Our Greatest

by John M. Hoffert

T,e Sabbatine Privilege exist, IN- WOULD VALIDLY ESTABLISH St. Pius X used a simil ar expres­ DEPENDENTLY of the original THE PRIVILEGE EVEN IF sion when he granted the proclamation or "bull" which grant- THE PROCLAMATION OF THE Medal, although that is not included ed it. In addition to the MANY F IRST HAD NEVER in the nine official ratifications. St. who have spoken of the priv- EXISTED. Pius, in our own time, added: "Not ilege . . . . like the recent Popes For example, note the words used excluding the Sabbatine." <1l quoted in our editorial comment be- by St. Pius V: low ... there have been nine OF- "With our Apostolic authority Confirmed by Doctors FICT AL RATIFICA TTONS of the and by tenor of the present we ap­ In addition to the confirmation of privilege. These are pronouncements prove each of the privileges of the by nine different Popes WHICH Scapular and also the Sabbatine." (Continued on next page) ~~~::::?~til Editor's Note: the Sabbatine Bull should be made was made in a letter to the Prior of mail concerning an answer on in such a way as to give the read­ General of the Carmelite Order the Sabbatine Privilege given by ers the impression that the Sab­ who had written a book defending Monsignor Sheridan in the April batine Privilege is doubtful. the Sabbatine Bull which Our Sun­ 11th issue of OUR SUNDAY VISI­ day Visitor's columnist declared TOR in his "Ask Me a Question" Confirmed by Popes was not authentic. The book (Sab­ column. The only question about authen­ batine Privilege of the Scapular) After explaining the Privilege ticity concerns the original Bull was published by Connally in New correctly, Monsignor Sheridan con­ which, like many original docu­ York in 1923 and spends 141 cludes: ments prior to the printing press, pages in argument that the extant "The Sabbatine Bull attributed to was lost. During the Black Plague, copy of the original Sabbatine Bull Pope John XXII in 1322 is not au­ documents thought to be contami­ is probably authentic, although the thentic." nated by the Plague were copied evidence could never be conclusive. Misunderstanding and then destroyed. And mistakes In this July issue of SOUL we Mr. Ernest Costabile of Cleve­ were sometimes made in the recall that July 16th is the FEAST land writes: copies. OF THE SCAPULAR . We urge all "Monsignor John Sheridan's But many Popes have affirmed Blue Army members to request answer about the Brown Scapular the Privilege like Benedict XV who Mass of ... claims it is not authentic and said it is the privilege which ex­ on that day. And it may be re­ this paper is well-known among tends "even after death," and Pius membered that this beautiful Mass thousands of Catholics who had XI described it as "The greatest of of the Scapular may be said ON great faith in the Brown Scapular all our privileges from the Mother ANY FER IAL. And in reply to the until now. What is your comment? of God." letters we have received as a re­ Please answer." Interestingly enough, this com­ sult of the misunderstanding of the It is unfortunate-and we trust ment of the scholarly Pius XI recent statement in OUR SUNDAY that Mon~ignor Sheridan would (judged by Cardinal Tisserant the VISITOR we explain here: OUR agree-that the comment about greatest Pope of the 20th century) GREATEST PRIVILEGE IS REAL.

12 Soul Magazine A picture shown here of the two­ here . . . on the saint's skeleton. Examination hundred-year-old scapular of St. Alphonsus proves that it had no special treatment that sh ows it to be remarkable even had it not been could account for this wonder. And since in the tomb for forty years. The cotton picture clothing beneath and above it disappeared, and is even intact, with the thread fastening it to the body itself turned to dust, it is obvious that the wool. Yet in the tomb, all beneath and we are in the presence of a wonder which above it turned to dust. It was found as pictured cannot be n aturally explained.

the Privilege by the Popes there are The third was because of the Priv­ the grave of the great devotion of at least three doctors of the Church ilege.(3) St. Alphonsus and of his great faith who refer specifically to this Priv­ And St. John of the Cross, as he in Our Lady's promises. ilege: died, blessed God th at he died on St. John Bosco, who also preached the day of Saturd ay, "the day of the the Scapular and the Sabbatine Priv­ St. Alphonsus Liguori says of the Sabbatine Privilege." (4) ilege, had a similar wonder occur in Sabbatine Privilege that if we do a his grave. Everything corruptible little more than Our Lady requires Confirmed by Miracles (including the body beneath it and for the Privi lege " May we not hope Tt is interesting to note th at when the clothing above it) returned to that we shall not go to Purgatory at the body of St. Alphonsus Liguori dust while the Brown Scapular of St. all?" <2) was exhumed, fo rty years after his John Bosco remained untouched by St. Theresa of A vii a says that she death, everything corruptible in his corruption in the grave. saw only three souls taken straight tomb had turned to dust with the Only God can perfom1 a miracle, to Heaven. Two were St. John of sole exception of his Brown Scapu­ and God docs not perform miracles the Cross and St. Peter of Alcantara. lar. This miracle seemed to cry from to encourage belief in something Jul y-August 1971 13 wh ich is not authentic. (5) Sister Lucia, who was left on earth Virgin used to be the prayer-condi­ In addition to the ratification of to make known the fullness of the tion of the Pri vil ege, but this is auto­ this Privilege by nine Popes, and its Fatima Message according to Our matically commuted for those who confirmation by three Doctors of the Lady's own words, said that the sign the Blue Army pledge and re­ Church, and its further confirmation reason Our L ady held the Scapular quest application of their daily through miracles, we have the teach­ out of the sky was because "She R osa:·y for the Little Office. ing of Vatican Council TI: wants everyone ro wear it." Lucia Offered to the world over six The Council Fathers decreed that further explained that " the centuries ago, this great privilege those traditional forms of devotion and the Scapular are insepnrablc" has now become a major incentive to Our Lady which have long and that the Scapular is "our sign of for fulfillment of the conditions of existed in the Church are to be consecration to the Immaculate Fatima . . . conditions for which we fostered and encouraged. The com­ Hea rt of Mary." may now obtain the conversion of mission which prepared this particu­ lt is unfortunate that some in the Russia and world peace! lar document explained that no spe­ Church today feel that these tradi­ cific devotions are indicated but that tional devotions of the R osary and How it Works the Pope would indicate them.<6> the Scapular should be minimized as The privilege " works" ... and Within a few months of the pro­ though they were a hindrance to a the conditions of Our Lady of Fa­ mulgation of this decree, Pope Paul pure Christian life, or a hindrance tuna for world peace work ... be­ VI sent his official message to the towards union with our separated cause they make saints out o f those brethren to whom these devotions International Marian Congress held who fulfil l them. that year in the Dominican R epub­ are not so well-known. The Bishop of Fatima described li c. and in the message the Holy Our Greatest Reward the Blue Army as " the Army which Father specified that among those marches on its knees." It could a lso The Venerable Perc Lamy died in be called the Army of the Sabbatine traditional devotions mentioned in 193 1. In hi s biography by Bi vcr we Paragraph 67 of LUMEN GEN­ Privilege . . . "greatest of all our read that on July 16th. 1924, Father p1i vilcges from the Mother of God." T IUM, the two most to be en­ La my said to a friend: cow·aged are the Rosary and the "Our L ady spoke to me of my We take comfort in that it has 7 Scapular of Mt. Carmel.<> plan for my own daily life, up to and been proclaimed by the Church not Since the two principal rewards including the end of evening prayer just once, but nine times. It has been of the Scapular devotion are the which f did not always recite well . affirmed by Popes in addition to the promise of salvation and the Sab­ She reminded me of the Sabbatine nine proclamations. It has been af­ batine Privilege, naturally when the Privilege saying 'you must do what firmed by three doctors of the Holy Father emphasizes this devo­ is demanded to obtain this Priv­ Church. It has also been a sign of tion, above all other devotions to ilege'.'" And to Venerable Dominic miracles and was held out to the Mary in the Church, is not belief in of Jesus and Mary, Our Lady once world in the final miracle of the the privileges attached to the devo­ said: sun at Fatim a which God performed tion necessarily implied? "Although many wear my Scapu­ "So that everyone may believe." lar, only a few fulfill the conditions L et us pray for those who do not Confirmation at Fatima for the Sabbatinc Privilege." believe in it . . . both inside the Fortunately, today there arc mil­ Church and outside. Let us hope As though all of the above were lions who are fulfilling the condi­ that we shall have the grace to ob­ not enough, we of course have the tions of the Sabbatine Privilege be­ ta in this pri vilege and that we may confirmation in the great apparition cause these arc the same conditions be the occasion of similar grace for of Fatima, in which Our Lady ap­ Our Lady gave to the wo rld at Fa­ many others. peared six successive times wi th the ti m a and which are " the plan of The privilege is a promise of Rosary, and in the last vision ap­ daily life" contained in the Blue speedy liberation from Purgatory, peared holding th e Scapular down A rmy pledge. especially on the first Saturday after to the world. Explaining this later, The Little Office of the Blessed death.

(I) D ocumentation of all of these ratifications, of the preservation of the scapular of these t\vo cnnnc.1t he nattlro.dly cxpl:dnrd. J lo wcvcr there with the names of the Popes and actual quota­ saints there was th e immediate testimony of the have bern more important miracles through the tio ns from the documents, will be found in ecclesiastical examiners who assisted at the ex­ Scapular. Sec ~1ARY IN H ER SCAPULAR Chap ter 7 of "Ma ry In H er Scapular P romise" humations. A picture ~ hown here of the twcr PRO:'.JJ SE. Chapter 10. available from AMI Press. hundred·year·old scapulor of St. Alphonsus (61 Reponed by tl1c Bishop of Coimbra at (2) Glories of Mary. original edition pub­ shows it to he remarkable even had it not been the Inti. Seminar on FATIMA IN THE LIGHT lished hy San Paolo. Page 306. in the tomb for forty years. The cotto n picture O F VATICAN II . July 18, 1968. Also see the ( 3) Autobiograpy, Chapter 38. is even intact. with the thread fastening it to Bishop·s preface to Portuguese edition of MARY (4) Biography by Bruno de Jesus-Marie ( Plan the wool. Yet in the tomb, all beneath and IN II ER SCAPULAR PROM ISE. See note 8 1929) page ~60 and 461. above it turned to dust. It was found as pictured hclow. (5) The word " miracle" cannot be used here .. on the sain t's skeleton. Examination (7) L"Osservatorc Romano, April 2nd, 1965. lightly. Although many an swers to prayer and proves that it had no special treatment that t8) ~!ARY J, HER SCAP U LA R PROMISE, even many cures may seem miraculous it is could <1 ccounr for this wonder. A nd since pg. 197 ( AMI Press). This also appears in the better to speak of them as ccapparenl" miracles clothing. beneath and above it disappeared. and Portuguc!:-te edition which was translated at unless they are adequately evalua ted and ap­ the body itself turned to dust. it is obvious that Lucia"s own Carmel in Coimbra, Portugal, pub­ proved by ecclesiastical au thority. In the instance we arc in the presence of 3 wond er which lished by Edicoes Carmela, Aveiro .

14 Soul Magazine