Bishop Solis celebrates Mass for Carmelite feast day

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Bishop Oscar A. Solis and Deacon Lynn Johnson offer Communion to the nuns at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery in Holladay on July 16, the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

HOLLADAY — Bishop Oscar A. Solis joined the nuns of the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery in Holladay on July 16 as he celebrated Mass in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

The celebration began with a recitation of the rosary. It was followed by the Mass, which drew a standing-room only gathering of the faithful, and ended with enrollment in the scapular following the Mass.

In his homily, the bishop said the sacred occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel “calls us to lift our hearts in gratefulness and recognize the blessings of God in our lives, in our Church, and in our world. The feast helps us to focus on our calling as children of our loving God and especially as followers of our Blessed Mother.”

The devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel has, through God’s providence, helped many people find closeness to God, inspiration in prayer and dedication to the call to be proclaimers of the Gospel, Bishop Solis said.

Enrollment in the Brown Scapular of the Carmelites is not an end in itself, but rather offers a path to holiness, the bishop continued.   

“The foundation of holiness is giving – giving yourselves to God,” he said.

Many people are afraid of the word “saint” because it demands conversion of the heart through penance and repentance, it calls for a life of virtue, and it requires setting aside time for prayer and encounter with God, he said. “It asks us to exercise the virtue of love and charity, and to make a difference in the lives of others.”

People find this difficult because they have lost their focus on God and have been distracted by worldly concerns, he said, but “the feast today allows us to reflect on our lives and to renew our hearts.”

The prophet Elijah and the Blessed Mary, who were the focus of the readings for the Mass, are models for Christians because both had a special disposition of obedience and surrender to the goodness and love of God,” the bishop said.

The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a reminder of the Christian way of life, and encourages people to “contemplate the importance of God in our lives and in our world,” he said. “Such a disposition must lead us to be of service to others and for the Lord. Like Mary we should always be ready to accomplish and realize God’s plan for us and for the world.”

The feast “will help us find the right  direction to renew our faith and to renew our love of God and our hope in the goodness of God in us. ... Like Mary, let us open our hearts to God’s grace and presence. Tonight let us consecrate our lives to the work of God under the protection of our Blessed Mother. ... Be mindful of God’s saving presence and the maternal care of Mary. Let our devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel be an instrument of change in our society, a conversion of the heart and consolation of our world.”