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THE BROWN SCAPULAR

THE HISTORY

In the Old Testament, Mount Carmel was held as a sacred place in which the power, providence, and presence of God was manifested -- such as in the story of Elijah in the Book of Kings ( 1 Kings 18:16-40). After Christ's life, hermits who called themselves "Carmelites" gathered in this place, seeking to live in the same spirit and zeal of Elijah, and in the spirit of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- in her perfect and constant recollection, life of love, and "fiat". The Carmelite Order has always been called "Mary's order", as it is "totus Marianus" -- totally Mary's; as it is oriented towards living her very own interior life. "Carmel" means garden, and by entering into Carmel, one enters into the very "enclosed garden" of Mary's Heart -- into her very own hidden and interior life... (swipe for more)

Why wear the
Brown Scapular?

The small Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (the kind made by Qui Minimo) is a miniature version, or an "extension" of this Scapular and promise that was given to the Carmelite order. By becoming "enrolled" in the Brown Scapular, one enters into this family and order of Carmel, and is promised a share in every grace of the entire Carmelite order. Not only this, but it is the physical reminder of our Blessed, beautiful Mother's maternal embrace, swaddling us as her children and forming us within herself as she did Christ,  into Christ her Son -- our Salvation. It is a visible sign of consecration to Jesus Christ through His beautiful Mother, and a visible and tangible reminder to truly "put on" and live in the Heart of our Mother -- the dwelling place of God.

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Our Lady of Fatima, in her last apparition to the shepherd children, appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding the Brown Scapular in her hands. She asked that everybody wear this Scapular as a sign of consecration to her Immaculate Heart.  Sister Lucia emphasized later that is it imperative that we understand both the Rosary and the Brown Scapular are inseparable from our Lady of Fatima's message.

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Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, O.C.D. wrote that a devotion of our Lady of Mount Carmel ultimately means "a special call to the interior life, which is preeminently a Marian life. Our Lady wants us to resemble her not only in our outward vestures but, far more, in heart and spirit. If we gaze into Mary's soul, we shall see that grace in her has flowered into a spiritual life of incalculable wealth: a life of recollection, prayer, uninterrupted oblation to God, continual contact and intimate union with Him. Mary's soul is a sanctuary reserved for God alone, where no human creature has ever left its trace, where love and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of mankind reign supreme... Those who want to live their devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the full must follow Mary into the depths of her interior life. Carmel is the symbol of the contemplative life. the life lived wholly dedicated to the quest of God, wholly oriented towards intimacy with God: the one who has best realized highest of ideals is our Lady herself, Queen and splendor of Carmel"

 

Fr. Gabriel Barry, O.C.D., "Mount Carmel", Carmelite Digest,

Vol. 1 No. 1, Winter 1986.

"May the loving memory of Mary accompany you day and night, wherever you are, wherever you go, in whatever you do. May it be a part of you conversation, your recreation, your sorrow, and your rest"

Carmelite Saints to know:

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Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face ("The Little Flower") -- Doctor of the Church

Saint Teresa of Jesus ("Saint Teresa of Avila") -- Doctor of the Church

Saint John of the Cross -- Doctor of the Church

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

Bl. Pere Marie-Eugene

Saint Anne of St. Bartholomew

Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified

The Carmelites of Compiegne (martyrs of Compiegne)

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