By JOE SIXPACK
Catholic spirituality is vital to the growth of the soul. The reason I specify Catholic spirituality instead of Christian spirituality is that any sort of spirituality that comes from outside the Catholic Church is not approved by the Church. Besides, with 2,000 years under our belt, there isn’t anything anyone else has to teach us on spiritual matters anyway. So from time to time, I’ll be writing about Marian apparitions, sacramentals, and means of spiritual growth the Church has approved. Church approval is very important for such things, because Christ established the Church for the benefit and protection of our souls.
It amazes me that Catholics often turn to spiritual things that are not in conformity with Catholic teaching when there are so many good things the Church has centuries of experience with that are proven and warmly embraced by the Church. I have to assume they embrace these things because they don’t realize what they’re doing isn’t good.
Even priests sometimes permit things in their parishes that are not allowed, and I have to assume it’s because they are unaware of certain prohibitions, as I can’t imagine a priest of the Living God intentionally doing something contrary to the Church’s teachings…especially something that could harm the souls of the parishioners he loves.
One such thing I see in parishes from time to time is called centering prayer. This was condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the Vatican office that deals with doctrinal issues — a good many years ago.
One of the many good things approved by the Church is what is commonly called the Brown Scapular — one of my personal favorites. The full name of this popular sacramental is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It consists of two small pieces of brown cloth attached by two cords. It’s worn by placing it over the shoulders so that one piece of the cloth rests on the wearer’s chest, the other on the back between the shoulder blades. The scapular is usually worn beneath the clothing.
Devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel actually predates the Church, going all the way back to the eighth century BC. Elias the prophet had ascended Mt. Carmel in Palestine to begin a long tradition of contemplation and prayer. Based on God’s promise in Gen. 3:15 that the Savior would enter the world through a woman, Elias began a devotion to the Mother of God 800 years before she was even born. Elias and his followers dedicated themselves to this most chosen woman among all women to become the Mother of the Savior. They stayed on Mt. Carmel and prayed for the coming of the Mother of God and the Savior for 800 years, until the actual coming of Christ.
On the Jewish feast of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit awakened the Church, the spiritual descendants of Elias and his followers came down from Mt. Carmel to attend the ancient feast at Jerusalem. At St. Peter’s preaching the good hermits realized the Lady to whom they were devoted had come and given birth to the Savior, and that He had completed the work of redemption. Consequently, they were baptized by the apostles. When the hermits were presented to our Lady they were overcome with a sense of majesty and sanctity which they never forgot. Upon their return to Mt. Carmel, they erected the first chapel ever built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From that time to present, devotion to the Mother of God has been handed down by the hermits of Mt. Carmel.
In AD 1241, the Baron de Grey of England returned home from the Crusades, bringing with him a group of Carmelites from the holy mountain, as the Muslims were intent on killing them if they remained there. He generously gave the hermits a manor house in Aylesford for their religious order to live in and grow.
Ten years later, at the donated manor house, St. Simon Stock was praying to our Lady for help when she appeared to him. As Mary handed St. Simon the Brown Scapular she said, “Take this scapular. Whosoever dies wearing it shall not suffer eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation, protection in danger, and a pledge of peace.”
On the very day our Lady gave the scapular to St. Simon, Lord Peter of Lenton urgently called the saint, “Come quickly, Father! My brother is dying in despair!” St. Simon went immediately to the dying man, asking our Lady to keep her promise. When draped with Simon’s scapular, the man immediately repented, made a good Confession, and died in the state of grace. That night the dead man appeared to his brother and said, “I have been saved through the most powerful Queen and the habit of that man as a shield.”
The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel has been associated with more miracles than any other sacramental, except the rosary. One such miracle occurred in the late summer of 1845 on the English ship King of the Ocean, when the ship found itself in a terrible hurricane. A Protestant minister, together with his wife and children and other passengers, struggled to the deck to pray for mercy and forgiveness, because the ship was about to sink and all aboard perish.
Among the crew was a young Irishman, John McAuliffe. Realizing the situation was hopeless, the young man opened his shirt, took off his scapular, made a Sign of the Cross with it over the angry waves, and tossed it into the ocean.
At that moment the sea became calm. Only one more wave washed over the deck, tossing young John’s scapular at his feet. He put it back on and went about his business. But Mr. Fisher, the minister, had observed all of McAuliffe’s actions. Upon questioning the young man, the minister and his family were told about the Holy Virgin and her scapular. The Fishers were so impressed that they became Catholics as soon as possible, thus enjoying the Virgin’s patronage.
I wish there was room here to tell you about some of the other truly extraordinary miracles associated with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Some of them are even documented in official government archives and records.
For a complete history of and theology on the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, I fully recommend you read the most exhaustive book on the subject I’m aware of: Sign of Her Heart, by John Mathias Haffert. It may be obtained from the World Apostolate of Fatima, P.O. Box 976, Washington, NJ 07882. Their phone number is 908-689-1700, and the website is www.wafusa.org. I very strongly urge you to read this wonderful book. It’s not only an easy read, but it’s actually a real page turner…unusual for a work of non-fiction.
I’ve read well over one thousand books pertaining to our holy and ancient Catholic faith, and this one is one of the few I’ve read multiple times and have never forgotten.
If you have a question or comment you can reach out to me through the “Ask Joe” page of JoeSixpackAnswers.com, or you can email me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
Hey, how would you like to see things like this article every week in your parish bulletin as an insert? You or your pastor can learn more about how to do that by emailing me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
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