CARMEL IN OUR HEARTS

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Zc 2:14-17

Carmel in Hebrew means “garden”. On top of Mount Carmel, flowers of various colors, scent, sizes and shapes abound. I had the blessing of being there and offering a Mass in the church on top of Carmel. It is one of the beautiful places I have ever been!

But amid that beautiful garden is a monument of the Prophet Elijah whose eyes are fierce as his right hand holds a sword about to slay the prophets of Baal. The intriguing monument is an artistic representation of 1 Kings 18:20-40. The Prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal at the service of Queen Jezebel to prove that there is only one true God and Yahweh is His name. When the prophets of Baal lost to Elijah, Elijah took them down to the wadi of Kishon and slaughtered them there. Take note: Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal at Kishon, not on top of Carmel. The location of the present monument therefore is misleading. Why is it there? I do not know.

However, the verses immediately following the bloody narrative in 1 Kings 18:20-40 are more in resonance with the image of Our Lady. When the prophets of Baal had been all slaughtered, Elijah instructed Ahab to eat and drink because he could hear the rain already coming after a long drought. After a long dry spell over the land, this indeed is good news. Elijah once more climbed Mount Carmel and from there he saw the cloud coming. This is the monument that should stand on top of Mount Carmel: Elijah looking at a distance with a smile on his face at the sight of the coming rain.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is like that cloud that Elijah saw coming. She brings us the Rain that refreshes our souls. The Seven “O’s” of Advent, a prayerful hymn asking for the Redeemer to come, includes a plea to God that He opens the heavens and rain down the Just One. The Just One is Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah.

Mary, His mother, is like that cloud heavy with Jesus that provides not only shade from the burning heat of the sun but also the Water of Life. When we feel we have spent our selves in the struggle against good and evil yet evil seems to be a relentless foe, when we cry over missed opportunities and wasted blessings, when we ache at our sincerest efforts being unrecognized, when we hurt at the sight of our pure intentions being manipulated by the cynic and the malicious, when the good we do is forgotten while the mistakes we commit are ever remembered, when deep inside we shout in protest yet cannot find the voice necessary to be heard, when we are not heard at all, when every ounce of energy we have invested in the apostolate and ministry is rendered fruitless, when our dreams are dashed against the hard realities of life, we must remember Carmel and in our hearts make that difficult but important ascent. There awaits us the sight of a cloud coming, heavy with rain to refresh us with Jesus.

“Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For His awakening and is coming from His holy dwelling” (Zc 2:17).