Mary, Queen of Carmel and Mother of All Men
Discover Your presence,
and may Your sight and Beauty slay me:
behold the sickness
of love that is not cured
except by presence and by form.
(Spiritual Canticle 11)
Most Holy Virgin of Carmel, Queen of the Holy Mount, Mother of the Incarnate Word, most beloved Daughter of the Father and most faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit; Lady clothed with the sun, beauty of the Church, hope of pilgrims, consolation of the afflicted, and bright Star of the seas: on this blessed day when the entire Carmelite family and the Christian people acclaim You with filial joy, we come to prostrate ourselves before You to place in Your maternal Heart all that we carry in our own and all that the whole world needs, confident that the prayer of those who approach with trust the Mother of Jesus Christ is never left unheard.
Present to the Father, through the hands of Your Son, the Holy Catholic Church. Keep the Holy People of God united in faith; strengthen the Pope, the bishops, priests, and deacons; inflame them with the fire of the Holy Spirit so that they may proclaim Christ with courage, celebrate the divine mysteries in holiness, and lead souls along the path of truth and holiness. Make love for prayer, fidelity to the received doctrine, the beauty of the liturgy, apostolic zeal, and the joy of the saints flourish throughout the Church, so that she may shine before the world as the spotless Bride of Your divine Son.
Turn Your gaze toward all souls. Seek especially those who live far from God, those who have lost the faith, those enslaved by sin, despair, or indifference. As at Cana You perceived the need before anyone expressed it, discover today also the hidden poverties of the human heart and obtain from Your Son the miracle of countless conversions. May no sinner despair of mercy; may no prodigal son fail to return to the Father’s embrace; may the Holy Spirit renew the face of the earth with a new Pentecost of grace and holiness.
Bless Christian families. Make every home a little Nazareth where Jesus Christ is loved, prayer sustains daily life, spouses give themselves in fidelity, and children grow in wisdom, grace, and virtue. Console wounded families, reconcile those who live divided, strengthen the elderly, protect children, support those who lovingly care for the sick, and make every Christian home a lamp burning in the midst of the world.
Mother of Carmel, raise up abundant and holy vocations to the priesthood, the contemplative life, the apostolic life, and holy matrimony. May there never be lacking generous souls who, leaving all for Christ, make visible on earth the beauty of the Kingdom of Heaven. Protect in a special way the missionaries who proclaim the Gospel amid dangers and hardships; the communities that silently sustain the Church with their prayer; religious men and women, that they may persevere joyfully in their first commitment; and all priests, that, being configured more each day to the Good Shepherd, they may be men of God, in love with the Eucharist, the Virgin, and souls.
Remember also, O kind Mother, the workers of every condition. Bless the effort of those who honestly earn their bread by the sweat of their brow; sustain those who lack employment; protect those who perform dangerous or sacrificial tasks; enlighten those who hold public responsibilities so that they may always work for justice and the common good; and make every human activity contribute to the glory of the Father and the service of their brothers and sisters.
With singular tenderness we place under Your mantle the prisoners, the captives, those deprived of freedom, the kidnapped, the victims of wars and all violence. Break the chains of sin that enslave the human heart and make those who suffer the loss of freedom find in Christ true redemption, peace of soul, and the hope of a new life.
Star of the seas, direct a gaze of predilection to sailors, fishermen, men and women of the sea, to all who live from the ocean and find their sustenance in it; protect those who sail, those who work in ports and vessels, the families who wait on land for the return of their loved ones. Guard with special care the Navy, those who serve nobly in the defense of their peoples, and all who risk their lives to save the lives of others. Be for them a safe harbor in the storm, a star in the night, and consolation in every difficulty.
Protect likewise the travelers, those who journey by land, air, and sea out of necessity, work, or service; accompany migrants, pilgrims, and all who live far from home, so that they may always experience Your maternal closeness and arrive safely at their destination.
We entrust to You with filial love our beloved and poor Spain. Keep her Catholic faith alive, strengthen her families, enlighten her rulers, awaken new vocations, defend the dignity of human life, maintain peace, and make this land, so marked by Your presence and that of so many saints, continue to be generous in the service of the Church and in the spread of the Gospel.
Finally, Mother of the Scapular, do not forget the blessed souls in purgatory. May the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the altar, purify them of every debt; may the Holy Spirit lead them into the fullness of light; and may they, through Your maternal intercession, soon contemplate the glorious face of the Most Holy Trinity and join the eternal choir of the saints.
And to us, who still walk through this world, grant the grace to persevere to the end in the faith of the Church, to live only for Jesus Christ, to let ourselves be led docilely by the Holy Spirit, and to seek in all things the glory of the Father. May the day soon come when the Holy Mother Church shines with renewed splendor, the Gospel is proclaimed to the ends of the earth, the Sacred Heart of Jesus reigns in all hearts, peoples, and institutions, and every tongue proclaims that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Queen and Beauty of the Holy Mount, protect Your children, defend the Holy Church, obtain the conversion of the world, assist the souls in purgatory, and lead us all to the eternal contemplation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
By: Msgr. Alberto José González Chaves
Complete Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Day 1: Mary, Holy Mount where the Word became flesh.
- Day 2: Mary, Virgin of silence where the Father eternally utters His Word.
- Day 3: Mary, Star of the night who leads to the Beloved.
- Day 4: Mary, Garden of the Beloved and Sealed Fountain of the Spirit.
- Day 5: Mary, Living Flame of Love of the Holy Spirit.
- Day 6: Mary, Mother of transformation in the Beloved.
- Day 7: Mary, at the foot of the Cross, Mother of the most luminous night.
- Day 8: Mary, Mother of transforming union.
- Day 9: Mary, Queen of Carmel, gate of eternal union with the Most Holy Trinity.
- Final reflection: Mary, Queen of Carmel and Mother of all men.