The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

From:  www.FreeBrownScapular.com

 

HISTORY / PROMISE

“Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.”  

 

This is Mary’s promise made July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock.

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This is the heavenly promise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady further says:

 

“Wear the Scapular devoutly and perseveringly. 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.”

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Old Testament History

Mount Carmel is on the northwestern coast of Palestine. The Hebrew word for Carmel means 'Beautiful Garden Land'. Truly that is what Our Lady is, the beautiful garden that brought forth Jesus Christ, Our Savior.

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The Origin of Carmel goes back to about 860 B.C. to the time of the prophet Elijah and his victory over the pagan prophets and their god, Baal. The account of this event is given in 1 Kings 18:19-40. The Jewish people had taken to worshiping false gods, especially the god Baal. Their evil King Ahab had married the gentile, Jezebel, who worshiped Baal. The king built a temple to this pagan deity. When the prophets denounced him for this, he had them killed. Elijah stood firm and challenged the prophets of Baal to gather on Mount Carmel to determine which God, Baal or the Lord was the true God. Each built a stone altar with firewood and a sacrificial bull upon it. The "God" who would send fire from Heaven upon the altar would be accepted as the true God.

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The prophets of Baal prayed and danced and chanted all day to no avail. Elijah, though before beginning his prayer poured gallons of water over his sacrifice, making it humanly impossible to light the fire. Elijah called upon the Lord and immediately a fire came down from heaven consuming the sacrifice and the stones of the altar.

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The pagan prophets were killed and Elijah went into hiding on Mount Carmel. Later a community of prophets joined him. They dwelt in caves, praying to God, living in peace.

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Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Before coming into Europe, the Carmelites were hermits living on Mount Carmel in Palestine. They believed themselves to be the spiritual sons of Elijah. They led a life of contemplation, modeled after the prophet.

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At the base of this holy mountain; in the little village of Nazareth, the Incarnation was accomplished. The Blessed Virgin Mary, there in the shadow of Mount Carmel, uttered her sublime “fiat” thus enabling the second Person of the Blessed Trinity to become Man for our salvation. To the wondrous delight of the hermits, Our Lady with Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus visited Mount Carmel upon returning from their two years of exile in Egypt. As a result of this visit the contemplatives of Carmel professed their unqualified belief in Jesus as the long awaited Messiah, the Savior of the World. Tradition assures us that, because of their childlike faith, the Carmelites were among the first to be baptized by the Apostles after Pentecost. Likewise, their great love for the Mother of God induced them to erect on Mount Carmel the first Church honoring Our Lady. Moreover, as a reward for their devotion to Mary, the Carmelites were the first to be entrusted with the guardianship of the Holy House of Nazareth, following Our Lady’s death and Assumption into Heaven. So great was their Love for Our Blessed Mother that the Carmelites were known as the "Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel".

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Many of the holy Carmelites were forced to leave Palestine because of the Saracen invasion. St. Louis IX of France conducted them to Europe. As they were leaving they sang the Salva Regina. Our Lady appeared to them and promised to be their Star of the Sea. Along the way some stayed in Cyprus, others in Naples. Still some went to France to live. A few went on to England. Lord Richard de Grey gave them Alyesford in Kent.

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St. Simon Stock, Vicar General of the Carmelite Order

It was in England that Simon Stock joined the group, later to be elected their first Vicar General. Many problems plagued the new order. The people made fun of the 'striped bedouin mantle'. Others felt there were enough religious orders already. To make matters worse there was internal strife and bickering between the older and younger monks.

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By 1251, St. Simon realized that Our Lady was his only hope. With tears in eyes, he saluted her as the Flower of Carmel and the Star of the Sea. He prayed fervently for her "privilegium". The special protection a lord gave to his vassals. The lord would protect his life and property, in return for the loyalty of the one making the request.

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In the 13th century there was no commerce or industry. Land was the only means of a livelihood. The vassals paid homage to the lord of the land. The lords owned the land and by this act of homage the vassal was given the right to till the land. He was guaranteed the protection of the lord.

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The scapular was not something new to medieval Europe. It had been around since around 550, when the monastic orders came about. The two pieces of cloth joined at the shoulders and hanging down the back and breast had deep spiritual meaning. Our Lord said in the gospels, 'My yoke is sweet and my burden is light.' The monks by putting on this garment realized that the sweet burden of Divine service was upon him and the whole day was dedicated to God.

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Faith and actual living were one in the middle ages. The monk presented himself to God, His Divine Master, just as a vassal presented himself to his lord 'to pay homage.' So too, did the friar make his vows to God.

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As we have seen the idea of the scapular and the giving of yourself to another for protection was not a novel idea. Our Lady chose that which was traditional and widely practiced.

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Our Lady appears to St Simon Stock

While praying, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, giving him the Brown Scapular and making this promise:

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"Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire."

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There are those today who say this apparition doesn't have the documentation to prove its validity. John Haffert in his book, "Mary in Her Scapular Promise," states that the documents were originally stored in the Carmelite libraries at Bordeaux and at London. A hundred years after the Vision, the library at Bordeaux was burned by the city officials to prevent the spread of the Black Plague. During the Anglican schism, Henry VIII ordered the London library burned to the ground.

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But there is one document that is authentic. In 1389, the General of the Carmelite Order, John Grossi, wrote the book known as "The Viridarium". It is a catalogue of the Carmelite Saints and gives an accurate account of the Vision. John Grossi consulted and talked to companions of St. Simon. He had access to all the libraries in the Order. He explicitly declared that he wrote nothing in his Viridarium that was not from the ancient documents.

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After Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon, almost immediately a miraculous change took place in the Order. The order was saved, its Marian character confirmed and Mary became more a Mother than a Queen to it. In the beginning only the Carmelites wore the scapular. But by the 14th century the privilege of wearing the scapular extended outside the order. Lay groups and third orders were formed. Some of these groups were called confraternities.

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Still Our Lady continued to favor the Carmelite Order and her scapular with further blessings and promises. In 1321, St. Peter Thomas was told by Our Heavenly Mother that 'the Order of Carmel is destined to exist until the end of the world'.