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Reflection from our Pastor
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Celebrating Our Lady
Yesterday, July 16, was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Carmelite Order began on Mount Carmel, a peaceful mountain in the
Holy Land. Around the 12th century, a group of men went there to live simple lives of prayer. They built small homes on the mountain and spent their days talking to God. They were inspired by the prophet Elijah, who also prayed on Mount Carmel in the Bible.
These men wanted Mary to guide them in their prayerful lives. They dedicated their chapel to her and called her their patroness. They believed Mary was the perfect example of how to love and follow Jesus. They trusted her to watch over them as a loving mother. Mary became the center of their devotion. They looked to her as a model of prayer and humility. They admired her quiet faith and her trust in God’s plan. They prayed to her every day and asked her to help them grow closer to Jesus.
The Carmelites focused on prayer and contemplation. They spent hours in silence, thinking about God’s love. They believed Mary was always with them, helping them to pray with open hearts. Through their prayers, they tried to follow her example of saying “yes” to God.
Mary’s role in the Carmelite Order is still strong today. Carmelites continue to honor her as their mother and protector. They encourage others to live
prayerful lives and trust in Mary’s care. By following her, they believe they are growing closer to Jesus.
This deep connection to Mary is what makes the Carmelite Order unique. She is their inspiration, their guide, and their greatest example of faith. Through her, they continue their mission of prayer and devotion. (Wikipedia)
Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel means:
“…a special call to the interior life, which is preeminently a Marian life. Our Lady wants us to resemble her not only outwardly but, far more, in heart and spirit. If we gaze into Mary's soul, we shall see that grace in her has flowered into a spiritual life of incalculable wealth: a life of recollection, prayer, uninterrupted oblation to God, continual contact, and intimate union with him. Mary's soul is a sanctuary reserved for God alone, where no human creature has ever left its trace, where love and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind reign supreme. [...] Those who want to live their devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the full must follow Mary into the depths of her interior life. Carmel is the symbol of the contemplative life, the life wholly dedicated to the quest for God, wholly orientated towards intimacy with God; and the one who has best realized this highest of ideals is Our Lady herself, ‘Queen and Splendor of Carmel.’” (Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, a revered authority on Carmel spirituality)
Let us pray…
Lady of Mount Carmel, my soul longs for peace.
This world is noisy, uncertain, and often unkind.
But in your presence, there is calm.
In your arms, there is rest.
Be near to me now, Blessed Mother.
Quiet the storms around and within me.
Let your Son’s peace, which surpasses all understanding,
settle deep into my heart.
( From prayersbase.com)
Amen,
Mother Rosean
Photo: The Chapel of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
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