The first monks
The first Carmelites, at the end of the 12th century after Christ (more than two thousand years after the life of the prophet Elijah), decided to form a community on Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is well known for its beauty, the name means “garden”. The first monks were crusader knights, who, tired of the violence and injustice of those wars to conquer the Holy Land from the hands of the Moors, took refuge there, thirsty for a more authentically evangelical life.
Attracted to Mount Carmel by the fame and tradition of the prophet Elijah, they founded a chapel there and built their rooms or “cells” around it. This was around 1155. They dedicated themselves to a life of penance and reparation for the abuses of the Crusaders; They exercised themselves in the practice of prayer and union with God and in manual work. They chose Elijah as their Spiritual Father and example of monastic life of prayer and Prophetic testimony in the midst of a world dominated by injustice.
Consecrated to Mary
They dedicated a small chapel to the Virgin Mary and, under her protection, imitated her virtues. They called Mary “Lady” of the place, according to feudal customs, and gave her the service of dedicated donation from the first Carmelites. The pilgrims and crusaders who visited them began to call them Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
The acknowledgment
More or less in the year 1209, the brothers decided to formalize their lives, asking Bishop Albert, patriarch of Jerusalem, for a Rule of Life. He wrote them a very simple rule. Over time, when already in Europe, they traveled to Rome to present the request for approval of the new Order to the Pope.
In the year 1226, Pope Honorius III granted approval to the Order. With this approval, the brothers lived with the ideal of continually uniting themselves with the Lord, in each and every work, following the example of Elijah, their Spiritual Father, and their Mother and protector, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of God. Carmelo.
Division and persecution
In the year 1235, the Moors persecuted the Christians, and as a result the Carmelites divided into two groups: one that remained on Mount Carmel – the monks were massacred and the monastery burned down; the second group took refuge in Sicily, Crete, Italy and, finally, in England, in the year 1238.
Saint Simon and the Scapular
In England, the brothers founded a monastery in Aylesford and began a new era. There, a group experienced the rejection of the Order. Imitating the example of the first Brothers, the Prior General of the Carmelites, Saint Simon Stock, resorted to prayer.
Tradition says: on the night of July 16, 1251, Simon addressed the Virgin Mary and asked her for the “feudal privilege”, the protection of the “Lady” over her vassals in times of persecution and difficulties. At this time, he prayed this famous prayer: “Flower of Carmel, flowery vine. Splendor of Heaven. Incomparable Virgin Mother. Sweet Mother, but always Virgin, Be propitious to the Carmelites, O Star of the Sea.” Soon, the Virgin Mary herself appeared to him surrounded by angels. He handed him the Scapular that he had in his hands and said to him: “Receive, my dearly beloved son, this Scapular of your Order, a sign of my love, a privilege for you and for all the Carmelites: whoever dies with it will not be will lose. Here is a sign of my covenant, salvation in danger, a covenant of peace and eternal love.”
After that, Simon called all the friars and explained what had happened. They added the Scapular to their habit and began to sing this wonderful adventure of the Virgin Mary to help the Carmelites. Afterwards, the large Scapular was adapted to a smaller form for the people, and many began to use it, as a sign of love for the Virgin Mary and a symbol of Christian life fixed on God.
Request in Fátima
On October 13, 1917, in the last appearance of her apparitions in Cova da Iria, in Fátima, the Virgin Mary united three Marian devotions: the spirituality of the Scapular; prayer of the Holy Rosary; and consecration to his Immaculate Heart. Soon after the apparition, the three shepherd children of Fátima had visions. In the first of them, next to Saint Joseph, Our Lady of the Rosary appeared, with the Baby Jesus on her lap. She then emerged as Our Lady of Sorrows, together with her Son, the Man of Sorrows (cf. Is 53:3), who was going through great suffering.
In the third and final vision, “glorious, crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Blessed Virgin appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with the Scapular in hand”. In 1950, Sister Lúcia was asked why the Virgin of Mount Carmel appeared with the Scapular in her hands. In response, she said: “Our Lady wants everyone to wear the Scapular.” Shortly afterwards, on February 11, 1950, the Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, providentially invited the entire Universal Church to “’put, in the first place, among Marian devotions, the scapular, which is available to everyone’ ; understood as a Marian garment, this is in fact a great symbol of the heavenly Mother’s protection.”
My prayer
“O Virgin of Mount Carmel, Virgin of the Scapular, free us from all evil, from all evil diseases and from the persecutions of the enemy. Just as you help us to live intimately united with you and your son Jesus. Amen!”
Our Lord of Mount Carmel, pray for us!
Other saints and blesseds celebrated on July 16:
- In Anastasiopolis, in Galatia, in modern-day Turkey, Saint Antiochus, martyr, brother of Saint Plato. († s. III-IV)
- In Sebaste, in ancient Armenia, today Sivas, in Turkey, Saint Athenogenes, corepiscopus and martyr. († c. 305)
- In Jersey, an island in the North Sea, Saint Hellerius, a hermit, who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom. († s. VI)
- In Maastricht, in Brabant, region of Austrasia, currently in the Netherlands, saints Monulf and Gondulf, bishops. († s. VI/VII)
- In Saintes, in Hainaut, in present-day France, the holy martyrs Reinilde, virgin, Grimoaldo and Gondulfo, who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom. († c. 680)
- In Córdoba, in Andalusia, a region of Spain, Saint Sisenando, deacon and martyr. († 851)
- In the monastery of Chiemsee, in Bavaria, a region of present-day Germany, Blessed Irmengarda, abbess. († 866)
- The passion of Blessed Simão da Costa, religious of the Society of Jesus and the last of the martyrs of the ship “São Tiago”. († 1570)
- In Viana do Castelo, at the Santa Cruz monastery, in Portugal, Blessed Bartolomeu dos Mártires, bishop of Braga. († 1590)
- In Warwich, England, Blessed John Sugar, priest, and Roberto Grissold, martyrs. († 1604)
- In Cunhaú, a city near Natal, in Brazil, Blessed André de Soveral, priest of the Society of Jesus, and Domingos Carvalho, martyrs. († 1645)
- On a prison boat anchored off Rochefort, in France, Blessed Nicolas Savouret, of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, and Claudius Béguignot, of the Carthusian Order. († 1794)
- In Orange, France, the blessed Beloved of Jesus (Maria Rosa de Gordon) and six companions, virgins and martyrs. († 1794)
- In the territory of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, in Normandy, region of France, Saint Mary Magdalene Postel, virgin who founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Mercy. († 1846)
- In Lujiapo, a town near Qinghe, in Hebei province of China, the saints Lang Yangzhi, catechumen, and Paulo Lang Fu, his son, martyrs. († 1900)
- In Zhangjiaji, a town near Ningjin, also in Hebei, Saint Teresa Zhang Hezhi, martyr. († 1900)
Sources:
- vatican.va and vaticannews.va
- Roman Martyrology – liturgia.pt
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Book “Relation of Saints and Blesseds of the Church” – Prof Felipe Aquino
- Order of Mount Carmel
– Research and writing: Rafael Vitto – Comunidade
– Production and editing: Bianca Vargas