Catholic Saints, who have written on the Spiritual Life, suggest that a "remote preparation" is necessary in order to better understand the Word of God.  This includes being a lover of the Truth as well as the practice the Virtues of Humility, Meekness, and Docility to God the Holy Ghost.  "Proximate preparation" includes two prayers:  1) The Act of Contrition; and, 2) The Veni, Sancte Spiritus.

An Act of Contrition

O my God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, because I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul.  I detest all of my sins because it was for them and His Love for me that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, my Lord and my God, suffered, was crucified, and died on the cross.  O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee by my sins, faults, imperfections, negligences and carelessness, Who art all good and deserving of all of my love.

I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace, to sin no more, to confess my sins, to do penance, to amend my life, to avoid all of the near occasions of sin, and always give to Thee freely, liberally and generously what is of supererogation and perfection, not only in greater things, but especially in lesser things, so that I may gain beforehand Thy efficacious, superabundant, particular and special Graces and Helps so that I will always be victorious in resisting and overcoming all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil and his followers.  Grant me those Graces and Helps needed so that my every thought, word and action may be done solely out of love for Thee, Who art Love.  Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom

It was the custom of Patriarch Saint John Chrysostom [b. Antioch, c. 347 A.D. - d. at Commana in Pontus on Friday, September 14, 407 A.D.], Patriarch of Constantinople [Thursday, February 26, 398 A.D. - Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D.], exiled from his See the 2nd time on Thursday, June 24, 404 A.D., Father and Doctor of the Catholic Church, to properly prepare himself and his Congregation before preaching. He taught that unless God the Holy Ghost prepares the minds and hearts of the Preacher and of the Congregation, the Preacher preaches in vain and the Congregation listens in vain.

Therefore, so as not to waste your time, please pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, remembering how one Holy Saint was of the opinion that a Sermon is a Sacramental.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let Us Pray

O God, who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary; pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Catholic Schools, pray for us.

“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit” (GOSPEL of today’s Mass [Matthew 7:17]).

V  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

When Christ teaches that “Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit”, He is using the “tree” as a symbol to represent a person because what Christ is actually teaching is that just as “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit”, so also “every good person bringeth forth that which is good, namely, good works”.

This is more clear in the Gospel of Saint Luke where it is written:

“For every tree is known by its fruit.... A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good:  and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:44-45).

Aside from Christ Himself, who is a better example of someone bringing forth the good fruit of good works than Our Blessed Mother?  Consider how Our Lady has always helped Catholics from even before the very first day the Catholic Church was born on that first Pentecost Sunday.

July 16th is the traditional Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  Historically, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was approved for the Carmelite Order by the Roman Catholic Pope Sixtus V, Felice Peretti [Wednesday, April 24, 1585 - Monday, August 27, 1590] in 1587 A.D.  Pope Benedict XIII, Pietro Francesco-Vincenzo Maria-Orsini [Monday, May 29, 1724 - Tuesday, February 21, 1730] extended this Feast Day to the universal Church in 1726 A.D.

Just as Our Lady of Mount Carmel has helped untold numbers of Catholics in the past, so also does she continue to help us today if we would but take advantage of her Mantle of Protection for us which Catholics know as the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

How did the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel come about? When the Carmelite Order came to England, a hermit by the name of Simon Stock [b. in the County of Kent, England, in c. 1165 A.D.- d. at the Carmelite monastery at Bordeaux, France, on Saturday, May 16, 1265 A.D.] entered their community.  When he was about 86 years old, he became the Superior General of the Order. Now at that time, the Carmelite Order seemed to be approaching dissolution.  So he prayed in order to save the Carmelite Order.

On the evening of July 16th, 1251 A.D., while he was fervently praying, Our Blessed Mother appeared to him and, in answer to his prayer to avert the tribulations of the Carmelite Order, Our Lady assured him of her very powerful protection.

At the same time, she handed a brown Scapular to him, telling him:

“Receive, Dear Son, the Scapular of thy Order, as a prerogative for thyself and for all the children of Carmel, as a particular sign of my confraternity, as a pledge of an eternal peace, which I contract with you. This is the sign of salvation, a protection and bulwark in dangers.  Whoever piously dies, having beforehand been invested with this habit, will not be cast into everlasting fire.”

It was possibly Pope Innocent IV, Sinibaldo Fieschi [Thursday, June 25, 1243 - Monday, December 7, 1254], who confirmed the Brown Scapular and gave Simon a letter to all the Bishops in which the Pope commanded the Bishops to protect and propagate the Order of the Carmel and also the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Monasteries began to be built in many places and the confraternity of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established. Those who did not join the Carmelite Order had their names enrolled in the confraternity of the Brown Scapular. Numberless people have worn this Holy Habit of Our Blessed Mother, including popes, cardinals, emperors and kings who lived and died wearing it.

The Brown Scapular, which, when it is worn with faith, trust and confidence in Our Lady of Mount Carmel by those who make an effort to live a pious life of Virtue, is powerful in both temporal and Spiritual necessities.

For example, there is the true story of a Mr. Beauregard who was shot in the chest by a canon ball at the siege of Montpellier, France in 1622 A.D.  Although he staggered, he did not fall down. His fellow soldiers hurried to remove his shirt to tend to his  grievous wounds.  But, as they were removing his shirt, they found that the canon ball had been flattened on the Brown Scapular he wore!  He was only bruised!

Another true Brown Scapular story is about a gentleman named Monty who was traveling by ship to Toulouse when a violent storm arose and the ship sank.  But Monty was able to float on the water because the Brown Scapular which he was wearing did not permit him to sink but acted as a life-preserver!

Over the years, various Parishioners have relted their own personal experiences with the great power of Our Lady and her Brown Scapular.

For example, one Mother pinned a Brown Scapular on the T-shirt of her 4-year old Son whom We will call “Tom” just before Tom’s natural Father, who had divorced Tom’s Mother, before Tom was even born, stopped by to pick up Tom and take him to his home for a birthday party he was having for Tom with some of his relatives.

The Mother was concerned because there was a swimming pool in the back yard.  Early that evening, the Father dropped Tom off to his Mother who was very relieved that Tom was ok.  Only then did the Father explain to Tom’s Mother that Tom had accidentally fallen into the swimming pool a few hours before that but was pulled out within a few minutes with no injury of any kind to Tom.

Another parishioner told Us about several stories of how some middle-aged men and women almost drowned but were brought to shore by rescuers who pulled on one of the strings of their Brown Scapulars and how those thin strings never broke!

Various people have saved their homes from fire by having a Brown Scapular on their front door.  In another case, when a Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was thrown into a huge fire that was beginning to burn all of the houses of an entire area, all of the flames were immediately quenched. A miracle of this kind was officially confirmed by the Bishop of Metz on January 12, 1420 A.D.

But Our Lady of Mount Carmel also helps people in their Spiritual needs.  For example, a certain nobleman by the name of Walter, who had led a very evil life, was wounded in a duel and was about to die in despair.  Hearing about this, the zealous Superior General of the Carmelite Order, Saint Simon Stock, hurried to him only to find him gnashing his teeth with rage, with despair in his heart, with blasphemies in his mouth, and almost dead. The Saint prayed for him and then laid the Brown Scapular on him.  The sick man immediately returned to his senses, repented of his sins, and died in peace after having received the Sacraments with great devotion.

Resolutions

For our resolutions, let us resolve to wear the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the respect and devotion due to it and our Blessed Mother.  Let us recall the “Sabbatine Privilege” that those who have been enrolled in, and who have daily worn, the Brown Scapular and observed Chastity according to their state in life, and who, upon dying, go to Purgatory, will be taken to Heaven by Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the very first Saturday after their death.

It is also suggested that you prayerfully consider this little Spiritual Exercise in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Pray as follows:

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, please continue to continuously keep thy holy mantle of protection around (here you mention the names of your family members and other loved ones and yourself) and also around (here you mention your residence, all those living in your residence with you, and, in general, all of your temporal goods - your personal property - in your residence; you can also mention your vehicle and everyone and everything in it; etc. e.g. your job, your finances, etc.).

It is suggested that you do this once a day (more often if necessary), preferably adding it to your regular Morning Prayers after you arise for the new day.

“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit” (GOSPEL of today’s Mass [Matthew 7:17]).

V  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

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