Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – July 16

Scripture refers to "the majesty of the Carmel" (Isaiah 35:2). In this place, Elijah the Prophet struggled against the prophets of Baal regarding the faith in one God (1Kings 18). According to tradition, even in the period before the coming of Christ, ascetics retreated to this place in order to live lives of prayer. At the end of the 12th century, Catholic monks reached here and established the first Carmelite monasteries. Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Albert gave them their first Rule, which defines their lives.

In the spirituality of the Carmelite Order, the blessed Virgin Mary shows the way to all who believe in her Son. She says to the servants at the wedding feast in Cana: "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5). Let us pray that we be granted the grace to fulfill her words on this feast day.