How the Scapular is a relic

Are there relics of Mary? 

 

Our Lady was assumed bodily into heaven, so there are no first-class relics of the Blessed Mother (although there are some who claim to possess hairs that were Mary’s). 

 

There are also claims to second-class Marian relics, most notably her cloak and cincture, along with a few others (such as the Holy House of Loretto). 

 

There are differing opinions regarding the authenticity of some of these relics, but that won’t be the focus of this article. However, these are obviously interesting topics and a potential source of piety for those interested. 

 

(And as a side note, the relative lack of Marian relics is a clear testimony to the Catholic belief in the Assumption. Mary is so highly venerated that had Christians ever believed she was NOT assumed into heaven, then there undoubtedly would be more claims regarding her relics). 

 

How the Brown Scapular is a relic 

 

Can it be considered a relic?

 

First, what is a relic? 

 

Every Catholic knows that, right? But a reminder can sometimes be helpful.

 

Relics come in three classes. A first-class relic is part of a saint’s body. A second-class relic is something that the saint owned. And a third-class relic is something that has been touched to a first-class relic. 

 

Relics are memorials of saints, and they’re sacramentals. They dispose us to God’s grace, and we venerate them because the bodies of the saints were Temples of the Holy Spirit when they were alive. 

 

And let’s just be honest. 

 

It’s a universal impulse to cherish something that reminds us of a person we love. We keep photographs of loved ones and mementos from people we cherish. So it only makes sense that we would do the same for God’s beloved. 

 

(However, it’s good to know that the Church has a sound theological reason for venerating relics). 

 

But how does this make the Scapular a relic? Our Lady never owned the scapular around your shoulders. And unless it was touched to something that Mary owned, then it isn’t a third-class relic either. 

 

So how can we think of it as a relic?

 

Scapular Miracles

 

There are countless miracles surrounding the Brown Scapular. We’ll discuss more of them here in the future, but it’s remarkable how many miracles happen that just regard the scapular itself, from centuries ago down to our own times.

 

A very famous story involves the ship, King of the Ocean, which was making its way to Australia in 1845. The ship was pitched about so fiercely in a storm, that the passengers had all but prepared to die. 

 

Then an Irishman by the name of John McAuliffe took off his scapular and held it out. After making the sign of the cross, he tossed it into the ocean, and by all accounts - the storm subsided, and the ship was saved. 

 

And the miracle didn’t end there. According to the story, a Protestant minister and his family -  who were on the ship and were so impressed by what happened - went to a Catholic church as soon as they landed in Australia, asking to be received into the Catholic Faith.

 

And perhaps the most charming detail is this: after the storm subsided, the scapular was washed back onto the ship, where it was retrieved by McAuliffe (who no doubt was relieved, in more ways than one, to see his scapular again). 

 

Here’s what’s interesting. 

 

According to the accounts of the incident, McAuliffe simply threw his scapular into the ocean. He didn’t say anything or offer a prayer. (Maybe he did in his heart or maybe it all happened too quickly). But God responded to the simple, trusting action of throwing his scapular at the danger.

 

Obviously, any miracle is performed by God’s will alone, and yet this story highlights something very powerful: that the simple piece of cloth - the scapular itself, which is so closely tied to Our Lady and her promises - was enough to prompt a powerful response from God. 

 

Our Lady’s Garment

 

Our Lady has referred to the Brown Scapular as her garment. This is what she covers us with to offer us her protection, and this is what she has “left behind” with her devotees.

 

Just as the prophet Elijah (to whom Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is closely connected) left behind his mantle when he was taken into heaven, Mary has left her mantle to all Christians in the form of the Brown Scapular, after her Assumption into heaven. 

 

And just as God performed miracles through Elijah’s mantle, so does God perform miracles through Mary’s mantle, her garment, the Brown Scapular. 

 

So while it may not be an “official by the book” relic (so to speak), treating the brown scapular that we wear around our shoulder as a relic of Our Lady can be spiritually beneficial. 

 

While it isn’t something that Our Lady literally owned here on earth, it is something that she performed miracles just to get into our hands, and for this reason, we can treat it as a relic that disposes us to God’s grace in a special way. 

 

A special relic

 

We revere relics because of their close connection to the saints, whose bodies were former Temples of the Holy Ghost. And at present, the bodies of the saints await the reunion with their souls at the General Resurrection. 

 

But regarding Marian relics, one cannot help but marvel at the fact that the body of Our Blessed Mother has never ceased to be a Temple for the Holy Ghost, for she was full of grace at the time of her Annunciation, was assumed into Heaven and even now lives in Heaven body and soul.

 

By wearing her garment around our shoulders each day and calling to mind our devotion to her, we daily place ourselves close to the awesome holiness of Our Lady, who stands in the presence of God even at this very moment.

 

 

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