OUTLOOK

Published Monthly by the Discalced Carmelite Fathers, Our Lady’s Hill, Waverly, New York

Volume 1, No. 3 February 1962

Dear Friends of Carmel,

Last month we were so verbose we didn’t have any space left in which to treat of the Brown Scapular devotion in honor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Rather than run the risk of doing the same thing this time, we are going to speak of it immediately.

The Brown Scapular devotion is based on an apparition in the year 1251, of Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, Prior General of the Carmelite Order. The vision was granted in answer to St. Simon’s fervent, assiduous appeals to the Mother of God for help in a time of grave crisis.

A few decades earlier the hermits who inhabited Mt. Carmel and other isolated places in Palestine began to migrate to Europe because the Saracens were growing more and more powerful in the Holy Land and were threatening to wipe out every trace of Christianity. Removal to Western countries seemed to be the only way of preserving the Order. Many of the Carmelites were natives of Europe anyway, who joined the Carmelites after having fought in the Crusades. The wisdom of the move was eventually borne out, for in 1291 the victorious, pillaging infidel soldiers overran the region of Mount Carmel and put the remaining Carmelites to the sword. But once again, in 1251, the future of the Order was in jeopardy due to difficulties within and without.

Disagreement within the Order revolved about the modification Pope Innocent IV had made of the Carmelite Rule. In adapting it to the social and cultural conditions of Europe, the Holy Father had added works of the active ministry to the Order’s contemplative ideal. Its members would no longer be dedicated exclusively to a life of prayer. Older Carmelites were not too happy with this change, since they loved the strictly eremitical life. Many of them were even tempted to leave the Order. At the same time, the Bishops and diocesan clergy were opposing the spread of the Carmelite Order. For several reasons they did not take kindly to the strangers from the East.

Just when hopes for the future of Carmel seemed dimmest, St. Simon more earnestly besought the Blessed Virgin in prayer, asking her to intercede and to bestow some privilege on the Order as a tangible proof of her special protection. He used to address her frequently in these words: Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera, splendor Coeli, Virgo puerperal singularis. Mater mitis, sed viri nescia, Carmelitis da privilegia, Stella Maris. Which means: Flower of Carmel, blossoming vine, splendor of Heaven, thou one-and-only child-bearing Virgin. Mother meek but not knowing man, to the Carmelites favors impart, Star of the Sea.

One day, when St. Simon was repeating this prayer, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in the company of a multitude of Angels. Holding in her hands the Scapular of the Order she said to him: “This (the Scapular) shall be a privilege for you and for all Carmelites. Whosoever dies wearing it will not suffer eternal fire.” Then she went on to instruct him to take his difficulties to the Holy Father, promising that he would assist him. As it turned out, the Great Promise our Lady attached to the Scapular won back the would-be ‘desert-ers’, and the Pope wrote a letter to all Bishops vindicating the Carmelite Order. From then on, the Order flourished.

If we consider carefully the words of the Great Promise, we see that they contain a mild rebuke. It is easy to give these words a tone of voice and an inflection which would imply: “Simon, Simon, you are disturbed and fretful about many things, but you overlook the one thing that counts. Your Carmelite Scapular, symbol of your ideal, your vocation is a privilege that cannot be improved upon. It is the mark of your predestination and the predestination of all Carmelites.”

You see, my dear friends, being a Carmelite is a great privilege because membership in the Order unites a person to Our Lady by very close and special filial bonds. Mary is ‘Sister’ and ‘Mother’ to the Carmelites, and she exercises over the members of her Order a singular providence. Carmel is identified with Mary and Mary with Carmel. Totus Marianus est Carmelus, states an ancient and treasured Carmelite adage: Carmel is altogether Marian.

Let us hasten to point out: Carmelites do not think that the special relationship to the Mother of God that they enjoy makes them better than anyone else. A little experience and a modicum of discernment is enough to make it clear that a mother is always most concerned for the weak and wayward member of the family, and showers upon it the lion’s share of her motherly solicitude and affection. The stronger, more dependable children she leaves pretty much on their own. A true Carmelite is the first to admit his or her weakness and proclivity toward evil, and would never presume to reach heaven without the aid of the Blessed Mother. He deems it necessary to bind her to himself “with hoops of steel.”

At first sight it seems paradoxical that Carmelites should have such high ideals, that they should set their sights on intimate personal friendship with God right here on earth. If, as we have said, they profess to be so weak and indigent of divine assistance. But this is no more paradoxical than any of the fundamental truths of our Catholic Faith. It is, in fact, perfectly consistent with God’s ways. “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly”, sang Our Lady in her Magnificat. And we have the consoling words of St. Paul: “The weak things of this world God has chosen, that He might put the strong to shame.” Who says again: “The foolishness of God is wiser than (the wisdom of) men.”

Yes, Carmelites do dare to reach up out of the depths of their misery to the summit of spiritual perfection. That so many of them have reached it is precisely what gives God and His Blessed Mother so much honor and glory. This is what throws vivid light upon the unfathomable depths of the mercy of the Divine Heart and upon the quasi-infinite power of intercession of the Virgin Mary.

We hope that all this demonstrates clearly how timely and urgent the Brown Scapular devotion is for all the faithful. It consists in nothing more than becoming a Carmelite so as to be able to take advantage of the Great Promise attached to the Brown Scapular. In virtue of their power of binding and loosing, the Roman Pontiffs have made it possible for everyone to belong to Carmel. They have erected an Archconfraternity of the Brown Scapular and affiliated it with the Order. To be enrolled, one has only to be invested in the Brown Scapular by an authorized priest, and to wear it piously day and night until death.

Well, if we continue speaking of the Scapular, we may not have room for anything else. But before we leave off, let us say one more thing. Most Catholics are enrolled in the Scapular Archconfraternity at the time of their First Holy Communion. If, since then, they have laid aside the Scapular and want to begin wearing it again they are not obliged to undergo another ceremony of investiture. They have only to get another Scapular and put it on. It needs no special blessing. If anyone of our readers would like a suitable scapular, he may obtain it here. The price is 20 cents for one, six for $1.00. (Please note that this offer no longer is available).

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We are very grateful for the kind suggestion of many of our friends to include pictures in “Outlook.” We blush for having failed to take cognizance of the fact that it is quite normal to show a friend the kind of a house we live in, and to exchange photographs.

We call your attention particularly to the picture of Brother Maurice of Jesus and Brother Blaise of the Sacred Hearts. Brother Maurice is at the left. These young men pronounced their first vows in the Order on last February 9^th. They are our ‘first-born’. We are justly proud of them. Both are lay brothers and are trained to fulfill all the tasks required to keep the monastery running smoothly. But each has his specialties, too. Brother Maurice excels at bookbinding, sandal-making, plumbing and general maintenance work. Brother Blaise is best at barbering, woodworking, electric wiring and repairing gadgets. He also has the unenviable job of plowing our steep hill when it snows.

The other pictures are explained by the captions. By the way, we will introduce you to the other Fathers and Brothers in succeeding issues.

Special Note: Fr. Bruno says that he no longer has possession of the photographs he included in “The Outlook”. We are sorry we cannot include these; yet, we felt it best to keep the text descriptions of the people he was working with at this time.

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We discovered that our Novices have a novel way of distinguishing important Feasts of the church Calendar. Perhaps the Fathers of the Ecumenical council in charge of liturgical reforms would be interested. On all the important feasts we have “colloquium” (talking) at meals. But to the Novices a Feast is not really ‘big’ unless it is a “peanut-butter” Feast. Those are the days they get peanut butter at breakfast. It is a foodstuff they desire avidly and devour passionately.

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We would like to remind our readers that we offer a High Votive Mass every Saturday in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on behalf of all the intentions submitted for recommendation to her powerful intercession. If you have any special intentions or requests for favors you would like to have included, do not hesitate to send them in.

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In speaking of the Scapular, we implied it is not presumptuous for Carmelites to set their sights on Sanctity. Actually, it would be wrong for them not to do so, for there exists a universal call to holiness of life.

The first recorded instance of it is found in the Book of Genesis. It was addressed to one man, Abraham, but through him to all Christians. For we are all his children in Faith; spiritually, we are all Semites. “Walk in my presence and be perfect”, God had told him. And again, “Be holy as (since) I am Holy.” Later on Jesus Christ reiterated the call when He said to all of His disciples and to the crowds: “Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” But even without these Scriptural proofs, it can still be demonstrated that we are all called to a life of holiness. Reason can bring forth evidence based upon the very notion of perfection.

Perfection is a state of soul, the term of its natural and supernatural development, the state in which all its potential for moral goodness has been realized. Now potential exists precisely so that it may be realized. The human mind has always apprehended the want of due perfection as an evil. We know that evil is to be avoided.

Cursory reflection on the nature of things reveals that all forms of life begin in a very imperfect state and gradually develop to full maturity. At that point they are perfect in their respective orders. We human beings are born in a very imperfect state, physically, intellectually and morally. Our thirst for knowledge is symptomatic of God’s will that we perfect ourselves intellectually. Our longing for the esteem and admiration of others betrays His Will that we attain moral perfection. We do not become perfect automatically, however. We are free and are capable of becoming perfect, with God’s help, by means of our own efforts. Otherwise Our Lord would not have been able to exhort us: “Be ye perfect.”

Besides, we are very critical of the faults we find in others. We are particularly hurt and resentful when others deliberately fail to adhere to what we consider the norm of perfection. It would be well for us to turn our critical eye upon ourselves: “Remove first the beam from your own eye,” said Our Saviour, “then you will be able to see to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” If we want others to be perfect, we should be convinced that it is God’s Will that we become perfect, too.

Unfortunately the term ‘Sanctity’ does not enjoy widespread popularity. It has acquired overtones that go against the grain. If we would accept the image of a Saint as projected by worldly people (who, it seems, do most of the talking), a saint is a bland, mousy, wishy-washy colorless individual. The sinner, they would have us believe, is witty, talented, charming, attractive and adventurous. This kind of distinction misses the point completely. Natural endowments do not enter essentially into what constitutes holiness. All we can say is that sanctity enhances and adds luster to the gifts of nature, and that, to the man of good will, a saint is a delight to live with.

To be a saint means to conform to an ideal. But we must distinguish two ideals, two steps in the attainment of personal holiness. The first step is like a plateau high up the mount of perfection, but still a good distance from the summit. When we reach it we are substantially holy. We are not Saints in the strict sense till we reach the top. The first represents a general idea to which we must all conform. It is none other than Jesus Christ, that is, the interior spiritual and psychological orientation that characterizes Him as True God and perfect man. We are all expected to imitate His devotion to His Father, His love for souls, His humility, meekness, spirit of self-sacrifice, His mercy, compassion, etc.

The second ideal is derived from the first but is entirely personal and incommunicable. It is the application of the general ideal to the circumstances of the present moment. No two persons will ever have to face the identical set of life circumstances, and so no two saints are exactly alike. For each and every one of us there is an ideal way of responding to practical circumstances at every moment of our life. When we are able to measure up to that ideal at all times and instinctively, then we are Saints. It is this personal incommunicable ideal that we have in mind when we say Sanctity consists in perfect conformity to the Will of God.

Cordially yours in Our Lady,

Father Bruno, OCD Prior

(With permission of Religious

and Ecclesiastical Superiors)

L.D.V.Q.M

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Note to the reader: This newsletter was written in the 60’s and Waverly Novitiate no longer exists, however, the Carmelites are always in need of funds to carry out their work. If anyone wishes to contribute to the cause of the Discalced Carmelite Friars, please send your donations to: In appreciation for Fr. Bruno's Works, Mission Procurator, P.O. Box 270136, Hartford, WI 53027.