There is a holy place in Israel that rises almost 1,800 feet above sea level.  It’s called Mount Carmel, a Hebrew name that means “God’s Garden.”  It was there that the Prophet Elijah confronted 450 prophets of the false god Baal; he convincingly demonstrated that there is no God except the True God (see 1 Kings 18).

Centuries later, in the late 1100’s, Christian hermits gathered in the caves of Mount Carmel to   pray and dedicate themselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary. But their peaceful existence was shattered by a Muslim invasion and they went into exile throughout Europe, including England.

There were many challenges for these English hermits and their superior, St. Simon Stock, begged the Blessed Mother to care for them.  According to tradition, she answered his prayers and in 1251 appeared to him holding in one arm the Christ Child and in the other arm a brown garment.  She told him: “Receive, my beloved son, this habit. It shall be to you and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whoever dies clothed in it shall never suffer eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace.”

The brown garment is the tunic that covers the front and back of the religious habit of the Carmelites.  Because it covers the shoulder blades or, in Latin, the “scapulae,” it is known as a “scapular.”  The privilege of wearing a modified, simple scapular consisting of two small pieces of wool attached to a string has been given to all those who ask to be formally blessed and invested with it.

The prayer of investiture is: “Receive this Scapular, a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your dignity as a Christian in serving others and imitating Mary. Wear it as a sign of her protection and of belonging to the family of Carmel, voluntarily doing the will of God and devoting yourself to building a world true to His plan of community, justice and peace.”

As we honor our Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we thank her for all her special favors but especially for giving us the brown scapular.  This religious article or sacramental should be treated with reverence.  It is not a good luck charm or ticket that allows free entrance into heaven no matter how one has lived one’s life.  To be invested in the scapular and to wear it means promising to live as a child of Mary and to be clothed in her virtues and holiness.