Catholic sacramentals · Scapularies
Historical origin: Order of Carmen, XIII- 21st centuries.
What is and what is not
This object or practice belongs to the field of Catholic piety and must be understood from the general doctrine of the sacramentals. The sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church who, by their prayer, prepare to receive grace and sanctify the circumstances of life. They do not confer grace in the same way as the seven sacraments and do not act automatically. Matter, color, or form have no magic power.
History
The small brown scapular is the reduction of the habit of the Order of Carmen, born among Latin eremites of Mount Carmelo and moved to Europe during the 13th century. The later tradition placed in 1251 a vision of the Virgin to St. Simon Stock; the documentation preserved is later and must be presented as tradition, not as a contemporary act. Confraternities and potatoes boosted their use. A renewed rite of blessing and imposition was approved in 1996. The Directory on popular piety defines it as a sign of a filial relationship with Mary and a memory of being clothed with Christ in Baptism.
Its development is inserted into a broader Christian history. From the first centuries, the faithful used the sign of the cross, blessings, water, oil, clothing, pilgrimage and images to keep alive the memory of Baptism and the communion of the saints. In the Middle Ages, the cofradies and reduced forms of religious habits grew; the Modern Age multiplied rituals, medals and sanctuary memories. The contemporary liturgical reform called for a review of these practices so that they lead to the liturgy, sprout from it and avoid superstitions.
Christian use and blessing
The first imposition requires preparation and the rite of the Church. It is not a salvation insurance: it requires prayer, sacraments, works of mercy and Christian life.
The blessing must be done with a rite approved and by the competent minister. The faithful responds to that prayer by living the Gospel: faith, hope, charity, participation in the Eucharist, confession when necessary and works of mercy. A sacramental does not replace a medical consultation, a prudent decision or moral duty.
doctrinal sources for deepening
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1667-1679
- Code of Canon Law, 1166-1172
- Directory on popular piety and liturgy
