Solemn Commemoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel     Solemnity

 

 

 

The sacred scriptures speak of the beauty of Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defended the faith of Israel in the living God. There, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, under the title of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel, the Order of Carmelites had its formal beginning. From the fourteenth century this title, recalling the countless blessings of its patroness, began to be celebrated solemnly, first in England and then gradually throughout the whole Order. It attained its supreme place from the beginning of the seventeenth century, when the General Chapter declared it to be the principal feast of the Order, and Paul V recognized it as the feast of the Scapular Confraternity.

Evening Prayer I

HYMN

Flos Carmeli vitis florigera splendor coeli, Virgo puerpera, singularis; Mater mitis, sed viri nescia, Carmelitis esto propitia, Stella maris.

Radix Jesse, germinans flosculum hic adesse, me tibi servulum, patiaris. Inter spinas quae crescis lilium, Serva puras mentes fragilium tutelaris.

Armatura fortis pugnantium, furunt bella, tende praesidium Scapularis. Per incerta, prudens consilium, Per adversa, iuge solatium largaris.

Mater dulcis Carmeli domina, plebem tuam reple laetitia qua bearis Paradisi clavis et ianua, fac nos duci quo, Mater, gloria coronaris.

 

or

Flower of Carmel, Tall vine blossom laden, Splendor of Heaven Child bearing yet maiden, none equals thee Mother so tender Whom no man didst know, On Carmels children  Thy favors 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 the true heart That in weakness turns and trusts in thee.

Strongest of armor, We trust in thy might: Under thy mantle, Hard press’d in the fight, we call to thee. Our way uncertain, Surrounded by foes, Unfailing counsel You give to those who turn to thee.

O gentle Mother Who in Carmel reigns, Share with your servants That gladness you gained and now enjoy. Gate of Heaven, With glory now crowned, Bring us to safety Where thy Son is found, true joy to see.

 

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 

See your sons and daughters, gathered from the east and the west
at the bidding of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them.
Psalms and canticle from the common of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
v. 3, p. 1606 (CP., p. 1368).
Ant. 2 You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel;
you are the fairest honor of our race.
Ant. 3 You will rejoice in your children, for they shall be
blessed through you, and they shall be gathered
together in the Lord.

READING                                           REV 11:19; 12:1

Then God’s temple in heaven opened and in the temple
could be seen the ark of his covenant. A great sign appeared in
the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her
feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

RESPONSORY

How fair you are, O Virgin Mary.
—How fair you are, O Virgin Mary.
Your face is resplendent with grace,
—O Virgin Mary.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
—How fair you are, O Virgin Mary.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. Bounteous Mother of God, Glory of Mount Carmel,
we are members of your family; endow us with your own
virtues; have pity and protect us from every danger.

INTERCESSIONS

Let us praise our heavenly Father, who gives us the joy of
celebrating this solemn feast of the Virgin Mary of
Mount Carmel, as we pray:

May Mary, Mother and Beauty of Carmel, intercede for us.

Lord, in your plan the Daughter of Zion was foreshadowed by the
prophets and made the heir of all your promises;

—by imitating Mary, who is the image of the Church, may your
Church on earth be more and more the sacrament of the
world’s salvation.

You have honored the family of Carmel with the title and
patronage of the Virgin Mary;

—may all Carmelites live with her in unswerving allegiance to
Jesus Christ.

You have entrusted the whole of mankind, the brothers and sisters
of your Son, to the care of Mary’s maternal heart;

—may the world see her image in us as we strive to live in your
presence and to give ourselves for the salvation of all.

You call the humble family of Carmel, living in the cloister and in
the world, to be especially dedicated to the Virgin Mary;

—may all who are called to Carmel be of one mind and one heart
as they join together in prayer with Mary, the Mother of
Jesus.

You promise a crown of glory to those who persevere in your
love till the end;

—may our departed brothers and sisters, who shared Mary’s love
for you, rejoice with you forever in heaven.

 

Our Father...

PRAYER

Lord God,
you willed that the Order of Carmel
should be named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of your Son.
Through her prayers, as we honor her today,
bring us to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Or:

Father,
may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother and Queen of Carmel,
protect us, and bring us
to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Office of Readings

Invitatory

Ant. The Virgin Mary, Mother of Carmel has shown her goodness to us; come, let us rejoice in the Lord.

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary, v.3, p. 649

HYMN

 

Mary of Carmel, Crowned with heaven’s glory,        Look on us, Mother, as we sing your praises:               Be with us always, joy of saints and angels,    Joy of creation   Here on Mount Carme peace is all around us Here is the garden where your children gather, Praising God’s goodness, voices raised in gladness,    One with our Mother.

Come to God’s mountain, all who serve Our Lady: Sing to God’s glory, young and old together,  Full hearts outpouring Mary’s song of worship, Thanking her Maker.   Sing to the Father, who exalts his handmaid,  Sing to God’s wisdom, Son who chose his Mother, Sing to their Spirit, Love that overshadowed  Mary, chaste Virgin.

 

PSALMODY

Ant. 1

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall
stand in his holy place? The one with clean hands and
a pure heart.

Psalms from the common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, v. 3, p. 1616.

Ant. 2 I will lead them to my holy mountain, and make them
joyful in my house of prayer.

Ant. 3 If you hear my voice and keep my commandments, you of all nations will be my very own

 

FIRST READING
 (Alternative 1) Is 35:1-10, 61:8-11

 

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,  Let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,  let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,  let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,  the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Yahweh,  the splendor of our God.  Strengthen all weary hands,  steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts,  “Courage! Do not be afraid. “Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming,  the retribution of God; he is coming to save you. ”Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,  the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy;

for water gushes in the desert,  streams in the wasteland, the scorched earth becomes a lake,  the parched land springs of water.  The lairs where the jackals used ot live become thickets of reed and papyrus. And through it will run a highway undefiled which shall be called the Sacred Way; the unclean may not travel by it nor fools stray along it.  No lion will be there nor any fierce beast roam about it, but the redeemed will walk there,  for those Yahweh has ransomed shall return. They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.

For I, Yahweh, love justice,  I hate robbery and all that is wrong.  I reward them faithfully and make an everlasting covenant with them.  Their race will be famous throughout the nation,  their descendants throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom Yahweh has blessed.  “I exult for joy in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels. “For as the earth makes fresh things grow,  as a Garden makes seeds spring up,  so will the Lord Yahweh make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.”

 

RESPONSORY Psalm 65:10, 11, 12

You care for the earth, give it water;
you fill it with riches;
—you bless its growth.
The pastures of the wilderness flow with abundance
and the hills are girded with joy.
—you bless its growth.

 

SECOND READING
From the Mystical Instructions by Michael of Saint Augustine
(L. 1, tr. 1, C. 18: ed. Antwerp 1671, pp. 31-32)

Through Mary to Jesus

I would indeed be remiss were I not, in my own small way, to exhort you to cultivate a heartfelt devotion, a true, childlike, trusting love for Mary, the worthiest of all mothers. She is our most powerful and efficacious means of living a Christ-like life; particularly as we delight in invoking her as Mother of Divine Grace and Mother of Mercy. Knowing, as we do, how necessary grace and mercy are for a Christ-like life, what greater means have we of securing these essentials than by calling upon the Moter of Grace, the Mother of Mercy? With Paul I too can say: Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

For us to approach this throne and the Mother of Grace with full confidence, we must show ourselves worthy of her love. All claiming to be her clients or sons or brothers must make sure their lives accord with their obligations, by using every means in their power to become an image of so holy a patron, so lovable a mother, so gracious a sister. This they do by imitating her perfections and exercising her virtues. Whoever loves her as Mother must strive to acquire her humility, her purity, her poverty, her obedience, to follow her in her love of God and her fellow man - in a worde, in every virtue.

To show her due honor and love, you should, after makint the daily offering of yourself and all you have to the Blessed Trinity, according to the mind of Christ in union with his merits, acquire also the habit of making a like offering to her, your dearest Mother, in union her Immaculate Conception, her spotless Maternity, her untarnished virginity, and her great holiness. Just as you do all for Chirst's sake, do it all for her sake too, in her name.

Put yourself completely in her care; acknowledge her your best teacher; call upon her, the truly wise virgin; make every effort to prepare for and celebrate her different feasts worthily, in a word, act always as becomes a worthy son. In return you will learn how truly she is the mother of fair love an godly hope, overflowing with every grace of life and truth for you, radiating every hope of life and holiness. She never ceases to entreat for you those graces necessary for your perseverence in true holiness. At all times she acts as your well of living waters.

At the hour of your death she will not hesitate to proclaim herself your sister - indeed, your mother - so that she will be your greatest help at that hour. Then indeed will her assistance secure your salvation. Your life of devotion and attachment to her will gain for you a holy, peaceful death in her love. She will carry you in her gentle motherly arms to the gate of Heaven. Truy those who love Mary will be blessed at their last hour.  

 

RESPONSORY See Ps 34:12, Is 2:3, Sir 24:30, 34

Come, my children, listen to me;
come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord.
—Whoever pays heed to me will not be put to shame.
I am the mother of fair love and of holy hope;
in me is all grace of the way and of the truth.
—Whoever pays heed to me will not be put to shame.

HYMN, Te Deum.

Prayer, as in Morning Prayer.

Morning Prayer

HYMN

Let us in spirit make our way to Carmel’s mountain height; our Virgin Mother calls us there to gather flowers of light. This is indeed a holy place where God has ever reigned; here hearts are healed in silent prayer, and strength of mind attained. This is where living water flowed to save the thirsting land,

to clothe the desert with fresh grass, with trees the burning sand. Cradle of our religious life is Carmel’s height austere; wherever Mary turns her gaze flow waters springing clear. Let us adore the Trinity the Father honors her, the Son embraces her with love, the Spirit reigns in her!

C.M. Carmeli ad altos vertices
Tr. unknown

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 

Fragrant is the scent of your perfume,
Immaculate Virgin. Let us follow in your footsteps.
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, v. 3, p. 688 (CP., p. 707).

Ant. 2 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,
blessed are you among women.

Ant. 3 Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary: you are the mother
of your Maker, yet you remain a virgin forever.

READING Isaiah 35:1-2

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.

RESPONSORY
Under your protection we take refuge, Mother of God most holy.
—Under your protection we take refuge,
Mother of God most holy.

Do not turn away from the prayers that spring from our need,
—Mother of God most holy.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
—Under your protection we take refuge,
Mother of God most holy.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Jesus said to his mother: Woman, this is your son;
then he said to the disciple: This is your mother. And
from then onward the disciple took her for his own.

INTERCESSIONS

Christ our Savior, the first-born of many brothers, gave us his
Mother as our own. On this sacred day let us come to him
with thankful hearts and say:
For the gift of your Mother, we give glory to you, Lord.
Christ our Redeemer, you prepared a worthy dwelling place
for yourself in the sinless Virgin Mary;
—may we work today in your service and hers, poor in spirit
and pure in heart.
Only Word of the Father, uttered in eternal silence and lovingly
received in the womb of the Virgin,
—may our Carmelite vocation lead us, like Mary, to hear the
Word of God and put it into practice.
Christ our Teacher, you offer the Virgin Mary as the model of
every virtue to those who seek you;
—may we, her children, mirror her life, especially in our charity
towards all.
Jesus, Son of Mary, you gave your Mother to the apostle John
to take into his own keeping;
—in our familiarity with Mary may we experience your
ineffable love.
Christ, Spouse of the Church, you sent the fire of the Holy Spirit
upon Mary when she was joined with the apostles
in prayer;
—may the whole family of Carmel remain faithful in prayer with
Mary, and so be continually renewed by the Holy Spirit.

Our Father...

PRAYER

Lord God,
you willed that the Order of Carmel
should be named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of your Son.
Through her prayers, as we honor her today,
bring us to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Or:

Father,
may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother and Queen of Carmel,
protect us, and bring us
to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Daytime Prayer

Complementary psalmody, v.3, p. 1291. If this feast falls on Sunday, then
psalms from Sunday, Week I are said: v.3, p. 693.

Midmorning

Ant. You are a mother beyond compare, O Mary,
worthy to be remembered forever by your children.

READING Proverbs 8:32-34

So now, O children, listen to me,
instruction and wisdom do not reject!
Happy the man who obeys me,
and happy those who keep my ways,
Happy the man watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

Whoever finds me finds life,
—And will receive salvation from the Lord.

Midday

Ant. I will make an eternal covenant with them
and will never cease to bless them.

READING Sirach 24:15-16 (Vulgate)

I was established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I
rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. I took root in an
honorable people and in the portion of my God, his inheritance;
and my dwelling is in the full assembly of saints.

My spirit is sweeter than honey.
—My inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb.

Midafternoon

Ant. How great are the signs of the Most High, how mighty his wonders!
It is my pleasure to make them known.

READING Sirach 24:23-25 (Vulgate)

As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my
flowers are the fruits of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair
love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace
of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

Look down from heaven and see, and visit this vineyard,
—Which your right hand has planted.

Prayer, as in Morning Prayer.

Evening Prayer II

HYMN

When thirst broke up the ground stricken at God’s command, and crops lay on the long baked ridges of the soil, swiftly Elias went where Carmel towered above, scaling rough rocks with zeal and toil. Great soul in fervent prayer, lifting his hands on high, prophet, he pleaded there, turning God’s wrath again. Hour after hour he strove for those marked down to die unless the fields were saved with rain. Then, far off, where the sea stretched in a distant plain, a cloud fine as a hand lit in the deep blue cope;

and soon thunderclouds came, and after them the rain drumming the dust with rhythms of hope. Mary, we are those crops which drought of grace lays low, you are that mystic cloud, that fruitful womb are you. Your son, the God you nurse, is new life’s rain to us who grow once more as hope comes true. Spare us, great triune God, as we too bend in prayer, help us scale the high stars, our mother’s worthy sons; There, raised by her, we praise you everlastingly and pour forth love’s unending songs.

12.12.12.8. Bro. John Leonard Davies, O.C.D.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me
as you have said.
Psalms and canticle from the common of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
v. 3, p. 1635 (CP., p. 1378).

Ant. 2 Mary heard the word of God and kept it; she pondered
it in her heart.

Ant. 3 The apostles were constantly at prayer together, with
Mary the Mother of Jesus.

READING Judith 13;23, 25

May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth. The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men but shall ever remind them of the power of God. God grant you be always held in honor, and rewarded with blessings, since you did not consider your own life when our nation was brought to its knees, but warded off our ruin walking undeterred before our God.

RESPONSORY

I will cry out with joy to the Lord; my soul will rejoice in my God.
—I will cry out with joy to the Lord, my soul will rejoice in my God.

For he has clothed me with the garment of salvation and robed me in the cloak of justice.
—My soul will rejoice in my God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
—I will cry out with joy to the Lord, my soul will rejoice in my God.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. Today we rejoice in the Virgin Mary, Mother and Beauty of Carmel. Today her children commemorate her faitful love. Today the Star of the Sea shines on her peoople as their sure hope and comfort. Alleluia!

INTERCESSIONS

As we honor the holy Mother of God, under whose name and
patronage we live, let us pray with confidence to Christ
our Lord and say:
Through the intercession of the Mother of Carmel,
hear us, O Lord.
You said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven;”
—may we stand with Mary among the poor and humble of the
Lord, so that you may be our only wealth.
You said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God;”
—in following the Immaculate Virgin may we come to love
that purity of heart which makes us eager to see the
Father’s face.
You said, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe;”
—with Mary at our side, may we never cease to trust in the love
you have for us as we journey in this night of faith.
You said, “You ought to pray always and never lose heart;”
—teach us to pray like Mary, treasuring your word in our hearts
and proclaiming it in our lives.78 — JULY 16 — OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
You said, “A new commandment I give you: love one another as
I have loved you;”
—united in heart and mind, may we be ready to spend our lives
for our brothers and sisters and share with Mary in your
work of redemption.
Dying on the cross, you said to John, and through him to all
disciples, “Behold your Mother;”
—may we always please you by living in the intimate company
of the Mother of Grace.
You said, “I want those you have given me to be with me where
I am:”
—may all those who trusted in your everlasting mercy rejoice
one day with you and Mary in our Father’s house.

Our Father...

PRAYER

Lord God,
you willed that the Order of Carmel
should be named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of your Son.
Through her prayers, as we honor her today,
bring us to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Or:

Father,
may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother and Queen of Carmel,
protect us, and bring us
to your holy Mountain, Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.