This is the most probable place on Mount Carmel where Elijah revealed
the power of God before the eyes of the priests of Baal.
The Stones on Mount Carmel
Today, Friday the 15th of October AD 2004 we who belong to the Carmelite Order commemorate the memory of our Madre fundadora Teresa of Avila who found her sparkling jewel in her diamond castle within. When the holy mother reformed the order she returned to the simple and original rule as it came from the hands of Albertus Patriarch of Jerusalem and he wrote for the Latin brothers living by the well of Elijah the prophet on Mount Carmel. In an ancient legend persevered within the order it is said that the Blessed Virgin visited the hermits living on the mountain since time unknown. Scholars have pointed to the fact that the Greek word monos (monk) describing those living alone with God in their hearts is actually derived from the Hebrew word ehâd (one). In the Quamran papers we see thus that the members of the Qumran community named themselves ehâd. Anyway we Carmelites are proud of the origin of our order under the protection of Elijah, the first hermit.
Speaking of Mount Carmel a story pops up in my mind I heard recently, an account given by a Pentecostal minister, Daniel Glad, in an TV interview. When studying in London he learnt to know an old English gentleman who had visited Mount Carmel in his age of prime numerous years ago. On the mountain top he found some peculiar stones which he brought with him back to England. For more than two decades they lay forgotten in his storage room when his attention was again drawn to them for one reason or another. These stones were indeed unique in his eyes so he decided to have them investigated by experts in mineralogy. And this is what he actually did. After some time they contacted him and were eager to know where he had found these stones because, as they said, they had been melted sometimes in remote past by super high energy field, even by nuclear power!
This draws our attention to the super high energy field Professor Lipinski measured in the apparition chapel in the St. Jacob’s Church in Medjugorje (Med. 81) where human hearts have been melted for some two decades now. I can tell another interesting story in this context. An old priest and friend of mine – now deceased – had visited Medjugorje twice. When he celebrated his 50th year as a priest a Belgian doctor decided to give him a ticket to visit Medjugorje once again, actually the third time. This was actually what he did in mid winter under disastrous weather condition. After a difficult trip he arrived safely in Medjugorje. The Franciscan fathers welcomed him and he attended of course a mass in the church along with some sixteen other priests at the altar.
After the mass, were some 6000 people took part in the celebration of the divine mysteries, a general confession was given as usual and this great multitude of people was divided into groups to make confession. His "share" were some 300 souls. Twice before the Franciscan fathers had interceded on his behalf as to be filled by the Holy Spirit. Nothing had actually happened. Now, this third time, before listening to the confession of the faithful, he said in his heart, "Not I my God, but you!" Every other person fell to the ground at confession and he told me that he saw "blue" sparkles go out from his fingers when he blessed each of the member of his group after the confession.
Some twenty years earlier this same priest visited Mount Carmel. On the mountain he met a group of Baptists from the United States, a minster with some members of his congregation. The minister began to speak to him as a brother in the faith and praised the power of the Holy Spirit greatly. Although being a nuncius of the Holy See for some twenty years having visited some 67 countries, he had never really given the Holy Spirit much thought. At this moment the words of the Baptist minister touched his heart so deeply, that from now on the Holy Spirit became the focal point of his devotion and prayer life along with the Blessed Virgin. And belief me when I say that this priest in question was one of the greatest Marianlogist of the twentieth century and highly respected within the Church as such.
Well. What I am actually saying is this: the power of the Holy Spirit transformed him completely within from now on after this talk with this Baptist minister culminating in the experience at Medjugorje of the authentic power of the Holy Spirit. Returning once more to Mount Carmel and the stones, the Bible sheds light upon this mystery taking place there,
Elijah took twelve
stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to
whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, Israel shall be your name. With the stones he
built an altar in the name of Yahweh; and he made a trench about the
altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. He put the wood in
order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said,
Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on
the wood.
He said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. He
said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time. The water ran round
about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. It happened at the
time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet
came near, and said, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I
am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, Yahweh,
hear me, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that
you have turned their heart back again. Then the fire of
Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the
stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people
saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Yahweh, he is God;
Yahweh, he is God (1 K 18. 31-38).
See, dear reader. Elijah took twelve stones – the same number of stones as were placed around the tabernacle in Gilgal (Med. 5), the twelve foundation jewels of the Celestial City, the New Jerusalem. With these stones he built the altar or as St. Silouan the Athonite said, “the heart of the hermit monks is a temple [tabernacle] and their spirit an altar”. And he made a trench about the altar as to stake it out as a holy place sanctified to God, just as we do when we raise the curtains around the tabernacle of our own hearts. The two measures of seed refers to the moral and infused virtues which are enkindled within these holy curtains in the sanctuary which we carry forth as a wood to place on the altar to burn as a sweet offering. The bull refers to our own hearts when we have placed them on the golden altar in the Holy (Med. 65). Elijah filled four jars with water – the water of grace referring to the tetramorph and its four quarters – not once, but thrice, as we do in the three sections of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle in our own hearts.
And God’s fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, “the wood, and the stones, and the dust (our human miseries), and licked up the water that was in the trench.” Up to now we can all agree what has taken place here. But now I ask my Protestant friends who says that they make the Bible the only foundation of their faith, “How can you skip to read the first chapter in the Gospel of St. Luke?” There St. Luke sheds light on the fact how we become God’s abode when our heart has been transformed into a tabernacle and our spirit becomes an altar or throne of God just as the golden lid on the Ark of the covenant was illuminated in the shekinah glory or God’s real presence,
As a matter of fact, the
first Immaculate Conception was in the mind of God. When
the first paradise, was lost God said He would make another paradise. This paradise, flesh,
birth, gardened by the new Adam would be our Blessed Mother. God told
Moses: “Make a tabernacle that I may dwell with my people.” Tabernacles were of stone
and gold until an angel came to the Blessed Mother and asked her if she
would become the Mother of the Lord.
She said: “I am a virgin. I do not know man,” and God said: “In the old tabernacles there was the shekinah, the cloud, of my presence that overshadowed the Temple, now my Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and He that will be born of you, will be called Son of the Most High God.”
Notice Mary did not give birth to a fetus, and the word was made Flesh and tabernacled within her. In a certain sense it was Mary’s first Holy Communion, for she had within her the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ Himself. [1]
She said: “I am a virgin. I do not know man,” and God said: “In the old tabernacles there was the shekinah, the cloud, of my presence that overshadowed the Temple, now my Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and He that will be born of you, will be called Son of the Most High God.”
Notice Mary did not give birth to a fetus, and the word was made Flesh and tabernacled within her. In a certain sense it was Mary’s first Holy Communion, for she had within her the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ Himself. [1]
Well, this is actually what St. Silouan the Athonite said, “The heart of the hermit monks is a temple, and their spirit an altar because the Lord loves to make an abode in the heart and spirit of the human being“ [2] As to the stones which the old Englishman brought with him back to England after his visit on Mount Carmel, we will not know of their true identity until we will be given allowance to enter the heavenly Tabernacle and ask Elijah himself in person if they were actually his altar stones. As to the other details they are true and this is what we face when we enter the Holy of holies in our own hearts. Here the eternal birth of the Word of God or davar takes place and we will not be in any doubt as to the authenticity of this mystery, rather than the Blessed Virgin. Or by Meister Eckhart’s words,
If this birth really
happens no creature can hinder thee, all point thee to God and this
birth. We find in lightning an analogy for this. Whatever it strikes,
whether tree, beast or man, it turns toward itself with the sock. A man
with his back to it instantly flings round to face it; all the thousand
leaves of the tree turn over to front the stroke. So with all whom this
birth befalls, they are promptly turned towards this birth with
everything present, be it never so earthly. Nay, even what was formerly
a hindrance is now nothing but a help. Thy face is turned so fully
towards this birth, no matter what thou dost see and hear, thou
receivest nothing save this birth in anything. All things are simply
God to thee who seest only God in all things. Like one who looks long
at the sun, he encounters the sun in whatever he afterwards looks at.
If this is lacking, this looking for and seeing God in all and sundry,
then thou lackest this birth. [3]
Let us all repeat the words of the Blessed Virgin and make our own, “Let it happen to me as you have said” (Lk 1. 38). Thus and only thus the fire of God will “fall, and consume the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and lick up the water that is in the trench. Thus the Word will tabernacle within us. Amen.
[1]. Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Mary, the Tabernacle of the Lord.
[2]. Prepodovniy Silouan Athonskiy, p. 43.
[3]. Meister Eckhart (Pfeiffer), p. 24.
