Scapular

[heisenburg]

Just a quick question…

Perhaps it is my own misunderstanding, and I can acknowledge that. While I understand that the messages behind the various scapulars are considered private revelation and are not required for belief, however, how is wearing a scapular not comparable to a superstition…

My understanding, and it could be off, is that if you wear a scapular at the time of death, it is a shoe in for Heaven…

Sounds to me a lot like the buying a statue upside down to sell your house…

Anyway… any information provided would be most appreciative

In Christ

 

[Sr_Sally]

Scaramentals–like the Sacraments–are outward signs of inward grace. You wear the scapular as a reminder to you of the things you believe. It is the things you believe that get you into heaven (ie, I believe in the grace of God, the resurrection of Christ, etc.)

Wearing a scapular can be a real pain–it is itchy and uncomfortable sometimes. I nearly strangled myself with it last night! In that situation I felt free to take it off. I don’t wear it when bathing or swimming. Yes, I might drown in the pool, but I don’t think I’ll go straight to hell for the mere reason that I took it off to swim!

Others who wear one may be more pious about it than I, but I comfort myself that there are plenty of Saints already in heaven who never wore one!

 

[misslollipops]

I was taught when I grew up that if I wore the scapular,I would go right to heaven when I die. I carried a scapular for many years during my late teens and early twenties.
So I was basing my salvation on two pieces of paper connected with a string!
On one piece of paper was a picture or an artists rendition of Mary. On the other was a rendition of a heart. Supposedly the heart of Jesus.
It is now twenty years after carrying that religious relic. I have since accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour and have been born again.
Now I read the bible and I am maturing in my faith.
I look back with horror and anger of what I was erroneously taught about that scapular.
I was basing my eternal resting place on two pieces of paper connected with a string!
What a travesty.
I thank the Lord that I didn’t die while carrying that thing.
Praise God for showing me the error of my ways.

 

[heisenburg]

Miss…

Keep in mind something very simple… while I am looking for more information on it… it was revealed in a private revelation. In other words, you were never required to believe. But there are some aspects that I am curious about.

However, keep in mind something very simple… and I do mean this with the deepest of respect, Why did you never research it further? We are required to search for truth. Never is it said that truth would be fed to us. If what you learned about the CC and the Scapular was simply due to passive learning, is it really the churches fault?

I have full faith that there is a valid explanation. Why? because in my seeking, I have come to accept that Christ established a visible part of his Body Of Christ. And that he would protect it. It is not something i was force fed, or something I was just told to believe. I questioned everything, and then sought the answer. AS a sought, the Catholic response seemed to fit the most with respect to scripture…

And now, I have the deepest relationship with Jesus I have ever had in my entire life

Seek and you shall find…

But what if you never seek…

I have questions about it, thats why I seek.

 

[PinoyCatholic]

I was taught when I grew up that if I wore the scapular,I would go right to heaven when I die. I carried a scapular for many years during my late teens and early twenties.
So I was basing my salvation on two pieces of paper connected with a string!
On one piece of paper was a picture or an artists rendition of Mary. On the other was a rendition of a heart. Supposedly the heart of Jesus.
It is now twenty years after carrying that religious relic. I have since accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour and have been born again.
Now I read the bible and I am maturing in my faith.
I look back with horror and anger of what I was erroneously taught about that scapular.
I was basing my eternal resting place on two pieces of paper connected with a string!
What a travesty.
I thank the Lord that I didn’t die while carrying that thing.
Praise God for showing me the error of my ways.

So you’re saying your basing your eternal resting place in thousands of pieces of paper connected by hard binding is much better than your having based your eternal resting place on two pieces of paper connected with a string? What’s the difference? Didn’t you believe in God’s grace and saving power through those two pieces of paper connected with a string when you were younger? Didn’t you have faith back then?

 

[bpbasilphx]

And tell us, misslollipops, do you feel spiritually superior to anyone on these blogs because of this?

if you do, you TOTALLY misunderstand what is meant by being “born again,” and it’s a good sign that you may not really be.

 

[Della]

Just a quick question…

Perhaps it is my own misunderstanding, and I can acknowledge that. While I understand that the messages behind the various scapulars are considered private revelation and are not required for belief, however, how is wearing a scapular not comparable to a superstition…

My understanding, and it could be off, is that if you wear a scapular at the time of death, it is a shoe in for Heaven…

Sounds to me a lot like the buying a statue upside down to sell your house…

Anyway… any information provided would be most appreciative

In Christ

What you are asking about is called the Scapular Promise given to St. Simon Stock by Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1251 AD. St. Simon had been praying for his Order, the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, because it was in danger of being suppressed in England (that’s a long story that doesn’t really apply here). He composed the beautiful “Flos Carmeli” or “Flower of Carmel” prayer, asking for Mary’s intercession for the Order. She responded by appearing to him and promising him that his habit, the scapular of his Order, would be a sign of salvation to all who wear it, thus encouraging him and promising to always be with the Order.

It was taken up by the laity as a private devotion and approved by the pope as a sacramental. In more modern times it was reduced to to small pieces of wool (not paper) attached by strings and worn on the shoulders like the religious habit. As time passed and the need arose, the Scapular Medal was approved for those serving in the military who could not wear the cloth scapular, and also for those living in weather conditions in which the cloth doesn’t hold up well. The medal has all the same indulgences attached to it as the cloth scapular.

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Brown Scapular as it is commonly called is not a tailsman against evil or a charm. It is a sacramental that reminds the wearer that he has promised to live his baptismal vows according to the spirituality of Carmel, the religious order. It is a help to devotion and prayer whose promise only applies if one is living one’s life in a state of grace. And that is probably more than you ever wanted to know.

 

[misslollipops]

And tell us, misslollipops, do you feel spiritually superior to anyone on these blogs because of this?

if you do, you TOTALLY misunderstand what is meant by being “born again,” and it’s a good sign that you may not really be.

Spritually superior not at all.
But no longer under false teaching, yes.

 

[misslollipops]

So you’re saying your basing your eternal resting place in thousands of pieces of paper connected by hard binding is much better than your having based your eternal resting place on two pieces of paper connected with a string? What’s the difference? Didn’t you believe in God’s grace and saving power through those two pieces of paper connected with a string when you were younger? Didn’t you have faith back then?

Are you comparing Gods infallible word to a scapular?
You don’t see the difference between these two things?

The bible explains God’s will for us and gives us the plan of salvation.
The scapular is a two pictures held together on a string.
Do I have to explain the difference further?

 

[LilyM]

In regard to that scapular promise - put it this way. The Scapular is a visible reminder of the promises WE make and the obligations WE undertake (such as daily prayer) upon enrolment. These are what saves us, not the cloth.

Much like a wedding ring reminds a spouse of the vows they undertook in the marriage ceremony.

I’m sure married people here can tell you that the constant reminder of that ring upon their finger can give them fortitude to stay faithful to their marital vows in situations where theyre tempted to stray. Isn’t it typical for people to take their rings off when they’re having or seeking an affair?

It’s not the object itself that helps in this situation - if a person wore a necklace or bracelet as a symbol of their marriage it would work just as well.

So with the Scapular - it’s the promises we make when we put it on that matter, not the piece of cloth. Which is why one can wear a medal as a substitute, for instance. Or not wear it at times.

 

[misslollipops]

In regard to that scapular promise - put it this way. The Scapular is a visible reminder of the promises WE make and the obligations WE undertake (such as daily prayer) upon enrolment. These are what saves us, not the cloth.

Much like a wedding ring reminds a spouse of the vows they undertook in the marriage ceremony.

I’m sure married people here can tell you that the constant reminder of that ring upon their finger can give them fortitude to stay faithful to their marital vows in situations where theyre tempted to stray. Isn’t it typical for people to take their rings off when they’re having or seeking an affair?

It’s not the object itself that helps in this situation - if a person wore a necklace or bracelet as a symbol of their marriage it would work just as well.

So with the Scapular - it’s the promises we make when we put it on that matter, not the piece of cloth. Which is why one can wear a medal as a substitute, for instance. Or not wear it at times.

As long as we agree that the scapular does nothing.
My bone of contention was that I was lead to believe I would go to heaven IF I was wearing a scapular when I died.
When really the only way to heaven is repentance and belief in Jesus as Lord and saviour. Scapular has nothing to do with that.

 

[LilyM]

As long as we agree that the scapular does nothing.
My bone of contention was that I was lead to believe I would go to heaven IF I was wearing a scapular when I died.
When really the only way to heaven is repentance and belief in Jesus as Lord and saviour. Scapular has nothing to do with that.

Of course we agree, and the Church does too. Although we’d probably disagree on what repentance involves and what belief in Christ entails

The RCC can’t answer for every improperly educated Catholic out there. People themselves choose to investigate and learn their faith properly or not.

 

[BeeSweet]

As long as we agree that the scapular does nothing.
My bone of contention was that I was lead to believe I would go to heaven IF I was wearing a scapular when I died.
When really the only way to heaven is repentance and belief in Jesus as Lord and saviour. Scapular has nothing to do with that.

The scapular has everything to do with repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! It’s a simple outward indicator of such! It’s not that you necessarily need the physical scapular, just as you don’t need flowers on the table, but it’s nice when it’s there, especially when you know you’re meeting with someone special (as in meeting Jesus at death).

The Blessed Virgin teaches us:

* To be open to God, and to his will, shown to us in the events of our lives;
* To Listen to the Word of God in the Bible and in life, to believe in it and to put into practice its demands;
* To pray at all times, as a way of discovering the presence of God in all that is happening around us;
* To be involved with people, being attentive to their needs.

The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the Order, which has seen in it a sign of Mary’s motherly protection. It has therefore, a centuries old spiritual meaning approved by Church.

* It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ. This commitment finds its origin in baptism by which we become children of God.
* It leads us into the community of Carmel, a community of religious men and women, which has existed in the Church for over eight centuries.
* It reminds us of the example of the saints of Carmel, with whom we establish a close bond as brothers and sisters to one another.
* It is an expression of our belief that we will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayers of Mary.

Source

I’m so glad you’re here with us Misslollipops, and I sincerely hope your contentions with the True faith as established on earth by Jesus Christ Himself are worked through, and that you are given sight to come back to Him! He is waiting for you in the Eucharist!

 

[PinoyCatholic]

Are you comparing Gods infallible word to a scapular?
You don’t see the difference between these two things?

The bible explains God’s will for us and gives us the plan of salvation.
The scapular is a two pictures held together on a string.
Do I have to explain the difference further?

Yes I am comparing because you’re missing the point entirely. What I was pointing out was that you seemed to have faith that God would save you through the scapular when you were younger. Stop worshiping your Bible.

God’s infallible word? You mistake your bible for Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is not a book.

The Bible doesn’t explain anything, let alone God’s will for us. It’s a book. Jesus Christ explains God’s will for us and gives us the plan of salvation. That plan has been passed down to the apostles and disciples to relay to us and explain. The bible is a partial record at best.

Don’t get me wrong, the Bible is very important to me, but as holy as the book is, it will only confuse me until someone explains it to me, much like the eunuch in Acts 8:27.

As for your scapular, too bad you now disdain the faith you had when you were young.

 

[misslollipops]

Yes I am comparing because you’re missing the point entirely. What I was pointing out was that you seemed to have faith that God would save you through the scapular when you were younger. Stop worshiping your Bible.

God’s infallible word? You mistake your bible for Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is not a book.

The Bible doesn’t explain anything, let alone God’s will for us. It’s a book. Jesus Christ explains God’s will for us and gives us the plan of salvation. That plan has been passed down to the apostles and disciples to relay to us and explain. The bible is a partial record at best.

Don’t get me wrong, the Bible is very important to me, but as holy as the book is, it will only confuse me until someone explains it to me, much like the eunuch in Acts 8:27.

As for your scapular, too bad you now disdain the faith you had when you were young.

My friend you NEED to open up your bible.
Get into a bible believing church.
You are very confused.

 

[misslollipops]

The scapular has everything to do with repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! It’s a simple outward indicator of such! It’s not that you necessarily need the physical scapular, just as you don’t need flowers on the table, but it’s nice when it’s there, especially when you know you’re meeting with someone special (as in meeting Jesus at death).

Source

I’m so glad you’re here with us Misslollipops, and I sincerely hope your contentions with the True faith as established on earth by Jesus Christ Himself are worked through, and that you are given sight to come back to Him! He is waiting for you in the Eucharist!

I recieve communion at my church. Body and blood of Christ.
We do it in rememberance of Him.

 

[bpbasilphx]

<>

Did it ever occur to you that maybe YOU are the one who is wrong, confused, and need to get with the ORIGINAL Bible-believing Church–the one that WROTE the Bible to start with?

 

[bpbasilphx]

<>

Actually, the Greek word ANEMNESIS used in the Synoptic Gospels does NOT mean a mere mental remembrance.

It means to make present that which is thus commemorated.

That’s what the Bible teaches.

If your church doesn’t teach this, it’s not a Bible believing Church, and you are receiving mere bread and wine–possibly unto your own damnation.

 

[bpbasilphx]

<<Spritually superior not at all.
But no longer under false teaching, yes.>>

Where did you get the idea you were not under false teaching?

The very claim is in itself a claim to spiritual superiority.

Don’t you just HATE it when others don’t acknowledge your self-conferred spiritual superiority?

 

[misslollipops]

<>

Did it ever occur to you that maybe YOU are the one who is wrong, confused, and need to get with the ORIGINAL Bible-believing Church–the one that WROTE the Bible to start with?

I was wrong and confused when I was under the teaching of the RCC