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September 22, 2022What is the origin of the scapular promise?
The Carmelites are named after Mt. Carmel, the same place where the prophet Elijah had his contest with the priests of Ba’al and lived as a hermit. The first record we have of the Carmelites is from the 12th century, when hermits began living on the mountain in imitation of Elijah and with a strong devotion to Mary.
The Carmelites consider Elijah to be the spiritual father of the order, and some even believe that Elijah himself founded the Order and that it existed in some form from his own lifetime. (Church Fathers have interpreted the cloud that Elijah saw rising from the sea after his contest with the priests of Ba’al to be a sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Because of conditions in Palestine, they began moving to Europe from the Holy Land in the 13th century and in 1242 a group of Carmelites moved to England.
St. Simon was made General of the entire order in 1247.
Who was St. Simon Stock?
Simon Stock was an English hermit and itinerant preacher who loved God deeply. From the time he was 12 years old he had lived in the hollow trunk of an oak tree (perhaps in reference to the dendrites from the time of the ancient desert fathers?) and had a profound devotion to Our Lady.Before the Carmelites came to England, Our Lady appeared to him in a vision, saying that an order devoted to her would soon be arriving from the Holy Land and that he should join them. Even though he was an older man at this point, the energy that he brought to the Carmelites and his evident holiness and love for Our Lady soon saw him named as the General of the whole order.Hard times
The spiritual life is challenging. The religious indifferentism of today might make us think that people who lived in a more Christian culture had it easier, but the followers of Christ have always faced challenges. That’s certainly the case with St. Simon Stock after he took charge of the Carmelite order.The Carmelites were new on the European continent, and in order for them to succeed in a new environment, Stock would have to lead them through major changes. They were used to lives of solitude on Carmel but would have to adapt to a more mixed charism in Europe. Stock sent the younger members of the order for training at the universities, a decision that wasn’t popular within the Order.The Carmelites were not welcomed by all of the established secular clergy, who saw them as another mendicant order. The mendicants (Franciscans, Dominicans) were still new at the time and were not universally popular or accepted by local clergy. Many viewed them the same way, and with their strange-looking habits, they inspired much opposition.A turn to prayer
These were difficult times for St. Simon. He had spent nearly his whole life dedicated to prayer and living the life of a hermit. He had sought companionship with God and the Virgin Mary alone, and now he was the head of a new, strange order that many people rejected. Plus he had to deal with the complaints from the men in his own order.It’s easy to imagine how he must have felt, having given so much energy at the end of his life, only to seemingly inspire animosity from every quarter.A beautiful prayer
Torn by both dissension and persecution, he turned to Our Lady in prayer. Kneeling in his cell he offered a beautiful, heartfelt prayer to Our Lady:Flower of Carmel,Vine blossom-laden,Splendor of Heaven,Child-bearing maiden,None equals thee!O Mother benign,Who no man didst know,On all Carmel’s children,They favors bestow,Star of the sea!A mother’s response
It was in this moment, that Our lady responded with a promise that would bless not only St. Simon, but all Christians who wear the Brown Scapular:RECEIVE, MY BELOVED SON, THIS HABIT OF THY ORDER: THIS SHALL BE TO THEE AND TO ALL CARMELITES A PRIVILEGE, THAT WHOSOEVER DIES CLOTHED IN THIS SHALL NEVER SUFFER ETERNAL FIREAt this moment Mary offered the Brown Scapular, to which the promise is attached to this day, and in later years, Mary (and the Church officially) extended this promise to all who wear and are enrolled in the Brown Scapular.Any Christian - even you - who is dedicated to God and wears the Brown Scapular will not suffer the fires of hell!God is faithful
We don’t know many details about St. Simon Stock. But his life tells us one crucial thing to help us understand the Brown Scapular - that God will be true to his word and bless those who are devoted to him.In spite of whatever difficulties or suffering you encounter in this life, remain devoted to God and Our Lady, and you will be blessed abundantly with eternal life.
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(St. Simon's prayer and the words of Our Lady's promise can be found in Mary in Her Scapular Promise by John Mathias Haffert).
