A Gift of the Flower of Carmel: Understanding the Brown Scapular

From the Cross, Jesus told the beloved disciple and all of us that Mary is our Mother. St. John “took her to his own home” (Jn 19:27), “or better,” as St. John Paul II says, “‘among his possessions,’ among the precious gifts left him by the crucified Master.”¹ Wearing the Brown Scapular is a way of receiving Mary as a precious gift and as our Mother.

It is therefore an expression of filial devotion to Our Lady. This is how we can answer an objection to the Scapular devotion. To many non-Catholics, and even to some Catholics, it seems superstitious. The Scapular is just two rectangles of cloth, usually not more than an inch or two on a side, connected so that one is worn on the chest and the other on the back. How can a couple of scraps of cloth save anyone from hell? It seems to be just a sort of talisman.

The answer is that it is not merely wearing bits of cloth that saves us—that would be magic—rather, it is the fact that these pieces of cloth express an interior devotion. They are the expression of a desire to be protected by Our Lady of Carmel, and that desire is not in vain, for she has promised her assistance to those who wear the Scapular. We escape hell by the grace of God, which comes to us through Our Lady’s maternal mediation.

Our cooperation is still required, as Pius XII warned: “Let not those who wear it think that they can in sloth and indolence of spirit attain eternal life, for the apostle thus openly admonishes: ‘Work out your salvation in fear and trembling’ (Phil 2:12).”² St. Alphonsus explains what is required for our devotion to Mary to save us:

When it is said that a devoted servant of Mary cannot be lost, those servants are not intended who abuse their devotion by sinning with less fear. … Such presumptuous persons for their presumption merit punishment and not mercy. It is understood, then only of those of her servants who, with the desire to amend, faithfully honor and commend themselves to the mother of God.³

Speaking of those who live the Scapular devotion as they should, St. John Paul II said:

This intense Marian life, which is expressed in trusting prayer, enthusiastic praise and diligent imitation, enables us to understand how the most genuine form of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, expressed by the humble sign of the Scapular, is consecration to her Immaculate Heart.⁴

Let us consider the Scapular promise given to St. Simon Stock. We find it recorded in the fourteenth-century Catalog of Saints of the Carmelite Order. This is what we read there:

St. Simon of England, … continually besought the most glorious Mother of God to defend with a privilege the Order of Carmelites, which enjoys the special title of the Virgin. He prayed devoutly:

Flower of Carmel
Vine Blossom-laden.
Splendor of heaven,
Childbearing maiden,
None equals thee!

O Mother benign,
Whom no man didst know,
On all Carmel’s children
Thy favors bestow
Star of the Sea.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to him with a multitude of angels, holding in her blessed hands the Scapular of the Order. She said, “This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege: that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire,” that is, he who dies in this will be saved.⁵

Now, because this was written in the fourteenth century, and St. Simon Stock lived in the thirteenth century, some people have called into doubt its historical reliability. Why is there no record of this apparition from the thirteenth century?

Scholars have responded in the following way.⁶ First of all, the Carmelites did not produce a significant amount of literature until the fourteenth century. As soon as they did start writing, they wrote about this. This is, in fact, the oldest life of St. Simon Stock. So, as soon as the life of St. Simon was written, it contained the account of this apparition, even though it was hardly a page long and so only had room for the essentials. Furthermore, we see that when it was written, there was already a devotion associated with this promise, as evidenced by the poem “Flower of Carmel” (Flos Carmeli), which is included in the narrative. Thus, there was already a fully formed tradition regarding the apparition a hundred years after the death of St. Simon.

In addition, the Carmelites had nothing to gain by inventing the apparition. Some have thought that they could have made up the story to spread the devotion among the laity, but the laity did not practice the Scapular devotion in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Initially, only friars and nuns wore the Scapular. The first Carmelite tertiaries were given a mantle or cloak. Later, they were given a Scapular instead.

It was in the fifteenth century, in connection with the Sabbatine Privilege, that laity began asking to receive the Scapular in larger numbers. In the following two centuries, popes repeatedly wrote in favor of this privilege, and the Scapular became quite widespread among the laity. The Sabbatine Privilege is a promise of rapid liberation from Purgatory for those who fulfill additional conditions besides wearing the Scapular. It was originally associated with a supposed bull of Pope John XXII, but this bull does not seem to be authentic. We can instead look for the origin of the Sabbatine Privilege in a deeper understanding of the original Scapular promise. For Our Lady can and will assist those particularly devoted to Her not only to escape hell, but also to be rapidly delivered from Purgatory.⁷

In 1613, the Holy Office issued a decree that made no reference to the supposed bull of John XXII, so its value does not depend on the existence of the bull. This decree permitted the Carmelites to preach the Sabbatine Privilege, namely, that:

Through her continuous intercessions, pious suffrages, merits, and special protection, the Most Blessed Virgin, especially on Saturday, the day dedicated to her by the Church, will help after their death the brethren and members of the Sodality [of the Blessed Virgin of Carmel] who die in charity [that is, in the grace of God]. In life they must have worn the habit, observed chastity according to their state, and have recited the Little Office. If they do not know how to recite it, they are to observe the fasts of the Church and to abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except for the feast of Christmas.⁸

The “Little Office” referred to is the Little Office of Our Lady, which was said for centuries by religious and laymen, but now is much less common. Those who do not know how to say it can abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead. A confessor can also commute this condition, that is, replace it at the penitent’s reasonable request with other prayers or works. Ceroke wrote in 1960 that when Carmelite confessors commuted it, the usual replacement was seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes.⁹ Anecdotally, it seems that replacing it with the Rosary is common today.

The “habit” referred to is the Scapular, which is, in fact, the most notable part of the Carmelite habit. By wearing this habit, one expresses an association with Carmel. Some connection with Carmel is necessary in order for Our Lady’s promise to apply, for she said it is a privilege for “all Carmelites.” This connection can be in various degrees: one can be a friar or nun, a tertiary, a member of the confraternity, or just “committed to put into practice the Marian characteristic of Carmelite spirituality wholly and fervently.”¹⁰

The 1613 decree says Mary will help such souls “especially on Saturday.” Even without the supposed bull, there is some reason to believe this on the basis of numerous private revelations that attest to Mary delivering souls from Purgatory on her feast days.¹¹ But, since we can’t be certain of the importance of Saturdays, when Pius XII referred to the Sabbatine privilege, he simply said Mary would intercede so that these souls reach Heaven “at the earliest possible moment.”¹²

Like any habit, the Scapular need only be received once. If you are only replacing your Scapular, you should not go through the enrollment ceremony again. It is sufficient to make the commitment once. After that you can put on a new Scapular, or even replace it with the appropriate medal, without any ceremony.

Being a religious habit, the Scapular is a symbol (and not a talisman). It represents both the recognition of Mary’s spiritual maternity and an acceptance of one’s spiritual obligations as a child of Mary. For a layman, these obligations are the observance of God’s law, summarized in the Ten Commandments; daily prayer; attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation; reception of the sacraments; and the fulfillment of one’s duties of state.

The Scapular is not a magic way of obtaining salvation whatever you do; it is an extra help for those who have a sincere desire to serve God, but are also aware of their own weakness. By wearing the Scapular, we place ourselves under Mary’s protection, asking her to give us the grace to overcome our deficiencies in serving God. We can only be saved by grace, and Mary is God’s chosen instrument to give us that grace. The Scapular gives us hope when our sins seem overwhelming or when we fear what we might do in the future. It should also remind us to strive to be worthy children of Mary. It is necessary to cooperate with grace, and earnestly striving to do so will also shorten our Purgatory and increase our enjoyment of the blessed vision of God for all eternity.