Scapulars not magical, says Church exec

MANILA, Philippines - A Church official has a message for Filipino Catholics who are fond of wearing scapulars and medals: these are not magical objects.

Monsignor Alejandro Esperancilla, special assistant for liturgical affairs of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles in Jaro, Iloilo, said there are Filipino Catholics who wear scapulars and medals as amulets and believe these could do magic, but this is not true.

He also raised concern that some Catholics do not really know what scapulars and medals are for.

“One has to understand their use. Just getting hold of the promise without understanding its content and demands can easily lead them to be treated as amulets and bodily decorations,” Esperancilla told the CBCPNews.

Esperancilla explained that wearing medals and scapulars is an expression that the faithful want to “place themselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and) this will necessarily include the desire to imitate her life of being totally in the service of God.”

Before it acquired its present miniature form, the original scapular – the Brown Scapular – evolved from the habit of the Carmelite Order whose members, beginning with St. Simon Stock, were largely responsible for popularizing the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel through this sacramental.

Esperancilla said that the scapular is a badge of affiliation with that religious community and that its wearer “shares in the spirit of that community.”

“It is a sign that includes not just privileges but also the obligation to live according to the rules and values of that community, namely, simplicity in dress, behavior and life, penance and mortification, prayer, hospitality and charity to the less fortunate,” he added.

With the current unrealistic expectations, Esperancilla reminded Catholics that scapulars and medals are sacramentals of the Church and serious effort should be made to use them correctly. He also urged Catholics to “de-emphasize” the promises attached to them.