Can someone help me understand the true purpose of holy cards, scapulars, medals, etc. . .?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wed2catholic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

wed2catholic

Guest
OK, first off, I have to say, please forgive me if this sounds offensive anyone. I am not trying to be offensive; I just have some questions about these items. I first want to give the perspective that some Protestants have of holy cards, scapulars (I honestly do not even know what these are), and medals. (I can understand crucifixes and rosary beads a little bit better.) To a Protestant, these things almost look superstitious. (At least, that is how they are sometimes portrayed on TV.) It looks like you carry a medal around with you, and it protects you from something; or the more religious items you have in your house, the more protection you get. I am not trying to be disrespectful at all. This is just how it looks to some Protestants.

Now, I would like to know what the real purpose of these are (and what they actually are in some cases). I have great respect for the Catholic Church, and I am strongly moving toward it. These things are a little more difficult for me to accept on my journey because I do not see them in Scripture or in what I have read of the early church Fathers. Also, coming from a Protestant tradition, we do not have anything like that, so it is a totally foreign concept for me. If there is a Scriptural or early church base for these, I would like to know that as well (not that I believe all things that are good have to be found in the Bible–just not contradict it). Also, if you become Catholic, are these things you have to use? I would appreciate the Catholic perspective on all of this. Please help me understand, and please forgive the fact that I have been warped by anti-catholic writers/preachers throughout parts of my life.🙂
 
=wed2catholic;7856734]OK, first off, I have to say, please forgive me if this sounds offensive anyone. I am not trying to be offensive; I just have some questions about these items. I first want to give the perspective that some Protestants have of holy cards, scapulars (I honestly do not even know what these are), and medals. (I can understand crucifixes and rosary beads a little bit better.) To a Protestant, these things almost look superstitious.
Click to expand...
Now, I would like to know what the real purpose of these are (and what they actually are in some cases). I have great respect for the Catholic Church, and I am strongly moving toward it. These things are a little more difficult for me to accept on my journey because I do not see them in Scripture or in what I have read of the early church Fathers.writers/preachers throughout parts of my life.🙂
Click to expand...
***Thank you for your interest:

While not essential, understanding the rational behind Protestant critique of Catholism is very important.

In order to VALIDATE their positions; they must rebuke the Catholic positions. Logic affirms tha on any single issue only One truth is possible.

The items you refer to are termed “sacramentals.” They are NOT Sacraments but in a way serve the same end. Which is to bring us in closer Union and Relationship with God.

They are holy objects that bring our minds and hearts to memory of either God directly or implicitly, through the Pious Lifes and works of others, we admire and try to emulate in our personal trek for salvation.

Similar to a photograph of a Loved One brings good memeories of them; so too picture cards “holy-cards”], rosaries, the crucifix, statues all serve the same purpose and function.

Speaking of statues; they are NOT Forbiden by God. Look at these passages:***

Exod.25: 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold;[GOD speaking to Moses] of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Exod.37: 7 And he made two cherubim of hammered gold; on the two ends of the mercy seat he made them, 1Kgs.6: 28 And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 32 He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; he overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubim and upon the palm trees. 35 On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied upon the carved work"

'Cheribum are Angels; So God has Moses MAKE “Graven Images”. here is another example, then I’ll explain this too you.

**Num.21:8-9 **And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live."

Our ALL-WISE God encourages things that lead one to think about HIM! What GOD FORBIDS is "graven images’ of false god, or gods for the purpose of worshiping a man-made deity.

Holy cards, books, picture, statues, crucifixes ect LEAD US TO GOD; not away from God. Therefore they are good things.

God Bless,

Pat
 
Hi, don’t worry not offensive at all 🙂

I’m a convert from Protestantism so I’ve wondered lots about those things too.

All these things: medals, scapulars, holy water, relics, ETC can be summarized under the title “sacramentals”. Their distinction from Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confession, etc) is the following… God gives us grace through the Sacraments. But with sacramentals, grace doesn’t come THROUGH them, rather - God helps us in some way just because they are there. I know that probably sounds really confusing so I’ll give an example 🙂

remember in the Bible how Jesus healed the blind man using mud. Or how the woman who was bleeding touched His garment or was healed. Or how people would try to touch the garment or shadow of the Apostles to be healed. Or how in the Old Testament, someone was healed by touching Elisha’s bones (relics!). God did these miracles because of those physical objects that were there. Sacramentals are basically that… just blessed objects that God could use, because they have been blessed and - they are good spiritual protection not because of the objects themselves (that would be superstition!) - but because of the blessing that is on them. The blessing comes from God and the devil hates anything of God as we know. This blessing is given by a priest.

I can describe the various sacramentals and other holy objects for you… I guess Rosaries and crucifixes are more straightforward 🙂

holy water - water that has been blessed by a priest… this is mostly used as spiritual protection, it’s actually very powerful, because like I said the devil hates anything blessed. There are many stories in the lives of the Saints where they used holy water against the enemy. Priests also use it in exorcisms, to bless objects, etc.

scapulars - these are little pieces of fabric, usually wool, that are worn, this is how they look like:
catholicshopper.com/products/scapulars.html
there are different types of scapulars, usually they are associted with a religious order. The most common one is the Brown Scapular, which is associated with Carmelites. Scapulars are bit difficult to explain or understand… basically, this one was given to us by Mary herself, in a vision to St Simon. Through wearing the blessed scapular and being ‘enrolled’ into by a priest using a special prayer, the person participates in the works/prayers of Carmel, and also it’s like a sign of Mary’s intercession… she promised that those who die in this scapular, would be dying in God’s grace, but again that doesn’t mean anything superstitious, - because the scapular doesn’t PUT anyone in God’s grace. Rather, they need the Sacraments for that, as everyone else. Instead, it just means that Mary is praying for that person, and would help them to obtain repentance. If they reject this repentance and die without God’s grace, - many true stories indicate that they would lose their brown scapular somehow, at the moment of death. I know this sounds very new but here are some accounts that illustrate what i mean:
freebrownscapular.com/brown_scapular_miracles.html

there are also other types of scapulars, like the green Scapular: greenscapular.org/history.html my grandmother found faith in God after I sent her one of these and prayed for her 🙂 (prayer is essential though, again it’s not about the object itself!).

relics - these are either the bodies or belongings of Saints, or things touched to them. There are different ‘classes’ of relics. We are not really allowed to own first class relics, which are bodies of the Saints, that are kept in churches. But we can have third class relics, which are just objects touched to them. Works similarly as the story about Elisha’s bones in the Old Testament 🙂 the reason we have relics is just to honour the Saints because their bodies are part of them too, and they lived holy lives. Some Saints’ bodies are incorruptible.

medals - blessed medals are usually for spiritual protection, like other blessed objects, or just to represent a devotion to a Saint, etc. One of the most well known is the ‘Miraculous Medal’:
amm.org/medal.asp

holy cards - just blessed prayer cards that we use because there are prayers written on them…

blessed candles - similar to holy water

hope that helps 🙂 I think one of the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism is that we believe that God uses the physical reality…

God bless
 
wed2catholic said:
OK, first off, I have to say, please forgive me if this sounds offensive anyone. I am not trying to be offensive; I just have some questions about these items. I first want to give the perspective that some Protestants have of holy cards, scapulars (I honestly do not even know what these are), and medals. (I can understand crucifixes and rosary beads a little bit better.) To a Protestant, these things almost look superstitious. (At least, that is how they are sometimes portrayed on TV.) It looks like you carry a medal around with you, and it protects you from something; or the more religious items you have in your house, the more protection you get. I am not trying to be disrespectful at all. This is just how it looks to some Protestants.

Now, I would like to know what the real purpose of these are (and what they actually are in some cases). I have great respect for the Catholic Church, and I am strongly moving toward it. These things are a little more difficult for me to accept on my journey because I do not see them in Scripture or in what I have read of the early church Fathers. Also, coming from a Protestant tradition, we do not have anything like that, so it is a totally foreign concept for me. If there is a Scriptural or early church base for these, I would like to know that as well (not that I believe all things that are good have to be found in the Bible–just not contradict it). Also, if you become Catholic, are these things you have to use? I would appreciate the Catholic perspective on all of this. Please help me understand, and please forgive the fact that I have been warped by anti-catholic writers/preachers throughout parts of my life.🙂
Click to expand...
Catholic scapulars and medals are visible signs for one to act more as a disciple of Christ, yet they also involve more courage to follow our Lord’s way, and the numerous miracles associated with these items mean something for me. If I saw any of these signs within some other Church, that might cause me to wonder, but of course, there are none.

I especially like the various miracles associated with the brown scapular. Blessed Pope Gregory X who died in 1284, when then opened his casket 600 year later, his body and garments were nothing but dust, except his scapular which he was a strong proponent for. It is on display today nearly 720 years later. The same matters for St. Alphonsus di Ligouri and St. John Bosco. I ask myself the dumb question,…….is someone trying to tell me something? Why do all these things always happen to this one Church? I am not very smart, but again, is someone trying to tell me something?

freebrownscapular.com/brown_scapular_miracles.html

The Miraculous Medal is another favorite of mine. By wearing it, I just feel closer and with the protection of my Lady. Yet again, the numerous miracles, verified mind you, why do they always happen to those folks carrying a rabbit’s foot on their key chain, I’m sorry, I mean the Miracloue Medal? Is someone trying to tell me something in my thoughts, words and deeds throughout my day?

I am sure others will give better answers, but hope this helps. 🙂
 
A good source of information regarding the Church teachings is the
Catechism of the Catholic Church which is available in full online
scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Except where sacramentals (like scapulars etc) are part of a Sacrament they aren’t mandatory. Holy cards, for instance, are not in themselves valuable, but they can be a reminder to pray.

[ Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals

However, the Eucharist (Mass) is 'the source and summit" of Catholic Christian life.

This is a link to a simplified form of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
catholicity.com/catechism/]("Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals"htm[/URL)
 
Trishie said:
A good source of information regarding the Church teachings is the
Catechism of the Catholic Church which is available in full online
scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Except where sacramentals (like scapulars etc) are part of a Sacrament they aren’t mandatory. Holy cards, for instance, are not in themselves valuable, but they can be a reminder to pray.

[ Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals

However, the Eucharist (Mass) is 'the source and summit" of Catholic Christian life.

This is a link to a simplified form of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
catholicity.com/catechism/]("Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals"htm[/URL)

Many, if not most, of the Holy Cards I have are from funerals–this is very common. There is a picture of Christ or Mary or another Saint on the front, and on the back is the name of the deceased and the birth and death dates along with a prayer. This reminds us to pray for the soul of the deceased, as well as keeping them in our memories.

They are also useful for taking to Mass and letting my young grandaughters look at if they become restless 😉 This can be a teaching opportunity too.🙂
Click to expand...
 
All these things: medals, scapulars, holy water, relics, ETC can be summarized under the title “sacramentals”. Their distinction from Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confession, etc) is the following… God gives us grace through the Sacraments. But with sacramentals, grace doesn’t come THROUGH them, rather - God helps us in some way just because they are there. I know that probably sounds really confusing so I’ll give an example 🙂

remember in the Bible how Jesus healed the blind man using mud. Or how the woman who was bleeding touched His garment or was healed. Or how people would try to touch the garment or shadow of the Apostles to be healed. Or how in the Old Testament, someone was healed by touching Elisha’s bones (relics!). God did these miracles because of those physical objects that were there. Sacramentals are basically that… just blessed objects that God could use, because they have been blessed and - they are good spiritual protection not because of the objects themselves (that would be superstition!) - but because of the blessing that is on them. The blessing comes from God and the devil hates anything of God as we know. This blessing is given by a priest.

Thank you very much for all of this information. It was very helpful. How do the priests know that when they bless something that God will bless it too? (I know this may sound like a crazy question to Catholics, but remember I am Protestant.:)) Has this blessing of things always been a part of the church, or did it begin at a certain point in history? I remember the story of Elisha’s bones in the Bible–that was a very helpful point to make. Does God really still perform miracles like that? I don’t mean to sound disbelieving; I just come from a dispensationalist background, and we never would have been taught that. I just assumed that God did not do things like that anymore, but I do not see why He couldn’t if he wanted to.
 
wed2catholic said:
O
To a Protestant, these things almost look superstitious. (At least, that is how they are sometimes portrayed on TV.) It looks like you carry a medal around with you, and it protects you from something; or the more religious items you have in your house, the more protection you get. I am not trying to be disrespectful at all. This is just how it looks to some Protestants.

Also, if you become Catholic, are these things you have to use? I would appreciate the Catholic perspective on all of this. Please help me understand, and please forgive the fact that I have been warped by anti-catholic writers/preachers throughout parts of my life.🙂
Click to expand...
Some other practices I am familiar with. Placing or carrying the St. Christopher medal, patron saint of travelers, in our vehicles, when we go on trips for a safe travel or trip.

On the Miraculous Medal, after reading the book “The Rite”, I learned from the book that exorcists usually carry it as it is efficacious in protecting them from the devil. So I carry one myself now.
 
This can be best explained by my favorite Nun, Mother Angelica. 🙂

youtube.com/watch?v=be9JdrB8Hq0

Thirty-three minutes into this video, she answers a question about Sacrementals. This is so strange because I read this intriguing thread, and then happened to hear a discussion of Sacrementals while watching Mother Angelica Live!

I too have struggled with Sacrementals as someone coming from a non-Catholic background–I’ve always, even as a small child, been drawn to them; yet, I always felt fear and unease in my interest. This thread and Mother Angelica’s words helped me to not feel uneasy about them anymore. When people tell me that they think I’m being superstitious because I use Sacrementals, I’m going to tell them what you guys and Mother Angelica shared.

“Anybody got a Sacred Heart Badge? -You heathens. . ! ;)” -Mother Angelica
 
wed2catholic said:
How do the priests know that when they bless something that God will bless it too? (I know this may sound like a crazy question to Catholics, but remember I am Protestant.:))
Click to expand...
Let’s see, in 700 AD there was a priest in Lanciano, Italy who had a similar question if transforming the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord was really going to happen. Where this was only 1400 years ago, that flesh from a heart is still present which by itself is another matter.

Yet this priest, as many people might question, had the same issues as he was consecrating this bread and wine. As we all know,…….it is just a symbol, er I don’t know what the Arians believed back then as it was a mere 800 years before the enlightenment of Protestantism, but one can see this fact today!
trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html

And I should add, we all know the surgical tools they had in that area of the world and while I wonder about their knowledge of open heart surgery back then,……as a non dispensationalist, it is amazing that it took us to get to the 1900’s to develop the technology to validate the surgical tools they had back in the 700’s,…….er maybe again, someone might be trying to say something to me again and again if I just open my eyes! Miracles always seem to happen to this one Church……… 🙂
 
Yet this priest, as many people might question, had the same issues as he was consecrating this bread and wine. As we all know,…….it is just a symbol, er I don’t know what the Arians believed back then as it was a mere 800 years before the enlightenment of Protestantism, but one can see this fact today!
trosch.org/inx/lanciano.html

Why did you post this link on here??? I opened it and it was scary. I read a couple of side titles, and since it was obvious it was an anit-catholic website, I closed it immediately. (so I still have no idea what you are talking about.) I am a little upset by your post. I am truly seeking an answer. If you want to give me a non-sarcastic account of this story, please do. I want to understand. But otherwise, please do not assume that I am anti-catholic because I am not. I am a Protestant that has been schooled for many years in why “Catholics are wrong”, but have come recently to understand that that statement is not true; and I am trying to overcome all the indoctrination I have been handed over the past 26 or so years, so that if it is possible for me to do so, I might convert to Catholicism.
 
I thought you posed a question about how does a priest know if something he has blessed will be blessed by God too? If I misunderstood the question, I beg your forgiveness.

The incident at Lanciano seemed liked a very direct example to the question. You may prefer this web site.

therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html
 
wed2catholic said:
OK, first off, I have to say, please forgive me if this sounds offensive anyone. I am not trying to be offensive; I just have some questions about these items. I first want to give the perspective that some Protestants have of holy cards, scapulars (I honestly do not even know what these are), and medals. (I can understand crucifixes and rosary beads a little bit better.) To a Protestant, these things almost look superstitious. (At least, that is how they are sometimes portrayed on TV.) It looks like you carry a medal around with you, and it protects you from something; or the more religious items you have in your house, the more protection you get. I am not trying to be disrespectful at all. This is just how it looks to some Protestants.
Click to expand...
Dont worry it probably look the same to the Egyptians when they saw the Hebrews smear lambs blood on their doors. 👍
 
wed2catholic said:
Thank you very much for all of this information. It was very helpful. How do the priests know that when they bless something that God will bless it too?
Click to expand...
Good question, well that is the priests’ office… when they are ordained, an ‘indelible mark’ is left on their soul, like when we are baptized… and they are able to offer the Sacraments, etc. They are the successors of the Apostles (and the Bishops are the direct successors, and they ordain the priests).
(I know this may sound like a crazy question to Catholics, but remember I am Protestant.:)) Has this blessing of things always been a part of the church, or did it begin at a certain point in history?
Click to expand...
I don’t know, but the Sacraments always were a part of the Church, so was the priesthood 🙂 the Apostles chose people to continue their ministry… Jesus told the Apostles that they could forgive sin (this is in the Bible), He also told them to celebrate the Eucharist and baptize people… and they appointed successors to continue this, and they were ordained. (by the laying on of hands, as it’s described in Scripture). This Apostolic Succession exists in the Catholic Church because there’s a direct line from the Apostles to the Bishops today. This is also in the Orthodox church (which is in schism from the Catholic Church but still has the Sacraments and the priesthood).
I remember the story of Elisha’s bones in the Bible–that was a very helpful point to make. Does God really still perform miracles like that? I don’t mean to sound disbelieving; I just come from a dispensationalist background, and we never would have been taught that. I just assumed that God did not do things like that anymore, but I do not see why He couldn’t if he wanted to.
Click to expand...
oh yes He definitely does 🙂 there are many stories of miracles in the lives of the Saints, etc. Even recent times. You might be interested in the life of St Padre Pio, he lived only last century (there are even videos of him) and by God’s power, he could heal people, appear in different parts of the world, prophesy, read souls in Confession, speak different languages, see his guardian angel, he saw Jesus, and Mary, and the spiritual reality of the Mass, angels, etc… he also had the stigmata. padrepiodevotions.org/

You might also be interested in Eucharistic miracles, such as these:

miraclerosarymission.org/lanciano.html

and

youtube.com/watch?v=qbg_dhI4XCs

God bless 🙂
 
Wildkit said:
I thought you posed a question about how does a priest know if something he has blessed will be blessed by God too? If I misunderstood the question, I beg your forgiveness.

The incident at Lanciano seemed liked a very direct example to the question. You may prefer this web site.

therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html
Click to expand...
Yes, I did ask, but I honestly wanted to know. . .I was not trying to be obnoxious. This is why I still do not know why you posted that first link.

The second link was much better. Thank you. . .I found it informative.👍
 
Monica4316 said:
Good question, well that is the priests’ office… when they are ordained, an ‘indelible mark’ is left on their soul, like when we are baptized… and they are able to offer the Sacraments, etc. They are the successors of the Apostles (and the Bishops are the direct successors, and they ordain the priests).

Thank you for your charitable answers.🙂 You have been very helpful. I will look at all of your links as I have time.
Click to expand...
 
I have another question that I believe still belongs in this thread. I attended Mass on Good Friday with my husband, and I decided to participate in veneration of the cross. I had never done this before, but as my mind is much more open now than in past years and because I felt moved by God in the service, I went up. We were told that we could either touch the cross, kiss it, or bow. I felt moved to bow. I did not feel moved to bow before a piece of wood (please do not think I am accusing Catholics of worshiping images; I am not), but before my Lord who gave His life for me. Is this the correct way to do it? I mean, I do not think Christ is in that wooden figure the way He is in the Eucharist; I was thinking of His presence at the right hand of the Father and His presence in the church. The whole service was very moving for me. I just wanted to know if I am thinking the right way. Does someone have an answer?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top