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Because of the importance of the scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Christian piety as a pledge of eternal salvation, we wanted to bring together in one category all the religious objects which concern this devotion and which are available on our Christian shop.
The main article is obviously the scapular of Mount Carmel in brown woolen fabric. It is this religious object that is really at the origin, at least for a large part, of the expansion of devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. As a reminder, this scapular is a reduction of the scapular of the habit of religious Carmelites.
The title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is well known because of the scapular bearing her name, but do we really know the origin and meaning of this expression?
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is first and foremost the name of a religious order better known as the Carmelite Order; as great known saints from this religious order, we can mention St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and of course St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and most recently St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.
This order was founded in Palestine by pilgrims or crusaders from the West at the time of the Crusades; the Rule dates from 1209. They lived a life of hermits on Mount Carmel and built a church which they consecrated to Mary; in return all consecrated themselves to the Virgin Mary. So this new order is really the order of Mary and they are called the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. They returned to Europe around 1250. They had to endure so much hardship that their existence was seriously compromised: no one wanted a new beggar order. But the Blessed Virgin came providentially to their aid by giving to Saint Simon Stock, in 1251, the scapular saint with the privilege "that I give to you and to all the children of Carmel, whoever dies wearing this garment will be saved". Thereafter this privilege will be extended to the faithful thanks to the small scapular. You will find more details about the history of the little scapular in the book "The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel".
We see that this title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is prior to the scapular and is above all the name of a religious order. But what does it mean?
Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel mean that the Carmelites are and remain above all consecrated of the Virgin. Mont-Carmel recalls the historical and geographical origin of the Order: the site of Mount Carmel at the time of the Crusades. But that means more than that; for the religious Carmelites it evokes the graces received from Mary by which she showed them her patronage and her protection. It is she who, especially by the gift of the scapular saved them from the danger of extinction. In this it is an image a symbol of what is the scapular for the faithful: a pledge of eternal salvation.
Thus, what the Blessed Virgin did for her Order at a time when it was particularly threatened is a sign. And thanks to the diffusion of the scapular, this sign has spread to the dimensions of Christianity and has acquired universal significance. By saving the Carmelite Order, which is her family, which belongs to her, the Virgin shows how she responds to those who devote herself to her: and the gesture she makes for him is the pledge of what she wants to do for the Church and for all Christians. The scapular is the sign of it. To receive it, indeed, is to consecrate oneself to Mary, and to bear it faithfully is to live this consecration.
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Showing 1-12 of 12 item(s)