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bookgirl32
Guest
Does anyone know if, after my family has blessed our advent wreath with holy water at the beginning of December, it’s okay to throw the used candles away? Hope this post is in the right spot.
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Moore11
Guest
Yes it is ok. But if you want to avoid some kind of problem or misunderstanding you could just wrap them up so they can not be seen. Mine are nubs and are slated for the trash tomorrow.
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bookgirl32
Guest
Clarification: We blessed the wreath ourselves, a priest didn’t do it.
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Moore11
Guest
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bookgirl32
Guest
Thanks you too!
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Alloy1
Guest
Never throw them away.
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Aelred_Minor
Guest
I’ve been wondering about this too, and about blessed Christmas trees as well, not that I’ve ever had one. I thought that ordinarily a sacramental had to be burned, buried, or (in the case of things like holy water or blessed salt) consumed.
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Moore11
Guest
nope
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Moore11
Guest
Well on second thought…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=98128
But this would seem to apply to something “blessed” by a priest.
Not sure how this applies to objects that cannot be burned or buried. i.e. A house.
Since there are a billion or so Catholics in the world and a lot of us have advent wreaths or blessed objects that seems like an awful lot of digging and bonfires…
This might help as well. But again seems only to apply to “blessed” objects by a priest.
jimmyakin.org/2004/03/the_ring_cycle.html
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=98128
But this would seem to apply to something “blessed” by a priest.
Not sure how this applies to objects that cannot be burned or buried. i.e. A house.
Since there are a billion or so Catholics in the world and a lot of us have advent wreaths or blessed objects that seems like an awful lot of digging and bonfires…
This might help as well. But again seems only to apply to “blessed” objects by a priest.
jimmyakin.org/2004/03/the_ring_cycle.html
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O_Moriah
Guest
The purpose of such rules of thumb of burning or breaking up religious articles is to avoid the disconcerting and maybe even scandalous situation of people seeing a religious article on top of a trash heap and thinking a sacrilege has taken place.
And so, burning suffices to prevent that from happening. Or, breaking things down and disassembling them and then burying them or, if you’re citified cement-locked, in the trash. The point is to make them no longer recognizable as a religious symbol.
But that’s religious articles which are recognizable as a religious symbol. What about ordinary items that are blessed such as plain candles or advent wreaths? Well, as long as it’s disassembled and no longer an Advent Wreath, then toss it. Nature is already destroying the wreath anyway. Nobody’s going to know that some candle nubs have been blessed at one time.
Non-religious items that are blessed aren’t in the same category as blessed items. If a priest goes out and blesses all the cars in the parish parking lot, does that mean no one can sell them? Or if they’re worn out, take them to the dump? Can no one sell a blessed house because it’s blessed? Blessed ordinary items are treated differently than religious articles which are treated differently than sacred vessels. They have a hierarchy of care with regard to disposal.
And so, burning suffices to prevent that from happening. Or, breaking things down and disassembling them and then burying them or, if you’re citified cement-locked, in the trash. The point is to make them no longer recognizable as a religious symbol.
But that’s religious articles which are recognizable as a religious symbol. What about ordinary items that are blessed such as plain candles or advent wreaths? Well, as long as it’s disassembled and no longer an Advent Wreath, then toss it. Nature is already destroying the wreath anyway. Nobody’s going to know that some candle nubs have been blessed at one time.
Non-religious items that are blessed aren’t in the same category as blessed items. If a priest goes out and blesses all the cars in the parish parking lot, does that mean no one can sell them? Or if they’re worn out, take them to the dump? Can no one sell a blessed house because it’s blessed? Blessed ordinary items are treated differently than religious articles which are treated differently than sacred vessels. They have a hierarchy of care with regard to disposal.
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