Flos Carmeli

        

     http://www.thecirclesofmarycare.com/flos-carmeli.html                                   http://yorkshireshepherd.blogspot.in/2011/07/our-lady-of-mt-carmel.html 
                                                                                        

The Carmelites actually trace their origins back to pre-Christianity, to a community of contemplative hermits who settled on Mount Carmel in honor of the great prophets Elijah and his successor, Elisha.

The hermits' knowledge of Scripture and prophecy inspired them to recognize the Infant Jesus as the Messiah when the Holy Family returned to the village at the base of Mount Carmel—the village of Nazareth—after their two years of exile in Egypt.

Tradition holds that these "Carmelites" were among the first to be baptized by the Apostles into the new Church after Pentecost and that they were the first to take guardianship of the Holy Family's house .in Nazareth, following the death of the Virgin Mary and her Assumption into heaven. The hermits built a chapel in her honor there.

The Carmelites did not formally organize themselves as a religious order until the 13th century. At that time they appealed to the Patriarch of Jerusalem to formulate a "rule" for them—a document describing their devotional practices and setting out some rules for the organization and governing of the Order.

The Saracen persecutions during the Third Crusade caused the Carmelites (and a great many other Christians, including the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers) to migrate westward. The Carmelites first reached England in the year 1212. A year later, they were joined by a holy Englishman, Simon Stock.

July 16 was chosen as the Carmelite patronal feast day because on that day in 1251, tradition says, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Simon Stock, then General of the Carmelites, at Cambridge, England, Our Lady showed him the scapular and promised spiritual favors and her special protection to his Order and to all persons who would wear her scapular.

 http://www.marian-devotions.com/page_38_Our_Lady_Mount_Carmel_July_16.html

 http://www.saintsgalore.com/images/catalog/HC-014.jpg

Flos Carmeli Prayer

Flos Carmeli

This sequence to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is attributed to St Simon Stock (1165 - 1265). It has been used as a sequence at Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of M.C. and for the Feast of St Simon Stock, in the proper Carmelite Missal.  In later editions of the Missal, only the first two verses are used.

           Flos Carmeli (Flower of Carmel)

 13th-century hymn to Our Lady attributed to the Carmelite St. Simon Stock

Flower of Carmel, tall vine, blossom-laden;

splendour of heaven, child-bearing, yet maiden;
none equals thee.
Mother so tender, whom no man didst know,
on Carmel's children thy favours bestow;
Star of the Sea!
Strong stem of Jesse, who bore one bright flower,
be ever near us, and guard us each hour,
who serve thee here.
Purest of lilies, that flowers among thorns,
bring help to true hearts that in weakness turn
and trust in thee.
Strongest of armour, we trust in thy might,
under thy mantle, hard pressed in the fight,
we call to thee.
Our way, uncertain, surrounded by foes,
unfailing counsel you offer to those
who turn to thee.
O gentle Mother, who in Carmel reigns,
share with your servants that gladness you gained,
and now enjoy.
Hail, gate of heaven, with glory now crowned,
bring us to safety, where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.
V. Holy Mary, Mother of Christ, hear the cry of your servants.
R. And bring down heavenly aid in answer to our prayer.
Let us pray:
By a special privilege, Lord, you have adorned the Carmelite Order with the name of your Mother, the most glorious Virgin Mary. Grant as we faithfully remember this honour, that in these days we may receive her protection and in the days to come we may be brought to everlasting happiness. This we ask of you who are living and reigning for ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Garabandal and the Sacapular

                         http://www.pinterest.com/pin/88735055131819917/

On July 1, 1961, in the little mountain village of San Sebastian de Garabandal, St. Michael the Archangel appeared to the four visionaries and announced that on the following day, feast of the Visitation that year(celebrated on 31 May in the West (2 July in calendars of the 1263–1969 period and in the modern regional calendar of Germany ) and 30 March in the East.), the Blessed Virgin would appear to them under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

St, Michael and another angel accompanied the Virgin, who appeared with a scapular on her right arm. On one panel of the scapular, the seers noticed a small mountain, on the other was a cross. The, mountain recalls for us the dramatic confrontation between Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh, and the idolaters; the seal of original alliance given on Mount Sinai and later restored there. The cross on the other panel recalls the New Covenant sealed by the Son of Man in His very own blood.

Widely Propagated Throughout the World
Ever since the end of the sixteenth century, the scapular has been worn by a great number of Catholics from all walks of life: kings, princes, nobles or simple folk; monks, nuns, brothers, priests, bishops and popes.

The Iist of saints who wore it is endless. To cite only a few: Robert Bellarmine, Charles Borromeo, Benoit Cottolengo, Alphonsus Liguori, John Bosco, Dominic Savio, Bernadette Soubirous.

Most of the popes of the last three centuries have worn the scapular as a sign of their consecration to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most notably Pope Pius XII, John XXIII and our present [sic] Pope John Paul II . On August 6, 1950 the seventh anniversary of his election, Pope Pius XII said of Our Lady's sacramental:

“The scapular is a Marian habit.... How many souls, from the circumstances of human despair, owe their final conversion and their eternal salvation to the scapular in which they were clothed! How many also, in danger of body or soul are saved by the grace of the maternal protection of Mary.”
From http://www.garabandal.us/home.html



http://whatisgarabandal.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/the-livery-of-mary/

THE LIVERY OF MARY
By Fathers Francois Turner, O.P., and Alfred Combe
O beautiful flower of Carmel,
Most fruitful vine
Splendor of heaven, Virgin most singular,
Who brought forth the Son of God,
While remaining ever a Virgin,
On the children of Carmel,
Bestow your gifts,
O Star of the Sea!

July 16, 1858, The Blessed Virgin’s last appearance at Lourdes was on July 16, 1858, feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

October 13, 1917, the final apparition at Fatima, when the “miracle of the sun” occurred, Our Lady first appeared as she had been appearing to the three shepherd children with her sorrowful heart exposed. And then she appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel with “something hanging from her right hand.”

Forty-four years later in the little mountain hamlet of San Sebastian de Garabandal in northern Spain, Our Lady appears with a large brown scapular prominently draped over her right wrist.

In A.D. 16 July 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock in Cambridge, England after he prayed for help for his Order. She appeared to him with the scapular and said, "Take, beloved son this scapular of thy 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."

The Sabbatine Privilege
Whether this happened exactly in this way or not (St. Simon's original descriptions of the vision are not extant and the wording may not be exact), the Scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, and the devotion spread and was well-known by the 16th c. What can be safely believed because of papal decree is the promise known as the "Sabbatine Privilege." The Sabbatine Privilege is the promise that Our Lady will intercede and pray for those in Purgatory who, in earthly life:

wore the Scapular in good faith;
were chaste according to their state in life;
daily recited the Divine Office or, with the permission of one's Confessor, the Little Office of Our Lady [a shorter form of the Divine Office in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, used by certain religious orders and laity. It is similar to the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Roman Breviary] or the Rosary; and
departed earthly life in charity.

Pope Benedict XV, the celebrated World War I Pontiff granted 500 days indulgence for devoutly kissing your scapular.

Mary prefigured in the Elijah Elisha episode in Book of Kings.

Perhaps it is a stretch on my part but I have always seen the Scapular of Mt. Carmel somehow prefigured as it were, in this episode in the Book of Kings when Elijah passes on the mantel to Elisha. It seems to me when Our Lady gave the scapular to St. Simon there was a similar significance. To be sure it is a sign of her favor and protection, first to Carmel and then to the lay person who wears her 'livery' as the medieval word refers to it. Ponder the idea and consider it's meaning. 

 http://abbey-roads.blogspot.in/2006/06/some-thoughts-on-wearing-scapular-of.html

Carmel, the symbolism of the Mount!

Carmel is a celebrated mountain near modern Haifa. Its Hebrew name means “garden” or “orchard”.

"Thy head is held high like Carmel…How beautiful thou art…Oh love, oh delight!” (Song 7:6,7).

"the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Yahweh, the splendor of our God” (Is 35:2).

Mount Carmel has been a symbol of conversion or turning back to God because of its  dramatic role in Elijah’s contest on behalf of God.

The Woman of Faith
Like Elijah, but more than Elijah, because she is the Queen of Prophets, Mary repeats to us the word of God which spans the ages, “be converted” (Acts 3:19). At Garabandal she said, “We must do much penance…If we do not change…a chastisement will come.” She recalls to us the ABSOLUTE of the Eucharist and of the priesthood, “We must…visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently… Many cardinals, bishops and priests are on the road to perdition…” Because she is the Co-redemptress, she puts before us the ABSOLUTE of the Cross-and the sacrifice, “ We must make many sacrifices…Think of the passion of Jesus.” And because she is the Immaculate One, she calls us to perfection, “But above all we must be very good.”

http://whatisgarabandal.blogspot.in/2012/08/why-did-mary-appear-as-our-lady-of.html 

Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2652756/Pope-Francis-unites-Israeli-Palestinian-presidents-prayer-plant-olive-tree-Vatican-gardens.html


Can anyone read the news about our dear Pope Francis's Prayer summit at the Vatican Gardens without getting goosebumps I wonder. His words resonate :

"Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare," he said. "It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter and no to conflict."

The fact that such a meeting took place in the lush Vatican gardens is noteworthy, because of its most neutral atmosphere. Who could imagine such a prayer meeting, with Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers incorporated and delivered in English, Hebrew, Arabic and Italian tongues? That too on the day of Pentecost. We first heard of such gift of tongues and the ability to understand different languages in the first chapters of Acts of the Apostles. That too was a day of Pentecost !

The three common themes that the prayers focused on : thanking God for creation, seeking forgiveness for past wrongdoing and praying to God to bring peace to the region.
Isn't that interesting?

And what about the concluding ceremony of the event? The planting of an olive tree together as a sign of Peace.
What will be the outcome? Nobody knows. But still we can start dreaming of Peace.

The music selected as the background to the whole event too is the most appropriate. "Adagio for Strings" by the American composer Samuel Barber. It has been acclaimed as the "Saddest piece of music" and is one of the most downloaded pieces of digital music. Its soundtrack made its prominent appearance in the 1986 Oliver Stone film "Platoon" . Another film in which the beautiful effect of this music is used is the final scene of the 1980 film The Elephant Man directed by David Lynch, who once remarked," I'm surprised it's not in almost every film".
Am reminded of Shelley's words in his Ode to a Skylark :

We look before and after, And pine for what is not:  Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught;  Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. There is a book by Thomas Larson  The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings".  Read about it here: http://www.thomaslarson.com/publications/essays-and-memoirs/91-the-saddest-music-ever-written.html

Also watch these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECQeLQURNuw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bECVh1dRsZw