Words from Heaven

• 12 Promises of Jesus
• 15 Promises of BVM
• Special Promise of BVM
• Know My Merciful Heart
• Make Your Heart Like Mine
• Places of Safe Refuge
• Please Wear My Garment
• Have a Medal Struck
• Peace Plan from Heaven
• It is the Will of God
• Pray for Holy Priests

Please Wear My Garment

The Brown Scapular

The Brown Scapular is a sacramental that is part of the Habit of Carmel.It was given to St. Simon Stock, an English monk, on July 16, 1251 by Our Lady Who appeared to him accompanied by many angels.Nowadays it is best known in the form of two small pieces of brown cloth connected by ribbon and worn over the shoulders.

When She gave it to St. Simon, the Blessed Mother said, This shall be to you and all Carmelites a privilege, that anyone who dies clothed in this shall not suffer eternal fire ... It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace.

This is interpreted as meaning that anyone who dies in Mary's family (Carmelites Order or Scapular Confraternity) will be given the grace of perseverance in the state of grace, or the grace of final contrition by Our Lady.

Tradition has it that the devils told Francis of Yepes, brother of St. John of the Cross, that the Scapular ... snatches many souls from us. They ranked the efficaciousness of the brown scapular with the Name of Jesus and the Name of Mary.The devils said that all those clothed in it die piously and escape us.

This magnificent assurance of salvation for wearing Our Lady’s Brown Scapular creates one of the great mysteries of our time. This mystery is that the great majority of Catholics either ignore or have forgotten the Blessed Virgin Mary’s promise that "whoever dies wearing this (Scapular) shall not suffer eternal fire." She further says: "Wear it 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."

Many Catholics may not know that it is the wish of our Holy Father, the Pope, that the Scapular Medal should not be worn in place of the Cloth Scapular without sufficient reason. Mary cannot be pleased with any one who substitutes the medal out of vanity, or fear to make open profession of religion. Such persons run the risk of not receiving the Promise. The medal has never been noted for any of the miraculous preservations attributed to the Brown Cloth Scapular.

Another important aspect of wearing the Scapular is the Sabbatine Privilege. This concerns the promise made by the Blessed Mother to Pope John XXII in a vision. She told him about those who wear the Brown Scapular that She shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever She finds in Purgatory, She shall free and lead them to everlasting life in Heaven.

According to Church tradition, there are three conditions necessary to participate in this Privilege and share in the other spiritual benefits of the Scapular. They are: wear the Brown Scapular, observe chastity according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary. In addition to the Sabbatine Privilege, enrollment in the Brown Scapular also makes a person part of the Carmelite family throughout the world. They therefore share in all of the prayers and good works of the Carmelite Orders.

In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular by either a priest or a lay person who has been given this faculty. Once enrolled, the enrollment is for life and need not be repeated. Anyone, adult or infant, who has not previously been enrolled may be enrolled in the Brown Scapular.

Baptized Catholics are the only people who can officially be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Scapular.Non-Catholics will receive many graces and blessings when they accord this honor to the Blessed Mother.

On October 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared at Fatima as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, holding out the Brown Scapular in Her hands.Sr. Lucia has said that "She wants everyone to wear the Scapular...because it is a sign of consecration to Her Immaculate Heart."

In 1950, Pope Pius XII echoed this, saying:"Let it (the Scapular) be your sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which we are particularly urging in these perilous times."

Please help the Blessed Mother spread this devotion in light of Her promise above.  A Brown Scapular may be ordered from Love and Mercy Publications or a Hand Made Scapular by the Carmelite Nuns may be ordered direct from the Nuns at their Web Site www.sistersofcarmel.com