The news is full of stories of floods, fires, wars, earthquakes, and other disasters that leave people heartbroken and communities destroyed by both man and nature's raw, merciless power. The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is July 16th. And it's particularly interesting because of its connection with wars, natural disasters and Elijah the prophet - who existed long before Our Lady.
Elijah & the Founding of the Carmelites
Around the year 1200, a group of friars who would later become known as Carmelites, gathered as hermits in caves on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land to pray and follow Elijah’s example. Some 1700 years before, Elijah the prophet prayed in a cave on that very mountain. After a great wind, a fire and an earthquake, he discovered the Lord was not in the wind, or the fire, or the earthquake but in a gentle whisper. The voice of the Lord led Elijah from the cave and he fell on his face in prayer. The Carmelite order is the only Catholic order founded by an Old Testament prophet. And, because of their life of prayer, they carry with them the power of God's gentle whisper, under the protection of Elijah and Our Lady.
Mary, Our Guiding Light
Once settled on Mount Carmel, the Carmelite friars set out to build a chapel at the spring where Elijah once drank. From this location on the mountain they could see out across the Mediterranean Sea. Reflecting on the passing ships and sailors who use the stars to navigate at night, the Carmelites turned to Mary as the spiritual light to guide them through dark nights and stormy seas, safely to God. They named their chapel, Saint Mary of Mount Carmel, Star of the Sea.
Prayer is Our Shield
Due to war in the Holy Land and the ongoing crusades, the Carmelites had to leave Mount Carmel and return to Europe. Unsure of their future and praying for safety to their guiding star Mary, she appeared in 1251 with a sign of protection. Mary gave St. Simon Stock the brown scapular, stating: "Receive, my beloved son, this habit of thy Order: this shall be a privilege for thee and for all Carmelites, that whoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire." Mary, their guiding star was giving them a great sign of her maternal care during a dark time. The Carmelite's life of prayer and the imposition of the scapular upon them was to be an external sign that their interior life born in the wilderness of Mount Carmel would ensure their protection. The Carmelite's spread throughout Europe and with them a great example of holiness for all people, generating saints like John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Mary Magdalene of Pazzi and Terese of Lisieux.
The Miracle at Palmi
In Palmi, Italy - a few hundred years later - a group of lay faithful with a devotion to the brown scapular and Carmelite spirituality erected a chapel to Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a beautiful statue of Our Lady. In 1894, that statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel started to very subtly change color and show slight movements of the eyes. Some wondered if this was a trick of the mind, others saw it as a gentle whisper from Heaven. The faithful of Palmi prayed and felt God was using Our Lady to tell them something, so they organized a procession of the statue. The entire town showed up, prayed, and followed the statue out of town. Just then a massive earthquake struck Palmi and the houses and buildings fell but the townspeople standing outside the town were unharmed. Mary helped teach the faithful of Palmi what Elijah and the early Carmelites discovered on the mountain of God: that the Lord is not in the earthquake but in the gentle promptings of the Spirit. She was their Star of the Sea who provided protection and guided them to safety through subtle signs and gentle whispers.
The Scapular is for You
In honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we implore everyone to turn to Mary who shines with God's light and leads us to solid ground - despite the very real and the metaphorical earthquakes in our lives. The scapular is a visible sign of God's protection through the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And just as the laity in Palmi Italy found protection through looking to her, you don't have to be a Carmelite priest or sister to receive her motherly care. She is for you too! And so is her promise that all who follow the Carmelite's in praying and wearing the scapular will not suffer the fires of hell.
If you or a family member don’t have a scapular, we have a lot of great (indestructible) options, including a lovely scapular bracelet - just make sure to have a priest pray the prayers of imposition over you. Or, if you’d like to discover more about the spirituality that formed the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, and many saints and doctors of our Church (like Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Therese of Lisieux), be sure to check out our Carmelite Collection, Climbing the Mountain of God.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for us!
Climbing the Mountain of God
Carmelite Spirituality. What is it? When one thinks of Carmel, one thinks of seeming opposites - Mountains. Desert. The zeal of Elijah. The quiet whispering of the wind. Joy and penance. Ascent and descent. Light and darkness. All and nothing. Carmelite spirituality speaks to the heart. And this collection of books, scapulars, rosaries and items in the Carmelite tradition can help your heart find its way up the Mountain of God. Explore our Climbing the Mountain of God Collection.
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