| | Mary’s Gift | | Carolyn Humphreys | | | We need signs and symbols to remind us of the deep realities of our faith, who we are as Christians and where we are headed. A sign is something that leads us to something else. “Symbol” comes from a Greek word that means “to bring together”. We are surrounded by material things that have symbolic meanings: water, bread, wedding rings, oil, the cross. Signs and symbols help us understand the mysteries of our faith. We see them in designs found on banners, sanctuary paraments, liturgical vestments and on some articles of clothing.
What is an article of clothing that has withstood the test of time, with designs that range from plain to fancy or service-oriented to sophisticated? It is worn by butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, chemists and other folks. This article of clothing is ubiquitous; we see it on young and old, men and women, sinners and saints. The answer is: an apron.
Aprons have long been used to protect clothing from dirt, grime, spills and spatters. Several Roman Catholic monastic religious orders have a large scapular as part of their habit. It consists of two long panels of undecorated cloth joined across the shoulders. It covers the back and front of a full-length tunic. Originally the scapular was like an apron, worn to protect the long tunic from soil and stain. The scapular-type apron was used in biblical times. There are images of St Joseph wearing one in his workshop. In the movie The Passion of the Christ, Jesus wears a scapular when writing in the sand.
The word “scapular” comes from the Latin “scapula”, which is the name of the two large flat triangular bones of the upper back. The Modern Catholic Dictionary edited by Father John Rardon, S.J tells us that there are some eighteen scapulars that have Church approval. For the laity, a scapular is usually an abbreviated form of those worn by religious; |
| two small pieces of cloth are joined by two strings or ribbons. It is worn underneath the clothing, around the neck, with the string resting on the shoulders and each part of the scapular resting on mid-chest and mid-back. Some scapulars symbolize an association with, or attachment to, a religious order within the Church. The best known scapulars are white (the Holy Trinity, Dominican Order), red (the Passion of Christ), black (the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Benedictine Order), blue (the Immaculate Conception) and brown (Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Carmelite Order).
As a sign of the yoke of Christ, the scapular reminds us that we are joined, and work together, with Jesus, who is the incarnation of God the Father’s love for us. As a continual sign of Jesus’ love for us, he founded our Church as the way that would lead us to the Father. Jesus gave us his mother, Mary, as our mother. She shows us how to live in love and faith.
The most common of all the scapulars is the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It symbolizes Mary’s love for us, our trust in her and our commitment to live like her. The brown scapular is a sign of a way of life that is dedicated to Mary. How is this lived out? We truly trust in her protection and aspire to follow her in her commitment to Christ and to others. Mary teaches us how to be open to God and how to do what he wants us to do within the circumstances of our lives. We are students of Mary. She instructs us how to listen to the word of God from the Bible and how to live what we hear by putting it into practice. Mary’s scapular reminds us to pray each day and to find God in everything that happens to us. The mother of God is our icon for living life at its fullest in our pilgrimage of faith. ...Contd. | | |
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