July 16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our lady Of Mount Carmel: Star of The Sea
In the words of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort in True Devotion: "Mary is the sanctuary and repose of the Holy Trinity, where God dwells more magnificently and more divinely than any other place in the universe, not excepting his dwelling between the Cherubim and Seraphim."
Mount Carmel is about 20 miles from Nazareth and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. It was considered a symbol of blessing and beauty for its rich vegetation (Isaiah 35.2), and a place of sacred memory to remember the second covenant between God and Israel.
The prophet Elijah prayed at Mount Carmel for rain, which was announced by a little cloud rising from the sea (1 Kings 18,41-46). The little cloud was subsequently identified as a symbol for Mary and eventually developed into the title Star of the Sea.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite priest, in Cambridge, England, on July 16, 1251who had begged her to provide protection for the Carmelites, who were suffering persecution at the time and gave him the scapular with the following words, which are preserved in a fourteenth century narrative: "This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire."
Wearing the Brown Scapular is not an automatic guarantee of salvation. It is not a magical charm, nor is it an excuse to live in a way contrary to the teachings of the Church. It is a sacramental, which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries and is a sign of one's decision to follow Jesus as did Mary, the perfect model of all the Disciples of Christ. In addition to being an introduction into the Family of Carmel, the Brown Scapular is an expression of our belief that we will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayer of Mary.
On July 16, 2003, at the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Pope John Paul II, speaking at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, said:
“I hope the scapular will be for everyone, especially the faithful who wear it, a help and a defense in times of danger, a seal of peace and a sign of Mary’s care.”
The twin goals of the Carmelite order, according to medieval authors, were to offer to God a heart free from all stain of actual sin, and to experience, even in this world, the supernal joys of union with God. These goals, of course, are beyond human strength, and completely impossible to obtain on our own. God, therefore, has given us His Mother to be our guide up the mountain of perfection. While all are not called to the contemplative life, all the baptized are called to pray and strive for holiness.
This ancient title, Star of the Sea, of Our Lady goes back to St. Jerome, in reference to the passage from 1Kings 18: 41-45, when atop Mt. Carmel, Elijah beheld a “little cloud rising from the sea” which presaged the rains that would end the drought in Israel. (Jerome originally referred to Our Lady as “Stella Maris” or “drop of the sea” - which some theorize may have been lost in transcribing the texts over the years.) The Fathers interpreted this cloud as prefiguring the Virgin prophesied by Isaiah who would bring forth the Messiah. Carmelite hermits agreed and built a chapel atop Mt. Carmel naming it “Stella Maris”. Hence, the title “Stella Maris” and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel may be considered synonymous.
St. Bernard on Our Lady, Star of the Sea. “If the winds of temptation arise;If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation - look to the star, call on Mary; If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary.”
All the Carmelites pray every day the Prayer of St. Simon Stock on Mary called Flos Carmeli :-
O Beautiful flower of Carmel,
Fruitful vine,
Splendor of heaven,
Star of the Sea,
Holy and singular,
Who brought forth the Son of God,
Still a Virgin remaining,
Assist us in our necessities.
Help and protect us.
Show thyself our Mother.
I wish you all the happy Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and end with one of the most ancient prayers to Our Lady, found scribbled in the catacombs during some lost moment of terror:
We fly to thy protection. O Holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers. O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.
Queen, Beauty of Carmel!
Give us a sign of thy protection!