Spirit Singing

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

FEAST DAY: JULY 16

Photo: R. Massaro-St. Rose Church Girard, Ohio

The Ten Books on the Way of Life
and Great Deeds of the Carmelites 
A medieval history of the Carmelites written c. 1385 by Felip Ribot, O. Carm

Why the members of this Order are called the brothers of the blessed virgin Mary and Why they serve this Virgin with especial zeal.

The members of this Order were mindful, therefore, that God had especially revealed to their predecessors through the above vision that a certain baby girl would be born, who from her mothers' womb would be free from all stain of sin, who like them would embrace voluntary virginity, and from her, though a virgin, the God-man would be born...

For, as vowing voluntary virginity to God was first inaugurated by the early members of this Order and thus introduced among men, so the same virginity for God was afterwards first introduced and inaugurated among women by the Mother of God, as we have noted above.

Thus, as the Carmelites were the first among men to undertake voluntary virginity, so was the blessed Mary the first among women to vow virginity. This unique conformity from the beginning between the Mother of God and the Carmelites over voluntary virginity, prophesied long ago and afterwards fulfilled, was the reason why the Carmelites, already in the time of the apostles, called the Virgin Mary their sister, and following this unique conformity, they called themselves the brothers of the blessed virgin Mary.



Carmelite Monastery-Haifa, Israel



Carmelites in the Holy Land (click on photo to visit their website)

Mary, Mother of the « Yes »

Mary, Mother of the "Yes," you have listened to Jesus,
And know the tone of his voice and the beating of his heart.
Morning Star, speak to us of him,
And tell us about your way following him on the path of faith.

Mary, who lived with Jesus in Nazareth,
Etch your sentiments in our lives,
Your docility, your listening silence,
And make the Word flourish in genuinely free choices.

Mary, speak to us of Jesus, so that the freshness of our faith,
Shines in our eyes and warms the heart of those who are with us,
As you did on visiting Elizabeth,
Who in old age rejoiced with you for the gift of life.

Mary, Virgin of the "Magnificat,"
Help us to take joy to the world and, as at Cana,
Lead every youth, committed to the service of brothers,
To do only what Jesus says.

Mary, look upon the agora [gathering] of youth,
So that it will be fertile terrain of the Italian Church.
Pray that Jesus, dead and risen, is reborn in us,
And transforms us into a night full of light, full of him.

Mary, Virgin of Loreto, Gate of Heaven,
Help us to raise our eyes.
We want to see Jesus, to speak with him,
And to proclaim his love to all.

(Holy Father’s prayer to Mary for the youth at the general Audience of St Valentine’s Day, 14 Feb 2007)

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, ocds