by Dr. Jim Bryan, T.O. Carm.
There are many saints of Carmel. Many are known, many unknown. The Saints and Blessed of our order are priests, nuns, sisters, Brothers, and Laity. All are people who venerated our Lady, her Rosary, and her Scapular. One of our Blessed might interest you in any struggles you might have with loneliness, and feeling ‘out of the loop’, or what we like to call ‘the Lone Ranger syndrome’.
A twenty year old young man, convert to the Church, baptized by missionaries in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) fell in love with the story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and her Rosary. He also believed in the power of her Scapular to change lives and hearts and always wore the Scapular. He came to belief in Jesus and felt his duty was to bring others working on the plantation to experience Jesus and the care of Mary.
One of the bosses at the worksite feared this young man was going to demand higher wages, better living conditions, and time off for prayers and going to Mass. The supervisor told the young man to stop talking about the Scapular and the Rosary, as well as to remove his Scapular which was seen above the shirt he wore. Our brother in Carmel refused to stop wearing the Scapular. He spoke of his faith in Jesus and his trust in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the power of her assistance.
The boss initiated a plan. Every time the young man would speak about the Bible, Jesus or Our Lady he would be whipped and chained up in the hot sun. The man in the Scapular would not stop. The boss and some of the other workers stopped him, brought him to a small clearing and whipped him with a whip made out of elephant hide and nails inserted at the tip. They left him to die.
He used two sticks as crutches and pushed himself as close to the path as he could. The Plantation Inspector found him and brought him home to take care of the young man. He lived for a few days, made his last confession, receiving the last rites…….and he died.
We don’t know what happened to the merciless boss. We do know that many of the workers discovered the church and the wonders of Our Lady’s Scapular due to this young martyr (Latin meaning is: WITNESS). He was and is a CARMELITE WITNESS!
He is our brother in Faith, and in Carmel, he is an example, especially to us who don’t have regular meetings, time to study and pray. Let us use the example of Blessed Isidore Bakanja. His feast is on August 12th. Let him be your guiding light. Ask him to be with you as you pray the Rosary, Morning or Evening Prayer, or while meditating.
The meek shall inherit the earth!
_____________________