Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

                                                                       July 16, 2013
                                                           Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

I've always had a devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  I've loved her since I was a little girl in elementary school with the Sisters of Mt. Carmel at the Academy in Thibodaux.  Everyone 's heard stories of nuns in Catholic Schools and the knuckle slapping or the ear pulling, but I've certainly never known anything like that happening with the dear Carmelite nuns.  Now I would of course know best of all because I'm not proud to say that I was one to do the most testing.  I pretty much did anything for a laugh.  So of course I received what I deserved.  Yes I wrote lines, (many lines), had to make humbling apologies for ridiculous statements, put my head down, missed recesses, etc.  It was an all girls school so at least I didn't get totally humiliated.  We sometimes would hang on to the fence and yell that we were imprisoned or shout at passer -byers to get us out but I for one know I was blessed for being there.

 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is the patroness of the Carmelite Order.  Christian hermits lived on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land beginning in the 12th and 13th Century.  She is also associated with the Brown Scapular which she presented to St. Simon Stock and said that whoever dies wearing it will be saved.  Now this wasn't or isn't a magic cloth but special to one who wears it with reverence and devotion to a life of prayer.  The brown cloth is a part of the garment of the Carmelite Order.  My mother made Scapulars for the Order.  I can remember sitting on the floor near the peddle of her sewing machine and moving the peddle up and down as she sewed on these brown cloths after which Father would bless them and the 3rd Order Carmelites would speak to people and groups and children at school about the Scapular to enroll them.  My mother must have made hundreds or thousands of Scapulars.   We were taught to kiss the small brown cloths held together with white or brown small banded rope and put it over our head and let it fell over our shoulders and lay close to our hearts. We went through many in the summer time with all the sweat.   My mother, who was a 3rd Order Carmelite (a lay person who followed and lived the rules of the Order but did not take the vow of chastity or live in the community)  spent her free time helping out the church and those in need.  My parents really couldn't afford the tuition to send us to Catholic School.  One day the Monsignor asked if her children were in Catholic School and when he found out she couldn't afford the tuition, allowed her to use her time spent with helping others through works of the church  count for part tuition and so she put all four of us in Catholic School.  There was a small lovely chapel on the school grounds and we were encouraged to visit and makes acts of love to Jesus for strength and guidance.   We were introduced to retreats, lives of the saints, Missionary work, modesty and chastity.  It seemed sometimes that we were being scared into thinking how to act.  Over the years I've thank God over and over for all my years with the dear Sister of Mt. Carmel.  Wow, I'm thinking now, who's teaching this generation.  Their idols seem to be movie stars, rock stars, athletes.  So few  sisters in Catholic schools if any and no more prayers in any school.  These so called idols are telling this generation how to dress, act, and think.   Many parents are so busy having a life of their own and allowing the children to parent themselves. Their lives are all about cell phones and social media.  In our day we were allowed to be children with such innocence and then gain more leeway as we were able to make better decisions for ourselves.  Oh yes, time came when we fought the establishment also but I know our parents were praying for us and working those rosary beads?  I mean, I know my mother wore them out and I certainly did the same, still do.  I call on all the help I can get from the Saints, the wonderful Christ filled people who died so in love with God and their fellowman, the souls in Purgatory who now know the truth, and my fellow Christian prayer warriors.  We are all in this together: The Saints in heaven are rejoicing with the Trinity and blessing us;  the church suffering are the souls in Purgatory who must pay for un-repented or un-forgiven sins but they know they will see God one day and they need our prayers to help them get there.... they cannot help themselves; and we, the church Militant who are working and struggling for peace and justice and truth must never give up.  We must keep the faith while realizing that we are never alone in this battle.  Mary is a good mother who wants only to help save all her children and bring them to Jesus, her Son.  She doesn't want even one lost.  Please parents, work those rosary beads.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!