The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has seen in it a sign of Mary's motherly protection.
One of the signs in the tradition of the Church from many centuries ago is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is a sign approved by the Church and accepted by the Carmelite Order as an external sign of love for Mary, of the trust her children have in her, and a commitment to live like her.
The word "scapular" indicates a form of clothing which monks wore when they were working. With the passage of time, people began to give symbolic meaning to it: the cross to be borne every day as disciples and followers of Christ. In some religious orders, such as the Carmelites, the Scapular came to symbolize the special dedication of Carmelites to Mary, the Mother of God, and to express trust in her motherly protection as well as the desire to be like her in their commitment to Christ and to others. Thus it became a sign of Mary.
* a magical charm to protect you
* an automatic guarantee of salvation
* an excuse for not living up to the demands of the Christian life
* which has been approved by the Church for over 7 centuries;
* which stands for the decision to
- follow Jesus like Mary:
- be open to God and to His will
- be guided by faith, hope and love
- to pray at all times
- to discover God present in all that happens around us.
In the Middle Ages, many Christians wanted to be associated with the orders founded at that time: Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and Carmelites. Groups of lay people began to emerge in associations such as confraternities and sodalities.
All the religious orders wanted to give to lay people a sign of affiliation and of participation in their spirit and apostolate. That sign was often a part of their habit - a cloak, a cord, a scapular.
Among the Carmelites, the stage came when a smaller version of the Scapular was accepted as the sign of belonging to the Order and an expression of its spirituality.
The Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us:
The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has seen it it a sign of Mary's motherly protection. It has therefore, a century's old spiritual meaning approved by the Church.