16 July: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Here is the first entry for today in the Martyrologium Romanum:

Beatae Mariae Viriginis de Monte Carmelo, quo Elias propheta populum Israel quondam ad colendum Deum vivum reduxerat et postae eremitae quidam solitudinem quaerentes secesserunt ac denique Ordinem constituerunt ad vitam contemplativum ducendam sub patrocinio sanctae Dei Genetricis.

 

I know there are some clever readers who will try their hand at a translation. NB: there is a shift of subjects here so watch the "numbers" of the verbs.  Also, those verbal –nd constructions with ad will probably sound better as purpose clauses.

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5 Comments

  1. Andrew says:

    Thank you, Father, for mentioning this. I almost forgot to remember this feast.

    This translation might be aproached keeping in mind the well known who, what, when, where, why, how – which was known already in antiquty:

    Quis?
    Beata Maria Virgo.

    Quid?
    Hodie eius celebratur memoria.

    Qualis memoria?
    Memoria de Monte.

    De quo monte?
    De Carmelo in quem Elias reduxit populum Isreal.

    Quando?
    Quondam.

    Cur?
    Ad colendum Deum vivum.

    Deinde?
    Postea quidam homines secesserunt illic, in eundem montem.

    Quare?
    Solitudinem quaerebant ac denique ordinem constituerunt Carmelitarum.

    Qua de causa?
    Ad vitam contemplativam ducendam sub patrocinion sanctae Dei genetricis.

    Postremo?
    Oremus oportet: Adiuvet nos, quaesumus, Domine, gloriosae Virginis Mariae intercessio veneranda, ut, eius muniti praesidiis, ad montem, qui Christus est, pervenire valeamus.

  2. Andrew: A very good comment using the classical questions with which the orator approached an object.

  3. bedwere says:

    Of the Blessed Mary Virgin of Mount Carmel, whither the prophet Elias had once brought back the people of Israel to worship the living God and afterwards some hermits withdrew seeking solitude and then constituted a contemplative order to lead a life under the patronage of the holy Mother of God.

  4. Boeciana says:

    … constituted an Order for leading the contemplative life… ?

  5. bedwere says:

    I don’t claim infallibility ;-), but I think I translated correctly. “contemplativum” refers to “ordinem”. Otherwise it would have been “contemplativam”:

    ad vitam contemplativam ducendam

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