Do You Wear A Scapular

[buzzoff1031]

I wear it, though not regularly. You can usually tell what state I'm in spiritually by whether I'm wearing the brown scapular.

[AudreyGrace]

[quote name='Micah' timestamp='1282940917' post='2164239']
Yeah, first day wearing it. It got really itchy after the shower. <__<
[/quote]

that's dedication right there.
showering's the only time I take mine off.
I wear mine in pools, lakes, stuff like that, just in case I drown. lol.

[jegudiel]

I was wondering what you were supposed to do regarding wear in the shower... thanks. I used to wear a brown scapular. I may go back to it.

[abrideofChrist]

I have a shower/water activities scapular and a nicer every day wear one.

[quote name='jegudiel' timestamp='1295810865' post='2203474']
I was wondering what you were supposed to do regarding wear in the shower... thanks. I used to wear a brown scapular. I may go back to it.
[/quote]

[Catherine Therese]

I'm enrolled in the Scapular of the Lay Fraternity of St Dominic. (White)

[ExCorde]

[quote name='Catherine Therese' timestamp='1296463115' post='2206959']
I'm enrolled in the Scapular of the Lay Fraternity of St Dominic. (White)
[/quote]

That's great! It has crossed my mind to join 3rd order/lay fraternities of dominican communities several times by now but I never looked too much into it apart from what I read online.

I answered "not sure" because although I have been invested in the brown scapular and I did write my name on the fraternity's books I always found it combersome to use, even as the miraculous medal. Because I need to go out of my way too much to make sure I wear it, I'm tempted to look at it in a supersitious way, as if it was "bad luck" not to wear it or as if I felt more confident and "lucky" by wearing it.

To complicate matters further, I also love the medal of St. Benedict, of which I have some outstanding crafts in steel from Germany. So I'd have carmelite and benedictine stuff to wear around my neck (and also dominican if I started living under a rule)! Not sure if two or three medals were too much, but the main problem for me is the string, what type of it to wear. Plus the way I have to make myself find practical reasons to wear it, as I mentioned...

Not sure if anyone else experiences this, but I'd like to wear it again. It's not a doctrinal issue for me, but of daily living.

Edited February 5, 2011 by ExCorde

[JenDeMaria]

[quote name='ExCorde' timestamp='1296910330' post='2209000']
That's great! It has crossed my mind to join 3rd order/lay fraternities of dominican communities several times by now but I never looked too much into it apart from what I read online.

I answered "not sure" because although I have been invested in the brown scapular and I did write my name on the fraternity's books I always found it combersome to use, even as the miraculous medal. Because I need to go out of my way too much to make sure I wear it, I'm tempted to look at it in a supersitious way, as if it was "bad luck" not to wear it or as if I felt more confident and "lucky" by wearing it.

To complicate matters further, I also love the medal of St. Benedict, of which I have some outstanding crafts in steel from Germany. So I'd have carmelite and benedictine stuff to wear around my neck (and also dominican if I started living under a rule)! Not sure if two or three medals were too much, but the main problem for me is the string, what type of it to wear. Plus the way I have to make myself find practical reasons to wear it, as I mentioned...

Not sure if anyone else experiences this, but I'd like to wear it again. It's not a doctrinal issue for me, but of daily living.
[/quote]

I wear the 5 fold scapular which contains the scapulars for the Servites, the Passionists, the Carmelites, the Theatines and the Trinitarians with a St. Francis medal attached to it (and a Miraculous, Rosa Mystica, and St. Benedict's medal with a tiny crucifix, to boot) so I vote that there's nothing wrong with wearing cross-order devotional items!

And I think that the best way to wear a scapular is to simply place it around your neck and never take it off After all, it is a very small monastic habit, which represents an article of clothing which most religious, sworn to a life of poverty, would wear every day without variation.

Also, just as a note, when you wear the brown scapular you are, essentially, telling our Lady that you are serious about wanting to be saved from eternal damnation by the grace of God which enables you to persevere in His Church. You can wear it and not be invested and that is more than ok -- it's still a prayer to our Lady and non-Catholics are encouraged to wear the brown scapular for this reason, even though they can't be invested (I wore a brown scapular, then my five-fold, all through RCIA because of this). If you fail to wear the scapular consistently or if you do not live up to the requirements, that's ok, too, you simply don't recieve all the benefits. The little brown scapular is designed for the laity, which is why it's requirements are so light. I believe, too, that's it's better to love our Lady haltingly than to set aside her devotional items because you aren't perfect -- which is a bit like setting the cart before the proverbial horse. Devotional items should help you move towards perfection, not require perfection.

There is a difference between wearing the miraculous medal and wearing the scapular. They mean different things. The scapular is a sign of your desire to persevere in the faith and it associates you with the Carmelite order (when you are invested you do share in all the orders prayers and good works, though you retain an association in the mildest sense possible). The miraculous medal affirms belief in our Lady's immaculate conception and in her role as mediatrix in the church -- that she is the neck, where Christ is the head. When you wear the miraculous medal you ask our Lady for those graces which you most need, especially those for which you would never think to ask.

It's very easy to attach a religious medal to a scapular. You simply open up the jump ring with a pair of plyers, slip the string of the scapular into the open jump ring, close with plyers and "Voila!", no more tangled chains and strings in the morning!

Edited to add: if anyone wants help with this, PM me.

Edited February 6, 2011 by JenDeMaria

[ExCorde]

[quote name='JenDeMaria' timestamp='1296956383' post='2209181']
There is a difference between wearing the miraculous medal and wearing the scapular. They mean different things. The scapular is a sign of your desire to persevere in the faith and it associates you with the Carmelite order (when you are invested you do share in all the orders prayers and good works, though you retain an association in the mildest sense possible). The miraculous medal affirms belief in our Lady's immaculate conception and in her role as mediatrix in the church -- that she is the neck, where Christ is the head. When you wear the miraculous medal you ask our Lady for those graces which you most need, especially those for which you would never think to ask.[/quote]

I remember that in the instructions they gave me back then (directly from the Third Order Carmelites - who were actually walking around covered in brown habits!), it was made clear that a miraculous medal was able to be used as a physical replacement for the scapular. I know the medal has a specificity to it but in this case it was said to serve the requirement of the scapular and offer the same benefits. I think there's a certain wisdom to that since it's all about Our Lady.

One thing that would really help me would be to find actual shops with stuff I would like to wear. Most of the stuff I've found is of pretty average quality, especially medals.

Do you have any suggestions of where I could buy [u]quality strings for men[/u]? (some place that would allow shipping to Portugal) Something that could be used while swimming without getting lost of falling apart would be especially welcome!

Edited February 6, 2011 by ExCorde