I want everyone to listen very closely to today’s homily because in the homily, I am going talk about the importance of fire insurance.
The first reading was from the book of the prophet Amos. From the time of king Saul, prophets had gathered in guilds and were employees of the king. But Amos said he does not come from a “company of prophets”. He was a sheep breeder and God called him. From then on, prophets who followed Amos, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were called directly from God. They were not “professional” prophets. Many career prophets in the time of Amos softened their message to win the king’s favor, so they were not really speaking on behalf of God. That is why the priest Amaziah told Amos he should earn his bread by prophesying elsewhere. He wasn’t going to pay a prophet who condemned the king! But God had given Amos a message, and God expected him to deliver it and he did.
Amos denounced Israel, who had lost its way due to injustice and idolatry, the worship of false idols. They were living luxurious lives while neglecting the poor: He said, “Those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge upon their couches; Eating lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall.” Amos prophesied the overthrow of the sanctuary, the fall of the royal house, and the captivity of the people. He boldly indicts kings, priests and leaders. In response to his prophesying, by speaking on behalf of God, the priest Amaziah drove him from the sanctuary saying, “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!”
Through Amos the Lord tried to bring Israel to repentance, but to no avail. They rejected Amos and so rejected God’s warnings, which would bring His divine justice upon themselves.
A prophet is one who speaks on behalf of God to the people.
Jesus Himself was the prophet of prophets, the greatest of all prophets. He spoke on behalf of God, because He is God. Our Lord fulfilled all the prophesies from the Old Testament. The first thing Jesus said when He began His public ministry was "Repent and believe in the Gospel". He began as a prophet calling people to repentance and come to God. He predicted Jerusalem would be destroyed, which occurred in 70AD. He predicted where & how he would die and that He would rise. He said, “Behold, we are going to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 20:18-19)
Since the time of Jesus, over the centuries God sent the Virgin Mary as a prophet as well. We are familiar with Our Lady of Fatima, who predicted an end to World War I and said if the people would not repent another war would break out, (World War II). She asked for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart and said Russia would spread her errors (communism) and cause nations to be annihilated. But, Mary said, “In the end, Her Immaculate Heart would triumph.” In the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima on Oct. 13th of 1917, Mary appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding the scapular.
700 years earlier, the Virgin Mary came as a prophet to the Carmelite order in the 1200’s. During that time, the Carmelite Order had difficulty in adapting to European living, there was disagreement within the Order, the plague greatly diminished their numbers and demoralized the remaining members and they were persecuted by harassing secular clergy.
In 1247, at the age of 82, Simon Stock was elected the sixth superior-general of the Carmelites. He and the monks had recourse to the Blessed Virgin in the year 1251. Our Lady responded by an apparition to Simon Stock on July 16th, in 1251 as he knelt in prayer. Mary appeared holding the Child Jesus in one arm and the brown scapular in the other, saying, "Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire …. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."
On January 13th, 1252 the Order received a letter of protection from Pope Innocent IV, defending them the danger of harassment and the order had peace as Mary predicted and soon the Carmelite Order began to flourish.
The long brown scapular hangs over the front and back of the religious men and women Carmelites. The faithful wanting to take part in the promise, began to wear it, but it was too long and got caught during their labor. Over time, the scapular became small enough for everyone to wear without hindering their work.
According to Pope John XXII, the Blessed Virgin gave him the following message in a vision related to those who wear the Brown Scapular: Mary said, "I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday (Sabbath) after their death and whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting."
Based on Church tradition, three conditions need to be fulfilled to obtain the benefits of this Privilege and the Scapular: 1. Wear the Brown Scapular, 2. Observe chastity according to one’s state in life, 3. And pray the Rosary.
In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular.
After Mass, we will enroll everyone from 3rd grade up in the scapular. For children who have not made their first Communion, they will be enrolled in the scapular, when they make their 1st Communion.
I strongly encourage everyone to wear your scapular regularly and to trust the Virgin Mary will watch over and protect you and help you to get to heaven.
For
truly the brown scapular is fire insurance, as Mary said, “Those
who wear it, will not suffer eternal fire.” Mary also promises to deliver from the purifying fires of purgatory, all those who wear the scapular, the Saturday after they die.
