Saturday of Our Lady

The Brown Scapular of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

 

The word "scapular" indicates a form of clothing which monks wore when they were working. With the passage of time, people began to give symbolic meaning to it: the Cross to be born every day as disciples and followers of Christ.




In the Middle Ages many Christians wanted to be associated with the Orders founded at that time, Dominicans, Carmelites... All the religious Orders wanted to give these lay people a sign of affiliation and of participation in their spirit and apostolate. The sign was often a part of their habit: a cloak, a cord, a scapular. Among the Carmelites, the stage came when a smaller verson of the Scapular was accepted as the sign of belonging to the Order and an expression of its spirituality.


The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has seen in it a sign of Mary's motherly protection. The Blessed Virgin teaches us:


*To be open to God, and to His will, shown to us in the events of our lives.
*To listen to the Word of God in the Bible and in life, to believe in it and to put into practice its demands;
*To pray at all times, as a way of discovering the presence of God in all that is happening around us;
*to be involved with people, being attentive to their needs.

 The Brown Scapular is not:
*a magical charm to protect you
*an automatic guarantee of salvation;
*an excuse for not living up to the demands of   the Christian life.
(From The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Catechesis and Ritual, prepared by the North American Provincials of the Carmelite Order.)


Learn more about the Brown Scapular-order one free

The Confraternity of the Brown Scapular

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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