazareth of Palestine. As a very young child she was orphaned and raised by her uncle. When she was about to begin her life as a married person around the age 13, she twice heard words spoken to her: “All things pass away. If you give your heart to me, I will always remain with you.” Miriam was determined to devote her life to the Lord Jesus.

However, her journey to renunciation was long and difficult. Nearly losing her life and overcoming many trials, she finally arrived in France, where she entered a Carmel and became Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified. Even before then, she had already miraculously received the imprint of Lord Jesus’ wounds on her hands and feet. Eventually, a strong wish to found a Carmel in Bethlehem, in her homeland, led her to do so. It was by sheer determination and faith that the Tower of David stands today.

It’s true that we are as in a desert, but we are very much connected with the Church here, with the Church in Holy Land.

And a lot of people also come here to ask us to pray for them. Also, because of Blessed Maria, we have a lot of pilgrims from all over the world.

Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified passed on in Bethlehem at the young age of 32. She was beatified, or declared a saint, five years later in 1983 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II as a sign of hope and peace.

We pray for peace and also all our life is given for the peace. Just now we are 15 sisters, and we have from a lot of countries. And also we are very different. So one way to pray for the peace is also to try to live together, and to live together in peace also. Not only in peace but with love for each other. It’s the first step.

And also we welcome people who came here and we hear their joy, to their pain, to everything that they lived. And we take all that in our prayer and we try , to help them with this prayer. Because too often we try to solve the problems only in a human way, and in fact it’s too difficult and it’s not enough. We are also with God. And only God can help us to have the peace.

But also we have to do our own from us also; if not, nothing will happen. But without God it’s impossible, it’s too difficult sometimes. It’s too difficult. And I think that in this Holy Land everyone believes in God. It’s not the same religion. We are three main religions, but if we live in truth, our faith, I think that it’s possible to join [together]. But only if we are connected with God in truth.

We asked Sister Anne-Françoise how she believes humanity can better understand one another to reach peace.

Perhaps, always to have the heart open and always try to understand the other one.

Also to understand the other one in all what he is inside him. Everyone is wonderful and can be wonderful; to try to help everyone to be completely oneself. Because I think that in the heart of everyone there is a lot of possibilities but too often the hearts are closed, but if everyone can open his heart…

In life, although she was completely uneducated, Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified had a gift of being able to counsel anyone who came to her with a problem. She had wisdom to share, and the wisdom came from her pure faith in God. Blessed Mary also always smiled. Till today, the sisters of this Carmel too assist the lay people who come to them, with prayer, humble kindness, and a sympathetic ear.

I think that the first step is to hear to the other one. When I hear the other one, little by little I can understand what is the most wonderful in him, because in everyone there is something wonderful and something bad. So it’s not general advice, only I try to go inside where there is a wonderful place in this person. I try to help them to see what is wonderful and we can open, we can do good things. And when we do this for oneself, I think that we can help the other ones to do the same.

So what is the ever-present wish of a Carmelite renunciate?

As a sister? It’s to be always more open to God. And, to love Him always more and ,to receive Her love always more. And that everyone can also live this.

We thank Sister Anne-Françoise of the Presentation for sharing with us this nice introduction to the Carmel of Bethlehem and the Carmelite’s way of life. May God bless every moment of your life that is dedicated to the Divine and to peace.

To our viewers, thank you for your company today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Please join us now for Our Noble Lineage, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May the Providence imbue your life’s precious journey with courage and love.

Thank you for your company today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Please join us now for Our Noble Lineage, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May the Providence imbue your life’s precious journey with courage and love.

A beautiful country filled with even richer stories, Pakistan has a fascinating history and a vast cultural heritage.

Throughout time, this ancient land became a melting pot of different people, traditions, arts and knowledge to create the vibrant nation of modern day Pakistan.

Join us this Monday on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms for the second and final part of our exploration of Pakistan’s enriching history.