(d.c.1195) Berthold was born to nobility in southwest France. He fought in the Holy Land with the Crusades, and while in Antioch as the Saracens were besieging the city, Berthold had a vision of Jesus denouncing the soldiers’ ways. He left the war and built a chapel on Mount Carmel, where Elijah had defeated the pagan prophets of Baal (cf. 1 Kings 18:19-40). He gathered a community of hermits around him to live in imitation of Elijah. This community is said by some to have given rise to the Order of the Carmelites, while other historians dispute this account as western hermits inhabiting the area had a long tradition pre-dating Saint Berthold.
Whether or not this was the founding of the Carmelites, Berthold and his companions took on a radical way of life in imitation of a radical Old Testament prophet clearly endowed with power from God. Their way of life was centered on continual prayer and meditation on the Law of the Lord. Do you make regular Scripture reflection part of your Step 11?
“With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts” (Carmelite motto, derived from 1 Kings 19:10).
Reflection by Brad Farmer