The Scapular of the Virgen del Carmen
Those who receive the imposition of this Scapular and wear it habitually, need to know the reasons that the church has had to authorize and recommend it, blessing and indulgence its devotees.
In this way, they will be able to use it as a means of perfecting themselves in the faith of Christ and will more easily obtain the salutary help of the Most Holy Virgin, spiritual Mother and mediator of all graces, whom they seek to honor. She, and those who live this common Carmelite consecration, signified in the Scapular, will lead them to a fuller participation in the fruits of the Paschal Mystery.
The Scapular is a symbol of the protection of the Mother of God to her devotees and a sign of her consecration to Mary. The Blessed Virgin gave it to us. He gave it to the General of the Order of Carmel; Saint Simon Stock, according to tradition, on July 16, 1251, with these words: Take this habit, whoever dies with it will not suffer eternal fire.
Pope Pius XII alludes to this fact when he says: It is not a matter of little importance, but of the attainment of eternal life by virtue of the promise made, according to tradition, by the Blessed Virgin.
Saturday privilege
Also recognized by Pius XII, there is a tradition that the Virgin, to those who die with the Holy Scapular and spread their sins in Purgatory, with her intercession will make them reach the heavenly homeland as soon as possible, or, at the latest, the Saturday following his death.
Summary of promises
1. To die in the grace of God.
2. Get out of Purgatory as soon as possible.
interpretation
Reaching these promises always supposes personal effort collaborating with the grace of God. The Second Vatican Council teaches us very clearly: True devotion…proceeds from authentic faith, which leads us to recognize the excellence of the Mother of God, which impels us to a filial love towards our Mother and to the imitation of her. its virtues.
help in life
In both spiritual and bodily dangers. There are many facts that attest to this.
Links
Whoever receives the Scapular is admitted into the family of the Mother of God and the Carmelite Order.
For this reason, he participates in the privileges, graces and indulgences that the Supreme Pontiffs have granted to the Order of Carmel.
He also benefits from the merits, the penances and the prayers that are offered throughout Carmel.
Goal
Go more easily to Jesus, according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council: The offices and privileges of the Blessed Virgin always have Christ as their end, the origin of all truth, holiness and piety.
That is why Pius XII affirmed that no one is unaware, certainly, of how effective love for the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, is in reviving the Catholic faith and reforming customs, exercised principally through those manifestations of devotion, which contribute in a particular way to enlighten minds with heavenly doctrine and excite wills to the practice of the Christian life. Among these must be placed, above all, the devotion of the Scapular of the Carmelites.
It is a devotion and a form of worship
Proving the first, including it among the practices and exercises of Marian piety, recommended by the Second Vatican Council, are the words of Paul VI: We believe that among these forms of Marian piety the Rosary and the devout use of the SCAPULAR OF CARMEN should be expressly counted. And he adds taking the affirmations of Pius XII: This last practice, due to its very simplicity and adaptation to any mentality, has achieved wide diffusion among the faithful with immense spiritual fruit.
It also stands out among the oldest forms of worship, special and necessary to Mary Most Holy, which cooperate so that by being honored the Mother, the Son is better known, loved, glorified, and that, at the same time, his commandments are better fulfilled ( LG 66). The celebration of the Virgen del Carmen, July 16, is among the festivities that today, due to the diffusion reached, can be considered truly ecclesial (Marialis Cultus 8).
This worship becomes the path to Christ, source and center of ecclesiastical communion (MC 32).
Spirituality
Whoever enters into communion with the family consecrated to the love, veneration and worship of Mary, is marked with a peculiar Marian character of spirit of prayer and contemplation, of the various modes of apostolate and of life itself of self-sacrifice. He also makes a commitment to imitate Mary.
This gift of Our Lady is a sign of the many graces that she can grant, as a consequence of her privileged and intimate participation in the history of salvation.
It therefore involves the experience of some Marian and spiritual experiences. Since above all, the Virgin Mary has always been proposed by the Church to the imitation of the faithful…because in the concrete conditions of her life She adhered totally and responsibly to the will of God (MC 35).
Commitment
Marian life. That is to say: Live in honor of Jesus Christ and his Mother. Our life must be informed by the light and love of Mary, closely linked to that of Christ. The fruit of the Scapular will be that whoever wears it makes an effective effort to imitate the virtues of the Blessed Virgin.
It represents participation in the charism of the Order of Carmel, being a sign of a contract between the Virgin and us, by which She protects us and we are consecrated to her.
The Scapular Medal
Its use is authorized provided that on one side it bears the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other one of the Blessed Virgin: The imposition must be made with a cloth Scapular. Despite this, Saint Po X himself, when granting this dispensation, recommended the use of the cloth Scapular. This is more symbolic, as it is an abbreviated expression of the Carmen habit,
indulgences
Plenary indulgence can be gained:
1.- The day you join the Brotherhood.
2.- On the Solemnity of the Sma. Virgen del Carmen, on July 16.
3.- On the festival of San Simón Stock, on May 16.
4.- On the feast of Saint Elas, Prophet, on July 20.
5.- On the feast of Santa Teresa de Jess, on October 15.
6.- On the festivity of San Juan de la Cruz, on December 14.
7.- On the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, on October 1.
8.- On the feast of All Saints of the Order, on November 14.
The signs in human life
We live in a world made of material realities full of symbolism: light, fire, water…
There are also, in everyday life, experiences of relationships between human beings, which express and symbolize deeper things, such as sharing food (a sign of friendship), participating in a mass demonstration (a sign of solidarity), celebrating together a national anniversary (symbol of identity).
We need signs or symbols that help us understand and live events of today or yesterday, and make us aware of who we are as individuals and as groups.
The signs in the Christian life
Jesus is the great gift and sign of the Father’s love. He established the Church as a sign and instrument of his love. In the Christian life there are also signs. Jesus used them: bread, wine, water, to make us understand superior realities that we neither see nor touch.
In the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick) the symbols (water, oil, laying on of hands, rings) express their meaning and introduce us to a with God, present through them.
In addition to the liturgical signs, there are others in the Church, linked to an event, a tradition, a person. One of them is the Escapulario del Carmen.
The Scapular. A Marian sign
One of the signs of the Church’s tradition, for seven centuries, is the Scapular of the Virgen del Carmen. It is a sign approved by the Church and accepted by the Order of Carmel as an external manifestation of love for Mary, of filial trust in her and as a commitment to imitate her life.
The word “scapular” indicates an overlapping dress, which was worn by monks during manual work. Over time, a symbolic meaning was given to it: that of carrying the cross every day, as disciples and followers of Jesus.
In some religious orders, such as Carmel, the Scapular also became a sign of their way of being and living.
The Scapular came to symbolize the special dedication of the Carmelites to Mary, the Mother of the Lord, and to express confidence in her maternal protection; the desire to imitate his life of dedication to Christ and to others. He became a Marian sign.
From Religious Orders to the People of God
In the Middle Ages, many Christians wanted to join the religious orders founded then: Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, Carmelites. A laity associated with them emerged, through Cofradas or Brotherhoods. All the religious Orders wanted to give the laity a sign of their affiliation and participation in their spirit and in their apostolate. That sign was a part of his habit: the cape, the cord, the scapular.
Among the Carmelites, the reduced-size scapular was established as the sign of belonging to the Order and the expression of its spirituality.
The value and meaning of the Scapular
The Scapular has its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has interpreted it as a sign of Mary’s maternal protection. He has, in himself, from that centuries-old experience, a spiritual meaning approved by the Church.
It represents the commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of every disciple of Christ. This commitment has its origin in baptism that transforms us into children of God.
Our Lady teaches us to:
- Live open to God and his will, manifested in the events of life.
- Listen to the Word of God in the Bible and in life, to believe in it and to put its demands into practice
- Pray at all times, discovering God present in all circumstances
- To live close to the needs of our brothers and sisters and to show solidarity with them.
It introduces the fraternity of Carmel, a community of men and women religious, present in the Church for more than eight centuries, and commits to living the ideal of this religious family: intimate friendship with God in prayer.
He places before the example of the holy men and women of Carmel, with whom a family relationship of brothers and sisters is established.
It expresses faith in the encounter with God in eternal life, through the help of Mary’s intercession and protection.
How to apply for a scapular
To request a scapular, you must go to the monastery of Carmelite religious closest to your location. In case you don’t have one nearby, contact your parish priest.
practical rules
The scapular is imposed by a priest
It can be replaced by a medal that has the image of Sgdo. Heart and on the other that of the Virgin
The Scapular demands an authentic Christian commitment: to live according to the teachings of the gospel, to receive the sacraments and to profess a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Virgin who expresses herself, at least, with the daily recitation of three Hail Marys.
Brief Formula for the imposition of the scapular
Receive this Scapular, a sign of a special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to whom you commit to…