Hey Glenn, I posted here so as not to highjack the main Garabandal thread. I know you are not the author of the above quoted book, but I am curious how the author is trying to tie Mt. Sinai (also known as Mt. Horeb) where Moses received the ten commandments to Mt. Carmel where Elijah battled the prophets of Baal by calling down fire from heaven. Later Elijah shelters on Mt. Horeb/Sinai and God speaks to him in a still small voice... Elijah Meets God at Horeb 9 And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Eli′jah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And when Eli′jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Eli′jah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Haz′ael to be king over Syria; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli′sha the son of Shaphat of A′bel-meho′lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And him who escapes from the sword of Haz′ael shall Jehu slay; and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Eli′sha slay. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Ba′al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” The connection between the future sign left at the pines and the pillar of cloud and fire during the exodus is obvious. The pillar of cloud and fire in the old testament has long been recognized as symbolizing Mary...many icons in the Eastern church dipicting Mary as pilar of fire and cloud. ..leading, protecting and guiding God's people. There is also the case of the first known apparition/bilocation of Mary as Our Lady of the pillar. From the wiki page: "The apparition of Our Lady of the Pillar was accepted as canonical by Pope Innocent XIII in 1723. So many contradictions[clarification needed] had arisen concerning the miraculous origin of the church that Spain appealed to Innocent XIII to settle the controversy. After careful investigation, the twelve cardinals, in whose hands the affair rested, adopted the following account, which was approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 7 August 1723, and later inserted in the lessons of the office of the feast of our Lady of the Pillar, celebrated on 12 October:[12] Holy Chapel of the Pilar of Zaragoza. Altar with the Coming of the Virgin by 'José Ramírez de Arellano. Of all the places that Spain offers for the veneration of the devout, the most illustrious is doubtless the sanctuary consecrated to God under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, under the title of our Lady of the Pillar, at Saragossa. According to ancient and pious tradition, St. James the Greater, led by Providence into Spain, spent some time at Saragossa. He there received a signal favour from the Blessed Virgin. As he was praying with his disciples one night, upon the banks of the Ebro, as the same tradition informs us, the Mother of God, who still lived, appeared to him, and commanded him to erect an oratory in that place. The apostle delayed not to obey this injunction, and with the assistance of his disciples soon constructed a small chapel. In the course of time a larger church was built and dedicated, which, with the dedication of Saint Saviour's, is kept as a festival in the city and Diocese of Saragossa on the 4th of October. James returned to Jerusalem with some of his disciples where he became a martyr, beheaded in AD 44 during the reign of Herod Agrippa.[13] His disciples allegedly returned his body to Spain.[14] The year AD 40 is the earliest recognised Marian apparition in the Catholic Church, dating to a time when Mary, the mother of Jesus, was still alive.[15] Pope Clement XII allowed the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar all over the Spanish Empire in 1730. Since the feast day (12 October) coincides with the discovery of the Americas (12 October 1492), Mary was later named as Patroness of the Hispanic World under this title.[16]" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All this being said, could a Carmelite member explain more fully what might the connection be between the "mystery of Carmel" and the Sinai Covenant? I am a 3rd order Carmelite. Certainly the scapular, Our lady appearing as Our lady of Carmel at Garabandal would be pertinent.
Our Lady's scapular...made of wool, worn around the shoulders (scapular) to remind us of Christ carrying the lost sheep. Everyone who wears the scapular is in some way a Carmelite. It is both a sign of our devotion and love of the blessed Virgin, and of her protection. Pope John Paul II insisted that the doctors not remove his scapular when he was operated on after the assassination attempt. Our Lady of Carmel at Garabandal comes with the scapular in her hand.
Oh, I didn't even realize that some might not know that Carmelites look at the prophet Elijah as their spiritual father. Just as Elisha inherited a double portion from Elijah, all Carmelites share in this inheritance.
I read a wonderful book years ago. It is about Our Lady of Mount Carmel and her connection to the end. I was blown away by it, and now am going to read it again. Highly recommended! Was by John M. Haffert and called Her Glorious Title, Our Lady of Mount Carmel- Star of the Sea. Her Glorious Title – Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Star Of The Sea – St. Anthony's Catholic Gift Shop (stanthonyscatholicgifts.com)
I do know from the book that Mary means "sea", and that it does have to do with Elijah and the miracle of Mount Carmel where all the people were converted. It also talks about how in several Marian apparitions She has appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, how the Miracle of Fatima was so close to the miracle of Mount Carmel with all the rain and then everything becoming completely dry and many people being converted. How the final Miracle pronounced by Garabandal and other major Marian apparitions will resemble this same Miracle like the one at Mount Carmel, etc... I see the book is not easy to find. I have a first edition that says only 10000 copies printed in 1993...
The great schism in the East occurred on July 16, 1054, the date on which the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel would be celebrated in the future. Perhaps the schism will end in the future on that same date through the miracle and intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
