The Glory of Carmel

by Fr. Gabriel Terrill  |  07/21/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

Dear Friends,

This weekend we celebrate two events. The first is the community celebration of our Patroness, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We transferred the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to this weekend so that our entire community can more easily participate it. Our second cause for celebration is our Pastor, Father Robert Aliunzi’s priestly anniversary. This Saturday, July 20th, Father celebrates 33 years of priesthood. This is significant especially for a priest since the number 33 is associated with Jesus as he was 33 years old when he ministered and died on the cross. Father Robert, thank you for your many years of ministry and please know of our prayers as we celebrate your priesthood.

We are all familiar with the name of our parish and, to one degree or another, the history and devotion behind the name. However, it may be helpful to explore the history and current practice of our namesake, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Starting with Mount Carmel itself, which can be found in northern Israel, there is a twofold significance in Scripture. Firstly it was at Mount Carmel that the prophet Elijah defeated the 450 prophets of the pagan god Baal, proving the Lord to be the true God of the Israelites (1st Kings 18:22-40). Secondly, Mount Carmel is about twenty miles from Nazareth and would have been frequented by the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph). Therefore there is both a New Testament and Old Testament connection that made Mount Carmel a popular place of devotion.

In Particular a certain group of hermits took Mount Carmel to be their home near the well of Elijah during the crusades in the 12th century. These hermits eventually formed a community known as the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Due to political and religious violence the monks were approved as a religious order and transferred to Europe in the 13th century. It was soon after in England that a certain Father Simon Stock received a vision of our Lady.

On July 16th, 1251 Mary appeared before Saint Simon Stock and gave him what is known as the brown scapular with the promise that all who wear the brown scapular and persevered in faith would receive the Sabbatine Privilege. The Sabbatine Privilege is the intercession of Mary to guide those who wear the brown scapular to heaven on the first Saturday after they die. Saint Simon shared his experience and the brown scapular has become a popular devotion to many Catholics ever since. Simon Stock also wrote the hymn Flos Carmeli which would later be used as part of the Carmelite Rite for the Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Many Catholics are aware of Our Lady of Mount Carmel through the devotion to the brown scapular. However, there are many false interpretations of the devotion that tend towards the superstitious. For example, some believe that the brown scapular acts as a sort of talisman that wards off danger. Others may attach certain prayers to the devotion as essential to wearing the brown scapular. Still others treat the brown scapular as a “get out of jail free card” and don’t make any efforts to practice their faith or grow in their relationship with God.

The brown scapular is an extension of the Carmelite habit. A habit is worn by religious orders as part of their rule of life and spirituality. It serves as a sort of physical prayer or an outward sign of their devotion to their particular spiritual practice. The brown scapular is unique as it does not require the wearer to enter into religious life in order to wear it. All that is required to wear the brown scapular is that the scapular itself must be 100% brown wool, that the person wearing the brown scapular is enrolled by a priest, and that the wearer, wears the scapular continually (lest we be scrupulous, it is permitted to remove the scapular when bathing, when washing the scapular itself, or whenever one is required to take it off for a short period of time).

Finally, to wear the brown scapular means to practice our faith. If we are not living a life of faith that strives for virtue, the brown scapular means nothing. Therefore, as we celebrate our patroness, let us ask for the Blessed Virgin Mary’s assistance in living out the gift of our faith, and with her help draw closer to her son, Jesus Christ in His presence in the Eucharist, and that she may assist us in imitating our Lord as Christian disciples and members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish!