Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

First Day of the Novena.

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother! - Source

(The Rosary makes for an excellent novena prayer to accompany the short Carmelite prayers.)

Random thoughts ...

• July 7 begins the novena to OL of Mt. Carmel.

• The Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel is very much considered the Patroness of the Middle East and especially Arabia.  The Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima in 1917 and in the October Miracle, appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  This has never been officially explained, yet since we know that the Fatima prophecies seem to be approaching fulfillment, it seems to me the cause for peace is definitely connected in some sense.

• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is an ancient devotion, and one, it seems to me, is necessary in our times when there is great conflict and persecution in the Middle East. When the dogma of faith is challenged and compromised throughout Christendom. When paganism has once again attracted and made captive mainstream society. When idolatry has replaced true worship of God the Father in spirit and truth.

• Mt. Carmel reminds us of the Prophet Elijah of course, he who defeated the false prophets of Baal.  The Order of Carmel has always seen the prophets Elijah and Elisha as the 'proto-founders' of the order. In the passage from Kings wherein Elijah sees the "little cloud rising from the sea" from his perch atop the summit of Mt. Carmel many have written that this little cloud prefigures the Virgin who would bear the Savior - hence, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

The word of YHWH came to me saying, 

"Son of man, say to his people,

 'why do you add sin to your sins 

and anger the Lord God who created you ?' " 

Don't love the world or the things which are in the world, 

for the boasting of the world and its destruction 

belong to the devil. - Apocalypse of Elijah