In her apparition to St. Simon Stock way back 1251, Our Lady promised those who wear the scapular: “Whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant.”

We must remember, however, that the Scapular should not be treated like a “magic amulet”, which magically protects us from all evil. Wearing the Scapular, rather, is a sign of our veneration and love for the Blessed Mother, who promises to keep us under her special protection, especially against the snares of the evil one. 

We share below three beautiful stories that show the power of the Scapular, particularly against the devil.

The Devil Admits What He Fears the Most

The first story is narrated by Venerable Francis Ypes. One day, his Scapular fell off. He therefore replaced it, to which the devil suddenly howled: “Take off the habit which snatches so many souls from us!”  

Francis then made the devil admit that there are 3 things which the devil is most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus, the Holy Name of Mary, and the Holy Scapular of Carmel. We can also add to this list the Most Holy Rosary of Our Lady.

The 7th Communist

The second story happened during the Spanish civil war in the 1930s. During that time, there were 7 Communists who were sentenced to death because of their crimes. A Carmelite priest was trying his best to prepare the men for death, but they initially refused. As a last resort, he gave the men cigarettes, food and wine. This gave him an opening with them, so he asked them for a very small favor: “Will you permit me to place a Scapular on each of you?”

Six of them agreed, while the 7th one refused. All the Scapular wearers went to confession, and were therefore prepared for their deaths. The seventh, however, resisted and still refused to confess. He did put on the Scapular, but only to please the priest and his colleagues. 

Although he was wearing the Scapular, the seventh man was very determined not to repent. At the moment of execution, the command to fire was given, and all seven men died. Mysteriously, though, a Scapular was found about 50 feet away from the bodies. Six men died with the Scapular around their necks. The seventh man died WITHOUT the Scapular.  

Blessed Claude explains the moral of this story: “You ask, ‘What if I desire to die in my sins?’ I answer, ‘Then you will die in your sins, BUT YOU WILL NOT DIE IN YOUR SCAPULAR.'” 

Hit by Lightning

The third is a story narrated by Kevin di Camillo, a lecturer in English Literature in Niagara University. He narrates the story of his maternal Great Grandfather, who lived in the 19th century in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

One day, while the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks, a violent thunderstorm broke out — rains, lightning and thunder shook the entire valley.  

After the storm had passed, the other shepherds found Kevin di Camillo’s great grandfather, sprawled out on the ground. He had been struck by lightning - his entire body was charred and burned. However, there was one item on his body that was not burnt: his Brown Scapular.

Amazingly, despite being struck by lightning, he was alive. The other shepherds brought him back to the village, where his burns were treated. He eventually made a full recovery, and attributed his survival and recovery to the intercession of Our Lady.  

We hope these 3 stories show to you the power of the Scapular, and why you, your entire family, and all your friends should wear it!