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felsguy
Guest
Unfortunately some (many?) individuals have this same misunderstanding about novenas too.
Bury a Statue of St. Joseph for the Intention of Selling a House?
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Slaney
Guest
Superstitious Baloney, that should be discouraged like the rabbits foot, as if the rabbit is happy about it…
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gracepoole
Guest
When we pray a novena, we may ask a specific saint to intercede on our behalf regarding something with which we need assistance. Our prayer may or may not be answered in the way we expect, but we have faith that our prayer will be answered – we have faith that saying a novena will have a result.
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SecretaryMonday
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felsguy
Guest
It all depends on who the “we” is. Granted many individuals have a correct understand of praying a novena as I’m sure you do. My point is there are those individuals who believe that by saying certain prayers and/or performing certain actions mechanically the particular result they are seeking will happen automatically…just as there are those who have a similar belief about the practice of burying a St. Jospeh statue that we are discussing.
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otjm
Guest
Actually, no, that does not describe a novena; a novena is a series of days (or more) of prayers requesting something.
Read my post again; I asked people why not just put St. Joseph on th emantel or dining table the answer was “it would not work”.
They believed that one had to bury it to “make it work” and that is believing that the act of burying the statue has power.
Our novenas don’t have power is so far as making the results happen; they have the power of prayer, and prayers are answered, and not necessarily as we wish. We can’t bind God with a novena (or Mary, or Jude, or Joseph…).
If there is any carelessness in assumptions, it is a carelessness in assuming that by burying a statue instead of placing it on the mantel there is power or ability to control something.
That same carelessness occurs when people “for fun” play the ouija board.
It is in the same category as saying that one made a “mistake” instead of saying that one sinned. In either case, one is trying slough off responsibility for one’s actions.
I learned when I was 12 that a novena does not “make” something happen. And that was a long, long time ago and the matter was really, really serious. I could not make God do my will - nor Mary. A tough lesson to a young kid.
There is a marked difference between thinking a novena may make something happen, and a novena will make something happen.
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gracepoole
Guest
Yes – what I’m objecting to here is the universal disapproval of this devotion. There are those who view it as magic, and there are those who view it reverently.
Yes – I’m aware of what a novena is. And it doesn’t appear that including the definition changes anything about what’s been said.
I’ve stated that I can’t and don’t wish to speak for the ignorant.
I didn’t claim we could.
This is not how my family practices this devotion.
For the ignorant and superstitious, sure.
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felsguy
Guest
This is the portion of your earlier post that I and apparently also OTJM were responding too and taking issue with. My intention was to say that it is erroneous to believe that “doing a certain act will cause a certain result” whether that act is making a novena or burying a statue of St. Joseph.
OTJM can speak for himself but I read his response to mean that he disagrees that belief that doing a certain act will cause a certain result “describes the act of saying a novena.”
Your latest post suggests that is not what you meant to convey in your earlier post???
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gracepoole
Guest
I did try to clarify earlier:
This is what I’m doing when I bury a St. Joseph statue, pray a novena, and say other prayers to St. Joseph – I’m asking but not knowing what the result of my prayers will be.
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felsguy
Guest
It apppears then that we’re both on the same page about novenas and other prayers to the saints.The practice of burying the statue strikes me personally as tiptoeing along the fenceline of sound theology but I don’t condemn those who do so with the proper understanding.
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otjm
Guest
My question remains unanswered - and that is, why bury St. Joseph when you could put him on the mantle?
Any answer that says “That is the way we do it” is not answering the question; it is parroting someone else’s non-answer about the act. And having been a Realtor for 7 years and sold my share of houses, and having come across this more times than I can count, I can guarantee there are lots and lots of people out there with a superstitious belief. Period.
It is like saying “I have to walk backwards to my pew after receiving Communion”
Quere: “Why?”
Answer: “Because that’s the way we do it”
No, that is not the way we do it; it is the way superstitious people do it.
That answer refuses to lift up the lid and look at what is inside the box - or practice, if you will - because what is inside is a superstition.
and superstition is one step away from drifting into occult practices.
And the answer “that is the way we do it” is a denial that there is most definitely, something else at work.
What is at work is a belief; perhaps too subtle for some people to work out, that somehow, by this act we achieve some sort of control; and the occult is just that - it is about taking control of what we have no control over.
I don’t buy the bit about the prayerful novena coupled with burying the statue; it begs the question and avoids it. The whole think started in superstition and reeks of it still.
What you seem to bge saying between the lines is that it is more powerful to bury him than put him on the mantle; else why do it? Because someone else does it? And why do they do it that way? It is absolutely not “Just because” or “Because that’s the way we do it”
I know how it is done. You are not answering the “Why” - why this way instead of the mantle?
Because that is the way it is done is a cop out. It tries to pretend the elephant is not standing in the middle of the room,.
Some people don’t like the hyperbole?
It isn’t hyperbole. If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, if it has feathers and webbed feet and a bill, it for sure is not a cat. Quit tying to pass off what lots and lots of people do because they think it has some magic power.
Hyperbole? Let’s get real it is time we stop saying “Well, it wasn’t really a sin” or “Well, it was just a little sin”. What does the CCC say about the occult? Read it and then tell me my posts are hyperbole. Play with fire and expect something other than getting burned.
Any answer that says “That is the way we do it” is not answering the question; it is parroting someone else’s non-answer about the act. And having been a Realtor for 7 years and sold my share of houses, and having come across this more times than I can count, I can guarantee there are lots and lots of people out there with a superstitious belief. Period.
It is like saying “I have to walk backwards to my pew after receiving Communion”
Quere: “Why?”
Answer: “Because that’s the way we do it”
No, that is not the way we do it; it is the way superstitious people do it.
That answer refuses to lift up the lid and look at what is inside the box - or practice, if you will - because what is inside is a superstition.
and superstition is one step away from drifting into occult practices.
And the answer “that is the way we do it” is a denial that there is most definitely, something else at work.
What is at work is a belief; perhaps too subtle for some people to work out, that somehow, by this act we achieve some sort of control; and the occult is just that - it is about taking control of what we have no control over.
I don’t buy the bit about the prayerful novena coupled with burying the statue; it begs the question and avoids it. The whole think started in superstition and reeks of it still.
What you seem to bge saying between the lines is that it is more powerful to bury him than put him on the mantle; else why do it? Because someone else does it? And why do they do it that way? It is absolutely not “Just because” or “Because that’s the way we do it”
I know how it is done. You are not answering the “Why” - why this way instead of the mantle?
Because that is the way it is done is a cop out. It tries to pretend the elephant is not standing in the middle of the room,.
Some people don’t like the hyperbole?
It isn’t hyperbole. If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, if it has feathers and webbed feet and a bill, it for sure is not a cat. Quit tying to pass off what lots and lots of people do because they think it has some magic power.
Hyperbole? Let’s get real it is time we stop saying “Well, it wasn’t really a sin” or “Well, it was just a little sin”. What does the CCC say about the occult? Read it and then tell me my posts are hyperbole. Play with fire and expect something other than getting burned.
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Inquiringperson
Guest
Can’t someone bury the St. Joseph statue if it is some sort of weird way to remind them to ask for St. Joseph’s intercession, knowing that the power comes from God through St. Joseph’s intercession? I believe the answer is yes.
However, I would strongly discourage this practice, as 1) You may get weird looks if people found it you did this and 2) People may get the wrong idea if they hear of this, and believe that this method works in a superstitious manner, It would be better to have the St. Joseph statue in a prominent place such as a home altar, so that people will get the impression that you want St. Joseph’s intercession and not superstition.
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Didascalia
Guest
It smacks of pagan superstition. Since when did our church imbue statues with prayer directing power? This sort of behaviour needs strong condemnation by the church. It makes a mockery of our faith and feeds the myth or in this case “fact” that we [or some of us] practice sorcery!!! 
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otjm
Guest
That is not what they are doing, so the question is irrelevant.
People don’t need weird ways to ask St Joseph to intercede.
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Didascalia
Guest
Agree.
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maryjk
Guest
So, somehow, taking 5 minutes to bury a statue will be more of a reminder than placing the statue where you will SEE it every day.
As I said before, I find it interesting that people talk about “giving scandal.” But it is never mentioned when they talk about burying a statue.
(By the way, is St Joseph the only one people have been known to bury?)
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TimothyH
Guest
It symbolizes the consecration of the ground to St. Joseph.
Why wear a medal of the Blessed Virgin around my neck when I can put it on my dresser? Because it symbolizes the consecration of my body and soul to the Blessed Virgin.
-Tim-
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DOJ96
Guest
This is what my Priest said. He was frustrated that this persists and is sold in Catholic stores. Long story short, he was against it in very strong terms.It smacks of pagan superstition. Since when did our church imbue statues with prayer directing power? This sort of behaviour needs strong condemnation by the church. It makes a mockery of our faith and feeds the myth or in this case “fact” that we [or some of us] practice sorcery!!!
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felsguy
Guest
But for how many? 1 out of 97 here. I’d venture it’s more like 1 in 9700, maybe even 970,000 in the real world.
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TimothyH
Guest
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