Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Stella Maris
Fr. Emiel Abalahin, O.Carm.
One of the most useful tools for living in a city is a travel app. Large metropolises become much easier to negotiate because the program gives so much information, from where you are to how to arrive at your destination, whether by foot, by car, or by public transport. It can even indicate the correct times of buses, and the duration of the rides, even in a foreign country, and all in your own language.
Ancient mariners, who could not avail themselves of such wonderful modern technology, depended on the celestial bodies to guide them to their port of call. Often, they would use the star Polaris, or North Star, at night to help determine their course, and as they neared their destination, the distance to their arrival. It is from this experience that one can have some understanding of the meaning of Mary’s title, “Stella maris.”
This ancient epithet, which concludes the second verse of the Flos Carmeli, comes to us as a happy fault of transcription of St. Jerome’s Latin translation of Eusebius of Caesarea’s Onomasticon. According to Jerome’s original etymology, Miryam, signified stilla maris, “drop of the sea,” but a later copyist wrote it as stella maris. Throughout the following centuries, many were inspired by the title, including Albert the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux and Pius XII. For them, this title captures Mary’s role in salvation history as the one who bore the Savior while maintaining her integrity, and in doing so, brought light to all those who hoped for his coming. The inclusion of this title in the Flos Carmeli means that this image of Mary resonated with the early Carmelites as well. Like her, they also sought to live integrated lives of purity and fidelity, especially as they negotiated the tempestuous experience of life. So the turned to her as their patroness and model of Christian discipleship.
This image of Mary as “Star of the sea” may also furnish us with some reflection for our time. As people of the contemporary world, especially those of us who live in large cities, we are surrounded by lots of artificial light. Light bulbs provide illumination, while the blue light that shines on us from computer screens and smartphones and other electronic devices, not only provide us with a world of information, but they also fool our bodies into believing that even the dark of night is midday. Spiritually, artificial lights also surround us; things that might even contain hints of truth, but ultimately mislead us into believing that they will bring us full happiness and joy, or help us to discover our identity, or lead us to paradise. Instead, they make us unhealthy, tired, and turn us away from ourselves, from one another, and more importantly, from Christ our real joy and destination.
On the other hand, the sun and stars provide natural light and a rhythmic pattern to our days. While modern technology replaces the stars as navigational tools, the stars still serve a great purpose. The sun gives light to even the cloudiest of days, and nourishes our bodies, while the stars hint at the vastness of the cosmos as they indicate the time and need for rest. The light of Christ is the light that shines throughout our souls, as Teresa of Avila says, revealing to us the truth of God and the truth of ourselves as God’s Beloved who are called to intimate relationship with Him. Mary, as Stella Maris, serves as the model who indicates by her life what this experiences looks like as it is lived out.
As Carmelites, we have in Our Lady of Mount Carmel a true light, a light that guided our Carmelite ancestors and continues to guide us today. May we follow her example so that like her, we may also be beacons of Christ’s light for others so that together, we might all reach the port of our heavenly home.
In Sollemnitate B.V. Mariae de Monte Carmelo 2014
Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera,
splendor caeli, Virgo puerpera singularis.
Mater mitis, sed viri nescia,
Carmelitis esto propitia,
stella maris.
In sollemnitate b.v. Mariae de monte carmelo
Fernando Prior Generalis
Domusque Generalis Communitas
16. VII. 2014
Lay Carmelites with the Scapular
Fr. Joseph Hung Tran, O.Carm.
The maternal love that the Blessed Virgin Mary has for the Carmelites is evidenced in the Brown Scapular. It is the sign of protection that Mary offered to the Order of Carmelites during a difficult time of the Order. The legend recorded is that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and promised to protect the Order by handing to him a piece of her garment as a symbol of protection. Since then, the Brown Scapular has become part of the habit of the Order and over time, the Brown Scapular became part of the identity of the Order. As Pope John Paul II has said, the Brown Scapular is essentially a “habit”, of the Carmelite Order.[1] Eventually, a smaller version of the friars’ brown scapular was given to lay people as a sign of their association with the Carmelites and their spirituality.
The Brown Scapular is a sign which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries. Thousands of Lay Carmelites, confraternities and many Catholics are wearing the Scapular. In many countries, babies and children are invested into the Scapular at their baptism or First Holy Communion as a sign of protection from her and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.[2]
By wearing the Scapular, Lay Carmelites put on themselves the garment of Mary in order to become one like her, to act like her and to love like her. By receiving the Scapular they receive the garment of Mary in order to remind them of their obligation to clothe themselves with the virtues of the Blessed Mother.[3] “If Mary is our garment, she too should be visible in our person, and we should reveal her virtues in our conduct and in our daily lives”[4] said St. Bernard. Therefore the Scapular must not be seen as a charm to protect the wearer or as an automatic guarantee of salvation, and thus an excuse for not living the demands of the Christian life but it is the symbol of their consecration and dedication to Mary. Rather it is an expression of trust in her motherly protection, and as a desire to be like her in her commitment to Christ and to others. It should be a daily reminder of all virtues of Mary that we have to live when we wear the Scapular.[5]
The Scapular is the sign of Consecration to Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate virgin therefore by wearing the scapular lay Carmelites are consecrating their lives to God in the spirit of Mary as well as God consecrates them through giving them Mary.[6] This privilege has two fold meanings, first they belong to God and Mary in a special way and second they must live their life worthily to this consecration. The life of consecration is a total surrender, a complete giving up of themselves to God and Mary, like the Blessed Mother who consecrated herself to God in total association with her Son. Consecration must mean more that a formula of words; it is not just a moment or even the day of consecration, but their whole life. Consecration is more than outward conformity to certain practices of devotion, to certain prayers; it involves the whole of their life and especially their mind and heart. Thus, by wearing the Scapular, lay Carmelites are reminded that they belong to God all times and in all places and that He has a right to their service.”[7] By wearing the scapular, lay Carmelites are invited to live their lives like the Blessed Mother who is a perfect replica or mirror of the life of her Son who came not to do his worn will be the will of the Father who sent him.[8]
Wearing the Scapular, Lay Carmelites remind themselves of their daily commitment to follow Jesus as did Mary, the perfect model of all Disciples of Christ. In the Scapular the Blessed Virgin reminds all Carmelites that they must open their lives to God and His will. As Mary, whose life was guided by faith, hope, and love; lay Carmelites also are invited to live their Christian lives as Mary did.[9]
In wearing the Scapular, Lay Carmelites live in imitation of Mary - that is, to be close to the needs of others, as she had done to her cousin Elizabeth and to the couple at the wedding at Cana. Devotion to the Scapular reminds all Carmelites how to pray at all times; and how to discover God’s presence in all that happens around them.[10] However, devotion to Scapular is not simply a matter of saying prayers in her honor, of imitating her virtues, of visiting her shrines.[11] Father. Bartholomew Xiberta, O.Carm., explains it this way:
Devotion to Mary in its full sense is not to be restricted to certain acts of homage rendered to her on special occasions. Rather it means the permanent dedication of one's intimate affections. To be a devotee of Mary does not mean merely to follow one of the many practices that are frequently added to the keeping of the commandments; devotion to Mary affects the whole person, constituting a distinctive mark that is intimately connected with and derived from the Christian character. Actually we expect from Mary not only this or that particular grace but her constant solicitude. The true devotee of Mary assumes towards her the position of a child towards its mother; he surrenders his whole being to her. This characteristic of Marian devotion may be summed up in the one word, consecration. This means a total and exclusive offering by which a person belongs entirely to the one to whom he is consecrated - not for any specified length of time, but for ever.[12]
Wearing the Scapular, Lay Carmelites remind themselves that they are members of the Carmelite family and they are invited to live out their daily commitment according to the Charism of the Order, that is, to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ with a pure heart and a clean conscience. Their lives and actions must reflect on the Gospel values and the teaching of the Church. Their lives must find expression in prayer, the Eucharist, fraternal love and service.[13]
[1] Cf. Edit by North American Province of Carmelite Order, The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Catechesis and Ritual, (Middletown, NY, 2001), 5.
[2] Ibid, 6.
[3] Scapular 29
[4] Scapular 29
[5] Scapular 29
[6] The Scapular… 25
[7] Scapular 26
[8] Scapular 26
[9] Ibid.
[10] Cf. Chalmers, Mary the Contemplative…10.
[11] Scapular 24
[12] Scapualr 24
[13] Ibid.
Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
As the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is approaching, the Prior General has written a letter to the Carmelite family expressing his best wishes and inviting all members to celebrate the Feast, beginning with the Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel from 7 to 15 of July 2014. This custom of the Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel before the feast is a long tradition and is observed by many Catholics throughout the world.
In his letter the Prior General invites us to be united in contemplating, sharing, increasing the beauty which is all around us (even, if at times, somewhat hidden) because Carmel has been closely linked to beauty. He states “my desire is that our lives should be a song of praise to God for the beauty that surrounds us, and also a generous commitment to ensure that beauty will not be diminished or tarnished by what is evil, by sin, by the suffering of so many innocent people, who are the victims of selfishness and all its ramifications, (injustice, violence, inequality .....).”
The full text of the message and the Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel can be founded here:
http://ocarm.org/en/content/ocarm/letter-prior-general-feast-our-lady-mount-carmel-2014
Letter of the Prior General for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2014
Fernando Millán Romeral O.Carm.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Carmelite Family
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is approaching, and another year has gone by. I would like to offer you my best wishes. The day means a lot to all of us, a joyous and deep-felt moment in which we celebrate our devotion to the Mother of the Lord, under the very popular title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. One year more: I would like to commend to her intercession, our dreams and projects, our missions and apostolates, our joys and our concerns. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother and Sister, enlighten, guide and accompany us, so that we may be always faithful to our vocation, and know how to respond generously to the insistent call from Pope Francis to the whole Church, for all to be true evangelisers.
As you may perhaps recall, last year I suggested a possible interpretation of an icon that is typical of devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel: the Blessed Virgin who descends into Purgatory and saves by her scapular all those who are suffering there. I would ask you therefore that, in imitation of Mary, we might each descend into the purgatories of today and in solidarity and compassion, help those who are suffering to emerge from those purgatories of every kind, of which there are many in the world of today.
On this occasion I would ask that every Carmelite, (friar, cloistered nun, sister of the apostolic life, tertiary, member of a confraternity, lay Carmelite member of one of the many groups that make up the Carmelite family) be united in contemplating, sharing, increasing the beauty which is all around us (even, if at times, somewhat hidden). Right from the beginning Carmel has been closely linked to beauty. Mount Carmel is synonymous with beauty in the First Testament, and we ourselves refer to Mary as the Mother and Ornament of Carmel (Mother and Beauty of Carmel). Our Order has been characterised down through the centuries by that tendency towards the poetic, the artistic ... the beautiful.
Therefore, my desire is that our lives should be a song of praise to God for the beauty that surrounds us, and also a generous commitment to ensure that beauty will not be diminished or tarnished by what is evil, by sin, by the suffering of so many innocent people, who are the victims of selfishness and all its ramifications, (injustice, violence, inequality .....).
May our lives as Carmelites, each in accordance with our specific situation, become a song of praise to the Creator, and may each of us, in imitation of Mary, humbly proclaim the wonders that the Lord has worked and continues to work in our lives. (Lk 1:46-55) It may be that one of the most tragic features of the modern world is the inability to generate beauty or to discover beauty. At times, beauty finds itself reduced to something that is purely aesthetic, self-centred, with no notion of solidarity, and therefore no beauty at all, not authentic, producing only a sense of too much and of nothing. The ancient scholastics used to say, the good and the beautiful, “bonum” et “pulchrum” always coincide. That’s the way it is.
When we want to discover what is beautiful, Mary, the teacher and master of spirituality, points our gaze in another direction: towards what is small and humble, what is of no account ..... Mary leads us to discover the beauty in the complexities of life, in all that is noble and heroic, which at times we fail to see in day to day life.
May the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with its novenas and devotions, its liturgies and celebrations, be itself a humble and peaceful song to beauty. We must not settle for mere routine, half-hearted celebrations, the remains of a glorious but very distant past. We must also avoid mere external beauty, nothing more that pomp and rubrics. No, on that day we must lift up our hearts, through the calm beauty of the liturgy, over the misery of humanity, and look at the “star of the sea” so that she may guide us to Christ, Our Lord.
Happy Feastday! May Mary, our Mother and Sister be with you always.
With brotherly affection,
Fernando Millán Romeral O.Carm.
Prior General
Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Lectio Divina July 2014
Prayer Intentions of the Holy Father
Universal: That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.
For Evangelization: That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.
Lectio Divina July - Julio - Luglio 2014
| Ipad-Iphone | Kindle | ||
| English | download ebook | download ebook | download PDF |
| Español | descargar eBook | descargar ebook | download PDF |
| Italiano | download eBook | download eBook | download PDF |
- Tuesday, July 1, 2014
- Wednesday, July 2, 2014
- Thursday, July 3, 2014
- Friday, July 4, 2014
- Saturday, July 5, 2014
- Sunday, July 6, 2014
- Monday, July 7, 2014
- Tuesday, July 8, 2014
- Wednesday, July 9, 2014
- Thursday, July 10, 2014
- Friday, July 11, 2014
- Saturday, July 12, 2014
- Sunday, July 13, 2014
- Monday, July 14, 2014
- Tuesday, July 15, 2014
- Wednesday, July 16, 2014
- Thursday, July 17, 2014
- Friday, July 18, 2014
- Saturday, July 19, 2014
- Sunday, July 20, 2014
- Monday, July 21, 2014
- Tuesday, July 22, 2014
- Wednesday, July 23, 2014
- Thursday, July 24, 2014
- Friday, July 25, 2014
- Saturday, July 26, 2014
- Sunday, July 27, 2014
- Monday, July 28, 2014
- Tuesday, July 29, 2014
- Wednesday, July 30, 2014
- Thursday, July 31, 2014
Lectio Divina:The Transfiguration of the Lord (A)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of everlasting goodness,
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise You.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in Your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took with Him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There in their presence He was transfigured: His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as dazzling as light. And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with Him.
Then Peter spoke to Jesus. 'Lord,' he said, 'it is wonderful for us to be here; if You want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, 'This is My Son, the Beloved; He enjoys My favor. Listen to Him.'
When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, 'Stand up, do not be afraid.' And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus. As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, 'Tell no one about this vision until the Son of man has risen from the dead.'
3) Reflection
• Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The Transfiguration takes place after the first announcement of the Death of Jesus (Mt 16:21). This announcement disturbs the head of the Disciples, especially Peter (Mt 16:22-23). They were living among the poor, but the head was lost in the dominating ideology of that time. They were expecting a glorious Messiah. The cross was an impediment to believing in Jesus. The Transfiguration, where Jesus appears glorious on the top of the mountain, was for them a help to overcome the trauma of the Cross and to discover the true Messiah in Jesus. But even with this, many years afterwards, when the Good News was already diffused in Asia Minor and in Greece, the Cross continued to be for the Jews and for the Gentiles a great impediment to accepting Jesus as Messiah. “The Cross is foolishness and scandal!” as it was said (1Cor 1:23). One of the greatest efforts of the first Christians was to help people to become aware that the cross was not a scandal, nor foolishness, but rather the most beautiful and strongest expression of the wisdom of God (1Cor 1:22-31). Today’s Gospel contributes to this effort. It shows that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy and that the Cross was the way to Glory. There is no other way.
• Matthew 17:1-3: Jesus changes appearance. Jesus goes up to the top of the mountain. Luke adds that He goes there to pray (Lk 9:28). There, on the top of the mountain, Jesus appears in glory, before Peter, James and John. Together with Jesus Moses and Elijah also appear. The high mountain evokes Mount Sinai, where, in the past, God had manifested His will to the people, giving them the Tablets of the Law. The white clothes recall Moses who was radiant with light when he was speaking with God on the Mountain and received the Law from God, (Ex 34:29-35). Elijah and Moses, the two maximum authorities of the Old Testament, speak with Jesus. Moses represents the Law; Elijah, the prophecy. Luke tells us that the conversation was on the “Exodus” (the death) of Jesus in Jerusalem (Lk 9:31). Thus, it is clear that the Old Testament, that is the Law as well as the Prophets, already taught that for the Messiah, the way to Glory had to go through the Cross. There is no other way.
• Matthew 17: 4: It pleases Peter, but he does not understand. It pleases Peter and he wants to freeze that pleasant moment on the Mountain. He offers to build three tents. Mark says that Peter was afraid, and did not know what he was saying (Mk 9:6), and Luke adds that the Disciples were sleepy (Lk 9:32). They were like us: it is difficult for them to understand the Cross!
• Matthew 17:5-8: The voice from Heaven clarifies the facts. When Jesus is enveloped by the glory, there was a voice from Heaven which said, “This is My Son, the Beloved, He enjoys My favor. Listen to Him”. The expression “Beloved son” evokes the person of the Messiah Servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (cf. Isa 42:1). The expression “Listen to Him” evokes the prophecy which promised the coming of a new Moses (cf. Deut 18:15). In Jesus the prophecies of the Old Testament are being fulfilled, the disciples can no longer doubt. Jesus is truly the glorious Messiah and the way to arrive at the glory passes through the cross, according to everything announced in the prophecy of the Messiah Servant (Isa 53:3-9). The glory of the Transfiguration proves this. Moses and Elijah confirm it. The Father guarantees it. Jesus accepts it. Before everything which was taking place the Disciples were afraid and fell on their faces. Jesus gets close to them, touches them and says: “Stand up, do not be afraid”. The Disciples raised their eyes and saw only Jesus and nobody else. From now on, Jesus is the only revelation of God for us! Jesus, and He alone, is the key to understanding Scripture and Life.
• Matthew 17:9: To know how to keep silence. Jesus asks the disciples to tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Mark says that they did not know what it meant to rise from the dead (Mk 9:10). In fact, the one who does not join suffering to the resurrection will not understand the significance of the Cross. The Cross of Jesus is the proof that life is stronger than death. The full understanding of the following of Jesus is not attained by theoretical instruction, but by practical commitment, walking with Him along the road of service, from Galilee until Jerusalem.
4) Personal questions
• Has your faith in Jesus given you some moment of transfiguration and of profound joy? How have these moments of joy given you strength in difficult moments?
• Today, how can you transfigure both your personal and your family life, and the community life of your neighborhood?
5) Concluding Prayer
The mountains melt like wax,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim His saving justice,
all nations see His glory. (Ps 97:5-6)
8th Centenary of the death of Saint Albert of Jerusalem
In order to mark the 8th Centenary of the death of Saint Albert of Jerusalem, the General Council of the Order have organized a weekend seminar in Rome from 10th to 12th October 2014. Those taking part will include the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millan Romeral, O.Carm., the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites, Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, OCD, Sr. Anastasia di Gerusalemme, O.Carm. (RAV), Fr. Enzo Mosca, O.Carm. (Neap), Bro. Patrick Mullins, O.Carm. (Hib) Fr. Bruno Secondin, O.Carm. (Ita) Fr. Kees Waaijman, O.Carm. (Neer) The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude, Fouad Twal will also speak at the seminar, and together with Frs. Fernando and Saverio, will celebrate Mass at the Carmelite Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, Rome at 8.00 am on Sunday 12 October. The seminar will be conducted in two languages, Italian and English.
The number of places is limited and some residential places are available for members of the Order especially for those coming from outside of Italy (on a first come basis). Registration is essential for this weekend, but the Mass on the Sunday at 8.00 am is open to all. The programme and registration form is accessible in Italian and English on-line at:
http://www.ocarm.org/en/content/ocarm/800th-anniversary-death-saint-albert-patriarch-jerusalem
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Valencia, Spain
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Valencia, Spain, was held 13 June 2014. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. del Sagrario Lorite Beltrán, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Auxiliadora Muñoz López, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. M. Mercedes de la Cruz Medina Zárraga, O.Carm.
- 3rd Councilor: Sr M. Sacramento Callejo Marinero, O.Carm.
- 4th Couniclor: Sr. M. Margarita Benítez Sequiel, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. M. Norayma Coromoto Morales, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. Auxiliadora Muñoz López, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. M. Manuela de Jesús Medina Triguero, O.Carm.
Brussels celebration to mark the the 4th centenary of the death of Fr. Jerome Gracián.
This year marks the 4th centenary of the death of Fr. Jerome Gracián who died in Brussels in 1614 (citoc-online 3/2014). Fr. Gracián was the friend and supporter of St. Teresa of Avila. On Sunday the 21st September 2014 at 15.30h at Couvent des Carmes, Avenue de la Toison d’Or, 45, Mass will be celebrated at the location of the house where he died in Brussels, Belgium. The principal celebrant and preacher will be the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites, Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, OCD. Present also will be the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., the Vice-Prior General, Fr. Christian Körner, O.Carm. and Fr. John Keating, O.Carm., Councillor General for Europe.
In addition, on the 12th and 13th November next, as previously noted, a conference will be held in Madrid (calle Ayala) on Gracián with the participation of a number of scholars. This event will conclude with a Mass on the 14th November at the Church of San José in Madrid (former convent of San Hermenegildo), celebrated by the Prior General. More detailed information about this congress will be sent in the coming months.
