I hope you don’t mind me asking, but as a new Catholic as of this Easter Vigil, I am still learning…Is there some sort of protection you believe this piece of fabric to offer? I am really confused about that. Thank you in advance for any information you could provide.
Some people do think of it that way, putting more stock in legends and miracles associated with the scapular. I don’t go for that kind of reasoning.
The Brown Scapular is an abbreviated form of the Carmelite religious habit, and by being enrolled in it, one shares in the spiritual benefits of the Carmelite family and entrusts oneself to the patronage our Lady of Mount Carmel. This also entails a participation to some degree in Carmelite spirituality.
The official Carmelite catechesis for the Brown Scapular is this:
meditationsfromcarmel.com/content/scapular-catechesis
The advantage to this catechesis is that it’s solidly rooted in Catholic faith and teaching, and does not rely on visions and legends to promote the Scapular. In fact, the Carmelites are working to “relcaim” the Brown Scapular and reinforce its Carmelite ties, which had since become one of the more abused sacramentals in the Church.
That’s why I asked earlier: why would one swim in one’s religious habit? The answer is that one doesn’t. Carmelite scapulars are huge, and they would easily drag them down if they were to swim in them. For all practical reasons, they have to take them off when they swim or bathe. If they can take their large scapulars off, we can also take our small scapulars off as well. The Brown Scapular is like a worn prayer; it is a garment, part of a religious habit. We wear it for the same reason Carmelites wear their habit. It is not a charm or talisman, and we don’t wear it because of any alleged miracles or promise, but because it is a sign of us placing ourselves under our Lady’s intercessory protection and our sharing in the spiritual goods of the family of Carmel.
