Dear Catholic Exchange:
As a Catholic I like to wear a scapular. I will want you to help me with a Bible text on scapulars since all my efforts to find a text about them has failed. I am asking this because of Revelation 22:18-19 which warns me against doing anything outside the Bible.
Mr. Mamah
Dear Mr. Mamah,
Peace in Christ!
We would suggest a different interpretation to Revelation 22. Regarding the passage in the book of Revelation, the author is getting at the tendency among the people of God and particularly religious authorities to twist Biblical prophecy to suit their own ends. This could be done either by adding self-serving provisions in the preaching tradition that further the interest of the elites or by ignoring provisions that specifically criticize practices to which the religious authorities have become accustomed. John in this text almost certainly is alluding to Deuteronomy 4:2 where Israel is enjoined against adding to or subtracting from the words of Scripture. Very likely John is also aware that corrupt priests only selectively-applied the Mosaic Law and even concealed the Law from Israel by hiding the Book of the Law in the Temple (2 Ki. 22:8). Though this led to the reforms of Josiah, it was not enough to forestall the eventual destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian exile. In this light, John is launching a very sharp criticism against the Temple establishment in his own day. His warning to the religious authorities is simple stop twisting Scripture and believe in Jesus and the Gospel or suffer the same fate of Temple destruction and exile suffered centuries before. In this context adding to or subtracting from prophecies in “the words of this book” refers to John’s own prophecies in the Book of Revelation not to the whole Bible. The passage, in other words, has nothing to do with condemning pious practices, prayers or devotions which have arisen later in Church history. The passage is not teaching Sola Scriptura in the sense that you seem to assume.
The practice of wearing the scapular is not in the Bible but this does not make the practice illegitimate. There is a deeper sense in which the Word of God is not limited to the written Bible considered in and of itself but the written Bible as the Church has received it, believed in it, and prayed it throughout the ages. The Bible is not just another book of antiquity but a dynamic and living reality whose power animates the Church through all ages by the power of the Holy Spirit. When a Catholic says it is not Scripture alone but sacred Scripture and sacred tradition, he means that the Bible cannot be separated from the life of the Church. It makes no sense to consider the Word of God except as it has been received and lived by the people of God (see Dei Verbum nos. 8-10). Therefore we should not expect that every tradition (small “t” or large “T”) should be found explicitly in the Bible. However since the “entire Christian tradition should be nourished and ruled by Sacred Scripture (Dei Verbum no. 21),” Catholic devotions or pious practices should be at least consistent with the tenor of Scripture. A correct understanding of the scapular reveals that it meets this test.
A scapular was (and still is) a part of the religious habit of some orders. The scapular, as part of the religious habit, developed from “a kind of apron worn by monks during manual labor,” required by the Rule of St. Benedict (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XII, p. 1114).
Over time, the scapular worn by religious took on the symbolic meaning of the yoke of Christ. It was a physical reminder to the one wearing it that they had taken up Christ’s yoke and burden (cf. Mt. 11:30). For the individual who was considering following Christ in the religious life, he or she knew that a commitment was being made to take up one’s cross in a particular way i.e., the life of penance and poverty in following Christ.
Though persons who enter religious life devote themselves to following Christ in a singular way, away from the distractions of the world, all Christians should live a life under the yoke of Christ according to their state in life. Thus, the smaller scapular was developed by the early part of the sixteenth century so that the laity had a way to participate in the symbolism of the scapular.
It was later that the scapular devotion developed certain promises concerning avoiding hell, etc. How they came about will not be presented in detail here. See this Catholic Encyclopedia article for more detail. Though some may superstitiously believe that merely wearing a scapular guarantees heaven, this is not the teaching or practice of the Church. Wearing a scapular should be understood as a visible way of keeping before one’s heart and mind the promises he or she has made to follow Christ. The way of life persevering in the faith that guarantees that one will enter eternal life with Christ (cf. 2 Peter 1:3-11). God is not bound to do anything for anyone just because they put a devotional item around their neck.
So while the scapular is not found in the Bible and the devotion itself in its current form arose in the Middle Ages, the many things about following Christ and bearing His yoke of which the scapular serves as a visible reminder are in the Bible. Many customs of the Church arise in just this way devout Catholics in different ages of the Church developing new ways to live out and bear witness to their commitment to Christ after the pattern described in the Gospels. A practice such as this need not be explicitly found in the Bible to be legitimate.
United in the Faith,
Pete Brown
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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