Winter 2002
Predating Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, whose witness in the sixteenth century intensified Carmel’s contribution to the flow of Church reform, the Carmelite Order showed a flourishing devotion to Mary, Queen Beauty of Carmel and Our Lady of the Scapular. Saint Teresa used to remind her followers they inherited the habit of Our Lady, meaning the brown scapular, from their predecessors. Famous for her commentary on the "Our Father" prayer, Saint Teresa also stated she wished she had found the time to write a commentary on the "Hail Mary." Since her times all Carmelites continue to cultivate high regard for the Blessed Virgin Mary in line with their Order’s traditions.
No one will find it strange, then, that a new document should emerge from the national leadership of the Carmelite friars as an invitation to renewed devotion to Mary, and as a way to heed the ongoing call to reform launched by Vatican II. In the Spring of 2002 they issued: The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Catechesis and Ritual, a booklet 56 pages long.
Perhaps feeling challenged to answer frequently heard criticisms about insufficient or non-existent commentary on the changes being introduced throughout the Church, they have offered a booklet usable in liturgical prayer (the "ritual" part) when the scapular is given to Christians, but also well-suited to explain the deep spiritual and devotional impact of the scapular (the "catechesis" part).
The booklet does not require lengthy analysis. Noteworthy points of the Provincials’ teaching is their affirmation that what was once called the "Sabbatine Privilege" is no longer sustainable in any valid catechesis of the scapular. Historical research has shown clearly that it was something once called a "pia fraus," put euphemistically and kindly in English "only pious make-believe."
One feature helpful to persons intending to deepen their devotion by this booklet are ten scripture passages, five from the Old and five from the New Testament, suitable for reflection--several of them feature the theme of clothing. One other interesting text is a brief "Insight from the Ecclesiastical Censor." It was written as part of the church approval given by the Archdiocese of Washington for "Catechesis and Ritual." Drafted in a homespun style it tends to contextualize the message of the booklet in a contemporary, even American way. It is well worth quoting:
That the Scapular is a garment, a piece of clothing, does much to make this a beloved and meaningful sacramental. Clothing is, even today, a sign of parental love and care--even when the clothing is purchased at K-Mart. How much more in Jesus’ day when mothers carded the wool, spun the thread, wove the cloth and made the clothing! There is a sign value by the very nature of clothing that precedes even the scriptural examples from the Old and New Testaments. I think this helps to make the Scapular appealing to the faithful. Our earthly mother clothes us; our heavenly Mother clothes us. Without a word of explanation we know exactly what that means.
Now in its second printing, our volume To Quell the Terror by Professor William Bush sets the record straight about the final gestures of the martyrs of Compiègne the day they died for their faith.
Think of those Carmelite nuns and one almost hears the strains of the opera of Francis Poulenc, "The Dialogues of the Carmelites." In the modern composition (premiered only forty-five years ago) the final scene reaches a paroxysm of dramatic tension as the nuns mount the steps of the guillotine singing Poulenc’s version of the "Salve Regina" . . ."Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Our life, our sweetness and our hope."
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Old legends say the last hermits of the first Carmelite monastery on Mount Carmel sang the "Salve Regina" as they were being slaughtered in 1291 by the returning Saracens. Five hundred plus years later the Carmelite nuns met that kind of fate in revolutionary Paris of 1794. Professor Bush covers in fine detail all the steps of the path their devotion as contemplative daughters of Mary and of the Church led them along. His research affirms they sang the Salve Regina "en route to the guillotine," thereby honoring their tender patroness as they moved resolutely to their deaths. |
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Our confreres at Spiritual Life Magazine published a color reproduction of the most ancient icon of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Summer 1993 issue. Here it is now, along with a brief explanation of its origins and meaning.
The icon belongs to
the Carmelites’ basilica church in Naples, Italy. It bears
the title "La Bruna," or "the dark one".
It derives its title from the dark color of the flesh tones applied
to Mary. This touching image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is frequently
imitated in other depictions of Mary, Queen Beauty of Carmel
around
the world.
The style of the icon captures a certain "tenderness," in which the Mother's head lies in fond proximity to that of her Child. The Greeks nicknamed this type "the sweet kiss" icon.
The Carmelite exemplar was painted in the first half of the thirteenth century, on wood, measuring 1 by .80 meters (39 in. x 31 in.), and in accordance with Byzantine criteria for iconography.
Tradition says it came from Mount Carmel, the Carmelites' birthplace. Recently historians have claimed that marian images of the "tenderness" style are the ones venerated from the earliest stages of the order's existence.
