A rosary question

[Jason_1977]

A few actually. I’ve been w. the church for a year & a half & there’s a few blanks I have. Firstly:

Is it necessary to have rosarys or crucifixes blessed?

Secondly:
What does the blessing of the sacramental do do the item other than giving it the virtue of having been blessed?

Third:

I bought a crucifix/rosary set from the Lady of the Snows Missionary Oblates. It’s made of Olive wood from The holy land, the crucifix has a pebble on it from the hill where Jesus was crucified. The rosary, on the back of the centerpiece has a piece of cloth touched to Jesus’ tomb. ~~My question is, what does the pebble from calvary do? And I had no idea we knew where Jesus’ tomb was…but what is the cloth’s purpose that was touched to the tomb? What would change if I got these items blessed? THANX!!!

 

[LilyM]

Dont’ be so quick to make light of the additional virtue of something which has been blessed - whether by a priest or by being touched to the tomb of the Saviour.

Acts of the Apostles tells us that handkerchiefs and the like, after Paul blessed them, were imbued with the power to perform miracles such as healing the sick who were touched by them.

I have also been told that in, for example, praying with a blessed Rosary, we join our prayers in a very special way with all the prayers of the whole church. Beats just praying on our ownsome, surely.

As for the pebble from Calvary, that is a somewhat different thing, since its spiritual connection is less direct. You might think of it in terms of the custom of keeping a lock of the hair of a deceased loved one, or some treasured possession of theirs, or visiting places you used to go with them. It acts as a reminder of them - and a source of feeling connected with them even after they’ve passed.

 

[RedSoxWife]

A few actually. I’ve been w. the church for a year & a half & there’s a few blanks I have. Firstly:

Is it necessary to have rosarys or crucifixes blessed?

Secondly:
What does the blessing of the sacramental do do the item other than giving it the virtue of having been blessed?

Third:

I bought a crucifix/rosary set from the Lady of the Snows Missionary Oblates. It’s made of Olive wood from The holy land, the crucifix has a pebble on it from the hill where Jesus was crucified. The rosary, on the back of the centerpiece has a piece of cloth touched to Jesus’ tomb. ~~My question is, what does the pebble from calvary do? And I had no idea we knew where Jesus’ tomb was…but what is the cloth’s purpose that was touched to the tomb? What would change if I got these items blessed? THANX!!!

We’ve had most of our rosaries blest, but the one that the toddler hauls around and chews on isn’t.

Not totally sure about the piece of cloth being touched on the tomb, but it reminded me or relics from Saints and relics. So I googled “relics” and this is what Wikipedia had:

**First-Class Relics **

Items directly associated with the events of Christ’s life (manger, cross, etc.), or the physical remains of a saint (a bone, a hair, a limb, etc.). Traditionally, a martyr’s relics are often more prized than the relics of other saints. Also, some saints’ relics are known for their extraordinary incorruptibility (Human remains do not deteriorate as would normally be expected. For instance a 500 year old body that appears as though it is still in wake) and so would have high regard. Parts of the saint that were significant to that saint’s life are more prized relics. For instance, King St. Stephen of Hungary’s right forearm is especially important because of his status as a ruler. A famous theologian’s head may be his most important relic. (The head of St. Thomas Aquinas was removed by the monks at the Cistercian abbey at Fossanova where he died). If a saint did a lot of travelling then the bones of his feet may be prized. Current Catholic teaching prohibits relics to be divided up into small, unrecognizable parts if they are to be used in liturgy (i.e, as in an altar; see the rubrics listed in Rite Of Dedication of a Church and an Altar).

**Second-Class Relics **

An item that the saint wore (a shirt, a glove, etc.) Also included is an item that the saint owned or frequently used, for example, a crucifix, book etc. Again, an item more important in the saint’s life is thus a more important relic.

Third-Class Relics

Any object that is touched to a first- or second-class relic.[7] Most third-class relics are small pieces of cloth.
The sale of relics is strictly forbidden by the Church. The Code of Canon Law states:[8]
§1190 §1 - “It is absolutely forbidden to sell sacred relics.”
§1190 §2 - “Relics of great significance and other relics honored with great reverence by the people cannot be alienated validly in any manner or transferred permanently without the permission of the Apostolic See.”

I guess that would make a piece of cloth touched to the tomb a third class relic.

The tomb is in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Here’s a picture (it’s behind us with the line of people streaming into it. It was definitely one of my favorite sights in the Holy Land.

 

[Jason_1977]

Dont’ be so quick to make light of the additional virtue of something which has been blessed - whether by a priest or by being touched to the tomb of the Saviour.

Acts of the Apostles tells us that handkerchiefs and the like, after Paul blessed them, were imbued with the power to perform miracles such as healing the sick who were touched by them.

I have also been told that in, for example, praying with a blessed Rosary, we join our prayers in a very special way with all the prayers of the whole church. Beats just praying on our ownsome, surely.

As for the pebble from Calvary, that is a somewhat different thing, since its spiritual connection is less direct. You might think of it in terms of the custom of keeping a lock of the hair of a deceased loved one, or some treasured possession of theirs, or visiting places you used to go with them. It acts as a reminder of them - and a source of feeling connected with them even after they’ve passed.

I’m not making light, I’m not aware of its properties (other than function) if blessed…that’s all…

 

[Jason_1977]

We’ve had most of our rosaries blest, but the one that the toddler hauls around and chews on isn’t.

Not totally sure about the piece of cloth being touched on the tomb, but it reminded me or relics from Saints and relics. So I googled “relics” and this is what Wikipedia had:

I guess that would make a piece of cloth touched to the tomb a third class relic.

The tomb is in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Here’s a picture (it’s behind us with the line of people streaming into it. It was definitely one of my favorite sights in the Holy Land.

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu303/thiswomansplace/n506958347_229024_2067.jpg

THANK GOODNESS, a Red Sox fan!!! May i add you? Thanks for the insight by the way, so I have a very special rosary that needs to be blessed. Kinda like a flashlight w. no batteries. Got it.

 

[Breviarylover]

I bought a crucifix/rosary set from the Lady of the Snows Missionary Oblates. It’s made of Olive wood from The holy land, the crucifix has a pebble on it from the hill where Jesus was crucified. The rosary, on the back of the centerpiece has a piece of cloth touched to Jesus’ tomb.

Cool!!

 

[JoeMike]

THANK GOODNESS, a Red Sox fan!!!

Hi Jason,

She’s not the only Red Sox fan! We’re everywhere.

And btw, I can tell you that the #1 and #2 in charge of the NY Fed Reserve Bank are also big Red Sox fans. I know because they both said so, many times!

And they’re also very nice, decent gentlemen. (goes without saying, actually.)

 

[RedSoxWife]

Yeah, Red Sox Fans really are everywhere. My husband’s from Boston (we live in California now) and when we go to the A’s/Red Sox Games in Oakland it seems like the red and blue outnumbers the green in their own stadium. You’ll probably see my husband on here too when he isn’t too weighted down with grad school reading. He’s RedSoxFan.

 

[JoeMike]

it seems like the red and blue outnumbers the green in their own stadium.

That is so completely unsurprising! The Red Sox have the best fans of any team in any sport in the world. Bar none.

You’ll probably see my husband on here too when he isn’t too weighted down with grad school reading. He’s RedSoxFan.

Sure, I’ve seen him. (Make him show up more often. You’re the boss, aren’t you?)

Whoa, way off topic. Sorry Jason.

Okay, I’ll say a little about the actual topic: I wouldn’t exactly say an unblessed rosary is like a flashlight without batteries.

A flashlight without batteries doesn’t serve its purpose. An unblessed rosary does.

It’s more like a flashlight with fresh batteries versus one with old batteries. The fresh ones give a brighter light.

 

[Xandria]

I bought a crucifix/rosary set from the Lady of the Snows Missionary Oblates. It’s made of Olive wood from The holy land, the crucifix has a pebble on it from the hill where Jesus was crucified. The rosary, on the back of the centerpiece has a piece of cloth touched to Jesus’ tomb. ~~My question is, what does the pebble from calvary do? And I had no idea we knew where Jesus’ tomb was…but what is the cloth’s purpose that was touched to the tomb? What would change if I got these items blessed? THANX!!!

This is so cool! I guess the authenticity of the tomb is rather widely accepted? Does anyone know more about this? And do we know where calvary was? I would love to know. I have seen similar rosaries for sale and was always intrigued.

 

[Jason_1977]

That is so completely unsurprising! The Red Sox have the best fans of any team in any sport in the world. Bar none.

Sure, I’ve seen him. (Make him show up more often. You’re the boss, aren’t you?)

Whoa, way off topic. Sorry Jason.

Okay, I’ll say a little about the actual topic: I wouldn’t exactly say an unblessed rosary is like a flashlight without batteries.

A flashlight without batteries doesn’t serve its purpose. An unblessed rosary does.

It’s more like a flashlight with fresh batteries versus one with old batteries. The fresh ones give a brighter light.

It’s all good, I’m a sox fan myself!!! knock yourselves out!

 

[Jason_1977]

This is so cool! I guess the authenticity of the tomb is rather widely accepted? Does anyone know more about this? And do we know where calvary was? I would love to know. I have seen similar rosaries for sale and was always intrigued.

Calvary would be in Jerusalem.

 

[RedSoxWife]

This is so cool! I guess the authenticity of the tomb is rather widely accepted? Does anyone know more about this? And do we know where calvary was? I would love to know. I have seen similar rosaries for sale and was always intrigued.

I guess it’s the place that has been traditionally held to be the tomb. My husband and I were just talking about the relic thing (what a first class and third class was, because our wedding rings touched the tomb when we ringed in…and according to the definition, I guess that makes them relics).

The same Church (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) has Calvary in it too. It’s actually on the second level. The Church is both Orthodox and Catholic (I think Franciscan, because that’s what most of the sights in the Holy Land are). We went up the stairs after having Mass in the tomb (only a few people could fit in the tomb and the rest of us were packed in a tiny room outside the tomb, someone actually fainted it got so hot. I was lucky to be squished right up against the entrance to the tomb and could see in and lean into it.). We went with 206 tours and our tour guide was really good. Our parish priest was the spiritual director of the trip. The only thing that was tough was that it was a lot packed into two weeks (12 hours of going sight to sight to see as much as we could… I was pregnant and queasy).

The part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that is Calvary reminded me of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (also a Church that is both Orthodox and Franciscan) because both have a little hole where you can reach down and on Calvary touch the rock and in Church of the Nativity it’s supposed to be the spot where tradition says Jesus was born (things can get really nasty at the Church of the Nativity because of the crush of people trying to get to the spot).

Other then the Sepulchre my two favorite spots were the mountain where the Transfiguration was and the Garden of Gethsemane. I’ve been rambling on so I better stop! Sorry this is so long! There’s really a lot to see there and the Franciscans have Church’s in pretty much every major spot!

 

[Jason_1977]

I guess it’s the place that has been traditionally held to be the tomb. My husband and I were just talking about the relic thing (what a first class and third class was, because our wedding rings touched the tomb when we ringed in…and according to the definition, I guess that makes them relics).

The same Church (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) has Calvary in it too. It’s actually on the second level. The Church is both Orthodox and Catholic (I think Franciscan, because that’s what most of the sights in the Holy Land are). We went up the stairs after having Mass in the tomb (only a few people could fit in the tomb and the rest of us were packed in a tiny room outside the tomb, someone actually fainted it got so hot. I was lucky to be squished right up against the entrance to the tomb and could see in and lean into it.). We went with 206 tours and our tour guide was really good. Our parish priest was the spiritual director of the trip. The only thing that was tough was that it was a lot packed into two weeks (12 hours of going sight to sight to see as much as we could… I was pregnant and queasy).

so if you were squished up inside the tomb, you were up against it, does that make you a 3rd class relic?

The part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that is Calvary reminded me of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (also a Church that is both Orthodox and Franciscan) because both have a little hole where you can reach down and on Calvary touch the rock and in Church of the Nativity it’s supposed to be the spot where tradition says Jesus was born (things can get really nasty at the Church of the Nativity because of the crush of people trying to get to the spot).

Other then the Sepulchre my two favorite spots were the mountain where the Transfiguration was and the Garden of Gethsemane. I’ve been rambling on so I better stop! Sorry this is so long! There’s really a lot to see there and the Franciscans have Church’s in pretty much every major spot!

 

[Xandria]

I guess it’s the place that has been traditionally held to be the tomb. My husband and I were just talking about the relic thing (what a first class and third class was, because our wedding rings touched the tomb when we ringed in…and according to the definition, I guess that makes them relics).

The same Church (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) has Calvary in it too. It’s actually on the second level. The Church is both Orthodox and Catholic (I think Franciscan, because that’s what most of the sights in the Holy Land are). We went up the stairs after having Mass in the tomb (only a few people could fit in the tomb and the rest of us were packed in a tiny room outside the tomb, someone actually fainted it got so hot. I was lucky to be squished right up against the entrance to the tomb and could see in and lean into it.). We went with 206 tours and our tour guide was really good. Our parish priest was the spiritual director of the trip. The only thing that was tough was that it was a lot packed into two weeks (12 hours of going sight to sight to see as much as we could… I was pregnant and queasy).

The part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that is Calvary reminded me of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (also a Church that is both Orthodox and Franciscan) because both have a little hole where you can reach down and on Calvary touch the rock and in Church of the Nativity it’s supposed to be the spot where tradition says Jesus was born (things can get really nasty at the Church of the Nativity because of the crush of people trying to get to the spot).

Other then the Sepulchre my two favorite spots were the mountain where the Transfiguration was and the Garden of Gethsemane. I’ve been rambling on so I better stop! Sorry this is so long! There’s really a lot to see there and the Franciscans have Church’s in pretty much every major spot!

Thank you, that sounds amazing! I hope I can go there someday.