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| Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Blessed Sacrament Church, Paterson, NJ |
The following is from the Pieta prayer booklet.
Mary's Garment
This is Mary's promise made July 16, 1251, to Saint Simon Stock.The following is from a little pamphlet I received when I received the Brown Scapulars made by the Sister of Carmel, a Carmelite order that make high quality woolen Brown Scapulars by hand.
On October 13, 1917, at the last apparition at Fatima, Our Blessed Mother appeared dressed as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Silently she held out to the world the brown scapular - the sign of personal consecration - the sign of eternal salvation. Lucy of Fatima explained: 'The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable.'
The devils revealed to Francis of Yepes, the brother of St. John of the Cross, that three things especially tormented them.
The first is: The Name of Jesus;
the second is the name of Mary; and
the third, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
'Take off that habit,' they cried to him, 'which snatches so many souls from us. All those clothed in it die piously and escape us.'
Your SCAPULAR, then, should take on deep meaning for you. It is a rich present brought down from heaven by our Lady herself.
"Wear it devoutly and perseveringly,', she says to each soul, 'It is my garment. To be clothed in it means yo are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life.'"
Devotion
True devotion to Mary consists in three things:
Veneration
Confidence
and Love.
Without saying to Mary that we venerate her, love her, and trust in her protection, we tell her these things every moment of the day by simply wearing the Scapular.
The Scapular is a Silent Prayer
As Our Lord taught us to say the Our Father, Our Blessed Mother taught us the value of the Scapular. When we use it as a prayer, Our Lady draws us to the Sacred Heart of Her Divine Son. It is good, therefore to hold the scapular in the hand.
A prayer offered while holding the Scapular is as perfect as a prayer can be. It is especially in time of temptation that we need the powerful intercession of God's Mother. The evil spirit is utterly powerless when a Scapular-wearer, besides his silent devotion faces temptation calling upon Mary. "If you had recommended yourself to me, you would not have run not such danger." was Our Lady's gentle reproach to Blessed Alan de la Roche, one of her devoted servants...
For Non-Catholics
Our Lady's Motherhood is not limited to Catholics: it is extended to all men. Many miracles of conversion have been wrought in favor of good non-Catholics who have been induced to practice the Scapular devotion.
Pope Benedict XV granted an indulgence of 500 days EACH TIME the Scapular is kissed. NOTE: nowadays we earn partial indulgence.
