There's no doubt that hearing the name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel evokes a beautiful Marian experience in our minds; her image is familiar in most of our homes. Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has accompanied our journey in faith; it's a very popular devotion, whose feast day is celebrated on July 16th. It is especially notable for the caravans carried out by drivers, especially public transport companies, and also by sailors. Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is not indifferent in our society.
But have you ever wondered where this great devotion comes from?
Origin of the name
As its name suggests, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is linked to the Carmelite order. Mount Carmel was undoubtedly a mountain where several prophets, such as Elisha, worshipped God through prayer; at the beginning of the 3rd and 4th centuries, many Christians followed this form of prayer, characterized by penitence and austerity. In the mid-12th century, a group of devotees decided to settle in this valley and chose the Virgin Mary as their patron saint. There, they built the first church dedicated to Saint Mary of Mount Carmel.
These devotees, who decided to live in community through prayer and poverty, were the cradle of the Carmelite Order, and their devotion to the Virgin led to the birth of a new title: Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The scapular
Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel refers to the scapular, an external sign of Marian devotion that symbolizes consecration to the Virgin Mary. The scapular is a "sacramental"; sacramentals "are sacred signs created according to the model of the sacraments, through which effects, especially of a spiritual nature, obtained through the intercession of the Church are expressed. Through them, men are disposed to receive the principal effect of the sacraments and the various circumstances of life are sanctified" (SC 60).
The origin of the scapular lies within the Carmelite Order itself; in 1251, the Blessed Virgin Mary, accompanied by a host of angels, appeared to Saint Simon Stock, Superior General of the Carmelites, holding the Order's scapular in her hands and said to him: "You and all Carmelites will have the privilege that whoever dies with it will not suffer eternal fire"; that is, whoever dies with it will be saved (Aciprensa).
When wearing the scapular, it is very important that we appreciate its deep and rich meaning, belonging to an Order, that of Carmel, with the obligation to live according to its rich spirituality and its own charisma.
The scapular is not a magical amulet for protection, nor a guarantee of automatic salvation, much less an excuse for not living the demands of the Christian life.
Did you know that:
- Devotion to the Virgin of Carmen is also related to the world of the sea; sailors and fishermen invoke her in times of difficulty and storms, and Mary is invoked as the Star of the Sea.
- Her devotion is also very strong among drivers, who entrust themselves to the Virgin of Carmen to protect them from all the dangers of traffic, and likewise, we find the image of the Virgin of Carmen on all the roads in our country as a sign of protection.
- One of the most popular images we can find of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the one in which Our Lady rescues souls from purgatory through the scapular. Art was imbued with faith and the promise that comes with wearing the scapular. Mary intercedes before her Son for each of us; she frees us from eternal fire.
We entrust ourselves to the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. May she, who is a Mother and knows our needs, intercede for us. We place under her protection the many social realities that our humanity experiences. We present to all drivers, sailors, and every devotee who invokes her name and wears her scapular. Let us trust that "Mary makes the difficult easy."
Prayer
Most Holy Virgin of Carmel, I desire that all without exception may take shelter under the protective shadow of your holy scapular, that all may be united to you, my Mother, by the close and loving bonds of your beloved insignia. O Beauty of Carmel! Look upon us prostrate before your sacred image, and graciously grant us your loving protection. I commend to you the needs of our Holy Father and of the Catholic Church, our Mother, as well as those of my nation and the whole world, my own and those of my relatives and friends. Look with compassion on so many poor sinners who offend your divine Son, and on so many infidels who groan in the darkness of paganism. May all be converted and love you, my Mother, as I desire to love you now and for all eternity. Amen.
