Sep
27
2011
0
By Anonymous (not verified)
by Fr. Adam Boniecki, MIC
Wearing the Blue Scapular communicates that we have chosen to assume a special devotion to Our Lady. It is a sign of trust that Mary Immaculate, whom we love and want to serve, accepts our devotion and enfolds us in her mantle of protection.
The Blue Scapular signifies our consecration to her service, our assuming certain obligations in her service, and the Church's blessing - along with our desire to receive certain graces. Thus, it becomes a shield against infernal temptations as well as a symbol that we have put on the "new person" in Christ through Mary.
The Scapular's Origins
All of this rich imagery and the spiritual reality that it signifies had its origins many centuries ago in a garment called a scapula - meaning an arm, shoulder, and back. It consisted of two rectangular pieces of material, without sleeves, and was worn over the habit of a monk or nun.
Then, in the Middle Ages, the scapular was modified for use by lay people as an outward sign of their participation in the spiritual life of a particular religious order. Many times, such an association with an order was called a confraternity, and the sign of acceptance into these sorts of spiritual communities was when a priest of the order invested a lay person with the scapular.
At first, people wore the scapular over their clothing or armor. However, over time, the visible, showy piety became more discreet as people began to wear the scapular under their clothing.
Today there are a number of scapulars which are recognized by the Church, and many of them are associated in some way with Our Lady and religious communities dedicated to her. The Blue Scapular - which the Marians of the Immaculate Conception have the privilege of promoting - became connected with the Marians through an order called the Theatine Fathers.
The Marians and the Blue Scapular
The Marians of the Immaculate Conception promote the Blue Scapular. The Marians began to wear the scapular under their habit shortly after their founding in the late 1600s. They were then granted the privilege of propagating this devotion among the lay faithful and of establishing scapular confraternities. The Marians of old recognized they were obliged by their vocation to spread devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother.
Finally, on July 3, 1992, Fr. Donald Petraitus, MIC - my predecessor as
Superior General - obtained for himself and his successors a perpetual permission to bless and confer the scapular.
Connected with this privilege is the right to grant a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to the faithful who wear the scapular. The permission authorizes the General Superiors of the Marians to delegate other priests (or deacons) to bless and confer the Blue Scapular.
The scapular has profound significance for all the faithful. Its mystical meaning refers to the protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Under her protection, special gifts and assistance in life are promised to those who piously wear her scapular and exhibit the proper disposition of heart. This disposition is an aid to salvation, since wearing the scapular endows one with many graces promised by the Blessed Mother and granted by the Church.
Indeed, those who wear the scapular - embracing its obligations and seeking to receive the graces that are available - express their desire to become like Mary Immaculate, which means to avoid sin and to live in union with God.
Father Adam Boniecki, MIC, was Superior General of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception from 1993-1999.
Wearing the Blue Scapular communicates that we have chosen to assume a special devotion to Our Lady. It is a sign of trust that Mary Immaculate, whom we love and want to serve, accepts our devotion and enfolds us in her mantle of protection.
The Blue Scapular signifies our consecration to her service, our assuming certain obligations in her service, and the Church's blessing - along with our desire to receive certain graces. Thus, it becomes a shield against infernal temptations as well as a symbol that we have put on the "new person" in Christ through Mary.
The Scapular's Origins
All of this rich imagery and the spiritual reality that it signifies had its origins many centuries ago in a garment called a scapula - meaning an arm, shoulder, and back. It consisted of two rectangular pieces of material, without sleeves, and was worn over the habit of a monk or nun.
Then, in the Middle Ages, the scapular was modified for use by lay people as an outward sign of their participation in the spiritual life of a particular religious order. Many times, such an association with an order was called a confraternity, and the sign of acceptance into these sorts of spiritual communities was when a priest of the order invested a lay person with the scapular.
At first, people wore the scapular over their clothing or armor. However, over time, the visible, showy piety became more discreet as people began to wear the scapular under their clothing.
Today there are a number of scapulars which are recognized by the Church, and many of them are associated in some way with Our Lady and religious communities dedicated to her. The Blue Scapular - which the Marians of the Immaculate Conception have the privilege of promoting - became connected with the Marians through an order called the Theatine Fathers.
The Marians and the Blue Scapular
The Marians of the Immaculate Conception promote the Blue Scapular. The Marians began to wear the scapular under their habit shortly after their founding in the late 1600s. They were then granted the privilege of propagating this devotion among the lay faithful and of establishing scapular confraternities. The Marians of old recognized they were obliged by their vocation to spread devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother.
Finally, on July 3, 1992, Fr. Donald Petraitus, MIC - my predecessor as
Superior General - obtained for himself and his successors a perpetual permission to bless and confer the scapular.
Connected with this privilege is the right to grant a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to the faithful who wear the scapular. The permission authorizes the General Superiors of the Marians to delegate other priests (or deacons) to bless and confer the Blue Scapular.
The scapular has profound significance for all the faithful. Its mystical meaning refers to the protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Under her protection, special gifts and assistance in life are promised to those who piously wear her scapular and exhibit the proper disposition of heart. This disposition is an aid to salvation, since wearing the scapular endows one with many graces promised by the Blessed Mother and granted by the Church.
Indeed, those who wear the scapular - embracing its obligations and seeking to receive the graces that are available - express their desire to become like Mary Immaculate, which means to avoid sin and to live in union with God.
Father Adam Boniecki, MIC, was Superior General of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception from 1993-1999.
