On July 16, the Church will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which commemorates the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251. During the vision, the Blessed Virgin revealed to him the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly known as the "Brown Scapular."

The feast celebrates the devotion that the Blessed Virgin Mary has to those who are devoted to her, and who signal that devotion by wearing the Brown Scapular. According to tradition, those who wear the scapular faithfully and remain devoted to the Blessed Virgin until death will be granted the grace of final perseverance and be delivered from Purgatory early. It is still the custom in many parishes to enroll the faithful in the Brown Scapular on the day of the feast (or on the Sunday closest to it).

As we prepare for the feast, I have chosen a Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel as our novena of the week. This prayer is a particularly popular (and powerful) novena, and many Catholics pray it every day throughout the year. After the novena is over, you might consider making it part of your own daily prayers.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to thee!

On Friday, July 10, after attending the G8 economic summit, U.S. President Barack Obama paid a visit to Pope Benedict XVI. By all accounts, the meeting was a cordial one, with the usual photo ops and exchange of gifts. As always, though, the most interesting details were those released by the Vatican after the meeting.

Describing the order of events, the Holy See Press Office notes that

In the course of their cordial exchanges the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interests of all and which constitute a great challenge for the future of every nation and for the true progress of peoples, such as the defence and promotion of life and the right to abide by one's conscience.

This is significant for two reasons. Read more...

Having concluded the discussion of the sacraments in Lesson Twenty-Sixth, the Baltimore Catechism No. 2 now takes up the discussion of sacramentals in Lesson Twenty-Seventh.

The word sacramentals is not much used today, but those things which it signifies still are. Sacramentals are religious objects that the Church gives us to increase our devotion. Unlike the sacraments, sacramentals do not provide grace in themselves, but through our use of them to draw our minds and hearts toward God. Read more...

There have been a number of interesting discussions in the Catholicism Forum this week. Two that I've found quite fruitful were both started by new forum member "jayd808." "The Entwined Love of God and Neighbor" examines the way in which the love of our fellow man is a reflection of our love of Christ. And in "The Best Argument Against Atheism," "jayd808" and our moderator, Steven Hepburn, discuss ways to appeal to those who do not believe in God.

But the forum thread I most want to draw your attention to this week was started by another new forum member, "bunnydrop," a recent Catholic convert who asks, "Is Smoking a Sin?" Steven answers her well, but I think there are still elements of this question to explore. What is the relationship between caring for our health and sin? Does a puritanical avoidance of things we see as unhealthy have its own problems? Join the conversation, and let us know what you think!