“The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable.”
Sr. Lucia (one of the Fatima shepherds)
Why are the Brown Scapular and the Rosary so essential to the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart?
In 1251, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock, who was the Superior (or leader) of the Carmelite religious order. She showed him a Brown Scapular saying, “This shall be a sign to you and to all Carmelites: whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire [hell].”
The Brown Scapular should be worn daily as a sign of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but what does consecration mean?
To consecrate means to set aside and dedicate for holy purposes.
By consecrating or dedicating ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are asking her to help us love God with all our hearts. We want our hearts to become holy like her heart, which was always immaculate (cf. Lk 1:28) – without sin – and completely united to God.
Mary called herself the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38) and rejoiced in doing whatever was God’s will.
When attending a Catholic Mass, we can ask Mary to spiritually place our hearts with Jesus on the paten (little plate) that the priest holds. Then when the priest offers Jesus to God the Father in Heaven, our hearts will be offered with Jesus. We can give God everything through Mary.
The Rosary is a centuries-old method of meditation which is based on Scripture.
By praying the Rosary, we will imitate Mary, who reflected on things in her heart (Luke 2:19).
Wearing the Carmelite Brown Scapular, as a sign of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and praying the Rosary are daily efforts that help us to imitate Mary’s sinless example of living in complete union with God.
When we live in union with God, we will turn away from evil.
In 1917, God sent His Mother to Fatima with a message of hope for a broken and sinful world. It is love that saves souls and it is love that conquers evil. It is love that unites the Immaculate Heart of Mary to God, and it is love that calls us to follow God as Mary did; and that is what devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary truly means.
“God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”
- Our Lady of Fatima, July 13, 1917