Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our
Lady of Mount Carmel is a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in
honour of her having given the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to
Saint Simon Stock (see image).
According to a pius tradition this took
place at Cambridge in England in 1251.
The scapular
A scapular was originally a form of
clothing, which monks wore when they were working. With the passage of
time, it got a symbolic meaning: the cross to be borne every day as
disciples and followers of Christ.
In some religious orders, like the
Carmelites, the scapular became a symbol of their way of life. It also
became a badge of association with a particular religious group in a lay
third order.
It signifies commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the
perfect model of a disciple of Jesus.
Origins
The spiritual focus of the Carmelite
Order is on contemplative prayer. Tradition traces the origins of the
order to a small group of hermits - some of them crusaders - who
gathered near the well of Elijah on the slopes of Mount Carmel in the
Holy Land at the end of the 12th century. They saw themselves as
succeeding the schools of the prophets in ancient Israel.
Mendicants
Early in the 13th century (1206-14),
these hermits asked Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, for a rule of life
in conformity with their proposed lifestyle. He responded with what is
now called the Primitive Rule of Carmel.
However, in 1238 this
group was expelled from the Holy Land by the Saracens and they emigrated
to Europe, where they took on a wider ministry (preaching, teaching,
administering the sacraments).
They were accepted as one of the new
mendicant (literally, "begging") orders, like the Franciscans and
Dominicans. At first they settled in Cyprus and Sicily.
By 1240 they
were in Aylesford, Kent, England, and in 1245 they held their first
general chapter at Aylesford where Simon Stock, then eighty years old
was chosen as general.
Spiritual roots
Unlike other religious families,
the Carmelites have no founder as such. When asked about their spiritual
roots, Carmelites could not cite a Francis or a Dominic, but recall the
prophet Elijah, whose exploits are narrated in 1 Kings 17-22.
He
appears like a thunderbolt at a time of drought, warning King Ahab
that the reason a drought has come on Israel is that he and his people
have deserted Yahweh and gone after the Baals (1 Kings 18:18). Elijah
warns: "How long do you mean to hobble first on one leg then on another?
If Yahweh is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21).
In a
dramatic contest of sacrifice, the prophets of Baal are defeated. The
people return to Yahweh.
Zeal for the Lord
Carmelite spirituality
remembers this radical contest. It is like falling in love and the pearl
of great price. If your love is real, it will be all-consuming. All
lesser loves fall away. Hence the motto of the Carmelite order is the
quotation from 1 Kings 19:10,14: "With zeal I have been zealous for the
Lord God of hosts."
Reform: the Discalced Carmelites
A reform of the
order took place in Spain, carried out by Teresa of Avila with the help
of John of the Cross; this group separated and became the Discalced
Carmelites. Teresa demanded the same single-mindedness. She compares the
human heart to an "interior castle", surrounded by "snakes and vipers
and poisonous creatures".
These are the worldly attachments, the false
gods, our inordinate desires. But only God really satisfies. Today there
are two great Carmelite families - the Order of Carmelites (OCarm)
and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (ODC).
Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the scapular
A pious
tradition tells how Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock at Cambridge,
England, in 1251. In answer to his appeal for help for his oppressed
order, she appeared to him with a scapular in her hand and
said: "Take, beloved son, this scapular of thine order as a badge of my
confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace;
whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is
the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of
the covenant".
This promise is extended to all who out of devotion to
the Mother of God wear her habit or badge; they are as if they were
affiliated to the Carmelite Order.
Carmelites today
At the end of the 19th century
there were about 200 Carmelites in the world.
By 2001, the membership
had increased to approximately 2,100 men in 25 provinces, 700 enclosed
nuns in 70 monasteries, and 13 affiliated Congregations and Institutes.
In addition, the Lay Carmelites count 25-30,000 members throughout the
world.
Among 20th century Carmelite figures are: St Thérèse of Lisieux, St
Teresa of the Andes, Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch scholar killed in
Dachau because of his stance against Nazism, and St Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross, (Edith Stein), a Jewish convert to Catholicism imprisoned and
died at Auschwitz.