Every July 16, the faithful devotees celebrate the memory of the Virgin of Carmel – also, Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Saint Mary of Mount Carmel -, one of the most universal and ancient Marian devotions of the Catholic Church.
Mary, help in the final hour and guarantor of eternal life
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On July 16, 1251, Saint Simon Stock, superior of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Carmelites of the Old Observance), was in prayer, begging God to strengthen his Carmelite brothers who were suffering persecution. Suddenly, the Virgin Mary appeared to him.
Our Lady appeared dressed in the habit of the Order (the chestnut-brown tunic) and, addressing the saint, extended her hand to give him the Carmelite scapular. The Virgin, then, promised him that she would free from eternal punishment anyone who wore it and was in grace with God.
These events took place in Aylesford (England) and, after them, there was a great boost to this beautiful devotion, dedicated to the “Queen and Lady of Mount Carmel.” Since then it has continued to spread throughout the world throughout successive centuries, with abundant fruits of holiness.
The scapular
The scapular of the Virgin of Carmen received official recognition thanks to the intervention of Pope Sixtus V in 1587, and its use and dissemination have subsequently been supported by other pontiffs. It is the maximum sign of devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Thanks to the symbolic power of the scapular to evoke the great promise made by the Virgin to Saint Simon, the Carmelites – both of the ancient observance and the reformed (barefoot), and their numerous spiritual branches – have borne good and abundant fruit: today the Carmelites – men and women, religious and lay, contemplative and inserted in the world – have an important presence on the five continents, heirs of a very long list of saints and martyrs, faithful devotees of the Virgin of Carmen.
The scapular, finally, contains beautiful symbolism. It evokes the “encounter” between the Old and the New Covenant, between the Old and the New Testament, as explained below.
The holy mountain
It was on Mount Carmel, located near Jerusalem, the Holy City (Israel), where the prophets Elijah and Elisha settled to live consecrated to intercessory prayer for the Chosen People (see: Isaiah 35, 2). And it was on that same mountain where, in the middle of the 12th century AD, San Bartolo built the hermitage that would bring together dozens of priests of the Latin Church to move there and begin a life as hermits, in solitude and silence. These devotees arrived and formed the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Carmelites), Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
The name “Carmel” comes from Hebrew Karm-El which means ‘garden of God’ or ‘vineyard of God’. The name recalls the beauty of the place – it is also often called ‘the garden of Palestine’ – and evokes the spiritual richness of a long tradition that was born with the Prophets of the Old Testament.
The Carmelites
In 1205, Saint Albert (Alberto Avogadro), patriarch of Jerusalem, gave the hermits of Carmel a rule of life, which would later be approved by Pope Honorius III in 1226. The Carmelites, according to said rule, were to live ‘a the way of the Prophet Elijah and the Most Holy Mary.
Also in the 13th century, Pope Innocent IV granted the Carmelites the privilege of being included among the mendicant orders, along with Franciscans and Dominicans. This meant a very big change for the Order, which, moreover, would be reformed centuries later by Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross (16th century).
Devotion
It is impossible to list the places dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Carmen, or make a list of all her patronages. Only in Spain, for example, the Virgin of Carmen is the patron saint of sailors and fishermen, as well as of the Spanish Navy. The cities that celebrate it on the Peninsula are practically countless.
Something similar happens in America. In Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay or Venezuela, the day of the Virgin of Carmen is an authentic celebration: processions are carried out, novenas are solemnly concluded, and devotees perpetuate their gratitude in a variety of popular traditions. As an example of this, in many places tributes are paid to all women called “Carmen” or “Carmela”.
These religious or cultural expressions show the profound impact that Carmelite spirituality has achieved on the People of God, and that today continues to encourage millions of people to love and ask for the protection of the Mother of God.
Our Lady of Carmen, pray for us!
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If you want to know more about the Virgin of Carmen or about the scapular, you can read the following articles from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Fiesta_de_Nuestra_Señora_del_Carmen, https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Escapulario_de_Nuestra_Señora_del_Carmen.
More information in the following links:
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