The Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

July 16^th is the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, inspiration for the Carmelite order and the origin of the Carmelite scapular. Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon Stock during a period when the Carmelites were heavily persecuted by outside forces and revealed the scapular to him in a vision as a method to help the devout avoid the pains of purgatory. Today is the anniversary of that vision, which occurred in 1251. Today is a day to have your scapular blessed in Mass, or to begin a devotion to Our Lady by wearing the scapular and adhering to its devotions and prayers.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of many examples of Our Holy Mother's infinite love for her sinful Earthly children. Time and again, She has interceded to save us from sin and pain, and to offer love and hope where there was none. Have you grown comfortable in your faith, or do you still struggle to deepen your love of God? Have you embraced the gifts of Mary in your life?

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel (traditional by Saint Simon Stock)

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart, to succor me in this my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Trinity Sunday Sale!

In honor of Trinity Sunday this weekend, Our Holy Home is offering 15% off all items in your order from now until Sunday! Just use the coupon code TRINITY15 during checkout, and the discount will be automatically applied to your order!

The mystery of the Blessed Trinity is one of the most profound and beautiful aspects of our faith. Take a moment today to reflect on the different ways in which God has impacted your life. Can you discern the influence of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? Have you carefully nurtured a relationship with all of God, or do you find yourself focusing more on one particular aspect? How does this affect your understanding of the Divine and of your place in the world?

Feast Day of Saint Joan of Arc: Patron Saint of Soldiers, Prisoners, and those Mocked for Faith

Today is the feast day of one of the most famous and iconic female saints, Saint Joan of Arc. From an early age, Joan heard voices speaking to her, specifically voices of Saints. Being born a peasant and a female, it was strange that at the age of sixteen she was instructed to go to the King of France and help him recover his kingdom, but Joan didn't hesitate to follow. She raised a small army and led them to multiple victories, eventually ensuring the coronation of King Charles. After being captured, she was sold to the English who condemned her as a heretic and burned her at the stake. She was given an appeal posthumously, and her conviction was revoked. Today is the anniversary of her execution at the age of nineteen. She is the patron saint of captives, military personnel, people ridiculed for their faith, prisoners, and women soldiers.

Saint Joan of Arc lived during an unusual time and was unusually gifted by the Lord with direct communication with His saints, such as Saint Michael. She refused to lie about this blessing, even upon penalty of death. Has Joan's example of bravery inspired you to greater acts of kindness and faith?

Prayer to Saint Joan of Arc

Blessed Saint Joan of Arc

You trusted in the visions given to you

And were able to lead an army of men

To the successful end of reinstating their King.

Be with me when I doubt my abilities

And give me strength in the face of hardship

And the doubt or mockery of others.

May you help me find solace in my faith

When those around me judge me

And ensure my place near you in heaven.

Amen.  

Remembering the Greater World: The 2012 Olympics!

Tomorrow marks the start of televised coverage of the progress of the Olympic torch through Great Britian for the 2012 Summer Games in London. When I think of the beauty of what the Olympics are and what they represent, I am called to give thanks to God for allowing me to live in such a wonderful, if troubled, time in history.

While the Olympics were originally held in Greece and were later mirrored by Roman games, our modern Olympic Games celebrate the best athletes from every eligible country around the world. Is there anything more awe-inspiring than watching hundreds of people of every race, color, and creed come together to compete amicably, overcoming cultural and language barriers? When faced with the staggering level of diversity among humans, God's greatness and the beauty of creation are all the more apparent.

Do you know where your family originally comes from? Take a moment and search out the delegates of your family's traditional homeland before cheering only for your current nation's team. Consider all that God has done to bring you to this moment, where you can safely and comfortably watch this amazing congregation of athletes, and give thanks because life, even in these crazy times, is wonderful!

Finding Inspiration in the Lives of Saints

Those of you who follow this blog or who follow us on Facebook may have noticed that the format of our daily saint devotionals has changed somewhat. The original content is still being uploaded to the Daily Devotional Prayer thread in Our Holy Home's wonderful forums, but we are now posting a separate, shorter devotional each day on our Facebook page as well.

The beauty of having the Church's history and records of the Saints is that we can often find personal help in the stories of our Catholic brothers and sisters who have preceded us to Glory. From repentant soldiers and prostitutes to those not even grown when they gave their lives for Christ, we can certainly find solace, solidarity, and a parallel to our own lives in the lives of the saints we celebrate each day.

We would love your feedback, too. Is there a certain saint you want us to write about? Do you prefer tales of redemption or infinite devotion? Our devotional writer, Lizzie, will happily take your requests and will gladly craft a devotional on the correct feast day for any saint you find personally meaningful.

The Feast Day of Saint Eugene de Mazenod, Patron Saint of Dysfunctional Families

On May 21st we celebrate the feast day of Saint Eugene de Mazenod. Born in France in 1782, his life direction was deeply affected by the French Revolution. Because his father was an aristocrat, the family had to flee France when Eugene was eight years old. He lived in Italy until the end of the Revolution, at which point he returned with his mother to France, while his father stayed in Italy. His parents eventually divorced, after years of fighting and problems. A few years later, he entered the seminary and was ordained at the age of twenty-nine. He refused his family's wealth and a more prestigious position and returned to Aix-en-Provence, where he was born, to serve the poor, sick, prisoners, and other needy groups. He was later appointed Bishop of Marseille, where he built many churches and ordained many new priests. He died of cancer at an advanced age. He is the patron saint of dysfunctional families.

Despite how much he accomplished, Saint Eugene de Mazenod came from an unquestionably broken home and had much personal turmoil to rise above into order to embrace his spiritual path. Have you confronted and defeated the demons of your youth, or do you hide from them or avoid them? Have you forgiven those who have wronged you, intentionally or not?

Prayer to Saint Eugene de Mazenod

Holy Saint Eugene de Mazenod,
Despite seeing very little of love in your childhood,
You still lived your life with a great love
For Christ and for the disadvantaged.
Be with me when the issues from my past
Overshadow my present and my future.
Guide me in forgiving those
Who have hurt and abandoned me,
And lead me to inner peace.

Amen.

Busy as the Bees Pollinating our Fruit!

The month of May certainly has been speeding right along! I hope everyone has had ample time so far this month to re-ignite their personal devotion to Our Holy Mother, Mary. If not, check with your parish-many Churches offer group rosary devotionals, both outdoor and indoor, during the month of May.

If you haven't already done so, it's high time to get your garden in the ground, regardless of how far north in the USA you live. If you don't tend to consume the vegetables and fruits that result from your diligent stewardship, or if a personal aversion to eating green things is keeping you from getting your hands dirty, consider donating your produce to a local food pantry or community food program.

No matter how nice your community is, there is surely someone nearby struggling to feed their family nutritious foods and enough of them. By donating your time in the garden and the produce it provides, you can experience the very real inner peace that comes with knowing your works have directly impacted the lives of another family somewhere nearby. Sure, beets may not be your thing, but for those in need, a fresh plate of root vegetables may be the most tempting dish they've seen in weeks!

Whether you garden or not, or donate your excess or not, be sure to spend a moment today in thanksgiving that we live in a time and culture where food is generally abundant, and that God has seen fit to bless us with health and loved ones!