Our Lady of Mount Carmel

I find it fascinating that the original devotees at Carmel were actually disciples of the prophets Elijah and Elisha who honored the Virgin Mother who would bear the Messiah. Once God entered time through Mary and redeemed mankind on the Cross, they became Christians. Here are the beautiful meditations from Dom Prosper for today's Feast Day. On this day in 1251 AD, she appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the brown scapular, which so many of us wear to remind us of our own devotion to the mother of our Lord. She is the Queen Mother and we can appeal to her for all our needs. She fights continually on our behalf to bring us to Jesus. 

She brings us Christ and we return to Him through her. St. Bernard of Clairvaux tells us how. "God has willed that we should have nothing that did not pass through the hands of Mary." Wow! All the graces we receive from God are through her. She sings the Magnificat, "My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." I am convinced that the world will be reconciled through her to Christ, especially once I began to read some of the literature associated with her appearance to the three little children at Fatima. She appeared to them and told them to pray and fast for poor sinners.  

I have been so saddened to learn about the destruction of Christian churches and statues over the past couple of weeks in the US. I know Christians are persecuted elsewhere but I didn't expect this vandalism here. But this weekend, I was most sad to learn that the Hagia Sophia, one of the oldest churches ever built dedicated to the Wisdom of God, is going to be turned into a mosque. At least the sacred art was protected as a museum. Do take a look before it's destroyed. I'm afraid many of the churches in Europe are already museums. We must return to our Judeo-Christian roots before we lose our great heritage. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.