It's the Feast of
St Stephen,
3rd Class, with the color of
White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Tribulations of the Holy Family", today's news from the Church: "Rosa Mystica Mission in the Philippines: Testimonies from Volunteers", a preview of the Sermon: "How to Live Free", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows?
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Sources Used Today:
- "The Tribulations of the Holy Family" — From the Assumption to Advent
- "Rosa Mystica Mission in the Philippines: Testimonies from Volunteers" (FSSPX.news)
- "How to Live Free" (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook:
Blessed Brocard of Mount Carmel takes us back to a version of the Carmelite Order that looked very different from the Carmelites we know today.
No Saint Teresa of Ávila yet.
No Saint John of the Cross.
Not even the familiar Carmelite monasteries of Europe.
Instead, picture a handful of Western hermits living in small cells scattered across the slopes of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land.
Brocard lived around the beginning of the thirteenth century, during the Crusader period. Very little is known about his early life, and even some details of his later story come from Carmelite tradition rather than contemporary records. But he is remembered as one of the earliest leaders of the hermits on Mount Carmel, succeeding Saint Berthold.
These men had gathered near a spring traditionally associated with the prophet Elijah. They lived separately in little cells, coming together for Mass and community prayer. And they had a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their small chapel was dedicated to her.
Eventually, they needed something more organized.
The hermits asked Albert of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to give them a formal rule of life. Around the beginning of the thirteenth century, Albert wrote what became the Rule of Saint Albert, traditionally addressed to Brocard and his companions.
It's surprisingly short.
Rather than creating an elaborate system, the Rule tells the hermits to remain in their cells meditating on the law of the Lord, pray the Psalms, celebrate Mass together, work, fast, keep silence, and obey their prior.
That little document became the foundation of Carmelite spirituality.
And here's the fascinating part.
The order that would eventually produce Teresa of Ávila, Thérèse of Lisieux, John of the Cross, Elizabeth of the Trinity, and generations of contemplatives began with these mostly anonymous hermits trying to pray quietly on a mountain.
Brocard's own life remained largely hidden. Later Carmelite tradition remembers him as a holy superior who guided the community through its fragile early years. Some accounts connect him with miracles and with dealings involving the rulers of the Holy Land, but the historical evidence is thin, so it's better not to make those the center of his story.
The more interesting legacy is the place itself.
Mount Carmel rises above the Mediterranean near modern Haifa, and Carmelites still live there. The Stella Maris Monastery preserves the order's connection with the mountain from which it takes its name.
Brocard didn't leave us famous books or sermons.
He helped preserve something quieter: a way of life.
Eight hundred years later, Carmelites around the world are still living from it.
Blessed Brocard of Mount Carmel, guardian of Carmel's first contemplative spirit, pray for us.
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What is the SSPX Podcast?
The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
What is the SSPX?
The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
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