SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Buckeye Lake, Ohio

The Virgin Mary is present in a special way, most of all as a model of faithfulness in listening to the Lord and in service to Him and to others. Mary is the one who preserved in her heart the life and actions of her Son and meditated on them, providing for us an example of contemplation. At Cana she counseled to do what the Lord commanded. Mary is an example of apostolic service. On another occasion, she waited, persevering in prayer with the apostles, for the coming of the Holy Spirit, thus giving witness to intercessory prayer. She is the Mother of the Order, Secular Carmel enjoys her special protection and cultivates a sincere Marian devotion.

The Constitutions of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (Washington Province) I:4

A PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF MOUNT CAMEL

O, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,
Fruit of the Vine, splendorous of Heaven.
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin,
assist me in this my necessity.

O, Star of the Sea, help me
and show herein you are my mother.

O, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succour me in my necessity.

There are none that can withstand your power,
O, show me here you are my mother.

O, Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands.

Amen.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro-Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Shrine Youngstown, Ohio

At the dawn of creation the eyes of God rested with satisfaction on the universe He created. At a second moment He looked with pleasure on the soul of Mary, as He was about to recreate a fallen world. So fresh, unsullied, so unsurpassingly beautiful she was. He smiled on the loveliest creature that His creative love had fashioned; He saw that she was good.

Her soul was a meeting-place. Here was goodness, for she was full of grace; here was beauty, for she was all-beautiful; here was truth, for here was the Word in her womb, the source of all truth. No wonder He found delight in her.
Pilgrims with Mary, John Moloney, P.P.




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro (C)2019 Spirit Singing

IT IS TRULY PROPER TO GLORIFY YOU

 

 

It is truly proper to glorify You, who have borne God, the Ever-Blessed and Immaculate, and the Mother of our God.

More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,who, a Virgin, gave birth to God the Word; You, truly the Mother of God (Theotokos), we magnify.



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Here is a beautiful poem By Kathleen Raine found in the Liturgy of the Hours. Enjoy this Advent meditation on the mystery of the Annunciation and the Incarnation. 

Photo: (C) Spirit Singing, R. Massaro, St. Hilary Church Akron, Ohio

Northumbrian Sequence IV

Let in the wind,
Let in the rain,
Let in the moors tonight,

The storm beats on my window-pane,
Night stands at my bed-foot,
Let in the fear,
Let in the pain,
Let in the trees that toss and groan,
Let in the north tonight.

Let in the nameless formless power
That beats upon my door,
Let in the ice, let in the snow,
The banshee howling on the moor,
The bracken-bush on the bleak hillside,
Let in the dead tonight.

The whistling ghost behind the dyke,
The dead that rot in the mire,
Let in the thronging ancestors,
The unfilled desire,
Let in the wraith of the dead earl,
Let in the dead tonight.

Let in the cold,
Let in the wet,
Let in the loneliness,
Let in the quick,
Let in the dead,
Let in the unpeopled skies.

Oh how can virgin fingers weave
A covering for the void,
How can my fearful heart conceive
Gigantic solitude?
How can a house so small contain
A company so great?

Let in the dark,
Let in the dead,
Let in your love tonight.

Let in the snow that numbs the grave,
Let in the acorn-tree,
The mountain stream and mountain stone,
Let in the bitter sea.

Fearful is my virgin heart
And frail my virgin form,
And must I then take pity on
The raging of the storm
That rose up from the great abyss
Before the earth was made,
That pours the stars in cataracts
And shakes this violent world?

Let in the fire,
Let in the power,
Let in the invading might.

Gentle must my fingers be
And pitiful my heart
Since I must bind in human form
A living power so great,
A living impulse great and wild
That cries about my house
With all the violence of desire
Desiring this my peace.

Pitiful my heart must hold
The lonely stars at rest,
Have pity on the raven’s cry,
The torrent and the eagle’s wing,
The icy water of the tarn
And on the biting blast.

Let in the wound,
Let in the pain,
Let in your child tonight.

-by Kathleen Raine

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

As Secular Carmelites we are called to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary who pondered the Word in her heart.  As we celebrate the Word made flesh in this Christmas season, let us renew our devotion to our Mother, Mary, who is Queen and beauty of Carmel.  

If you have made the total consecration to Mary according to the teaching of St. Louis de Montfort, I would encourage you to renew your total consecration to her on this feast day. It is said that Pope St. John Paul II recited the entire total consecration prayer to Our Lady every day!  Perhaps, we could say a shorter version of the consecration prayer each day:

Oh Mary, my queen and my mother, I give myself entirely to you. And to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being, without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am yours, keep me and guard me, as your own property and possession. Amen.

Photo: R. Massaro Sacred Heart Bethlehem, Ohio (C)2018 Spirit Singing

Please enjoy this beautiful excerpt from one of my favorite books: 
Pilgrims with Mary.


Let us go on pilgrimage to the heart of Mary. Out of the darkness of this world we pass through the gateway of the enclosed garden to find ourselves in a garden of delights. Here is an unending variety of rarest flowers always in bloom--the virtues that flourish in her Immaculate Heart.

The Heart of Mary beats with the most pure love. Men would love God with their lips but their hearts are often far from him. Mary's heart never went astray...Right through life every joy and sorrow experienced by the Heart of Jesus found its echo in the heart of his Mother.

Pilgrims with Mary by Fr. John Moloney, P.P.





Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Photo: R. Massaro (C)2017 Spirit Singing-Lourdes, France

OUR LADY OF LOURDES

FEAST DAY: FEBRUARY 11

LOURDES LIVE WEBCAM

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O HOLY VIRGIN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constantly pressed against life's bitter cup.

Have pity on those who love each other and are separated.

Have pity on our rebellious hearts.

Have pity on our weak faith.

Have pity on those we love.

Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear. Grant hope and peace to all. Amen.

Prayer to St. Bernadette

Bernadette, you have long sought the Lord where he called.
You asked. You listened. You trusted.
You were sure the Lord would guide you.
You surrendered yourself completely in the hands of God.

Bernadette, you intensely desired the Eucharist.
You loved to adore the Blessed Sacrament,
You united your life in the offering of that of
Christ on the altar.

Dear St. Bernadette, strengthen our trust in the Holy Virgin whom you have had the good fortune to see here on earth. Like you, we place ourselves under her protection in order to keep our hearts ever pure.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
St. Bernadette, pray for us!

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

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

Saturday of Our lady

Prayer to Our Lady of La Salette

Remember, our Lady of La Salette, true Mother of sorrows, the tears which thou didst shed for me on Calvary; be mindful also of the unceasing care which thou dost exercise to screen me from the justice of God; and consider whether thou canst now abandon thy child, for whom thou hast done so much. Inspired by this consoling thought, I come to cast myself at thy feet, in spite of my infidelity and ingratitude. Reject not my prayer, O Virgin of reconciliation, convert me, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus Christ above all things and to console thee too by living a holy life, in order that one day I may be able to see thee in Heaven. Amen.

Saturday of Our Lady

On Thursday, January 19th, the weather was severe. Mariette was kneeling on the path. It was 7pm. The Lady appeared. Mariette asked her "who are you, beautiful Lady?"

 "I am the Virgin of the Poor."

Mariett Beco, the visionary of Banneux recently died.
To learn more about her life and death, visit the official website of the shrine
 http://www.banneux-nd.be/gb/accueil.gb.htm

Enjoy this video about the shrine in Banneux.



Prayer to Our Lady, Virgin of the Poor

Our Lady of Banneux,
Mother of Our Saviour,
Mother of God,
Virgin of the Poor,
since thou hast promised to believe in us
if we believe in thee,
I put all my trust in thee.

Deign to listen to the prayers
that thou hast asked be addressed to thee;
have pity on all our spiritual and temporal miseries.
Restore to sinners the treasure of Faith,
and give to the poor their daily bread.

Deign to relieve suffering,
to heal the sick and to pray for us,
so that thus through thy intercession,
the reign of Christ the King
may extend over all nations.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

(Photo: R. Massaro-Icon-Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church Akron, Ohio)

The Theotokos: God-Bearer

AKATHIST HYMN TO OUR LADY

Visit the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Agatha, Ontario

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

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Saturday of Our Lady

Photo: R. Massaro Lourdes, France

The definition of the Immaculate Conception  of Our Blessed Lady in 1854 was like a great light in a dark age. It was preceded by her appearance at Rue de Bac in Paris in 1830; heaven's preparation; and followed by Lourdes in 1858; heaven's approval.

To Catherine Laboure, a young Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, she appeared in the convent chapel...What was the purpose of her coming? To tell a sinful world of a mother's sadness, and to plead with men to return to the Lord. Catherine, like Bernadette, was chosen for a mission to pray and suffer for sinners, and to convey a message to the world.

As Moses returned with God's loving design, the tables of the Law, cut in stone, Catherine brought her message to the world imprinted on a medal. What a concise summary of salvation that medal presents. The Heart of Jesus surmounted by a cross, the heart of Mary, pierced by a sword. 

Prayer:

O Mary conceived without sin, obtain for me from your Divine Son a deep hatred of sin, purity of soul and body, the gift of prayer, a holy life and a happy death.
(From Pilgrims With Mary by John Moloney P.P.)

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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Solemn Feast of the

 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the Office of Readings for today's Holy Day:

...Saint Germanus of Constantinople considered that it was in keeping not only with her divine motherhood but also with the unique sanctity of her virginal body that is was incorrupted and carried up to heaven: "In the words of Scripture, you appear in beauty. Your virginal body is entirely holy, entirely chaste, entirely the house of God, so that for this reason also it is henceforth a stranger to decay: a body changed, because a human body, to a preeminent life of incorruptibility, but still a living body, excelling in splendor, a body inviolate and sharing in the perfection of life."

(From the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus by Pope Pius XII)

PRAYER:

Almighty God, you gave a humble virgin the privilege of being

the mother of your Son, and crowned her with the glory of

heaven. May the prayers of the Virgin Mary bring us to the

salvation of Christ and raise us up to eternal life. We ask this

through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and

reign with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Litany of Loreto

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie,ocds

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Stained Glass Scapulars-Reflections on the Secular Carmelite Rule

From Article 7 of the Rule:

The Secular Carmelites' interior life must be permeated by an intense devotion to Our Lady. This will be manifested by honoring her daily by some particular act, and by wearing the holy Scapular of Carmel.

From the Statutes (1981):

Sec. IX-Particular Acts of Devotion to Mary

By choosing the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother and Patroness of our Order, we place our whole religious life under her tutelage, and also propose to ourselves the mystery of her interior life and union with Christ as the example and ideal of the interior consecration.

...the mystery of her interior life and union with Christ...

Yes, Our Lady, she is a beautiful mystery!

"I am the handmaid of the Lord."
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord."
"Do whatever he tells you."

These statements of Our Lady are no mystery. In these simple statements of love, humility, trust, and faith, Our Lady, under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, gives us wise spiritual direction in our quest for union with her Son.

She guides us by the hand up Mt. Carmel if we allow her. We are encouraged by the Order to have an intense love for her.  This is proper and fitting for Christians and Carmelites.  We should have a deep, abiding love for Our Lady who brings us closer to her Son. We should have a deep, abiding love and gratitude that she promises to defend us poor sinners at the hour of our death. We should have a deep, abiding love, and sense of hope and encouragement that we are her children of Carmel who wear her holy habit. 

As Secular Carmelites, let us foster a deep interior devotion and love for Our Lady.  Let us remain faithful to praying the Rosary and offering other acts of devotion to her.  We can show our love and gratitude by celebrating her feast days in special ways, perhaps presenting flowers to her altar, renewing our Carmelite promises or vow, renewing our baptismal promises, renewing our total consecration to her Immaculate Heart.

Today on this feast of Mary, the Visitation of Mary, let us ponder the mystery that she has an intense love for each child of God, and that she has a special love for her children in Carmel. Let us prepare for her "visitation" to us each day as we honor her with our choice of special devotion.

Other ways to honor Mary:

*Fast before her feast days
*Promote devotion to her
*Invite others to discern a Secular Carmelite vocation
*Sing the "Salve Regina" before going to sleep
*Pray a novena to her
*Participate in the "First Saturday" devotion
*Visit a shrine in her honor
*Create a shrine to her in the home
*Plant a "Mary Garden"

Let us pray for each other to remain faithful to our Rule in honoring
Our Lady by some particular devotion each day, remembering that
when we honor Our Lady, we are honoring her Son.



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

O my God, may the most Blessed Virgin Mary, whom thou didst deign to predestinate from eternity to be thy mother, ever bless thee.

Let thy admirable tabernacle of thy glory, sole abode on earth meet for thy holy habitation, ever praise thee.

Let thy tender love bless thee, by the force of which thou, the peerless Flower of virginity, didst become the Virgin's Son.

(from an old prayer book)

Learn more about this feast

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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