Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,
As we begin we must address the loss of life and the devastation caused by the May tornadoes here in Oklahoma. The first tornado on May 19th found us taking shelter in the basement as it set down two miles away. It turned on a southeasterly path and hit the communities of Little Ax, Carney and Shawnee. We lost a large tree and some of our roof tiles because of wind damage but otherwise were fine. The following day a catastrophic tornado hit Moore. The horror of May 3rd, 1999 was replaced by May 20th 2013. Many people who lost their homes in 1999 lost them again on May 20th. Less than two weeks later on May 31, another deadly storm ripped through El Reno, OKC and parts of Moore. We once again took cover as we were initially in the path of the El Reno tornado. We have since found debris from that storm on our property. Four other tornadoes touched down in the OKC area around the same time.
The storm on May 31st also brought torrential rains which claimed many lives including seven members of one family and four members from another. We received 10 inches of rain in a few hours which caused our lake to rise five feet above normal. The force of the water washed out our bridge and ruined several electrical circuit boards but we are so blessed. We are on a hill and all around us roads were closed due to flooding. Fr. MacAulay called to let us know the police turned him back on his way here for Mass on Saturday.
Half of the fatalities from the three storms were children. Seven children died in Moore when the tornado flattened their school. As heartbreaking as this was, it is a miracle that more children were not killed as two schools were destroyed and many others damaged. The quick thinking of teachers saved many lives as did the first responders who pulled children from the rubble. Hundreds of volunteers from across the United States have rushed here to help clean these hard hit areas.
For the farmers the tornadoes and flooding could not come at a worse time. The wheat crop is ready for harvest yet the combines cannot enter the soggy fields. In El Reno debris from the tornado has also delayed the harvest. High school and college students have volunteered to pick through the fields to remove trash, especially nails, which could damage the machines.
A book by Carolyn Zane entitled Beyond the Storm could have been written with Oklahoma in mind. In it a fictional Midwest town is devastated by an EF 5 tornado. The protagonist, Abigail, cannot understand how a loving God could allow such a thing to happen. As she walks through the devastation Abby picks up a piece from a wedding dress. She adds other bits of fabric and ribbon to her pocket as she numbly walks amid the ruins and wonders whose lives have also been destroyed. When she learns a dear friend has died she is completely devastated.
Her aunt Selma tries to assure Abby that suffering and death are a part of the human condition and not God’s punishment. Selma has given refuge to several families who lost their homes and two days after the storm announces she wants them to make a quilt for the friend who died. Selma knows that Abby and the others may not understand why working on the quilt is important but fingering the bits of material she simply says it is time to start putting the pieces back together. Abigail begins to understand that things do not make us happy but the love and support of family, friends and God. With this knowledge she begins to heal.
The people here are once again putting the pieces together. The catchwords being used are OKLAHOMA STRONG and OklaHOME. We live in an area where the weather can change at the drop of a hat creating havoc. People here are tough and get through depending on family, community and God. A quote from scripture is appropriate here: We suffer all kinds of afflictions, and yet are not overcome (2 Corinthians 4:8). This is Oklahoma.
At the present time we are aware of those in other states who have lost everything due to floods and fire and we assure you of our prayers. Remember although God is closest to us in times of suffering we may misinterpret his presence as absence. It is called the dark night of faith.
Speaking of putting the pieces back together, we are now looking forward to the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. What better time to invite you to send us your petitions when the need for healing is so great. For Carmelites, devotion to our Lady is exemplified by living a life of discipleship as did Mary. The scapular is seen as the exterior sign of this commitment. Pope John Paul II wrote the following in 2001:
In Carmel therefore and in every soul moved by tender affection for the Blessed Virgin and Mother, there has thrived a contemplation of her, who from the beginning knew how to open herself to hearing God’s Word and to obeying his will (Lk 2:19, 51). For Mary, taught and formed by the Spirit (cf. Lk 2:44-50), was able by faith to understand her own history (cf. Lk 1:46-55) and, docile to the divine promptings, “advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan (cf. Jn 19:25), enduring with her Only-begotten Son the intensity of his suffering and associating herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart” (Lumen Gentium, n. 58). . .
Therefore two truths are evoked by the sign of the Scapular: on the one hand, the constant protection of the Blessed Virgin, not only on life’s journey, but also at the moment of passing into the fullness of eternal glory; on the other, the awareness that devotion to her cannot be limited to prayers and tributes in her honour on certain occasions, but must become a “habit”, that is, a permanent orientation of one’s own Christian conduct, woven of prayer and interior life, through frequent reception of the sacraments and the concrete practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. In this way the Scapular becomes a sign of the “covenant” and reciprocal communion between Mary and the faithful: indeed, it concretely translates the gift of his Mother, which Jesus gave on the Cross to John and, through him, to all of us, and the entrustment of the beloved Apostle and of us to her, who became our spiritual Mother. (Vatican, April 4, 2001 The Holy Father’s Message, dated March 25, 2001, to Fr. Joseph Chalmers and Fr. Camilo Maccise and to the whole Carmelite Family on the occasion of the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.)
Text Box: NOVENA PRAYER O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand your power. O show me herein that you are my Mother. Our Lady, queen and beauty of Carmel, pray for me and obtain my requests. Sweet Mother, I place this cause into your hands. Our novena will be held from July 16 – 23, which is the feast of Our Lady of Grace. We invite you to pray the novena prayer with us during this time.
The weather has been such big news lately that Easter seems long ago. One sister who keeps a daily event log noted that with the exception of the weather our life has been uneventful these past months. A scan of her notes bears this out: rain, frost, ice, snow, tornadoes (all in one day mind you), and earthquakes!
Our Lent was followed by the glory of Easter. Father Gerald MacAulay celebrated the Holy Triduum for us and Father Denis Hanrahan Easter Sunday. On April 21st we learned of the passing of our former confessor, Fr. Charles Massoth, OSB. Father was a former abbot of the Benedictine Abbey in Shawnee and he loved to sing. He often had a song for us and we tried to reciprocate . . . often amid much laughter. Another of our younger priests, Father Roberto Quant died suddenly in early May. It was a shock to many of us. Please keep both Fr. Charles and Fr. Roberto in your prayers.
Several weeks ago a few the sisters heard a terrible sound late at night. At first they thought it might be a coyote as we recently lost several chickens to one. Someone else brought up the possibility of a fox. When we listened to the sound of a fox online (screaming no less) the sisters agreed that was what they heard. It was very chilling and a trap was set up because of the chickens. Unfortunately a skunk has been the only critter caught thus far. Then last Sunday Father Hanrahan became distracted during Mass by some parishioners. He looked up to see a family of Canadian geese watching at the window. They must have decided their Sunday duty was fulfilled for they soon waddled off toward the lake.
We wish you all a wonderful and safe summer. Thanks to all of you who checked on our safety during the recent storms. Remember to send us your petitions and we hope to see some of you on July 14th for our Mass.