Our
Lady of Mount Carmel is usually the patron feast of the Carmelites
orders (Old observance and the Reformed). She is also the Patroness
of all the persons who wear the brown Scapular. But
at the same time, this feast is inscribed in the Universal Liturgical
Calendar, so it is not a “private” feast for a particular
religious order or a particular devotion. Mary seen as “Our Lady of
Mount Carmel” is a side of Mary that belongs to the entire Church.
Let us remember for instance that the last apparition of Our Lady of
Lourdes was on the 16th July, the Feast of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel.
What
is the meaning of Mary being “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” and what
is the impact of this feast on the entire Church?
Let
us see the Collect (first prayer in the Mass that the Priest says) of
that day: “May the
venerable intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary come to our aid,
we pray, O Lord, so that, fortified by her protection, we may reach
the mountain which is Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
First
and foremost we see that the Mountain - in “Mount Carmel” -
symbolizes Christ himself. But this is not enough. Christ is
presented in two forms in this prayer: as a goal and as a means. As a
goal, the prayer says: “we may reach the (top of the) Mountain”.
As a means, we know that Jesus is the way (“I am the way...”). So
the central concept of that prayer is the ascent to reach the
fullness of Christ... We climb until we reach the measure of Christ's
height, as St Paul puts it in one of his letters (see Ephesians
4:13).
This
central concept is the core of spiritual life: growth,
transformation, sanctification (divinisation) until we reach union
with Jesus, and fullness of Charity. As we see, the main concern of this feast is not Mary, but spiritual growth, allowing Christ to grow
in us, and us in him, until we reach the fullness of the height of
his love.
The
prayer uses a very common expression to describe the role of Mary in
the ascent: “the aid of the venerable intercession of the glorious
Virgin Mary”.
The
key point is that Mary first and foremost is “the glorious Virgin
Mary”, she is the one who is dwelling at the height of Jesus
Christ, united to him. She reached the fullness, she knows Him and
loves him in the most perfect way (see Catechism: 148-149,
165, 273, 411, 466-469, 484-506-511, 529, 721-726, 773, 829,
963-967-975, 1014, 1172, 2617-2619, 2673-2676, 2679, 2682.).
But
not only that, she also leads us, “shows us the Way” as
Tradition says: Mary is Hodigitria (the one who shows the way, i.e.
Jesus)) (see Catechism 2674). This is an amazing function: to lead
somebody, in a pure, secure, direct and easy way, to the end of the
journey (union with Jesus).
Mary, Mother of God, Hodigitria |
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Not only that, but Mary offers her Scapular, which is her clothing,
her habit. This act is in fact a very deep one: she offers us her
eyes and her heart, so we can contemplate Jesus with her eyes, and
love Jesus and our brothers (Jesus' body) with her heart (see the
Preface of the Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Carmelite
Missal).
These
few points show us in a very summarised way the fundamental elements
of a true Christian spiritual life: defining the proper goal of
spiritual life, and offering the most efficient way of reaching that
Goal: Mary, gift of Jesus.
Let
us remember – and this is the Gospel reading of the Feast in the
Carmelite Lectionary – that this Feast acknowledges in a very
powerful and clear way that Mary comes from Jesus and is his gift to
us: see John 19 when Jesus on the Cross entrusts Mary to John as his
spiritual mother and entrusts John to Mary as her son.
There
is a less known devotional Mass to our Lady under the title of
“Mother and Mistress of Spiritual Life”: see “The collection of
Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, Ordinary time: “The Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother and Teacher in the Spirit".
Our
Lady, it may be said therefore, has wanted a School, The School of
Mary, for the spiritual good of the Church, which would dedicate
itself to teaching the Spiritual Life.. The School bears the same
goals explained above: reminding all Christians that the goal of our
Christian life is to reach Union with Christ (the top of the
Mountain) and the fullness of His Love (coming down like Jesus to
give our life to our brothers). The School of Mary is lead by Our
Lady, “Teacher in the Spirit” (Magistra, Mistress). She knows the
way to grow spiritually, she takes great care of us as we journey,
and she does it in a secure way.
This
is exactly what the School is all about: lead by Our Lady, to revive
the treasures of spiritual life, and to offer them to all the persons
receiving the call to follow Jesus in whatever state of life they
belong to.
The
main goal of the School is to allow Our Lady to appear, shine and act
as the real Teacher, Guide, Master in spiritual life.
In
the School, Jesus entrusts Mary as Teacher and Master to each
“student” journeying toward Him.
Saint
John of the Cross said that only faith can help us reach union. In
the School we could say that only Mary's faith is the secure, short,
easy, rapid way to reach union.
Mary's
Faith is given to us. As we said: her eyes are given to us so we can
use them to “see” Jesus. And her heart is given as well to us, so
we can use it to love Jesus (Head and Body), not with our capacity
but with Hers.
Note: At Lourdes, the last apparition of Our Lady was the 16th of July 1858, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. She was silent said St Bernadette. She was the most beautiful. Beauty is essential in the Carmelite Spirituality. She is called "Queen and Beauty of Carmel."
At Fatima, in the first apparition, Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel!
Note: At Lourdes, the last apparition of Our Lady was the 16th of July 1858, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. She was silent said St Bernadette. She was the most beautiful. Beauty is essential in the Carmelite Spirituality. She is called "Queen and Beauty of Carmel."
At Fatima, in the first apparition, Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel!
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