It was in the early hours of July 16, 1251 that Our Lady appeared to the English Carmelite saint, Saint Simon Stock, and handed him the miraculous Carmelite Scapular.
Saint Simon Stock was, in those times, Superior General of the Order of Carmelites.
He found himself in a distressing situation, as his Order was going through very serious difficulties, being despised, persecuted and even threatened with extinction. A man of a living faith, Saint Simon never ceased to beg the Blessed Virgin for help, and also asked for a sensitive sign of that he would be answered. Moved by the anguished supplications of this fervent son of hers, Our Lady brought him the holy Scapular from Heaven and addressed these words to him:
‘Receive, my beloved son, the Scapular of your Order, a sign of my fraternity, a privilege for you and for all Carmelites.’
‘All those who die wearing this Scapular will not suffer the fire of hell. It is a sign of salvation, a refuge from danger, a covenant of peace and a covenant forever’.
From this merciful intervention of the Mother of God, the Carmelite Order flourished throughout the world! And the Scapular began to follow its miraculous trajectory, as a sign of Our Lady’s alliance with the Carmelites and with all humanity. Seventy years later, Our Lady appeared to Pope John XXII and made him a new promise, considered as a complement to the first:
‘I, as the Mother of the Carmelites, will descend to purgatory on the first Saturday after their death and will deliver them and lead them to the Holy Mount of eternal life.’
This second promise from Our Lady gave rise to the famous Sabbath Bull of Pope John XXII, published on March 3, 1322, later confirmed by several Supreme Pontiffs such as Alexander V, Clement VII and Paul III.
Initially, the Scapular was for the exclusive use of Carmelite religious people. Later, the Church, wanting to extend the privileges and spiritual benefits of this use to all Catholics, simplified its size and authorized its reception to be accessible to everyone.
Source: encountercomcristo