Today we celebrate Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patronal feast of the Carmelite Order, who take their name from Mount Carmel in Palestine.
In the book of Kings, this is where the prophet Elijah challenged 450 prophets of Baal to prove the divinity of their God. It was of course Elijah who showed the supremacy of the True God of Israel. Carmelite tradition suggests that a community of Jewish hermits had lived at that site from the time of Elijah until the
Carmelites were founded there in the late 12th century.
The early Christian hermits of Mount Carmel dedicated a chapel to Mary. Soon, community members were known as the “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”
In the early 13th Century, members of the Carmelites moved to England where they became mendicant friars. Legend states that in a vision to an English Carmelite named Saint Simon Stock, Our Lady gave the brown Carmelite scapular.
The scapular was originally a large apron like garment that would be placed over the Carmelite’s good clothes. And while they would be out in the fields working, the scapular would protect the good clothes from getting dirty. It is a powerful symbol of the protection of our Lady, for we have received the “good clothing” of our baptism, and she protects us from the dirt and evil of the world, helping us to keep the dignity of our baptismal garment unstained through this pilgrimage of the Christian life on earth.
We do well always to show our love for Our Lady and to entrust ourselves to her protection. Yet, Wearing the Brown Scapular is not an automatic guarantee of salvation. It is not a magical charm, nor is it an excuse to live in a way contrary to the teachings of the Church. It is a sacramental which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries and is a sign of one's decision to follow Jesus as did Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ
If you haven't warn a scapular for a few years, today is a very fitting day to begin again.
The Scapular reminds us that we are to be like Mary to be totally dedicated to God. More than anyone else, it is she who can help us to follow her Son to love him and serve him and live for his glory and the salvation of souls. Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Pray for Us.
Entrance Antiphon: Hail, Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth for ever.
Collect: May the venerable intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary come to our aid, we pray, O Lord, so that, fortified by her protection, we may reach the mountain which is Christ.
Communion Antiphon: Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.
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