Today we celebrate the last day in the Octave following the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Our Lady confirmed this title when she first appeared to St. Simon Stock as the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel and promised to save those who wear the scapular from the fires of hell; She will also shorten their stay in purgatory if they should pass from this world still owing some debt of punishment. In a later vision, she would later appear to Pope John XXII and reveal the Sabbatine Privilege. "I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in purgatory I shall free so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”
The document 'Lumen Gentium' further confirms this title, as it relates to Our Lady as the Theotokos, the God bearer, who bore the author of Grace Himself in Her womb. It states, 'The Blessed Virgin Mary was eternally predestined, in the context of the Incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. As decreed by divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving Mother of the divine Redeemer, His associate, uniquely generous, and the Lord’s humble servant. She conceived, bore, and nourished Christ; presented Him to the Father in the Temple; and was united with Him in His suffering as He died on the cross. In a completely unparalleled way she cooperated, by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity, with our Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is Mother to us all in the order of grace’
Today we read in our Carmelite proper the following beautiful excerpt from
the homily of St. Cyril of Alexandria preached at the Council of Ephesus.
Hail Mary, Mother of God, august treasury of the whole world, unquenchable
torch, crown of virginity, scepter of orthodoxy, temple indestructible, and
place of the uncontainable, mother and virgin. Through you is named blessed
in the holy gospel He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hail Mary! You contained the uncontainable in your holy virginal womb.
Through you the Trinity is glorified; through you is the cross named
precious, and adored throughout the whole world; through you heaven exults;
through you angels and archangels rejoice; through you demons are put to
flight; through you the devil, the tempter, fell from heaven; through you
the fallen creature is taken up to heaven; through you the whole created
world, gripped in the madness of idolatry, come to a recognition of the
truth; through you comes about holy baptism for believers; through you the
oil of gladness; through you churches have been founded through the whole
world; through you nations are led to repentance.
What need is there to speak at length? Through you the only Son of God
shone His light for those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death;
through you prophets foretold what was to come; through you apostles preach
salvation to the nations; through you the dead are raised to life; through
you kings reign, through the Holy Trinity.
What man can sing adequately the praise of Mary? She is both virgin and
mother! The wonder astounds me. Shall the Builder be forbidden to inhabit
the temple He has built?
Shall He be despised who chose His handmaid for His mother?
See then, all things rejoice. May it be ours to fear and bow before the
unity of the Trinity, to worship and tremble in awe before the indivisible
Trinity, as we sing praises of the ever-virgin Mary, that is the holy
Church, and of her Son and immaculate spouse; for to Him is glory for ever
and ever. Amen.
Prayer
God of eternal wisdom, in Your providence You willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should bring forth the Author of Grace, and take part with Him in the mystery of man’s redemption. May she obtain for us grace in abundance and bring us to the haven of everlasting salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
