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Novena to
Listening to the Word: The Annunciation (Lk 1: 26-38) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he
came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!"
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind
what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall
this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God. Reflection: The Gospels begin by presenting Mary as a woman who embraces God's plan. In an attitude of prayer, she listens, meditates, consents and answers "yes" to God who calls her. In a word she is welcoming. It is this welcoming that gives birth to Life in her. "And the Word was made flesh." Prayer: Holy Mary, welcoming woman, lead us to imitate you so
that every day we may give birth to Jesus in the situations of life
where we find ourselves.  Flower of Carmel
Listening to the Word: The Visitation (Lk 1: 39-45) In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Reflection: Soon after hearing the Angel's message, the Mother of the Lord goes to her cousin Elisabeth who is old and expects a child. The Gospel says that she left in a hurry to place herself at the service of the needy. The Virgin does not allow the fact that the hope of Israel will be fulfilled in her "go to her head", but in utter humility she leaves to serve through small and simple house tasks. Prayer: Mother Mary, expert servant, help us understand that
it is only by being each other's servants that we can be true followers
of your Son. My commitment is to serve those who are close to me. In imitation of the Virgin Mary, I shall try to serve ever better those who are least pleasing to me. Flower of Carmel
who clothes us with the Scapular
Listening to the Word: The birth (Lk 2: 1-20) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world
should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment, when Quirinius was
governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was
of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed,
who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her
to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped
him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn. Reflection: Luke, the Evangelist, relates the affectionate and
motherly gesture of Mary who wraps little Jesus in swaddling clothes.
A gesture made by every mother as a sign of protection and care. We
too are wrapped in swaddling clothes by Mary, our Mother and Sister;
through the Scapular she looks after us and protects us. She wraps us
so that we may grow strong and robust in the school of her Son. My commitment is to clothe myself with the Scapular so that I may witness, even externally, to my love for Jesus and Mary. Above all, I wish that the Scapular may remind me to live every day in the school of Jesus, after the example of the Virgin. Flower of Carmel
Listening to the Word: The visit of the Magi (Mt 2: 1-12) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen
his star in the East, and have come to worship him." When Herod
the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and
assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired
of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem
of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem,
in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"
Reflection: What would Mary and Joseph have thought when they saw these mysterious men coming from afar to see their little Jesus? And yet, the Son of God became man for all, also for these people who came from "afar". Mary immediately understands and shows Jesus to them too. Mary is the true contemplative, that is, the one who can see reality with the eyes of God. Are we contemplatives? Do we see reality with the eyes of God? Are we capable of giving Jesus to those we meet, those we know and those we don't know, our co-citizens and strangers, rich and poor? Prayer: Blessed Mary, contemplative woman, teach us to keep
in our hearts the situations of every day so that we may then see them
with the eyes of God. My commitment is not to judge the people I meet during the day,
but to see in each of them the face of the Lord. Flower of Carmel
Listening to the Word: The presentation at the temple (Lk 2: 22-32) And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." Reflection: Let us try to stand as spectators at this event: Mary, Joseph and Jesus, a family that goes to the temple to offer the child to the Lord. If we wish to translate this event into our terms, it is a little like a family that prepares to take a child for baptism. We have so often taken part in festivities of this kind. However, let us try to examine the Mother's heart: she wholeheartedly offers to God the child to whom she gave birth. Are we capable of imitating her in our daily life? Prayer: Daughter of Sion, Lady of the offering, envelop our
hearts so that we may belong to Jesus completely. My commitment is to detach myself from something to which I am greatly attached and offer it to someone I particularly do not like. This is so that I may imitate the Mother of my Lord who offered Her Son with a pure heart. Flower of Carmel
untiring seeker of God
Listening to the Word: The finding in the temple (Lk 2: 41-50) Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. Reflection: Mary and Joseph are distressed at the loss of their son, Jesus. They set out to search for him and find him after three days. In our life sometimes it seems that Jesus hides himself from us and leaves us alone. What do we do? Do we despair? Do we turn towards other goods? Or do we set out in search of Jesus so as not to loose him ever again. Mary and Joseph teach us to be untiring seekers of God, because he has made us for himself and our heart is restless until it rests in him (St. Augustine). Prayer: Dear Mary, untiring seeker of God, give us the strength
you had in seeking your Jesus who was lost in the temple. Flower of Carmel
Listening to the Word: Blessed are the breasts you sucked (Lk 11:
27-28) As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" Reflection: It may seem that Jesus belittles Mary's part, preferring his disciples. But if we read the text carefully we will see that Jesus is really praising his mother. She is the woman who listens to the Word of God and keeps it all the time. She is an attentive disciple who keeps in her heart her Son's words and day after day keeps them. She points the way to us so that we too may imitate her if we wish to be truly her devotees. Prayer: Beautiful Mother, listening virgin, open our hearts
so that we may learn to listen to the words of your Son. My commitment is to listen attentively to the Word of God when it is proclaimed in church. I also commit myself to listen to God who speaks to me through the people I meet throughout the day. Flower of Carmel
at the foot of the cross
Listening to the Word: At the foot of the cross (Jn 19: 25-27) So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. Reflection: John tells us that at the foot of the cross, stood Mary and John. Mary, the mother, John, the beloved disciple. The Virgin Mother stands at the foot of the cross to give strength to her Son to fulfil his last hour. This passage of the Bible, dear to the heart of every Carmelite, teaches us that in times of suffering we are not alone, Mary and Jesus are with us. It also reminds us that, by dying, the Lord gave us his mother as a precious gift. Let us try to be grateful to him by the example of our lives. Prayer: Mary, mother at the foot of the cross, stand by our
side in our daily crosses so that, like you, we may stand and accept
and offer our sufferings. My commitment is to show myself a neighbour to someone who is suffering, physically or spiritually. Flower of Carmel
in the Christian community
Listening to the Word: With Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1: 12-14) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Reflection: Jesus ascended into heaven and the first Christian community gathers to pray together. Among them is Mary, Mother and Sister. In our assemblies too, Mary prays with us. Let us then make our participation in the Eucharistic mystery, a participation that is full of joy and life; we are not alone. Jesus is with us. Mary, his and our Mother, is with us. Prayer: Holy Mary, sister in our Christian communities, be our
Sister in our daily life and in our prayer. My commitment is to contribute to enlivening the Sunday Eucharistic celebration in my parish, so that it may be truly a moment of joy and fraternal prayer. Flower of Carmel
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