Carmelite Spirituality

“Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else.”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Carmelite spirituality speaks to the heart. It is in essence, recognizing the deep desire that resides in each person, the desire and hunger for God, whether they know it or not. Carmelites want to see God now. And prayer is that open door through which one begins to enter in, to see and experience the depths that can be explored within each soul, simply because God dwells in each human heart.

Carmel offers something extraordinary to the ordinary people of today. They come to see that God is walking right alongside them, that He enters the messiness of our lives and transforms it in the process. One begins to see with St. Therese how holiness comes to life in the little things. To be a Carmelite is to be like the prophet Elijah who said, “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord, God of Hosts”. To be a Carmelite is to be like the Blessed Mother who said, “Let it be done unto me according to Your word.” Seeming opposites. Activity. Passivity. Yet together, a spirituality that speaks of strength and gentleness, great passion and discipline. It speaks in all things of great love.

SILENCE

“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labors.”

 – St. Therese

PRAYER

TOTALITY

SERVICE

THE LITTLE
WAY

Community Life in the Carmelite Spirit

The Spirit of Carmel can be summed up in four words: it is contemplative, prophetic, communal and apostolic.

These qualities find concrete expression through the charism of Mother Luisita, who was given the gift to bring together what may seem paradoxical. She teaches us to live a life of prayer that is compelled to give itself in service; a life of radical discipleship lived in a joyful family spirit.

Prayer
Contemplative

Contemplative

“Pray without ceasing,” instructs Saint Paul. The contemplative life of Carmel teaches us to turn our gaze again and again to God, present within every heart. God wants us to know that He is always near, loving and guiding us.

Witness
Prophetic

Prophetic

The story of Carmel tells of souls throughout the centuries who refuse to bow to the spirit of the world, choosing a life of radical discipleship. This prophetic spirit gives up what is passing for what is eternal. The life of a Carmelite is meant to point to one great truth: He who has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.

Family Spirit
Communal

Communal

When we respond to Christ’s call to discipleship, each of us is brought into communion – first with the Blessed Trinity, as well as with the other followers of Christ. Religious life expresses this truth in a concrete way as the Sisters live and serve side by side.

Service
Apostolic

Apostolic

St. Elijah, the spiritual father of Carmel, encountered God in the gentle breeze on Mount Carmel. This encounter lit a fire in his heart: “with zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.” Our union with God in prayer also lights a fire of zealous service, which overflows into our apostolic works.

Prayer
Contemplative

“Pray without ceasing,” instructs Saint Paul. The contemplative life of Carmel teaches us to turn our gaze again and again to God, present within every heart. God wants us to know that He is always near, loving and guiding us.

Witness
Prophetic

The story of Carmel tells of souls throughout the centuries who refuse to bow to the spirit of the world, choosing a life of radical discipleship. This prophetic spirit gives up what is passing for what is eternal. The life of a Carmelite is meant to point to one great truth: He who has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.

Family Spirit
Communal

When we respond to Christ’s call to discipleship, each of us is brought into communion – first with the Blessed Trinity, as well as with the other followers of Christ. Religious life expresses this truth in a concrete way as the Sisters live and serve side by side.

 

Service
Apostolic

St. Elijah, the spiritual father of Carmel, encountered God in the gentle breeze on Mount Carmel. This encounter lit a fire in his heart: “with zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.” Our union with God in prayer also lights a fire of zealous service, which overflows into our apostolic works.

 

Carmelite 101

The very purpose of the existence of the Carmelite is to become an intimate friend of Christ. This friendship is not grounded on my ascent, my struggle to get back to God, but rather the Incarnation – God coming so close to us as to make His dwelling among us. This is the basis for the friendship – His divine, unconditional love for me. However, the enjoyment of this intimacy of Christ is not the goal of the Carmelite life. It is the means they use to fit them for the work of saving souls, of spreading the kingdom of Christ. Saint Teresa, the great reformer of the Carmelite Order, once wrote, “We should desire and engage in prayer not for our own enjoymnet but for the sake of acquiring the strength which will fit us for service.”

Since prayer is the greatest power on earth, there are no boundaries to the influence of prayer. The Carmelite, therefore, can plead the cause of the whole world, and in a particular way for priests.

“The Spirit [of Carmel] consists essentially in a longing for union with God.

It will be objected that all spiritual men know this longing. This is true. Nevertheless at Carmel this aspiration has a quality of immediacy, an insistence on prompt realization that distinguishes the Order’s religious attitude.[2] Carmel makes contemplation its proper end and to attain this end it practices absolute detachment in relation to all demands, or at least to all temporal contingencies. Eminently theocentric, Carmel refers itself wholly to the living God: “As the Lord liveth the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand” (3 Kgs. 17: 1).

From the earliest ages union with God has been its “raison d’etre” and its soul. No doubt it was “the anticipated dawn of the Savior’s redemptive grace”[3] that made this possible. No doubt, too, that it has benefited by the progress and development of revelation down the centuries. Nevertheless at Carmel from the beginning, union with God has been and continues to be central.

Characterized by an awareness of the presence within man’s heart of the very being of God, the spirit of Carmel also includes a sense of the sacred and a thirst for things divine. Progress in the experience of God only serves to deepen and develop this basic and truly essential element. Without it neither the wise nor the simple could enter into and intensify their relations with God.”

Carmelite Spirituality in the Teresian Tradition, Paul-Marie of the Cross, OCD

Our Lord taught St. Teresa a simple method of prayer. It is often called mental prayer. “I never knew what it was to get satisfaction and comfort out of prayer,” confesses the Saint, “until the Lord taught me this method – I beg of you to test it.”

The method is this: we know God is everywhere, but He dwells in the human heart in a special manner. Close your eyes, then and look at Him, present there within you. This look is already a prayer. This simple gaze gives glory to God. The whole problem, Saint Teresa teaches us, comes from our not really grasping the fact that He is within us: “How is it, Lord, that we do not look at Thy face when it is so near us?”

“Look at Him; keep Him company; talk with Him. Do not be foolish – speak with Him as a Father, a Brother, sometimes in one way sometimes in another.”

This manner of praying brings with it a thousand blessings. “Before long,” says Teresa, “you will see how you gain.” There will be a gradual mastery over oneself. The soul will be stronger for the fight. “You will be laying a good foundation so that if the Lord desires to raise you to achieve great things He will find your ready because you will be close to Him.”

“Gently recall your mind when it wanders… unceasingly gather up again your scattered spirit. Turn your inward eye once more towards Him… persevere with an unconquered heart.”

Meditation is above all a quest. the mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. We are usually helped by books and images: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers. In meditation, we desire to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in Lectio Divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.
(c.f. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2705-2708)

Contemplative prayer seeks him “whom my soul loves.” (Song of Songs 1:7) It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son. The light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus, it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him. Contemplative prayer is silence, the “symbol of the world to come” or “silent love.”  Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the “outer” man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus. 
(c.f. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2709-2719)

For more information on Meditation and Contemplation:
Meditation and Contemplation – What is the Difference? | Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles (carmelitesistersocd.com)

The Carmelite Order is the only religious Order that does not point to one specific person who founded the Order.  Carmelites refer to Elijah, from the Old Testament’s Book of Kings, as the Holy Father of the Carmelite Order.  It was not Elijah who wrote the Rule for Carmel, nor did this holy man most intend to be the founder of a religious order; although, it was through his example of zeal and love for the Lord God of Hosts, his intimacy through prayer which inspired the beginnings of the Carmelite Order.

In 850 B.C. the prophet Elijah settled on Mount Carmel. Read the First Book of Kings to get to know Saint Elijah – he was a man of determination, stubbornness, and fire!  He loved God with a fury and fought always for truth. In 1155 we have found the first recorded evidence of hermit monks living on Mount Carmel. These were Europeans who had settled on the mountain during the Crusades.  They lived in caves alone.  These men were known as hermits – living a solitary life, dedicating their lives to penance and prayer. They lived by the fountain of Elijah on Mount Carmel and dedicated a Church to the Blessed Mother.  In the 1200’s Saint Albert of Jerusalem wrote the Carmelite Rule for the monks.  This was a set of guidelines to help the monks live more intensely and faithfully the life they had chosen, which was to live a life of prayer, silence, and solitude – all which led them to union with God.

In 1235 the Carmelites left Palestine and migrated to Europe because of persecution.  This migration consequently changed their way of life from being hermits, to living within larger communities.  In 1247, Pope Innocent IV definitively outline a way of life that adapted to western civilization. In the 1250’s the Order seemed to be dying because of the Black Plague and more persecution.  Saint Simon Stock, the General Superior of the Order at that time, received the vision of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and was given the brown scapular.  This scapular, which was worn by every Carmelite, became the exterior sign of Mary’s particular protection on the Carmelite Order.  The order did not die but began to flourish.

In 1562 Saint Teresa of Jesus was called by our Lord to reform the Carmelite nuns and Saint John of the Cross was called to reform the Carmelite friars.  Many Carmelites call Saint Teresa their Holy Mother and Saint John of the Cross their Holy Father, as well.

Cloistered Carmelites are religious sisters, called nuns, who have given their lives over to prayer, penance, and solitude as a way of life (a particular call from God) to intercede for the needs of the world and for the sanctification of all souls.  This is one way – and one particular call – in Carmel.

The Church has approved the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles as an active order.  We were born as an active community, called to live deeply the ideal of Saint Teresa of Avila’s reform.  Though not cloistered, our life is one of deep prayer and union with God, living in community, loving, and serving one another; and from our life totally given to God, the fruit of this union overflows into the works of our apostolates: in healthcare, education, and retreat work. We are called to share the beauty of Carmel with the world and to help others to understand that everyone is called to intimacy and union with God this side of heaven!

The Carmelite habit is a sign of Mary’s particular predilection of love for Carmelites.  The brown scapular was given to Saint Simon Stock around 1250, after his plea to our Lady to save the order which seemed to be dying due to the plague ravaging Europe and a persecution which arose against the Carmelite order.  Our Lady appeared asking Saint Simon Stock to wear the brown scapular as a sign and symbol of her loving protection.

As Carmelites, we clothe ourselves in the holy habit, our Lady’s habit, with the intention to also walk daily desiring that our souls be clothed with her virtues. The brown of the scapular and tunic signifies humility (humus, Latin for the earth), the white of the collar signifies purity, and the black veil signifies dying to the world and to oneself to live only for God. The rosary, which is worn on the cincture is considered a part of the habit, it is prayed daily and is a sign of filial and loving devotion to our Blessed Mother as her daughters and as her sister.

The living of the Vows is meant to lead to a life of deep virtue.  Each of the three vows the Carmelite Sisters take leads to a deeper life of lived virtue so that she can not only grow in holiness, but also become more and more united and conformed to her Spouse, Jesus Christ.

  1. The Vow of Poverty: claiming nothing as one’s own; to be completely dependent on community to supply for all one’s needs. This vow leads to the virtue of poverty of spirit, trusting completely in Divine Providence, in the Father’s love and care. It also fosters the theological virtue of hope.
  2. The Vow of Chastity: giving oneself wholly to God alone; in choosing to remain perpetually celibate, consecrated chastity opens the heart to all in our spiritual motherhood and being totally available to do the work necessary in our community.  This vow leads to the virtue of totality and loving kindness, which reflects Mary’s tenderness. It also fosters the theological virtue of love.
  3. The Vow of Obedience: an offering of our will, freely given, to enter into the mystery of our Lord’s total self-gift and to unite our heart and mind with that of our Lord’s through our Superior and the Church. This vow leads to the virtue of humility and trust that our Lord speaks through our Superiors and through the Church.  It also fosters the theological virtue of faith.

Carmelite 101

What is a Carmelite?

The very purpose of the existence of the Carmelite is to become an intimate friend of Christ. This friendship is not grounded on my ascent, my struggle to get back to God, but rather the Incarnation – God coming so close to us as to make His dwelling among us. This is the basis for the friendship – His divine, unconditional love for me. However, the enjoyment of this intimacy of Christ is not the goal of the Carmelite life. It is the means they use to fit them for the work of saving souls, of spreading the kingdom of Christ. Saint Teresa, the great reformer of the Carmelite Order, once wrote, “We should desire and engage in prayer not for our own enjoymnet but for the sake of acquiring the strength which will fit us for service.”

Since prayer is the greatest power on earth, there are no boundaries to the influence of prayer. The Carmelite, therefore, can plead the cause of the whole world, and in a particular way for priests.

What makes Carmel different from other orders?

“The Spirit [of Carmel] consists essentially in a longing for union with God.

It will be objected that all spiritual men know this longing. This is true. Nevertheless at Carmel this aspiration has a quality of immediacy, an insistence on prompt realization that distinguishes the Order’s religious attitude.[2] Carmel makes contemplation its proper end and to attain this end it practices absolute detachment in relation to all demands, or at least to all temporal contingencies. Eminently theocentric, Carmel refers itself wholly to the living God: “As the Lord liveth the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand” (3 Kgs. 17: 1).

From the earliest ages union with God has been its “raison d’etre” and its soul. No doubt it was “the anticipated dawn of the Savior’s redemptive grace”[3] that made this possible. No doubt, too, that it has benefited by the progress and development of revelation down the centuries. Nevertheless at Carmel from the beginning, union with God has been and continues to be central.

Characterized by an awareness of the presence within man’s heart of the very being of God, the spirit of Carmel also includes a sense of the sacred and a thirst for things divine. Progress in the experience of God only serves to deepen and develop this basic and truly essential element. Without it neither the wise nor the simple could enter into and intensify their relations with God.”

Carmelite Spirituality in the Teresian Tradition, Paul-Marie of the Cross, OCD

What does Carmel teach about prayer?

Our Lord taught St. Teresa a simple method of prayer. It is often called mental prayer. “I never knew what it was to get satisfaction and comfort out of prayer,” confesses the Saint, “until the Lord taught me this method – I beg of you to test it.”

The method is this: we know God is everywhere, but He dwells in the human heart in a special manner. Close your eyes, then and look at Him, present there within you. This look is already a prayer. This simple gaze gives glory to God. The whole problem, Saint Teresa teaches us, comes from our not really grasping the fact that He is within us: “How is it, Lord, that we do not look at Thy face when it is so near us?”

“Look at Him; keep Him company; talk with Him. Do not be foolish – speak with Him as a Father, a Brother, sometimes in one way sometimes in another.”

This manner of praying brings with it a thousand blessings. “Before long,” says Teresa, “you will see how you gain.” There will be a gradual mastery over oneself. The soul will be stronger for the fight. “You will be laying a good foundation so that if the Lord desires to raise you to achieve great things He will find your ready because you will be close to Him.”

“Gently recall your mind when it wanders… unceasingly gather up again your scattered spirit. Turn your inward eye once more towards Him… persevere with an unconquered heart.”

What is the difference between Meditation and Contemplation?

Meditationis above all a quest. the mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. We are usually helped by books and images: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers. In meditation, we desire to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in Lectio Divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.
(c.f. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2705-2708)

Contemplative prayer seeks him “whom my soul loves.” (Song of Songs 1:7) It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son. The light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus, it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him. Contemplative prayer is silence, the “symbol of the world to come” or “silent love.”  Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the “outer” man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.
(c.f. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2709-2719)

For more information on Meditation and Contemplation:
Meditation and Contemplation – What is the Difference? | Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles (carmelitesistersocd.com)

Who founded the Carmelite Order?

The Carmelite Order is the only religious Order that does not point to one specific person who founded the Order.  Carmelites refer to Elijah, from the Old Testament’s Book of Kings, as the Holy Father of the Carmelite Order.  It was not Elijah who wrote the Rule for Carmel, nor did this holy man most intend to be the founder of a religious order; although, it was through his example of zeal and love for the Lord God of Hosts, his intimacy through prayer which inspired the beginnings of the Carmelite Order.

In 850 B.C. the prophet Elijah settled on Mount Carmel. Read the First Book of Kings to get to know Saint Elijah – he was a man of determination, stubbornness, and fire!  He loved God with a fury and fought always for truth. In 1155 we have found the first recorded evidence of hermit monks living on Mount Carmel. These were Europeans who had settled on the mountain during the Crusades.  They lived in caves alone.  These men were known as hermits – living a solitary life, dedicating their lives to penance and prayer. They lived by the fountain of Elijah on Mount Carmel and dedicated a Church to the Blessed Mother.  In the 1200’s Saint Albert of Jerusalem wrote the Carmelite Rule for the monks.  This was a set of guidelines to help the monks live more intensely and faithfully the life they had chosen, which was to live a life of prayer, silence, and solitude – all which led them to union with God.

In 1235 the Carmelites left Palestine and migrated to Europe because of persecution.  This migration consequently changed their way of life from being hermits, to living within larger communities.  In 1247, Pope Innocent IV definitively outline a way of life that adapted to western civilization. In the 1250’s the Order seemed to be dying because of the Black Plague and more persecution.  Saint Simon Stock, the General Superior of the Order at that time, received the vision of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and was given the brown scapular.  This scapular, which was worn by every Carmelite, became the exterior sign of Mary’s particular protection on the Carmelite Order.  The order did not die but began to flourish.

In 1562 Saint Teresa of Jesus was called by our Lord to reform the Carmelite nuns and Saint John of the Cross was called to reform the Carmelite friars.  Many Carmelites call Saint Teresa their Holy Mother and Saint John of the Cross their Holy Father, as well.

Aren't the Carmelites cloistered? Are the Carmelite Sisters cloistered?

Cloistered Carmelites are religious sisters, called nuns, who have given their lives over to prayer, penance, and solitude as a way of life (a particular call from God) to intercede for the needs of the world and for the sanctification of all souls.  This is one way – and one particular call – in Carmel.

The Church has approved the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles as an active order.  We were born as an active community, called to live deeply the ideal of Saint Teresa of Avila’s reform.  Though not cloistered, our life is one of deep prayer and union with God, living in community, loving, and serving one another; and from our life totally given to God, the fruit of this union overflows into the works of our apostolates: in healthcare, education, and retreat work. We are called to share the beauty of Carmel with the world and to help others to understand that everyone is called to intimacy and union with God this side of heaven!

What is the significance of the Carmelite Habit?

The Carmelite habit is a sign of Mary’s particular predilection of love for Carmelites.  The brown scapular was given to Saint Simon Stock around 1250, after his plea to our Lady to save the order which seemed to be dying due to the plague ravaging Europe and a persecution which arose against the Carmelite order.  Our Lady appeared asking Saint Simon Stock to wear the brown scapular as a sign and symbol of her loving protection.

As Carmelites, we clothe ourselves in the holy habit, our Lady’s habit, with the intention to also walk daily desiring that our souls be clothed with her virtues. The brown of the scapular and tunic signifies humility (humus, Latin for the earth), the white of the collar signifies purity, and the black veil signifies dying to the world and to oneself to live only for God. The rosary, which is worn on the cincture is considered a part of the habit, it is prayed daily and is a sign of filial and loving devotion to our Blessed Mother as her daughters and as her sister.

What are the vows that Carmelites make?

The living of the Vows is meant to lead to a life of deep virtue.  Each of the three vows the Carmelite Sisters take leads to a deeper life of lived virtue so that she can not only grow in holiness, but also become more and more united and conformed to her Spouse, Jesus Christ.

  1. The Vow of Poverty: claiming nothing as one’s own; to be completely dependent on community to supply for all one’s needs. This vow leads to the virtue of poverty of spirit, trusting completely in Divine Providence, in the Father’s love and care. It also fosters the theological virtue of hope.
  2. The Vow of Chastity: giving oneself wholly to God alone; in choosing to remain perpetually celibate, consecrated chastity opens the heart to all in our spiritual motherhood and being totally available to do the work necessary in our community.  This vow leads to the virtue of totality and loving kindness, which reflects Mary’s tenderness. It also fosters the theological virtue of love.
  3. The Vow of Obedience: an offering of our will, freely given, to enter into the mystery of our Lord’s total self-gift and to unite our heart and mind with that of our Lord’s through our Superior and the Church. This vow leads to the virtue of humility and trust that our Lord speaks through our Superiors and through the Church.  It also fosters the theological virtue of faith.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the queen and beauty of Carmel, summing up in herself all the glories of Carmel. She is for Carmelites both the Mother of Christ and their own mother. She  expresses the soul’s essential attitude before God. She is its soul athirst for God, longing for God, hoping for God. All her strength and all her faculties are turned toward God so that she may receive and fully live by Him.

Our Lady of Mt Carmel and Infant Jesus

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the queen and beauty of Carmel, summing up in herself all the glories of Carmel. She is for Carmelites both the Mother of Christ and their own mother. She  expresses the soul’s essential attitude before God. She is its soul athirst for God, longing for God, hoping for God. All her strength and all her faculties are turned toward God so that she may receive and fully live by Him.

Meet Our Friends

St. Teresa of Ávila

“It is love alone that gives worth to all things.”

St. John of the Cross

“In the first place it should be known that if a person is seeking God, His Beloved is seeking him much more.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“I cannot fear a God who made Himself small for me.”

St. Teresa of the Andes

“Perfection of life consists in drawing close to God.”

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

“I have found heaven on earth, since heaven is God, and God is in my soul.”

St. Titus Brandsma

“He who wants to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it.”

St. Teresa Benedicta

“Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child.”

Martyrs of Compiègne

“Love will always be victorious. When someone loves, he can do everything.”