Fr. Provincial's visit to Canada
by Fr. Alfred Grech, OCD
given at St. Joseph's Church in Mississauga, on July 12, 2004

We are in the month of July, and for us Carmelites, July has a special meaning because on the 16th of this month we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our Mother and Queen.

On the occasion of this meeting with you, I wish to reflect on the importance of Mary in our life as Christians and as Carmelites. I start my reflection by taking extracts from the OCDS Constitutions to give us an idea of our Marian devotion and spirituality in relation to the Scapular of Carmel.

No. 4 of the Constitutions tells us that 'The Virgin Mary is present in a special way, most of all as a model of faithfulness in listening to the Lord and in service to Him and to others .. She is Mother of the Order. Secular Carmel enjoys her special protection and cultivates a sincere Marian devotion.'

Again, in No. 31: '... the Secular Carmelite is committed to knowing Mary better, daily, through the Gospel to communicate to others authentic Marian devotion which leads to imitating her virtues. Guided by the outlook of
faith, members of the Secular Order will celebrate and promote the liturgical devotion to the Mother of God in light of the Mystery of Christ and the Church.'

So, we are called to celebrate Mary, and to spread sincere Marian devotion. Devotion is not something one does only externally without being a reflection of something which exists inside of our spirit. Devotion to Mary must be associated with love. When we show devotion to Mary we want to show her that we love her.

A rose given by a young man to his fiancee, is a simple and common expression of his love for her. The rose is just a sign, a symbol which carries with it a great reality, a deep meaning: LOVE. In our every day life we use signs constantly: signs of friendship, signs of solidarity, etc. Even in our Christian life and liturgy we use a lot of signs. Jesus himself is a sign: a sign of the Father and a sign of contradiction. The Church is also a sign of God's Kingdom, the Mystical Body of Christ. Bread, wine, water, oil, rings, the laying on of hands by bishops and priests are liturgical, sacramental signs.

The Scapular of Carmel is also a sign. It is a sign of our love for Mary, our Mother. It is a sign of the trust her children have in her, and of our desire to live the life she lived. It is a sign that dates back to medieval times, approved by the Church, and forms part of a religious habit. It is a sign of particular spirituality among the people of God. In medieval times the faithful wanted to be united spiritually to some particular Religious Order. So, the Carmelite Scapular became a sign that a particular person now belongs to the Order of Carmel, and the Scapular became also the expression of Carmelite spirituality.

It is important to keep in mind that just wearing the scapular doesn't work magic. It is not a lucky charm! Neither is it a guarantee that takes us straight to heaven if we fail to live a proper Christian life. It is of no use to wear it and then do whatever you like, or live in contrast to the Gospel values. The Scapular is a sign of Mary's maternal protection, and a sign of our sincere wish to follow Jesus in the footsteps of Mary.

This sequela Christi (following Christ) is expressed in this way:

'In the interior dynamism of following Jesus, Carmel contemplates Mary as Mother and Sister, as 'the perfect model of the disciple of the Lord' and, as such, a model for the life of the members of the Order. The Virgin of the Magnificat proclaims the break with the old order and announces the beginning of a new order in which God casts the mighty down from their thrones and exalts the poor. Mary places herself on the side of the poor and proclaims how God acts in history. For Secular Carmelites, Mary is a model of total commitment to God's Kingdom. She teaches us to listen to God's Word in Scripture and in life, to believe in it in every circumstance in order to live its demands. All this she did, without understanding many things; pondering all in her heart (Lk 2.19, 50-51) until light dawned through contemplative prayer.' (OCD Constitutions, no. 29)

All this shows us that following Christ in the footsteps of Mary, means for us Carmelites, to accept to do God's will and not ours. To learn to obey God, as she did. And God's will is revealed to us also by our Superiors. If, like Mary, we believe without having to understand everything, we will be able to see and to do God's will as shown to us by those who have the office to lead us. God's will is also revealed to us by the Word of God in Scripture and in life. So it is very important for us to be always in contact with the Scriptures and alert enough to discern God's will for us as shown to us in every day life and events. Like in Mary, the Word of God has to become flesh in us, so that Jesus is born and grows in us. The Scriptures also show us the real face of Mary. Unfortunately, certain devotions which came down to us along the centuries, have given an image of Mary as a superwoman, neglecting her humanity. One of the reasons why St. Therese of the Child Jesus wished to be a priest, was to be able to preach the real Mary, Mary in her humanity, free from false devotions and unrealistic expressions.

Mary teaches us, above all, to pray in silence and to ponder and meditate on God's Word. She invites us to see God's hand in all events of our life. Prayer will lead us to be intimate with God, and this intimacy will lead us to LOVE God above everyone and everything. In prayer, Mary teaches us how to love Jesus. She is an expert in this kind of love. She teaches us also to love and help one another. She helps us not to be false, not to repay evil with evil, not to be violent and cruel to others, but instead to show compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love, as these have been shown to us by Jesus. Above all, she shows us how to love our enemies, as Jesus did, and as he wanted us to do, to be his true disciples

'Mary is also an ideal and inspiration for the Secular Carmel. She lived close to people and their needs, being concerned about them (Lk 1.39-45; Jn 2.1-12; Ac 1.14) ... She, Mother and Sister, who goes before us in a pilgrimage of faith and in following the Lord Jesus, keeps us company so that we may imitate her in her life hidden in Christ and committed to the service of others'.

The Carmelite Scapular is an expression, a sign, a symbol of all this. It presupposes at least the desire and the openness to God's grace, to be able to live radically the Gospel, and to give witness to the power of God in our lives. In fact, in the Local Statutes for Canada, no. 18, we read that 'The large brown Scapular is given as the habit of th Secular Order at the time of admission to formation as the symbol of belonging to an Order dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.'

So, the Scapular introduces us into Carmel, and produces in us an abundant hope that this faith and this love will lead us to meet Jesus and Mary.

Ultimately, what is our vocation? 'In a word, Christians (and Carmelites) must be to the world what the soul is to the body.' (LG 38).

Now, I would like to bring your attention so some practical things. First of all I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation, for your assistance and support, even for your financial support. May God bless you and give you hundredfold for all that you do and for all that you give for the benefit of the Secular Order in English speaking Canada. Special thanks go to the Council representing the Centre.

A word of exhortation goes also to those who expect to find in Carmel, and in the Secular Order in particular, a perfect community. No one is perfect. We will find a perfect community only when we go to Heaven. Here we are weak human beings, who commit mistakes, who lack in charity, and who, day by day, are called to return to the Lord for forgiveness. So, the kind of perfection you should be striving for is: to be able to love your enemies: 'I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust... Be therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.' (Mt 6.44, 48)

I would also like to ask those members who, through their behaviour and attitude may cause dissention among other members, to pay attention to what St. Paul says: 'Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.' 1 Cor 3.16-17). So we must guard ourselves from being a counter witness to what we say we believe in. Our sincere witness to our spiritual values in Carmel may be the good seed which will yield abundant vocations to the Secular Order.

Lastly, I would like to encourage all of you who are called to Carmel to persevere in your vocation and commitment. Let us keep faithful to the commitment we promised to God, because God knows well our heart. Love demands love. So let us repay His love for us by loving Him, taking seriously our commitment, even if sometimes we have to sacrifice ourselves. He who really loves is ready to suffer for the one he loves. Let us show Him our love by doing His will and keep faithful to our vocation in Carmel and in the Church.

May God bless you. Please remember me in your prayers.