Scapular Skepticism

[dairygirl4u2c]

"Whosoever dies clothed in this Habit shall not die in mortal sin." To make this clear, the Church often inserts the word "piously" into the promise: Quicumque in hoc "pie" moriens, aeternum non patietur incendium, i. e., "Whosoever is clothed in this, dying piously shall not suffer eternal fires."

I have always been skeptical of the scapular.
If she meant what she said, then you could live life in mortal sin and and not have it count against you?
If you insert piously, or have the reaquirement of no mortal sin, then what's the point of the of wearing it?
If all that she's effectively said is that you'd be more predisposed to not sinning etc, then isn't it so far removed from the orginal statement as to make anyone skeptical, or that it's nullified the original meaning? couldnt this have just been a pious fraud (or taken to the extreme satanic), taken in by overly eager pius people when pious fraud would occur?

[Aloysius]

the original meaning IS wearing it piously; adding this word merely clarifies because the statement could be taken wrongly, but really, the meaning of "wearing" the scapular includes the devotions associated with it; if you're not doing those devotions and acting morally as is required, then you're not wearing the scapular.

[HisChildForever]

If you are in mortal sin and are wearing the scapular you are not automatically made "immune" from Hell. Rather, the opportunity for true repentance WILL show itself before your death - whether you have the sudden urge to go to Confession (the week before your death for example) or there is enough time for Last Rites while on your death bed. That is my take on it.

[Aloysius]

, and you are given that chance through the merits of the devotions you did because of the scapular; if someone wore the scapular but didn't do the prayers, such a person would not have really WORN the scapular, they just had the cloth on their body.

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
an idea i picked up from "Ask Sister Martha" blog. let's say that you do wear the scapular and either aren't wearing it piously or don't do what you are asked. what she opines is that if you are going to die, let's say get hit by a bus, that your scapular will be knocked off of you, and then you die. or let's say you get hurt and are in an ambulance and the EMT takes your scapular off of you and then you die.

so technically you die without it on.

i'll see if i can't find the original blog post. she explains it much better than i do.

[Aloysius]

i don't like that idea, seems to make the scapular much too superstitious. it is better to define "wearing the scapular" AS piously wearing the scapular; you're not really wearing the scapular if you're not doing it piously... it's not that hard to think the original statement really meant that; if you said of someone "he's wearing the benedictine habit"; that would easily mean he was a benedictine following the rule of benedict, and if he left the order but put the physical habit on, you wouldn't rally say that he was wearing the benedictine habit, would you?

[Nihil Obstat]

I really want to get a scapular...
Sometime I need to rustle up the initiative and actually do it.