How can we learn to stop depending only on ourselves? We live in a world where trust must be earned and it certainly seems to be in short supply. But Solomon, the famous king who is quoted in the Book of Proverbs, knew that trust is exactly where we must start: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3,5)
Most of us have faced disappointments, some of which have tempted us to think that we can only depend on ourselves. But living “the life of faith” calls us to (a) avoid the temptation in the first place, but also (b) “unlearn” such lessons.
Learning to trust in God means learning to rest in God’s understanding. St. Paul knew this and he expressed as much when writing to the Church in Rome: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11,33) All the while, let’s admit, sometimes trusting God completely like this can be tough. So, each day we must consciously lay aside our own plans and expectations—and surrender to God’s plans. May God give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.
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Today we celebrate Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Mount Carmel is the mountain in the middle of Galilee on which the prophet Elijah called down a miracle of fire from the Lord, to show the people of Israel who had strayed that “The Lord is God!” The fiery miracle also showed that the prophets of Baal were worshipping a false god.
There is a tradition that traces the Carmelite Order’s informal beginnings to the prophet Elijah himself, even though there is not a lot of evidence of this. The formal, verifiable beginnings are attributed to a group of monks who, in the 13th century, began living and praying on the mountain. They venerated the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and from this veneration was derived the name Carmelite. (The Hebrew karam-el means “vineyard of the Lord.”)
Let us pray. “O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, support us by your never failing love. Help us, protect us, and show us that you are our Mother, too. May we desire, with the help of your intercession, to dwell with you and all the saints of Carmel in the kingdom of your Son. We pray in His name for He lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.”
