Tomorrow - July 16 - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since tomorrow is Sunday, the Sunday Liturgy will take precedence over the Memorial of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. However, this is a beautiful Feast-day for all who love Our Lady, especially for those who belong to the Carmelite Order.

The following is an excerpt taken from a Reflection for the Feast by Christopher O’Donnell, O.Carm. 2005 (link to full article given below):

Presence

A renewed devotion to Mary is not primarily a matter of saying more prayers to her. It implies a relationship with her, which will be established by prayer and reflected in imitation. There is a huge difference between knowing about a person, and really knowing them. Renewal in our Marian life is not a matter of prayers or information, but a loving knowing.

Such a knowing loving, or loving knowing, lies behind the idea of presence. In a letter to the two branches of the Carmelite Order (O.Carm. and OCD) Pope John Paul spoke of the “tender and maternal presence of Mary” which we seek by wearing the Brown Scapular (Letter, Il provvidentialz evento, 25 March 2001). For more, see HERE

By God’s Grace, may we be more mindful of Mary’s “tender and maternal presence” every day, and perhaps the Holy Spirit will inspire us to do something special to honor Jesus through Mary on her Feast-day tomorrow.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ll order the Brown Scapulars I was meaning to get. I need nice durable ones. As a young person I tried a couple of times to wear the cheap ones made with felt, ribbons and plastic. If you perspired they bled brown in the heat, sometimes through your clothes, and they quickly fell apart. I understand some companies now make ones that stay in one piece, don’t bleed and can be hand washed like clothing when they get dirty, so I’ll have another try at wearing them.

 

[drforjc]

Thank you for posting this! Having returned a few hours ago from a Day of Prayer in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at a nearby Carmelite hermitage, I am even more excited to celebrate Our Lady’s Solemnity (For the Carmelite Orders, OLMC is a solemnity) tomorrow.

 

[MariaChristi]

I’ll order the Brown Scapulars I was meaning to get. I need nice durable ones. As a young person I tried a couple of times to wear the cheap ones made with felt, ribbons and plastic. If you perspired they bled brown in the heat, sometimes through your clothes, and they quickly fell apart. I understand some companies now make ones that stay in one piece, don’t bleed and can be hand washed like clothing when they get dirty, so I’ll have another try at wearing them.

Happy, Holy Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Tis Bearself, and thanks for your reply,

You may be interested in the washable scapulars made by the Carmelite Sisters. See HERE

It is a nice website the Sisters have on their Carmelite Vocation with pictures and text – if you or anyone reading this thread knows any young women who think they may have a Carmelite vocation, you may want to share this link with them. Making scapulars is just one of the works they do. They are cloistered religious so anything you purchase can help them.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for posting this! Having returned a few hours ago from a Day of Prayer in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at a nearby Carmelite hermitage, I am even more excited to celebrate Our Lady’s Solemnity (For the Carmelite Orders, OLMC is a solemnity) tomorrow.

Dear drforjc,

Thanks for your reply. A Carmelite hermitage sounds like a wonderful place for a Day of Prayer to honor Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Reading the “Autobiography of a Soul” by St. Therese of Lisieux when I was about 13 yrs. old was the beginning of my love for Carmelite spirituality.

Her Autobiography, St. Therese’s Collected Poems, and also the very beautiful account, her sisters gave of her final days, in the book, Last Conversations of St. Therese, are books I’ve read more than once. St. John of the Cross, however, is probably my favorite author among the Carmelites. I’ve read and re-read his Collected Works as well as those of St. Teresa of Avila. Other favorites include St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein).

Today is Our Lady’s Feast and our Mother belongs to everyone. St. Therese’s poem,
“Why I Love You, O Mary” is too long to post but I encourage anyone who has never read it to read it today! See HERE.

Let us love our Mother and offer prayers of reparation today, as Jesus requested through Sister Lucia of Fatima. By God’s Grace, may we pray her Rosary with greater attention and devotion every day. Let us thank our Lord Jesus for the gift of Mary to be our Mother, from His Cross. Let us hear His words ever more deeply, “Behold Your Mother” and as John the Beloved Disciple did, let us take Mary into our lives.

Blessed Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to all today! Mary, our Mother, pray for us.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’m confused. Aren’t Sisters of Carmel a schismatic group? I have read on other threads that they are not part of the official Carmelite order, and further that most of what they post about the Scapular is incorrect with current Church teaching.

 

[MariaChristi]

I’m confused. Aren’t Sisters of Carmel a schismatic group? I have read on other threads that they are not part of the official Carmelite order, and further that most of what they post about the Scapular is incorrect with current Church teaching.

Thanks Tis Bearself,

I’ll need to do more research, Their website looked ok to me, but it was my first visit there!!!
Please can you post some links on what makes them schismatic? I’d appreciate it. I’m going to do some research now and will post whatever I find. Thanks again for the “heads up”. In fact, if anyone knows any links to clarify whether or not this group is schismatic or not, please post links.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks Tis Bearself,

I’ll need to do more research, Their website looked ok to me, but it was my first visit there!!!

Please can you post some links on what makes them schismatic? I’d appreciate it. I’m going to do some research now and will post whatever I find. Thanks again for the “heads up”. In fact, if anyone knows any links to clarify whether or not this group is schismatic or not, please post links.

Dear Tis Bearself and any others following this thread,

So far, I found a thread dated 2007 but one comment seemed reasonable. A member received this reply from the sisters when she questioned them:

Regarding our position, we are in communion with Rome and are not in any way connected with the schismatic groups that are sede-vacantist, consecrate their own bishops and ordain their own priests. Neither are we connected with the Society of St. Pius X. We are under no ecclesiastical censures or excommunication. Our Mass is not an Indult Mass.

Our Carmel is well known to the Holy See and to the Ecclesia Dei Commission in particular. We enjoy the friendship and support of numerous bishops throughout the world. We are doing our best uncompromisingly, in very difficult times for the Church and in the world, to be all we can for God, consecrated to Him and to His Church.

God bless you,
The Carmelite Sisters

The entire thread had several comments but considering that the Sister’s website is still functioning, it may be that these sisters have straightened out whatever difficulties they were having with their local bishop. The member’s username on the thread is “Totus Tuus” and the entire thread can be read HERE
I’ll do some more research, however, and will be grateful to receive anything anyone finds as well. I may write to the sisters themselves also, since they have a “Contact link” on their website.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Thanks, I’m not trying to be disruptive but I know they have come up before on scapular threads, particularly as regards the all-wool Scapular and the enrollment into the Confraternity, and others said they were incorrect. I just want to make sure I understand. I’m new around here so if this has been discussed in the past perhaps I don’t have all the background.

The Scapular is a wonderful devotion in any event and I’m glad quality durable ones that can be washed are being made available now. My mother and I wore the Scapular Medal years ago due to the issues with the poorly made cloth ones but that isn’t the same thing. Quite.

 

[drforjc]

icspublications.org/products/catechesis-and-ritual-for-the-scapular-of-our-lady-of-mount-carmel

This is the approved catechesis and ritual for enrolment in the Brown Scapular. Note that it was issued jointly by the Superiors of the Discalced Carmelites and the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance and was approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship.

I would also add that for Carmelites, the Solemnity is concerned with much more than just the Scapular itself. Mary is for us Mother, Sister, Queen, Patroness. Carmelites look to Mary as a model for our very spirituality, as one who listens to and ponders the Word of God in her heart, and puts it into practice.

 

[MariaChristi]

icspublications.org/products/catechesis-and-ritual-for-the-scapular-of-our-lady-of-mount-carmel

This is the approved catechesis and ritual for enrolment in the Brown Scapular. Note that it was issued jointly by the Superiors of the Discalced Carmelites and the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance and was approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship.

I would also add that for Carmelites, the Solemnity is concerned with much more than just the Scapular itself. Mary is for us Mother, Sister, Queen, Patroness. Carmelites look to Mary as a model for our very spirituality, as one who listens to and ponders the Word of God in her heart, and puts it into practice.

Dear drforjc,

Thanks for the link. I clicked on it and was happy to see this quote:

“Prayer . . . means taking time frequently to be alone with the One who we know loves us.”

There is nothing more urgent for us today, it seems to me, than to pray and to pray well. I already have many of the books in the ICS catalog, but I noticed some of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross’ books (Edith Stein) that were not published when we were purchasing books from ICS. I’m happy to see they have published many in the e-book format. I may oder some after I finish my current reading of Sister Lucia’s “Calls” From the Message of Fatima.

Books written by Saints themselves are always my preference rather than books “about them”. One of our granddaughters was born on the Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta and when I looked at one of the photos on the cover of the book on The Letters of Edith Stein, I was surprised by a certain resemblance – dark eyes, dark hair and sweet smile. Of course grandmothers always want to see the “best” in their grandchildren, right? Thanks again for the link.

How Beautiful our Mother Mary is, and how beautiful are all the saints who go to her for help. Mary always brings us closer to Her Son, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, leading us all to closer union with the Trinity.