Eat Something with Spinach today
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 3-6
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit
of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, 4 and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear; do
not let your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands, the
blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans and of the son of Remaliah— 5 because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil
against you. They say, 6 “Let us go up against Judah, tear it apart, make
it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king
there.
These
verses contain a series of oracles and narratives, all closely related to the
Syro-Ephraimite war of 735–732 B.C. Several passages feature three children
whose symbolic names refer to the Lord’s purposes: Shear-jashub, Emmanuel, and
Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Judah and its Davidic dynasty should trust God’s
promises and not fear the combined armies of Israel and Syria; within a very
short time these two enemy states will be destroyed, and David’s dynasty will
continue. Human plans contrary to those of the Lord are doomed to frustration.[1]
Syro-Ephraimite War[2] took place in the 8th century BC,
when the Neo-Assyrian Empire was a great regional power. The tributary nations
of Syria (often called Aram) and the Kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim
because of the main tribe) decided to break away. The Kingdom of Judah, ruled
by King Ahaz, refused to join the coalition. In 735 BC Syria, under Rezin, and
Israel, under Pekah, attempted to depose Ahaz through an invasion. Judah was
being defeated and, according to 2 Chronicles, lost 120,000 troops in just one
day. Many significant officials were killed, including the king's son. Many
others were taken away as slaves. During the invasion, the Philistines and
Edomites were taking advantage of the situation and raiding towns and villages
in Judah. Ahaz asked Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria for help. The Assyrians
defended Judah, conquering Israel, Syria, and the Philistines, but the post-war
alliance only brought more trouble for the king of Judah. Ahaz had to pay
tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III with treasures from the Temple in Jerusalem and
the royal treasury. He also built idols of Assyrian gods in Judah to find favor
with his new ally.
Isaiah tells King Ahaz
that the invasion will be unsuccessful and tells him to ask God for a sign.
Ahaz refuses, claiming he does not want to test God. Isaiah then announces that
God himself will choose the sign:
A
young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. He
shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse evil and choose the good.
For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land
before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.— Isaiah 7:14-16
Isaiah 8 details another
prophecy about a child by the name of Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Hebrew: מַהֵר שָׁלָל
חָשׁ בַּז "Hurry to the spoils!" or "He has made haste to the
plunder!"). Isaiah then explains that the significance of this name is
that before this child can speak, Assyria will plunder both Syria and Ephraim.
Isaiah concludes these prophecies concerning his children, Shear-Jashub
(meaning "the remnant shall return"), Immanuel (meaning "God
with us"), and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, by saying,
Here
am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in
Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.— Isaiah 8:18
The context continues into
chapter 9 which also uses the birth of a child as its object.
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel[3]
THE Church celebrates on this day the feast of the Scapular of Mount Carmel. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word scapula’s, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders. It is mentioned in the rule of St. Benedict as worn by monks over their other dress when they were at work, and it now forms a regular part of the religious dress in the old Orders. But it is best known among Catholics as the name of two little pieces of cloth worn out of devotion to the Blessed Virgin over the shoulders, under the ordinary garb, and connected by strings. The devotion of the scapular, now almost universal in the Catholic Church, began with the Carmelites. The history of its origin is as follows: During the thirteenth century the Carmelite Order suffered great persecution, and on July 16, 1251, while St. Simon Stock, then general of the Order, was at prayer, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, holding in her hand a scapular. Giving it to the saint, she said,” Receive, my dear son, this scapular of thy Order, as the distinctive sign of my confraternity, and the mark of the privilege which I have obtained for thee and the children of Carmel. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, and a special pledge of peace and protection till the end of time.” “Whosoever dies wearing this shall be preserved from eternal flames.” It is much to be wished that people should everywhere join this confraternity, for the honor of Mary and for the salvation of souls, by a life fitted to that end. In order to have a share in the merits of the sodality every member must:
1.
Shun
sin, and, according to his state of life, lives chastely.
2.
Say
every day, if possible, seven times, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the
Father.
3.
Strive
to serve God by venerating Mary and imitating her virtues. These rules, it is true, are not
binding under penalty of sin, but the breach of them deprives us of all merit;
and is not this something to be taken into account? “He who soweth sparingly
shall also reap sparingly.” (n. Cor. ix. 6).
Things to
Do[4]
·
If you have not already done so, have a priest enroll
you in the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or popularly known as the
"Brown Scapular" and begin wearing it as a sign of your love for Our
Lady.
·
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. (see Catechism,
no. 1670.)
·
See the Directory
on Popular Piety the
Brown Scapular is included in the document as a wonderful pious practice.
The history of Marian piety also includes "devotion" to various
scapulars, the most common of which is devotion to the Scapular of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel. Its use is truly universal and, undoubtedly, it is one of those
pious practices which the Council described as "recommended by the
Magisterium throughout the centuries."
·
Pope John Paul II has worn the scapular for a
long time. See the Holy Father's talk on the Scapular
of Carmel, A Treasure for the Church.
·
For the definitive treatment on the brown
scapular, read The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Catechesis and Ritual.
·
The Blessed Virgin's scapular should remind us
that Christians have an apostolate against current extremes and extravagances
in modes of dress. Clothes are a symbol of the person. Like the Christian
heart, dress must be chaste and simple, for one judges the interior from the
exterior. It should not be necessary to add that special attention be given
this matter when preparing for church attendance. Examine yourself on how well
you reflect Christian modesty in your dress and if you are a parent, how well
you ensure that your children are modestly dressed.
·
In New York City in East
Harlem is one of the oldest festivals in America for Our Lady of Mount
Carmel. See Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine of East Harlem – since 1881. Also Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY
annually holds the Festival of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Paulinus of Nola
(Festa Del Giglio). It is unique to see a scene that one would expect in Europe
unfolding on the street of a major East coast city. You can view a You Tube
clip right here. Also look around your area for Italian
parishes, maybe one named after Our Lady of Mount Carmel? Many times, the
parish will host wonderful festivals in her honor.
·
Watch this You Tube
video to learn more about devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
·
From the Catholic Culture library, the
Scapular Devotion, a description of Different
Kinds of Scapulars, The
Brown Scapular and information on the
Scapular Medal.
·
Learn more about St.
Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular.
Scapulars and Medals[5]
Medals
have been part of Catholic life since the early centuries of the Church. The
most popular is the cross; even Protestants wear crosses minus the corpus while
Catholics wear a crucifix. It is also noted that in the miraculous image of Our
Lady of Guadalupe she is wearing a cross about her neck. We wear scapulars,
too, which are mini habits of the religious orders. Pope John Paul II said that
the scapular is a powerful precisely because it is a “habit” in every sense of
the word, both a uniform and a pattern of good belief and good behavior. Since
1910, Catholics have been permitted to wear a scapular medal in place of a
cloth scapular.
Mount
Carmel Coffee[6]
This coffee ice is cool
and refreshing for this summer feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
DIRECTIONS
Stir the sugar into the
warm water until it is melted and add the lemon juice, stirring for about five
minutes. Add the coffee, strain, place in a freezing tray, and freeze, stirring
frequently, until it becomes a mush.
- 3/4
cup sugar
- 2
cups warm water
- 1/2
cup lemon juice
- 2
cups strong coffee
Serve the ice slush in
glasses, topping the glasses of ice with any of the following:
- whipped
cream (add vanilla, sugar, almond extract, etc.)
- liqueurs
(Amaretto, Kahlua, Baileys, etc.)
- chocolate
curls or small pieces
- candied citrus peel
Catechism of the
Catholic Church
Day 32
Paragraph 2. THE FATHER
I. "IN THE NAME OF THE
FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"
232 Christians are baptized
"in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit" Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part
question when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: "I
do." "The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity."
233 Christians are baptized in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their
names, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and
the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity.
234 The mystery of the Most
Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the
mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other
mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental
and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of
faith". The whole history of salvation is identical with the history
of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself
those who turn away from sin".
235 This paragraph expounds
briefly (I) how the mystery of the Blessed Trinity was revealed, (II) how the
Church has articulated the doctrine of the faith regarding this mystery, and
(III) how, by the divine missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit, God the
Father fulfils the "plan of his loving goodness" of creation,
redemption and sanctification.
236 The Fathers of the Church
distinguish between theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia).
"Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the
Blessed Trinity and "economy" to all the works by which God reveals
himself and communicates his life. Through the oikonomia the theologia is
revealed to us; but conversely, the theologia illuminates the whole oikonomia.
God's works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being
enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among
human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions, and the better we
know a person, the better we understand his actions.
237 The Trinity is a mystery of
faith in the strict sense, one of the "mysteries that are hidden in God,
which can never be known unless they are revealed by God". To be
sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and
in his Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy
Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel's
faith before the Incarnation of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Candace’s
Corner-Meekness is stronger than Belligerence
·
Let Freedom Ring Day 10
o
In common usage,
a belligerent person is one who looks for and pursues reasons to stir trouble
and engage in violent revenge. The father of belligerence is none other than he
who fomented the first ever revolution against God: the devil.
·
Eat
your Spinach-National Spinach
Day
·
Watch
Oppenheimer-National Atomic
Veterans Day
·
July 16-21 Hemingway Days Festival (Key West,
Florida)[7]
Can’t
make it to Pamplona this month? Head to Key West instead! Hemingway Days
Festival
honors the late author, who lived and worked on the southern coast of the
island. The annual event includes its own "Running of the Bulls" —
this one with Ernest Hemingway lookalikes pushing fake bulls on Key West’s
famed Duval Street.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: For
the Poor and Suffering
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 3 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3] Goffine’s Devout Instructions,
1896
[5] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40
Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 36 Scapulars and
Medals.
[6]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/recipes/view.cfm?id=91
[7]https://www.historichideaways.com/events/key-west-hemingway-days-2020
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