Explanation of the Promise:
Many Popes, saints, and Catholic theologians have explained that, according to this promise, those who devote themselves to the scapular and wear it will receive from the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the hour of death, the grace of perseverance in the state of grace (without mortal sin) or the grace of contrition (repentance). For the devotee, the scapular is a sign of their commitment to live the Christian life, following the perfect example of the Blessed Virgin.
The scapular has 3 meanings:
1) The love and maternal protection of Mary: The sign is a piece of cloth or small mantle. We see how Mary, upon the birth of Jesus, wraps Him in a mantle. A mother always seeks to shelter her children.
To be enveloped in her mantle is a very maternal sign of protection and care. It signifies that she wraps us in her maternal love. She makes us her own. She covers us from the ignominy of our spiritual nakedness.
We see in the Bible:
– God covered Adam and Eve with a mantle after they sinned. (mantle – sign of forgiveness)
– Jonathan gave his mantle to David: a symbol of friendship.
– Elijah gave his mantle to Elisha and filled him with his spirit upon his departure.
– St. Paul: clothe yourselves with Christ: to put on the mantle of His virtues.
2) Belonging to Mary: We bear a mark that distinguishes us as her chosen children. The scapular becomes a symbol of our consecration to Mary.
Consecration: ‘to belong to Mary’ is to acknowledge her maternal mission over us and to surrender ourselves to her guidance, teaching, and shaping in her heart. This way, we can be used by her for the extension of the Kingdom of her Son.
– In 1950, Pope Pius XII wrote about the scapular: “May it be your sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which we particularly need in these dangerous times.”
In the words of the Pope, we see that devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is devotion to the Immaculate.
Those who wear the scapular must be aware of their consecration to God and the Virgin and be consistent in their thoughts, words, and deeds.
3) The gentle yoke of Christ: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:29-30)
– The scapular symbolizes that yoke which Jesus invites us to bear, but which Mary helps us to carry.
Whoever wears the scapular must identify as a Catholic without fear of the rejections and difficulties that this yoke may bring.
We must live what it signifies
The scapular is a sign of our identity as Catholics, intimately linked to the Virgin Mary with the purpose of living fully according to our baptism. It represents our decision to follow Jesus through Mary in the spirit of religious life but adapted to our own vocation. This requires us to be poor (a simple lifestyle without material attachments), chaste, and obedient out of love for God.
By wearing the scapular, we constantly make a silent plea for continuous assistance from the Blessed Mother. The Virgin teaches us and intercedes for us to receive the graces to live as she did—open to the Lord, listening to His Word, praying, discovering God in daily life, and being attentive to the needs of our brothers and sisters. The scapular is also a reminder that our goal is heaven and that all that is of this world is passing away.
In moments of temptation, we take the scapular in our hands and invoke the assistance of the Mother, resolved to be faithful to the Lord. She directs us towards the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son, and the devil is forced to retreat, defeated.
