CARMEL'S OWN: July 2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010

AUGUST

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Friday, July 16, 2010

16th JULY 2010

Our Lady of Mount: the chapel of Mount Carmel
On the holy day of the Pentecost, when the Apostles, inspired from above, spoke in tongues and performed many miracles by invoking the most august name of Jesus. It is said that numerous men who had been prepared for Christ's coming by the predication of John the Baptist, had seen and recognized the truth. These disciples of the holy prophets Eli and Elijah embraced the faith of the Gospel at once. Significantly, the Blessed Virgin, with whom they had the chance to converse and get to know, became for them during these fortunate hours the object of such a special love and such deep veneration, that they were the first a chapel for this most pure Virgin. This chapel was erected on Mount Carmel, where Eli once saw a cloud rise in the image of the Virgin.

Dom Prosper Guéranger For July 16, Our Lady of Mount Carmel The Liturgical Year, the Time after Pentecost

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.2010

MULTIMEDIA : La Anunciación

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

THE PRIOR GENERAL WRITES...

Letter from Prior General
Mary & the Brown Scapular

Dear Brothers and friends of the Carmelite Family,We are once again approaching the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. July is the Carmelite month par excellence and many things will remind us of our identity, our saints, our history and our spirituality. Among all of these the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has pride of place in the lives of Carmelites. Thus, there is the ancient tradition of preparing for the feast by a Novena that serves as catechesis, as a joyful prelude to the feast and a liturgical and prayerful ascent to the heights of Carmel, accompanied by Mary, our first teacher and first disciple of the Lord.Down through the eight-hundred year history of Carmel, Mary has been given many different titles. She is invoked as Mother and Sister, as Queen of Carmel, as Star of the Sea, as the Lady of the place…. Each of these is full of tradition, devotion and spirituality. Mary continues today to take us to the very heart of the Gospel and the Christian life.At the entrance to the new cathedral in Los Angeles (U.S.A.) there is an image of Mary with a maternal gesture, inviting us to enter into the mystery, drawing one toward the main altar. Mary appears as mystagogue. In this her “lowliness” and humility help us to penetrate the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption.Let us prepare ourselves to begin our Novena of Carmel so as to live it as a pathway, a pilgrimage, a journey of faith carrying us to the top of Mount Carmel. May you have a joyful Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. May your gathering with others be a coming together of people, each coming from different starting points, moving towards a common destiny, to the mystery of life and love.

Fernando Millán Romeral,

Prior General

What Is An Icon of the Theotokos?

An icon (Greek: image) of the Mother of God or the Theotokos is a holy image used for veneration by the faithful. In churches and homes icons of the Mother of God are hung on the walls or placed on stands. Other icons often depict scenes from the Gospel and early Church history. When we venerate an icon, we show our love for Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or another saint and ask them to pray for us. Icons are not merely decorative works of art. They are neither subjective nor sentimental pictures, but are instead a window into the spiritual world. Veneration is not directed to the paint or wood of an icon, but to that other world from which Christ Himself, the "light that lightens every man that comes into the world," (Jn 1) shines.

An icon can show us something that happened in the life of the Most Holy Theotokos (Mother of God), for example the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ or other events recorded in the Gospel. But how do we venerate an icon? First we light a candle and bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Then we kiss the holy icon. Candles are used near icons, signifying the Truth given by the One who illuminates the world with spiritual radiance. Candles are part of our offering to God, showing our soul's burning love for God and His Church. If the icon is of the Mother of God, we ask her to pray to God for us or for someone we love, knowing and trusting that God always hears Our Lady's prayers.

MULTIMEDIA : Sub tuum praesidium (Mgr Marco Frisina )

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.