Dear Michael:

The Church places on its liturgical calendar those feasts that are important enough to be recognized in a special way. Some of these feast days are optional memorials, which means that a priest does not need to celebrate them in the Mass if he does not wish to. The feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is an example. This is why some parishes may not mention the feast in their liturgies.

The Divine Mercy, however, is a solemnity, thus all parishes in the Latin Rite must be celebrating that feast in the Mass.

While we are not required to believe with divine and Catholic faith in a Private Revelation, but we do need to recognize an approved private revelation with human faith that such private revelations may be genuine aids to our faith if we choose to avail ourselves of its teaching. Pope Benedict XVI said:

Although an assent of Catholic faith may not be given to revelations thus approved, still, an assent of human faith, made according to the rules of prudence, is due them; for according to these rules such revelations are probable and worthy of pious credence. [De Serv. Dei Beatif.]

To quote Colin B. Donovan in an article about this on EWTN:

The Pope is saying that a Catholic, seeing that the Church (and here the Holy See is meant, as only it's acts can be of universal effect) has investigated and approved certain revelations, is being prudent to give them human assent.  That acceptance does not rest on the guarantee of Faith, or the charism of infallibility, but on the credibility of the evidence as it appeals to reason. The assent involved is not supernatural but the natural assent that the intellect gives to facts which it judges to be true. Approved private revelations are thus worthy of our acceptance and can be of great benefit to the faithful, for as the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes,

Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. [CCC 67]

One can, however, reject a private revelation. Pope Benedict XVI continues:

...it is possible to refuse to accept such revelations and to turn from them, as long as one does so with proper modesty, for good reasons, and without the intention of setting himself up as a superior. [De Serv. Dei Beatif.]

Nevertheless, in the liturgy the Church commemorates some private revelations. These commemorations are toward our Blessed Mother, or toward our Lord, and by that alone are worthy of our commemoration. In that the liturgy may refer to the private revelation itself should not pose a problem for us in that we are to assent to a human faith that in the Church's wisdom and discernment such private revelations are genuine and worthy of belief even if we are not sure of them ourselves. In addition, the message of the approved private revelations, apart from the mystical origins, are worthy in the nature of the devotion itself. For example, this is nevermore so true than concerning the Divine Mercy. God's divine mercy is something we are to accept with divine and Catholic faith even if we are not sure of St. Faustina's experiences.

As for superstition, none of the liturgical celebrations have anything in them that could remotely be considered superstitious. There are some who, in their exuberant devotion, fall into superstitious behavior, but that is the fault of the devotee, not the Church.

I knew a man who told me that if one was to remove the Brown Scapular from around one's neck while taking a shower, slipped and died in the shower, then the promises of the Scapular would not be granted. That is not only superstition, but downright silly.

The real scapular worn by Carmelite friars and nuns are not worn in the shower or bath. We must remember that the postage-stamp size version of the scapular is only a representation of the real scapular that is worn over the shoulders and extends down to the ankles.

In addition, does not God know our heart? To think that removing the scapular to take a shower removes the promises is treating the scapular as a talisman.

As to the promises of the scapular, people misinterpret them. Wearing the scapular, in-and-of-itself does not, for example, guarantee the Sabbatine privilege of release from purgatory on the first Saturday after one's death (a promise not considered legitimate by the Carmelite Order. This "promise" was a private revelation from Pope John XXII in 1322). If this were the case then Hitler or Stalin would be released from purgatory on the first Saturday had they merely worn the Brown Scapular.

One for the real promises of devotion to the Scapular is that "...whosoever dies wearing this (the brown scapular) shall not suffer eternal fire". But, again, the mere wearing of the scapular does not guarantee heaven.

The promises of the Brown Scapular, or any devotion of a private revelation, refer to the benefits one receives for his genuine and authentic devotion, not to the scapular or medal itself. The sacramental (scapular or medal) is but a mere sign of our faith and devotion. It is our faith that allows us to avoid hell, not the sacramental nor the private revelation.

When people keep this in perspective then assent to a devotion inspired by a private revelation is worthy and may aid in our faith. But, our salvation is never dependent upon it.

Bottomline: while we are free to not accept any private revelation, we must respect the Church for her wise discernment in approving a private revelation, and recognize the potential value of its devotion to the Faithful even it we ourselves do not have such devotion. In the liturgy, we must accept the wisdom of the Church to recognize the good devotions of a private revelation. To be disgruntled at the liturgical mention of a private revelation is to violate the words of Pope Benedict XVI that we may refuse a private revelation, "as long as one does so with proper modesty, for good reasons, and without the intention of setting himself up as a superior". We must avoid setting up ourselves as a "superior" over the Church's judgement.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary