Hello Everyone:
Today is the Feast day of St. Elijah. This image is the crest of the Carmelite Order. It has the quote of St. Elijah and the image of Mount Carmel with the three stars representing Elijah on the Mount and the two others representing Jesus and Mary . This post is about the relationship of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Her Scapular and the times of St. Elijah....

Since we focus on the message of Fatima on this webite, we will remember that on October 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared during the Miracle of the Sun to Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding forth a Brown Scapular.  Whenever Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the three shepherd children, She always had a star on the hem of Her gown.

We have already talked about Our Lady as the ‘Star of the Sea’ who helps christians who wear Her Scapular from drowning in sin.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel can be seen as representing the Star of the Sea that first appeared to Saint Elijah the Prophet as a “small foot shaped cloud” (3 Kings 18: 44). She appeared to symbolize not only the end of the drought which afflicted the Israelites, but also to signify the end of their doctrinal confusion. 

Fatima is a great message of traditional Catholic Church teaching and a reaffirmation of the Gospel.  The star of Our Lady of Fatima is our special Star of the Sea in this age of darkness for the Church polluted by the murky doctrinal waters of Modernism. 
We are in perhaps the greatest period of doctrinal uncertainty among the people and clergy that the Church has ever known.  This is an indication that we need the Star of Our Lady of Fatima - the Star of the Sea - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, to guide us through these troubled waters. (Wear a Scapular!)

At the time of the Prophet Elijah, Israel was plagued by false prophets leading the chosen people astray with false doctrine and the worship of false gods.  This is familiar to us, as false prophets and teachers are shamelessly leading Christ’s flock to spiritual ruin.  King Achab , “did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him” (3 Kings 16: 30).  We too are in a time of unprecedented evil brought on by wolves in shepherd’s clothing.

King Achab led Israel, away from the true God because it was the politically correct thing to do for peace and for economic reasons.  In our age, it seems that politically correct leaders of the Church, in an effort to get along with non-Catholic Christians and non-Christian sects, have modified Church teaching and worship to conform to the ways of the world in a very big way!  
 
Like the time of Ahab, we too have seen new ‘altars/tables’ and configurations set up in our Catholic sanctuaries; many of which seem to be offering worship to the ‘cult of man,’ as opposed to the worship of Almighty God.  Elijah the Prophet was sent to Israel by God and declared to Achab that because of their sinful ways there would be a drought for years of neither dew nor rain (3 Kings 17:1).  The Catholic Church has been experiencing a drought of vocations for the past sixty years of priests and religious as well as numerous church and school closings.  Do we too need rain?

On Mount Carmel, Elijah against the false prophets, had two altars set up: one for the Prophet Elijah and one for the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal.  Offerings would be prepared by each side on their respective altars.  The offering that was accepted by Almighty God, would be the one which was consumed by fire from Heaven.

The sacrifice of Elijah, prefiguring the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, was acceptable to Almighty God, Who sent fire down from Heaven to consume it. The people who had been led into apostasy at the time of Elijah by their evil leaders, repented as the light of truth came upon them, as they cried out: “The Lord He is God, the Lord He is God!” (3 Kings 18: 39). 

After this victory, Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel and directed his servants to look toward the sea.  They saw nothing.  He told them to return seven times.  At the seventh time, a small foot shaped cloud arose out of the sea and torrents of rain came ending the great drought caused by the peoples’ apostasy from the faith.

The small foot-shaped cloud, representing the Immaculate Virgin Mary, conceived without the stain of Original Sin, arose from what can be described as ‘the sea of sinful humanity.’  Tradition says that after this encounter with the “type” of Our Blessed Mother, Elijah made his abode on Mount Carmel awaiting the birth of the Mother of the Messiah (Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ).  Devotion then began to Our Lady of Mount Carmel before the time of Christ.  The Prophet Elijah is thus considered to be the Founder of the Carmelite Order devoted to the Mother of God.

We as Carmelites must pray to God through Our Lady of Fatima/Our Lady of Mount Carmel that the time of accounting soon comes for the false priests and prophets of our time leading souls astray.  May they repent of their scandalous sins and return to the One True Faith founded by Christ before Divine judgment is visited upon them. 

When Our Lady of Mount Carmel gave the Brown Scapular to the Carmelite, Saint Simon Stock, on July 16, 1251, She said: “Whoever dies in this garment will not suffer everlasting fire.  It is a token of salvation.  It safeguards in danger."  Pope Pius XII said that the Brown Scapular was a “Sign of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Sister Lucia of Fatima said that the Rosary and the Brown Scapular are inseparable therefore let us wear our Brown Scapular as a sign of consecration to Her Immaculate Heart and get others to do the same during this time of great apostasy!

Wearing the Brown Scapular with devotion every day, frequenting the Sacraments of the Church, living the Fatima Message, and praying the Reparation prayers will help usher in this time of peace after the battle with the Antichrist. Our Lady's Scapular will bring us comfort, protection and great joy!

Let us walk with great joy and with the words of Elijah from the First Book of Kings, 19:10 in our hearts: “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.” These words perfectly express the life of the Prophet Elijah, yet for those of us who wear the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, this motto also perfectly conveys the mission to which we are each called. 

Our Lady of Mt Carmel - pray for us!
St. Elijah - pray for us!

Hello Everyone:

To demonstrate the importance of Mary’s Scapular, here are some quotes and writings of previous Popes over the centuries.

Pope Leo XI 
At the Papal Investiture , when his Scapular was removed accidentally from his shoulders, he said: “Leave me Mary, lest Mary leave me.”

Pope Pius IX
On Dec. 8, 1854, he defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. He is noted to say: “This most extraordinary gift of the Scapular – from the Mother of God to Saint Simon Stock – rings its great usefulness not only to the Carmelite Family of Mary but also to all the rest of the faithful who wish, affiliated to that Family, to follow Mary with a special devotion.”

Pope Leo XIII
He stated regarding Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Her Scapular, “Its nobility of origin,” he said, “its venerable antiquity, its extraordinary spread I the Church, the spiritualizing effects produced by it and the outstanding miracles worked in virtue of it, render the Scapular of Carmel commendable to a wondrous degree.” At he was getting close to his death, he said, “Let us make a novena to Our Lady of the Scapular and I shall be ready to die.”
 
Pope Benedict XV
He declared, “Let all of you have a common language and a common armor; the language the sayings of the Gospel; the common armor, the Scapular of the Virgin of Carmel, which you all ought to wear and which enjoys the singular privilege of protection even after death.”
 
Pope Pius XI
He was heard to say: “I learned to love the Scapular Virgin in the arms of my mother.”
 
On the Feast of St. Simon Stock, May 16th 1892, Pope Leo XIII gave Scapular wearers a great gift. His Holiness gave to the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel the privilege of a plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in Purgatory, to all who visit a Carmelite Church on that day.

In 1912, Pope Pius X gave soldiers and sailors the unique privilege of enrolling themselves in the Scapular Confraternity. All the soldier or sailor needs do is put on the Scapular or the Scapular Medal previously blessed by a priest having power to enroll In the Scapular. By the very fact of putting on the cloth Scapular or the Medal (reciting at the same time any prayer to Mary) the serviceman automatically becomes a member of the Scapular Confraternity. Also, During WWII, “The Scapular Militia” sent out millions of blessed Scapulars and Medals, bringing Mary’s protection to our servicemen.

WOW – we have come a long way away from such devotions. Our servicemen are committing suicide at an alarming rate and we have a Pope who believes in pagan idols. Holy Mother Mary - bring us back to God!

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel – pray for us to be heroes at a time of Great Apostasy!

Hello Everyone:
​
The Brown Scapular is a visible garment with great meaning. The spiritual significance of a simple garment is perhaps as old as human society itself. A garment has always signified something more important than itself.  From the time of Elijah the Prophet, a garment had tremendous significance in Carmel. Elijah placed his mantle upon Eliseus who took his place. Eliseus immediately understood the significance of the gesture for the sacred text adds, “and rising up he went away, followed Elijah and ministered to him.” (1Kings 19:21)

When the time came for the ascent of Elijah in the fiery chariot, his successor asked him to leave him his double spirit. Elijah informed him that he had asked for a very difficult thing but promised it would be his; and as he ascended into the clouds, his mantle fell upon Eliseus, bringing him the double spirit of his master. It was not the garment that was significant to him but what it brought with it – the graces of his master.

St. Paul does not hesitate to call the human nature of Christ a Habit. The Redeemer Himself compared grace to a wedding garment, and the Apostle of the Gentiles loved to use the same metaphor of a garment when exhorting us to put on Christ and to clothe ourselves with his virtues.

A garment very special is the one Our Blessed Mother made for her Son Jesus. We can imagine our Blessed Mother making the swaddling clothes in preparation for the birth of Her Son; and when she set out for Bethlehem she made sure to bring them with Her, that She might wrap Him up and lay Him in the manger. Later, during the quiet hours of Nazareth, She prepared the seamless garment He wore to Calvary. She was always mindful of her duty to clothe her Child. Our Blessed Mother extends her motherhood to all the redeemed – to the mystical Body of Christ. Before He died on the Cross Christ proclaimed Her our Mother; and one would almost expect Her to have a Garment for us!

Long before She appeared to St. Simon Stock, the Habit was a sign of devotion to Her. It was worn by the Brothers of the Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, who were known for their devotion to Her. The Marian character of the Habit was known to all and recognized by several Popes throughout the ages in official documents.

Almost eight centuries of Christian devotion have helped reveal the hidden treasure of the Scapular. Saints have meditated upon it and scholars have studied it. The Scapular is a sign of our special adoption by the Mother of God and it is graced by many miracles through the prayers and intercession of our good Queen and Mother.

The thought that from the moment She spreads her garment over us, Her special love envelops our whole being should be the greatest force for good in our daily lives. It should inspire us with the profoundest sentiments of love and gratitude and bring us to dedicate ourselves to Her in time and in eternity.
 
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!

​ Hello Everyone:
 
Our Lady, Herself, has asked us to wear this Brown Scapular. First, knowing that it is a garment given to St. Simon Stock as a means of help should inspire us to wear it. The Order of Carmel was experiencing many difficulties at that time (and today in fact) and She came to give him this gift in order for the Order to seek her protection and help. She came also sharing the promise that anyone who dies wearing this – will not suffer the fires of Hell. Today, we have humanist theologians who want to debunk this promise and throw the whole idea way. First, it cannot be proven scientifically  - maybe because it is spiritual. Also these humanists claim that there is not hard evidence that this apparition to St. Simon Stock really took place. We only have 750 years of miracles to show that IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED.  Well, humanists do not believe in miracles so that is no good. It is very sad what is happening in the world and in the Church today with all the isms we have right now.

When I was in the Novus Order Third Order Carmelites with the “updated” Rule, I was promoting enrollment in the small Brown Scapular and received resistance to this from authority. I was not only shocked but thought I could stand on the proof that Our Lady came to Fatima on the last apparition in October 1917 as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel holding a Scapular in her hand.  Sr. Lucia claimed that the Rosary and the Brown Scapular are inseperable – they go together.  Our Formation Director responded: “Oh Bernadette, you know that is a private revelation”. What – seriously!  Actually, Fatima is a public revelation and should be taken more seriously which is why I have this website. It is public because the miracle of the sun was public and was even recorded as actually happening with the local freemasonic newspaper – “O Seculo”.
 
Not only did she come at Fatima as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel but St. Bernadette felt an irresistible urge which she had not felt for three months prior, to visit the grotto of Massabielle. It was July 16th, 1858 and during this eighteenth and last apparition, Mary did not speak to her but Bernadette declared, “Never did She look so beautiful.” In a letter written on July 10, 1958 for the centennial of the apparitions, Mgr. Theas, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, stressed Mary’s choice of July 16th saying, “The Blessed Virgin in choosing this date for her last visit to the grotto, revealed her purpose. This was surely to draw to our attention the solemnity of July 16th, to remind us that her title of “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel” is one that is particularly dear to her. She would also seem to have expressed her particular love for the Carmelite Order, its spirituality, its saints, doctors, and all who belong to its three orders.”
 
I will hope to have more tomorrow and until then – spread the word of Our Lady’s Brown Scapular and its protections and prayers from Our Lady during this time of great unrest in the world.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!
St. Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta, pray for us!.
St. Bernadette, pray for us!

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to Day 2 of our Novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Today we are going to focus on the fact that to wear our Brown Scapular is to trust in Our Mother's love for us by dispensing the love and grace of Jesus.

Each time we see our Scapular, it should remind us that we are to be the child of Mary that would please the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We should daily kiss it because it will remind us of our wearing it and it also gives a 500 day indulgence for each time it is kissed. It is Our Lady's garment and it is worn with great joy knowing we are placing ourselves under Her Mantle and begging Her to keep watch over our souls. This by no means is to be understood that we are to make no more effort in growing in virtue. The job is still ours to continue to grow in God's grace.

The constant daily practice of wearing the scapular, is therefore an act of faithful homage to Our Lady but, as St. Alphonsus says, the desire to amend one's life is also necessary before we can be morally certain that She will be the cause of our eternal salvation. There are countless souls in Heaven today who owe their imperishable crowns to the special intercession of Our Lady. 

There is a wealth of theology in a little story that Bishop Sheen loved to tell, "St. Peter approached Christ and complained that he found souls in Heaven who had no right to be there. The Savior looked at him and said: "Peter, I am not blaming you, for no matter how well you guard the gate to Heaven, they get in; when you close the gate, my Mother opens the window." Every mother's love is extravagant simply because it is. How often the mother has more love and affection in her heart for an afflicted child than one that is not afflicted. 

We could imagine that Our Lady seeing and hearing the good thief on the cross near Her Son was praying for him. The prayers of Our Lady standing at the foot of the Cross won for him not only forgiveness but a place in Heaven that very day. Her Heart beats in unison with Her Son's and they love us together.

Many do not understand this concept. Mary on Her own can do nothing. She is only a vessel of God's grace.... but She is full of God's grace and She is appointed to be the dispenser of that grace. Mary has been given the privilege of being the Mother of God and therefore the Mother of us as well. Her Will is always perfectly in union with the Will of God.  She can never ask for something that is not the Will of God. Our salvation is the Will of God but justice that a soul deserves can be mitigated with the prayers of the Blessed Mother.

Why not wear the Brown Scapular and beg Her to pray for you?

Holy Mother Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death!
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - pray for us!

Hello Everyone:
​
Today starts our Novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Everyone should know that the Brown Scapular is the great gift that associates so many faithful to the Carmelite Order. By being enrolled (and one should be enrolled by a priest before wearing one) one shares in all the good works of the Carmelite Order. How beautiful. Why would anyone refuse so much protection and so many gifts?

I will be posting something each day of the Novena on the Scapular at this site. We will start out with important reasons of why anyone would want to feel a need to wear one. The main reason - She wants us to wear it! Are we not called to be obedient to The Mother of God and Mother of us all!  

 I have some homeschooled adult children who have chosen not to wear it.  I feel bad because I see the refused graces and I know we covered the fragility of our souls when they lived with us. I realize many Americans have a false sense of security and that unfortunately is about to end. But God in His infinite wisdom knows how to bring His children back to Him. We need to realize that we carry our treasure of divine grace in earthen vessels of a fallen human nature which is easily broken. In our redeemed human nature, there is an inherent weakness which places sanctifying grace in CONSTANT DANGER of being lost! This moral weakness has led to the formation of bad habits and inclinations to sin which have their roots deep in our nature. Bad habits are not easily rooted out and while they remain, the state of grace is in peril.

We also do not know when the state of death will come upon us. We are not sure we will die in the state of grace unless we are diligent with our confessions and continually guarding our senses from falling into sin; but we can not do that on our own. God is good and He knows that the clay of which we are formed and He has promised us that if we rely on Him - we will not be tempted above our strength. Moreover, He has given His word that if we use the means of salvation which He has left, the crowning grace of final perseverance will be ours. We are not always diligent enough to pray - especially during times of temptation. God the Father is so good in giving us a great aid - Our Mother and Jesus' Mother - Mary.

It is the constant teaching of the Church that devotion to God's Mother is not only a means but a pledge of eternal salvation. Her Heart is a tower of strength for the weak. St. Bernard says, "The Eternal Father made Her "full of grace" that her love might bestow it where justice would deny it. She is our Mother of Mercy."

"The men of the world," says St. Ambrose, "have as many masters as they have passions. Immodesty comes and says to them, you are mine, because you covet sensual pleasures. Covetousness says, you are mine; for the gold and silver you possess are the price of your liberty. All the vices come and say, you are mine." Every man born into this world serves some master and offers his life on some altar. And if our master is not God it is bound to be some low passion that makes us its slave.

By wearing the Scapular, we are renouncing Satan and all his ways. It is a way of giving ourselves to the Mother of God for Her care of our soul. We must be conscious of that and not just wear it as we intend to remain in sin. St. Paul says, "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is not His". Romans 8:9. The same applies to Mary: if we have not her spirit in us,  which is to live in union with Her Son Jesus Christ; then we have no part with Her and our Consecration to Her loses its meaning. 

By wearing our Scapular, Our Lady watches over our soul and helps us when we may not even be aware of it because by putting it on, we are ASKING HER - "Mother, help me!"  She is the Mother of us all. She witnessed the death of Jesus for US! She wants our salvation because it was bought with the price of Her Son! SHE LONGS TO HELP US AND SHE WILL HELP US!   We must have confidence in this - especially now!

In this life of tempestuous seas, let us put on the life jacket of salvation -- the Brown Scapular that will help us get to the port of Heaven. May we choose safety and not to chance getting lost at sea! The next life is eternal which means it will never end.

Let us humble ourselves to put on the garment of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to ask Her for protection during this time when Satan is unleashed and seeking the ruin of many many souls.  There is no better refuge right now than the Immaculate Heart of Mary so that She Herself may place us constantly into the Heart of Her Son Jesus - never to be lost!

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Pray for us!