THE MOUNTAIN OF FIRE AND FAITH ELIJAH’S TRIUMPH
High above the MEDITERRANEAN SEA rises MOUNT CARMEL, A MAJESTIC RIDGE IN NORTHERN ISRAEL whose very name means “GARDEN’ OR “VINEYARD OF GOD”. Throughout sacred history this mountain has stood as a thin place – a landscape where the veil between heaven and earth grows breath-takingly translucent. It is a place of profound encounter where the living God has repeatedly answered His children through fire, whisper and grace.
To understand the spiritual tapestry of MOUNT CARMEL, we must travel back to the 9th century BC, during a time when darkness, compromise and spiritual infidelity threatened to extinguish the light of Israel. King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel had turned the hearts of the people away from the LORD, leading them into debased worship of Baal and Asherah. A devasting three-year drought gripped the land – a physical manifestation of the spiritual famine parching the souls of the people.
Into this atmosphere tension, stepped the Prophet ELIJAH, whose name itself proclaims a fierce reality. “My God is Yahweh”. Guided by Holy Zeal, ELIJAH issued a direct challenge to the powers of darkness, culminating to the dramatic showdown recorded in 1 Kings 18:20-39.
ELIJAH gathered all of Israel and the 450 prophets of BAAL at MOUNT CARMEL. He stood before the wavering crowd and issued a timeless, piercing question “How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God follow him; & Baal, follow him. The challenge was beautifully simple yet terrifying absolute. Two ALTERS were built. Two bulls prepared. No fire would be lit by human hands. The God who answered by fire would be acknowledged as the One True God.
From morning until noon, the prophets of BAAL cried out, limping around their alter, cutting themselves and raving wildly. Yet, the scriptures record a chilling silence. “But there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention.” Evil for all its noise and vanity is hollow.
he At the hour of the evening sacrifice, ELIJAH stepped forward with reverence, repaired the alter of the Lord which had been thrown down and used twelve stones to represent the 12 Tribes of Israel. He dug a trench around it and in an act of absolute faith commanded the four jars of water to be poured over the offering and the wood, three separate times, until the water ran all around the trench. Humanly speaking ignition was now impossible.
Then ELIJAH prayed a prayer not of arrogance, but of profound loving intercession for the restoration of his people.
The response was instantaneous. The fire of the Lord fell from heaven. It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust and licked up every drop of water in the trench. Faced with the overwhelming, brilliant reality of the Divine, the people fell on their faces, crying out in a chorus of awe and surrender. “The Lord. He is God: The Lord, He is God.” This was not merely a victory of power, it was a victory of reclaiming love. On MOUNT CARMEL God proved that He will go to the greatest length to win back the hearts of his wandering children. Shortly after the victory, ELIJAH climbed to the summit of the mountain to pray for rain. Seven times he sent his servant to look towards the Sea. On the seventh time, a small cloud, no larger than a human hand, rose from the waters, bringing torrential, life- giving rain to the porched earth.
THE BIRTH OF THE FEAST-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
Centuries later, the spiritual lineage of ELIJAH bore exquisite fruit. In the late 12 and early 13th century, a group of Christian hermits inspired by the solitary, prayful life of Elijah settled in the caves and valleys of MOUNT CARMEL. They built a Chapel in the midst of their cells, dedicating it to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those men became known as the CARMELITES, and they viewed MARY not just as a distant queen, but as their Mother, Sister and the Patroness of their contemplative lives.
The small cloud that Elijah saw rising from the sea-bringing life-giving rain to a parched world had long been viewed by the early Church Fathers as a beautiful prefiguration of Mary. Just as that cloud arose purely from the sea to bring the blessings of water, Mary arose from our fallen humanity, pure and immaculate, to bring forth Jesus Christ the LIVING WATER who quenches the eternal thirst of the human soul.
It was during period of intense trial that the PRIOR General of the Carmelites, Saint SIMON Stock poured out his heart in intense prayer to the Mother of God begging for a sign of her protection and a means to preserve his order.
On July 16th, 1251, in Aylesford, England, the Blessed Virgin Mary answered his cry. She appeared to him, surrounded by an entourage of angels, holding in her hands, the distinctive brown habit of the CARMELITES – specifically the scapular, a long apron like cloth worn over the shoulders.
To commemorate the heavenly intervention and the continuous, maternal protection of the Virgin Mary over the CARMELITE family and the wider Church, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established, celebrated universally on July 16. The feast day is vibrant, joyful celebration of Mary’s profound, enduring spiritual motherhood. It is a day to thank God for the gift of the CARMELTE Charism – a spirituality of deep silence, interior prayer and unwavering devotion to the Gospel – which continues to refresh the parched deserts of our modern World.
THE BROWN SCAPULAR-WEARING THE MANTLE OF HEAVEN
When our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, she handed him the scapular and gave him a comforting historic promise: “Receive my beloved Son, this Scapular of thy order; it is a special sign of my confraternity: Whoever dies clothed in this shall not suffer eternal fire.”
Over the centuries, the Church has beautifully clarified and extended this gift to the lay faithful. Today millions of Catholics worldwide wear a miniature version of this habit: The Brown Scapular, consisting of two small pieces of brown wool connected by cords, resting over the chest and the back.
To understand the spiritual depth of the Scapular, we must look at it through the eyes of pure love. The Scapular is not a magical amulet, a lucky charm, or an automatic ticket to heaven. Rather, it is a sacramental – a sacred sign instituted by the Church to prepare us to receive grace and co-operate with it.
THE DEEP SPIRITUAL SYMBOLISM OF THE SCAPULAR
The true promise of the Scapular is a promise of final perseverance: It means that for those who wear this Scapular with genuine faith, sincere repentance, and a living relationship with God, Mary will powerfully intercede at the hour of their death, ensuring they receive the graces necessary to enter eternity in a state of friendship with God. Furthermore, the Church treasured the SABBATINE PRIVELEGE, a traditional belief that Mary’s intercession will speedily deliver those who faithfully wear the Scapular, from the purifying fires of PURGATORY, particular on the Saturday after their death.
Living the Scapular Devotion
To wear the Brown Scapular is to enter into a covenant of LOVE. It requires an initial investiture by a priest using the prescribed prayers of the Church. Once enrolled, the wearer commits to:
Continuous wear: Keeping the Scapular on, as a silent perpetual prayer.
Chastity according to one’s state of life: Striving for purity of heart, mind and body.
Daily Prayer: Reciting the Little Office of the Blessed VIRGIN MARY, praying devoutly the Holy Rosary daily.
AN INVITATION TO THE MOUNT OF GRACE
Every, July 16th, as the Summer Sun warms the earth, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel calls us back to the summit of faith. It marries the fiery, uncompromising Zeal of Prophet Elijah with the gentle receptive and nurturing love of Mary.
When we look upon MOUNT CARMEL, we see that the same God who answered Prophet Elijah’s prayer by consuming fire will now answer our deepest human needs by sending His Son through Mary, and in her maternal tenderness Mary reaches down from heaven, offering us her own mantle of protection.
This July 16″, let us renew our devotion. If you are wearing the scapular press it to your heart with renewed love and gratitude. If you have not yet been invested, consider stepping into this beautiful covenant. Let us allow the fire of the Holy Spirit consume everything within us that is not of God and let us rest securely beneath the protective, loving mantle of our Lady of Mount Carmel.
TERENCE D’SOUZA, WARD 6