a question

Scapulars got their start in the Middle Ages. The actual "scapular" is the hood worn over the shoulders and head in a religious habit; the name comes from the Latin word scapula, for "shoulder".

There were people who wanted to join various religious Orders and were unable to because of health concerns or other reasons, but they still wanted to live by the Rule of the particular Order; and so various sodalities got started, whereby a layperson was "invested" with the scapular of the Order, and he promised to live a good Christian life, abiding by the general principles of the monastic Order whose scapular he wore.

A scapular consists of two small squares of wool with strings attached; this is worn over the shoulders with the squares of wool hanging down upon the chest and the back. They are of various colors, usually representing the color of the habits of the Order in question; Brown, the most common one, is Franciscan. Black is for the Passionists, Red for Trinitarians, Blue is for the Immaculate Conception, White for Augustinians, etc. There are about fifteen different scapulars. One is the Green scapular, which only hangs down on the chest; I forget which Order it's affiliated with.

Scapulars are not required wear by any means; I have several, which I usually do not wear except at Lent, as a kind of a "hair shirt" exercise---raw wool against your bare skin (properly worn, they are inside your shirt and underclothes, next to your body) is extremely scratchy and annoying and irritating. In the old days, whole classes of schoolkids would be invested in one scapular sodality or another, and each kid would get a scapular to wear.

If you look at a Brown scapular, you will see printed on one side of it a "promise" from the Virgin Mary, made to St. Simon Stock, which states that anyobody who faithfully wears a scapular and actually dies with the thing on will go to heaven. I point this out only to say that this is not official Catholic teaching. Mary's promise to St. Simon Stock falls under what is called "private revelation", which means that while there is nothing in it to contradict good faith or morals, it is also not a mandatory belief by any individual Catholic. If you want to believe that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, fine; if not, you don't have to. ALL apparitions of Mary fall into this category.

The only other thing to say is that if you do not lead a good Christian life, if you're a murderer and adulterer and a God-curser or whatever, you can wear all the scapulars you want, and that little promise about going straight to heaven when you die doesn't mean diddly. Just like all other "good works" in Catholic belief, you have to be rightly disposed in order to collect.

Not really. Price, mostly. The good, high-quality scapulars are made of really thick wool, and they won't fall apart if they're worn for awhile. The cheap ones are made out of a thin wool veneer that's glued to a piece of paper, and they fall apart if they absorb too much perspiration, so they encase them in a small plastic sheet. The cheapies are the ones they usually give to schoolkids, so if the kid loses them, you're only out $1.75, rather than the $6 to $8.00 you'd lose with a good high-quality scapular.

Some people favor the cheapies because they dont like the feeling of the raw wool against their skin, but frankly, that sharp, prickly plastic isn't much of an improvement, IMHO.

This reminds me of a story:

Several months ago, a young boy made his First Communion at Mass. Ordinarily, all the Communion-aged children will receive their Sacrament as a group. This little boy was a solo act, though. And since we have a large congregation, his was a performance!

He was a TEENY little boy, and dressed up in a suit. Actually, it was probably more of a miniature tux, like the little ring bearers wear. Hair groomed impeccably, shiny shoes, and a fluttering family with LOTS of cameras to immortalize this moment on film.

EVERY SINGLE Holy object or medal or blessing that a person can wear on the body was on this kid. He had a scapular, he had a holy medal on a chain around his neck, he had some kind of armband, and on one sleeve, he had a ribbon tied into a bow and pinned to him.

I very irreverently leaned over to my husband and said, "the poor kid looks like a Christmas tree!"

Our silliness didn't detract from the moment. He was very solemn and serious, and his face glowed with wonder as he received the Body and Blood of his God.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

Here is a portion of the letter from the Carmelite Fathers General on the occassion of the 750th anniversary of the giving of the scapular. The letter in its entirety is at http://www.carmelite.org/priorgen/generalsletter.htm



The Habit of Mary

27). The Scapular is essentially a "habit". Those who receive it are aggregated or associated in varying degrees with Carmel that is dedicated to the service of Our Lady for the good of the whole Church.(26) We can deepen our appreciation for this gift by reflecting on the meaning of garments and clothing in Scripture. We need clothing for protection against the elements (see Sir 29:21); it is a blessing from God (see Deut 10:18; Matt 6:28-30); it symbolises all God’s promises of restoration (see Bar 5:1-4). Ultimately we are to be clothed with immortality (see 2 Cor 5:3-4). But in the meantime we are to be clothed in newness (see Col 3:10); indeed we are to put on Christ (see Rom 13:14). From our Rule we should remember that we are to be clothed with the armour of God. (27) This armour is almost totally defensive, the only offensive weapon being the sword of the Word of God (see Eph 6:17). The Scapular seen as garment thus recalls our baptismal clothing in Christ, our dignity as members of Mary’s Carmel and our invulnerability when we are wearing God’s armour.

28). In order to appreciate the Scapular it is necessary to look back at our tradition and to look around us and consider contemporary sensibilities and cultural constituents. The garment of Mary is a rich theme in the spirituality of both the Eastern and Western Churches. The veil or mantle of Mary in the East is a sign of her protection; the habit of Mary is a sign of belonging to her in the West. Both are combined in the reflection of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross—Edith Stein. She speaks of "the holy habit of the Mother of God, the brown scapular" and says that on the 16th July "we give thanks that our dear Lady has clothed us with the ‘garment of salvation’," a "visible sign of her motherly protection." (28) St. Teresa of Jesus refers several times to "the habit of Mary." (29) She delights in telling of the entrapment of Fr. Gracián by the Virgin who gave him her habit, (30) and she remarks, "It is her custom to favour those who want to be protected by her." (31)

29). From her acute awareness that the habit of Carmel is Mary’s, St. Teresa of Jesus draws out the concrete implications for the lives of its members, e.g. "All of us who wear this holy habit of Carmel are called to prayer and contemplation," (32) and humility. (33) It would be easy to multiply such references to the Carmelite habit by the saints and spiritual writers of Carmel. (34)

30). Our tradition shows the firmest conviction that the habit and the Scapular have no salvific effect unless we see their meaning as Mary’s habit which affiliates us to the Carmelite Family, and we live according to her example. The central truths to be pondered include Mary’s protection, her intercession at the time of our death and beyond it. On our part there is need for a filial relationship, or one that expresses our being her brothers and sisters and devoted to her service for the glory of her Son. The Scapular is a sign that draws us into such relationships.

31). In the modern context, Mary shows us how to listen to the Word of God in Scripture and in life itself, how to be open to God and close to the needs of our brothers and sisters in a world where poverty in its many forms takes their dignity away. Mary further shows us the woman’s path to God and stands with us as a woman who is the icon of the tenderness of God, a woman who had to face many trials in order to fulfil the vocation given to her by God.(35) She remains as the sign of freedom and liberation for all who in their oppression cry to God. (36) The Scapular on our part is an expression of our confidence in Mary’s care. It shows our willingness to witness to our baptismal adoption and to being her sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, as well as our desire to be clothed with her virtues, with her contemplative spirit and with her purity of heart. Thus clothed by her, we, like her, ponder the Word and show ourselves to be disciples of her Son in our dedication to the works of God’s Reign: truth and life, holiness and grace, justice, love and peace. (37)

32). If in our tradition a key meaning of the Scapular is that of being clothed by Mary in her habit, we need to ensure that enrolment is truly seen to be an investiture. Greater thought must be given to this area.

The Scapular and Entrustment

33). In renewing the consecration of the world to Mary on the feast of the Annunciation 1984, Pope John Paul II used the word "entrustment." At other times he has spoken of belonging to Mary, dedication, recommendation, serving, and placing oneself in her hands. We can see this entrustment as being set apart in Mary’s Carmel, and being called to contemplation and prayer. Though consecration or entrustment to Mary can be very helpful in presenting the Scapular, there are many other ways found throughout Carmel. Many speak of the Scapular in the context of evangelisation. The acceptance of the Scapular can be a high point in the conversion story of individuals and communities. The Scapular can also be seen in the rich context of popular piety, given approbation by Pope Paul VI in his apostolic exhortation on evangelisation, Evangelii nuntiandi, (38) and recommended by the Conference of Bishops of Latin America (CELAM) at Puebla (1979). (39) Those who wear the Scapular are expressing that they are not self-sufficient, and that they need divine help, which in this case they are seeking through Mary's intercession. Through the Scapular they reach out to her who "occupies a place in the Church, which is the highest after Christ and also closest to us." (40)

A family treasure

34). From what we have seen it is clear that the scapular is one of the treasures of the Carmelite Family. When we speak of the scapular we should emphasise belonging to the great Family of Carmel. It would not be appropriate to enrol people in the Scapular without careful explanation of what they are receiving. Since the Scapular is a symbol, its meaning must be carefully pointed out. In particular we should stress that the one wearing it should have a relationship with Mary in addition to expecting favour from her. If we are to be clothed in Mary’s habit, we should strive to be clothed also in her virtues. The Scapular is one of our means of directing people to Mary and thus to her Son