July
16
The
Church celebrates on this day the feast of the Scapular of Mount
Carmel. The scapular, which derives its name from the Latin word
scapulæ, meaning shoulders, is a dress which covers the shoulders.
It is mentioned in the rule of Saint 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 16
July 1251, while Saint 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, live 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 sowetb sparingly shall also reap
sparingly.” (II Corinthians 9:6)
The
Introit of the Mass is as follows:
“Let us all rejoice in the Lord,
and celebrate a festal-day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on
whose solemn feast the angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of
God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak of my works for the
King.”
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in
the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Prayer
O
God, Who hast honored the Order of Carmelites with the particular
title of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, mercifully grant
that, protected by her prayers whose commemoration we this day
celebrate with a solemn office, we may deserve to arrive at joy
everlasting. Who livest, and reignest, for ever and ever. Amen.
Epistle:
Ecclesiasticus 24:28-81
As
the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are
the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of
fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the
way and of the truth; in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come
over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For
my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and
the honeycomb My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that
eat me shall yet hunger; and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He
that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded; and they that work by
me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.
Explanation
The
Church applies this epistle to Mary, thereby encouraging us fervently
to honor the blessed Mother of God, in whom the Eternal Wisdom dwelt
bodIly, and through whom He was given to us, that by her intercession
our understanding may be enlightened, our will strengthened, and we
be inspired with fresh zeal to practice ourselves, and to prevail on
others to practice also, whatever is chaste, becoming, and holy.
Gospel:
Luke 11:27, 28
And
it came to pass as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the
crowd lifting up her voice said to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore
Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. But He said: Yea rather,
blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.
– Goffine’s
Devout Instructions
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