Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Today, the universal church celebrates the conception of Our Lady, immaculate, free from stain of sin, through the merits of her Divine Son. We also celebrate her identity as The Immaculate Conception, revealed by her to St. Bernadette at Lourdes. Coincidentally, today's reflection from 33 Days to Morning Glory discusses how the Holy Spirit is also The (uncreated) Immaculate Conception, and Mary's identity as The (created) Immaculate Conception comes from her role as His spouse, and consequently, her unity with Him. Good stuff, and particularly appropriate for this feast of the church, which makes me particularly sure that my choice of this set of dates was no mere coincidence. Our Lord and His Mother have been at work.
Of particular joy to me today, following Mass (because this particular feast is important enough to be named a Holy Day of Obligation), Father Jose enrolled me in the Brown Scapular Confraternity. I've worn a scapular before for a time, but was never officially enrolled, so it's a beautiful blessing to me to be properly invested now. I remember the first time I ever saw a brown scapular, and as a good Southern Baptist, I was properly scandalized. 😂 (Sorry, Allie!) I didn't say anything to my friend, beyond a noncommittal, "Oh, nice," but my mind was somewhere else entirely. To think, anyone would believe they could be guaranteed Heaven, no matter what, just by wearing some stupid cloth necklace! Those Catholics! 😮 Oh, but Our Lord has a sense of humor, and Our Lady must as well, because like so many things Catholic, I only had the smallest bit of information about her scapular. . . just enough to get the wrong idea. No, scapulars are not a Get Out of Hell Free card. They are a share in a monastic habit, specifically that of the Carmelite order. As such, they come with privileges, yes, but also responsibilities. If you fulfill the responsibilities inherent to the brown scapular, you will remain in a state of grace. . . and so merit (by the grace of Our Lord and the merits of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection) entrance to Heaven.
But I'm not here to catechize anyone on scapulars (Thank God). There's a load of information available to anyone who cares to search the internet, and it's far better than anything I could put together, particularly in the time I have available to me today. If you've stumbled upon this in the wilds of the internet (small chance of that, but if), and you're curious, hit up Google. YouTube also has some excellent videos, if listening is more your thing than reading. In fact, maybe I'll embed one here.
This Carmelite priest does a good job explaining the scapular, while keeping it short enough that you'll actually want to watch it. 😂
This is a step for me on the journey, an important one. With this choice, I officially throw in with the Carmelites. I add my prayers to those of the wider community, and claim a share in the merits of their prayers as well. With this choice, I have an entire religious order praying for me, and the promises that Mama Mary attached to it. May I prove a faithful daughter, and wear it without stain or blemish.
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