00:00Today, July 16, the church celebrates Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
00:11This Marian feast honors the Virgin Mary as patroness and protectress of the Carmelite Order.
00:18A contemplative order born on Mount Carmel, in the Holy Land, in the 13th century.
00:24Hermits lived there in prayer, following the example of the prophet Elijah, and they chose Mary as a model of faith, silence and fidelity to God.
00:36But what does Our Lady of Mount Carmel mean?
00:40It is Mary who watches from the top of the spiritual mountain.
00:44She guides believers in their walk towards God, like a star in the night.
00:49The Carmelites venerate her as the mother and queen of Carmel.
00:53For them, she is the flower of Carmel, sweet and strong, humble and glorious.
01:02According to tradition, the Virgin appeared in 1251 to Saint-Simon-Stock, superior of the Carmelites,
01:10and would have given him the scapular, a small religious garment, worn as a sign of devotion and protection.
01:17She is said to have promised salvation to those who died while wearing it with faith.
01:24Our Lady of Mount Carmel is also the patron saint of sailors and navigators.
01:31In the Mediterranean and Latin America, it is carried in procession through the streets or on the waves,
01:38as a protector against storms.
01:42His celebration is an invitation to trust.
01:46Mary takes us by the hand to lead us to Christ.
01:50She teaches us to meditate on the word,
01:53to live in humility and love.
01:57On this July 16, let us entrust to him our families, our vocations and all those who are going through trials.
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