ArchbishopLefebvre.com
Links
  • Archbishop Lefebvre
    • Biography of Archbishop Lefebvre
    • Who is he?
    • In his own words
  • Sermons
    • Sunday Sermons
  • Letters
    • Archbishop Lefebvre >
      • To Friends and Benefactors
      • Other Letters
    • Bishop Williamson >
      • Friends and Benefactors
      • Eleison Comments >
        • Italiano
        • Espanol
      • To SSPX Priests
  • Blog
  • Books
    • E-Books
    • Free Catholic Books
    • Archbishop Lefebvre
    • Bibles
    • Blessed Sacrament
    • Children Books
    • Childrens Saints
    • DVDs
    • Hell
    • Purgatory
    • Our Lady
    • Sacred Heart
    • Missals
    • Missale Romanum
    • Summa Theologica
    • Saints
  • Catholic Faith
    • Catechisms
    • Catholic Art
    • Chant
    • Dogmas of the Catholic Church
    • Encyclicals
    • Sermons
    • History >
      • HughesVol1index
    • Liturgy
    • Sacraments
    • Prayers >
      • Blessings
    • Way of the Cross
  • SSPX Crisis
    • sspx Archbishop Lefebvre
    • monks nuns
    • SSPX Bishop Fellay
    • SSPX Bishop Tissier
    • ex-sspx Bishop Williamson
    • ex-sspx chazal
    • sspx couture
    • sspx fox
    • ex-sspx fuchs
    • ex-sspx girouard
    • ex-sspx hewko
    • sspx laisney
    • sspx ockerse
    • ex-sspx pfeiffer
    • sspx themann
    • Fr. Ringrose
  • Links
    • Other Sites
    • Donate
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • You Tube
  • TradCat Items
    • Beeswax Candles
    • Chapel Veils
    • Prayer Cards - Our Lady
    • Prayer Cards - Espanol
    • Protected Scapulars
    • Scapulars
    • Unbreakable Rosaries
  • Crisis in Church
    • Declaration of the 2006 Chapter (SSPX)
    • Fr Hewko to SSPX Superiors
    • History of the Archbishop and Rome
    • Vatican II more important than Nicea!
    • The Archbishop and Religious Liberty
    • The right to resist an abuse of power
    • How Are Catholics To Respond To The Present Crisis

The Scapular against the Devil

7/15/2013

 
Mary in Her Scapular Promise
Picture
  As if not content with inviting us to realize the tremendous power of the Scapular by innumerable physical miracles, it seems as though Our Lady took the occasion of Saint John Vianney's unusual vision into that invisible spiritual world that surrounds and penetrates us, to tell us definitely that it is there that we shall find the greatest value of Her Scapular; perhaps too many had not read the outward signs and wonders. A young lady came to the Cure to make a general confession before entering the convent. While she was kneeling before him, the Saint astounded her, and the world, with the following conversation:

"You remember, my child, a certain ball which you attended a short time ago?"

"Yes, Father."

"You met a young man there, a stranger, elegant in appearance and of distinguished bearing, who at once became the hero of the fete? and you wished he would invite you to dance? You were vexed and jealous when he preferred others to you?"

"You are certainly right, Father."

"Do you recollect that when he left the assembly you thought you saw, as he walked, two small bluish flames beneath his feet, but you persuaded yourself that it was an optical illusion?"

"I remember it perfectly."


"Well, my child, that youth was a demon. Those with whom he danced were in a state of serious sin! And do you know why he failed to ask you?

"It was owing to the Scapular which you did well not to lay aside and which your devotion to Mary impelled you to wear as your safeguard."

In his life of Francis Yepes, who died in the odor of sanctity in the year 1617, Father Velasco tells us of most extraordinary encounters with Satan. Once, when the Venerable Francis was at prayer, the demon came, under the form of a black raven, throwing itself upon the holy man and beating him with its wings. But instead of being troubled, Francis took his Scapular, invoked the name of Mary, and put the enemy to flight. Another time, as he was respectfully kissing his Scapular, Satan approached, bearing a golden chain, and said: "Come, wear rather this chain of gold about your neck; throw away that object there which is insupportable to us and serves but to torment us!"

In this twentieth century (now21st!) we have difficulty in appreciating a Marian Sign which torments Satan. One of his greatest conquests is that the modern world disbelieves in him. Today, clergymen as well as laymen often fear to claim acquaintance with such things as violent diabolical possession (rather speaking of "hysteria", or "violent anti-religious complexes") for fear of descending, in the estimation of their hearers, into the category of the over-credulous. One refers frequently to Satan as "Old Nick," divested of his terror, more a myth than a living force and more a joke than the most powerful and horrible enemy we have. When a venerable Brother Andre is diabolically assaulted in this twentieth century, the incident goes almost unnoticed; when nocturnal noises, unseen blows, curtain fires and the like, attest the hatred of some unseen enemy to the holiness of a Cure of Ars, we believe but seem to ignore the fact that these same enemies are ours.

It used to be that Satan did not so completely hide himself as he does today. In the time of Christ the very mention of his name struck fear into human hearts; it was the name of the black prince of this earth who sometimes possessed his victims not only to make them rabid denouncers of God, iconoclasts, fomenters of spiritual and temporal revolution (like the modern demons of Russia) but even to torture them, causing them to throw themselves against obstacles or cruelly to tear themselves.

Not dreaded today as he once was, those whom Satan ensnares to sin do not realize that he is their worst enemy but think him rather one to bring them pleasure, one who is a material friend. Hence, although fallen angels were once forced to cry out after a great public conversion, "O Scapular, how many souls you snatch from usl"3, it is to be feared that the power of Mary's Garment against spiritual enemies will most probably be underestimated today. Even though the Venerable Francis Yepes was given to understand that Satan fears three things most, the invocation of the names of Jesus and Mary, and the wearing of the Scapular, still, in these days of Satan's victory of silence, the great value of a practice most dreaded by him is liable to go unnoticed. If we happen to perceive little things that would indicate the presence of the spiritual wolves in sheep's clothing, like the favored young woman who interviewed the Cure of Ars, we most likely convince ourselves that they are but delusions. If we refuse to recognize our enemies, how can we possibly appreciate our safeguard?

But the power of the Scapular is a reality whether we are ready to appreciate it or not. In making a promise of Salvation the Blessed Virgin has given us a Sign of Victory—a Sign before which Hell trembles!

Those who do appreciate the power of Mary in the Scapular against Satan, have often, through the mere pressing of the Scapular to their lips, been able to cause the most violent temptations to melt away. They know that due to their devout wearing of the Scapular with its presence of Mary, Satan dare not come near them. We discover traces of fright in the words uttered by Pope Leo XI as the Scapular was accidentally being removed from his shoulders at the papal investiture: "Leave me Mary, lest Mary leave me!"

When learned writers apply the following passage of Scripture to Mary: "Her bands are a binding of salvation," Saint Lawrence Justinian asks: "Why bands except it be that She binds Her servants and thus prevents them from straying into the paths of vice?"4 And Saint Alphonsus remarks: "Truly this is the reason for which Mary binds Her servants."5 She has affiliated us to Herself by the bonds of a dual, Scapular contract, and why?—that the powers of Hell may be rendered impotent before us.

It must not be believed, however, that one will never sin if he does nothing more than simply wear the Scapular. As Father Lejeune points out, wearing the Scapular is the wearing of Mary only in the degree to which we wear the Scapular piously.6 Ordinary state of investiture, the passive wearing of the Scapular, is a pious act in which perserverance will be ultimately rewarded with victory.

From Chapter 11

Our Lady of Guadalupe Brown Scapular with Medals

Comments are closed.


    archbishop lefebvre
    Click to see more

    Enter your email address for daily posts:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    Apologetics
    Archbishop Lefebvre
    Bishop Williamson
    Blessed Sacrament
    Catechism
    Catholic History
    Chalk Talks
    Chastisement
    Devotions
    Easter
    Eleison Comments
    Eleison Comments
    Eleison Comments Italian
    Encyclicals
    Espanol Eleison Comments
    Families
    Fatima
    Feast Days
    For Fathers (Dads)
    For Moms
    Fortitude
    Holy Ghost
    Holy Name
    Holy Souls
    Holy Week
    Home Schooling
    Lent
    Liberalism
    Litanies
    Liturgy
    Marriage
    Martyrology
    Martyrs
    Mass
    Meditations Of Abl
    Modesty
    News
    New World Order
    Obedience
    Our Lady
    Our Lady Of Quito
    Our Lord
    Pentecost
    Pioneer Priests
    Prayers
    Sacramentals
    Sacraments
    Sacred Heart
    Saint Of The Day
    Saints For April
    Saints For August
    Saints For December
    Saints For February
    Saints For January
    Saints For July
    Saints For June
    Saints For March
    Saints For May
    Saints For November
    Saints For October
    Saints For September
    Scandal
    Scapular
    Sermons
    Sspx
    St Benedict
    St Joseph
    St Michael
    St Michael
    Sundays Of The Year
    Temptations
    The Church
    The Last Things
    The Mass
    The Pope
    The Rosary
    The Saints
    The Virtues
    Tradcat Comments
    Truth Society

    Picture
    Click to see inside the store
    Picture
    k d
    Counter Site
    While Archbishop Lefebvre Blog is provided free of charge, there are administrative and technical costs associated with making it available to subscribers worldwide and with operating this site. Contributions to offset these costs are appreciated, and may be made via the button below

    Archbishop Lefebvre

    Promote Your Page Too
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.