World Apostolate of Fátima
Phoenix Diocesan Division

Your Brown Scapular is an Assurance to Your Salvation

Mary's promise to St Simon Stock, July 16,1251:

"Whosoever dies clothed in this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire."

The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel should have deep meaning for you. It is a rich present brought down from heaven by Our Lady herself.

"Wear it devoutly and perseveringly" she says to each soul, "it is my garment To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of me, and I, in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life."

St Aphonsus Said:

"Just as men take pride in having others wear their livery, so the most holy Mary is pleased when her servants wear her scapular as a mark that they have dedicated themselves to her service, and are members of the family of the Mother of God."

Without saying to Mary that we venerate her, love her and trust her, we tell her these things every moment of the day, by simply wearing the scapular.

The Scapular As A Prayer

Our Lord taught us to pray the Our Father. Mary taught us the value of the scapular. When we use it as a prayer, Our Lady draws us to the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son. It is well, therefore, to hold the scapular in the hand while addressing Our Lady.

A prayer thus uttered while holding the mystical scapular is as perfect as a prayer can be. It is especially in time of temptation that we need the powerful intercession of God's Mother. The evil spirit is utterly powerless when a scapular wearer, besides his silent devotion,faces temptation calling upon Mary.

"If you had recommended yourself to me, you would not have run into such danger" was Our Lady's gentle reproach to Blessed Alan de la Roche.

The Promise

In his book, Brown Scapular of Mount Camel, Fr. Barry Bossa, SAC, observes that misunderstandings can arise about the nature of the scapular promise. He says, "The very wording of the scapular promise makes it absolutely clear that the Blessed Virgin never intended to substitute the wearing of brown cloth for living the Christian life."

Instead, the scapular is a sign that its wearer is committed to living the Christian life after the perfect example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A former prior general of the Carmelite Order, the Most Rev. Kilian Lynch, warned against abusing the scapular devotion. "Let us not conclude," he said, "that the scapular is endowed with some kind of supernatural power which will save us no matter what we do or how much we sin.. A perverse, sin will can defeat the 'suppliant omnipotence' of the Mother of mercy?' Fidelity to the commandments is required by those seeking 'the special love and protection of Our Lady'".

The Scapular Medal

The Scapular Medal bears an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the reverse. In 1910, Pope St Pius X declared that a person already validly invested in a cloth scapular could wear or carry the Scapular Medal in its place.This concession was granted at the request of missionaries in the tropics where cloth scapulars deteriorated rapidly and wearing them was a real inconvenience. Both Pius X and his successor Pope Benedict XV expressed their strong desire that people continue to wear the cloth scapular when practical and not substitute the medal without sufficient reason.Vanity and fear of making open profession of our affiliation with Our Lady would be wrong reasons for substituting the medal for the cloth. Mary's Spiritual Motherhood

Mary's Motherhood is not limited to Catholics; it is extended to all men. Many miracles of conversion have been wrought in favor of good non-Catholics who practiced the scapular devotion.

"I wanted to know if Mary really and truly interested herself in me, and in the scapular she has given me the most tangible assurance. I have only to open my eyes. She has attached her protection to this scapular:'Whosoever dies clothed in this shall not suffer eternal fire.'" - Saint Claude de la Colombiere