Tuesday, July 16, 2024

(Optional) Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Isaiah 7:1-9; Matthew 11:20-24)

Today’s first reading presents King Ahaz of Judah as a fearful man.  Two enemies, Israel and Aram, are threatening to attack his country.  Rather than trust in the Lord as the prophet Isaiah advises, the king sacrifices his son in a holocaust offering of appeasement.  He also seeks an alliance with mighty Assyria. In the end Assyria crushes Israel and Aram, and Judah becomes a vassal state.

This bit of history contains an enormous lesson.  Faith in God and appeal to His mercy is paramount for us.  When we swerve from God’s law and when we ignore the advice of prophets, not only we will suffer but also those around us. 

The celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel today serves as a counterexample.  This visualization of our Blessed Mother presents to devotees a brown scapular as a protection against physical and spiritual troubles.  It is not believed that the scapular has any healing power.  But it does express the faith of the bearer that God through Mary’s intercession will provide the grace to overcome life’s challenges.

Friday, July 16, 2021

If you want to continue receiving homilettes by email, please send me your name and email address.  (If you have already done so, there is no need to repeat.)  I have been having difficulty adopting another mailing service.  However, Google seems to be sending them out for the time being at least.  If and when it stops, I will send out the homilettes to all who send me their addresses if the email service problem is not worked  by then. Thank you for your readership.  cm 

(Optional) Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 11:1—12:14; Matthew 12:1-8)

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel invites a reflection on the scapular.  It is said, without historical documentation, that Mary gave the scapular to St. Simon Stock, a general of the Carmelite Order.  Scapulars were first used by members of ancient religious orders as a piece of clothing, an additional layer to protect one from the cold. 

After a while, the scapular on a symbolic value.  It was equated with the yoke and even the cross of Christ which one bears with great efficacy.  With the founding of the mendicant orders in the thirteenth century, a smaller scapular made of the same cloth and color as the whole habit was given to members of the “third order.” These devotees did not live in community but practiced the spirituality which the scapular represented.  By the sixteenth century the scapular became diminutive – no more than two inches squared. 

Sometimes claims were made that wearers of the scapular would never go to hell.  Such was the cIaim made by Carmelites about their brown scapular.  It is said that Our Lady promised that wearers of the scapular until death would be admitted to heaven on the first Saturday after dying.  However, the claim presumes that the person wearing the scapular would lead a life in accordance with the ideals of the Order.  (To say that the mere wearing a scapular assures eternal life would mock the gospels.)  In this sense the scapular is not like the blood of lamb which painted on lintels protected the children of Israel from the scourge of death.  That blood prefigured the blood of Christ shed on the cross which does bring salvation to all who accept him and his revelation fully.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

Moses’ mother uses both work and wit to save him from destruction.  She takes pain to hide him when he is born so that he would not be taken away.  When that is no longer possible, she strategizes to have Moses adopted into the royal family.  She even manages to take care of him on behalf of the Egyptian princess.  Her care is of the order celebrated on this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

In Christian tradition Mary, the Mother of God, is known in various ways.  She is the Virgin Maiden who disposes herself completely with God’s call.  She is also the Queen of Apostles, the first human to proclaim God’s love in Jesus Christ.  She is also the great protectoress giving shelter to those under siege.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel should be seen especially in this last way.

She is associated with the brown scapular.  Scapulars were originally exterior clothing worn over the shoulders as an outer vestment.  They were like sweaters or, if worn alone, light jackets to provide protection against the elements.  In time the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel became famous for protecting its wearer from vices.  Because the full-body version was not needed for this spiritual purpose, its size was reduced.  Today the scapular is but two cloth emblems linked by two laces but still worn over the head.  As always with sacramentals, the scapular itself does not protect anyone.  But it does remind us to ask Mary to pray for us to God.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Memorial (optional) of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Isaiah 1:10-17; Matthew 10:34-11:1)

Although the celebration is optional, today many Catholics remember Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  She is associated with the protection of the faithful from sin and its consequences.  To this effect many wear a brown scapular, originally an article of clothing meant to shelter one from the elements.   It is worth asking why we look to Mary for help in need and not directly to Christ.

The simple truth is, however, that we cannot look to Mary without looking to Christ.  She is, after all, his mother.  More to the point, she stands for the Church ever since Jesus formed it from the cross.  There he gave his mother to his beloved disciple and him to her.  She is the Church’s most distinguished member, the one most faithful to God.  Since the Church is the Body of Christ, she represents him in his physical presence on earth.

As we looked to our mothers for help in our infancy, we look to the Church today.  The Church guides us to justice.  Its sacraments provide us assistance to overcome life’s greatest challenges.  Its members support us along the way to eternal life.  When we think of the Church in this way, we may give it the face of Mary.  Today we proclaim that Our Lady of Mount Carmel represents the Church protecting us from every evil.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

Today’s optional memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrates one of the most revered manifestations of the Blessed Virgin.  She is said to have given St. Simon Stock, the prior general of the Carmelite Order in the middle of the thirteenth century, the order’s brown scapular.  The scapular has served as part of the order’s religious dress to this day.  At the same time Our Lady is said to have promised salvation to those who persevere in wearing it.

For those who are not Carmelite religious, the scapular has been reduced in size so that it may be worn as a neck pendant under regular clothing.  No doubt millions of lay people around the word do just that trusting in Our Lady’s promise.  The story may sound quaint, but it underscores the narrative unfolding in the first reading these days.  As God comes to the aid of His people when they are perishing, He will assist us in our weakness if we devote ourselves to him.

Wearing a scapular is not necessary to be saved, but it serves to remind us of our need for God’s grace.  Jesus died that we might acknowledge God’s love.  He also has shared with us his Blessed Mother whose pleading on our behalf also wins God’s favor.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Exodus 2:1-15a; Matthew 11:20-24)

Today’s optional memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrates one of the most revered manifestations of the Blessed Virgin.  She is said to have given St. Simon Stock, the prior general of the Carmelite Order in the middle of the thirteenth century, the order’s brown scapular that served as part of its habit.  At the same time Our Lady is said to have promised salvation to those who persevere in wearing it.

The scapular has been radically reduced so that it is not always a garb at all but a neck pendant that can be easily worn under regular clothing.  No doubt millions of lay people around the word do just that trusting Our Lady’s promise.  The story sounds quaint and ingenuous, but it only underscores the narrative unfolding in the first reading these days where God comes to the aid of His people when they are perishing.  Today’s segment shows how the Israelite’s human liberator Moses is spared death by a generous act of Providence.

Wearing a scapular is not necessary to be saved, but it may remind us of our Lord whose death on the cross extends to us the possibility of eternal life.  He also has shared with us his Blessed Mother whose pleading on our behalf contributes to our never losing faith.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

(Isaiah 1:10-17; Matthew 10:34-11.1)

Today the Church celebrates Our Lady of Mount Carmel who is said to have appeared to the leader of the Carmelite Order in the middle of the thirteenth century. Having experienced different trials, Mary reputedly told St. Simon Stock that she would protect those wearing a brown scapular. Historians now question the veracity of the vision, but Carmelites rightly profess that wearing the scapular as a sign that following Jesus by way of Mary gains the Blessed Mother’s intercession. What should not be forgotten, as the reading from Isaiah reminds us, is the necessity to also assist one’s neighbors.

Isaiah lives in Jerusalem where one of the main activities is offering sacrifice to God in the Temple. The offerings are prescribed by the Mosaic Law, but carrying them out does not alone make one righteous. Even more important, as the prophet makes clear, is caring for the needs of the poor and vulnerable.

Jesus, of course, fulfills all the requirements of righteousness. In fact, he is the only person to do so completely. He meets the needs of the vulnerable and eventually offers himself as the perfect sacrifice. The Father does not demand that Jesus shed his blood on the cross as many people think. But He does require everyone to abide by His commands. In Jesus’ case, fulfilling God’s will entails submitting himself to human power, which is always risky. Our sins erect Jesus’ cross. God raises him from the dead as a sign of his victory over sin and our hope for eternal glory.