Blessed Religious Articles

[Br.Rich_SFO]

The other day I was thinking about the “rules” regarding dealing with sacramentals such as scapulars, statues, Rosaries, and so on. The answers for disposal of those when they are no longer useable are simple, however, I got to thinking about two other things people have blessed - their homes and their cars.

Any thoughts regarding the ethics of these? Moving out, selling your car?

Never mind, I got a good answer! When you sell an object that was blessed, you really are not selling the blessing as that would be simony, you are just selling the object. You sell the material, not the spiritual. The rules for disposal are different because it is yours and the intention of the blessing regarded you. In this way, someone could sell an object that was blessed, and the new buyer would have to take it to a priest if they wanted it blessed.

When selling a car or home or anything for that matter. It is not purchased with the blessing. Simply if you buy or sell a blessed object it looses it’s blessing. So if you buy a house or car have it blessed again yourself.

 

[FrCorey]

yep, blessings are not transferable.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

yep, blessings are not transferable.

Unless of course you give the car or home away!

 

[Jonathan_Cid]

Yes, this was much more logical than I initially expected. I must have overanalyzed - the answer was simple!

 

[Ghoti]

Nope. As stated above, the object can be sold AS a mere object - a blessed Rosary is still a physical object containing physical materials, and it’s reasonable to charge for the materials and labour that went into it. As long as you charge the same as you would for an unblessed object. In any event a blessed object apparently loses the blessing when it’s sold, so it’s not like the blessing COULD be sold.

I guess that was what I meant – you can’t sell a blessed item: not because it is immoral, but because it’s impossible.

Thus, buying a rosary blessed by the Pope is no different than buying one he stuck in his pocket. The blessing will not pass along with the rosary.

 

[LilyM]

I guess that was what I meant – you can’t sell a blessed item: not because it is immoral, but because it’s impossible.

Thus, buying a rosary blessed by the Pope is no different than buying one he stuck in his pocket. The blessing will not pass along with the rosary.

Assuming the blessing happens before the sale, yes, but if the money changes hands and the Rosary is blessed afterwards (just before shipping or what have you) then the blessing would still attach.

 

[Ghoti]

Assuming the blessing happens before the sale, yes, but if the money changes hands and the Rosary is blessed afterwards (just before shipping or what have you) then the blessing would still attach.

I wonder does faith/belief have any effect?

If you order from a website a rosary blessed by Fr Corapi, say – they only charge for the Rosary and S&H, the blessing applied after the payment is made, obviously it’s the same as if you ordered the rosary, received it, and had it blessed yourself.

However, suppose the website never had the good Father bless the rosary; or perhaps had it done beforehand, and the sold them: then the blessing in the first case would not exist, or in the second, not “stick” (forgive my lack of knowledge of the proper terminology, but you know what I mean). If you did not know, and believed with all your heart it was a licitly-obtained blessed sacramental – would the Lord give you a “mulligan” as it were for using such a sacramental? Would you still have some form of blessing, some access to the superior graces that comes from using a blessed sacramental as opposed to an unblessed one?

I mean, unless you have the item in question blessed in front of you by a priest, you don’t truly know. (And don’t get me started as to whether the priest had a valid ordination or if he had all his juju properly lined up for the day, etc).

So does the level of faith of the recipient (barring any revelation of any sacerdotal malfeasance/illicitness etc) have any effect?

I.e. if I order a rosary, blessed by Bl John XXIII, paying only S&H, from a reputable Catholic website, and believe in my little heart of hearts it to be so…would that have any effect if it turns out it was actually an unblessed rosary from the gift shop that accidentally got mixed in with the Papal rosaries?

I guess my question would also apply to venerated relics: I heard that if you gathered together all the pieces of the “True Cross”, you’d have enough wood to rebuild the Ark. And since you can’t use the Force, Luke, to detect any increased holiness, you have to go on faith…right?