House Scapulars

[Vico]

Alright, I have an acquaintance who actually places Scapulars on the doors going in and our of their house, on the door knobs. I have seen this done in a Church as well.

I thought too, it’s a bit foggy, I once saw over-sized scapulars made for houses.

Has anyone ever heard of any of this of which I speak. And I do thank you in advance.

Modern Catholic Dictionary

SACRAMENTAL. Objects or actions that the Church uses after the manner of sacraments, in order to achieve through the merits of the faithful certain effects, mainly of a spiritual nature. They differ from sacraments in not having been instituted by Christ to produce their effect in virtue of the ritual performed. Their efficacy depends not on the rite itself, as in the sacraments, but on the influence of prayerful petition; that of the person who uses them and of the Church in approving their practice. The variety of sacramentals spans the whole range of times and places, words and actions, objects and gestures that, on the Church’s authority, draw not only on the personal dispositions of the individual but on the merits and prayers of the whole Mystical Body of Christ.

 

[Anesti33]

Saying we don’t need to do something is quite different from saying something is superstitious. We all recognize that holy water and the rosary are not required, however I cannot imagine any of us cautioning someone against using holy water or the rosary for fear of superstition. So which is it? Is hiding scapulars an unnecessary but pious devotion, or is it superstition to be avoided?
[/quote]

I would never caution someone against using holy water or the rosary or a scapular. If you’re hiding a scapular, you’re not using it: you’re abusing it.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I have seen people talk about hiding scapulars among the belongings of unbelievers, in the hope that they will convert. This is superstitious thinking.

No, it’s a normal use of the Green Scapular. Obviously you want to pray for the person too and not just put a scapular under their pillow, but it’s a traditional and accepted pious practice to try to convert people. The devotion permits you to say the prayer associated with the Green Scapular yourself for one who is not able or willing to say it.

As noted in this article, one should not regard the Green Scapular as a “lucky charm” but instead you should use it for anyone in need of physical or spiritual healing, with trust and faith in God.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/aletei...-or-family-member-try-the-green-scapular/amp/

Use of the Green Scapular by placing it on or near a person who is physically ill or spiritually “ill” (in need of conversion) actually IS the traditional way it is used. The Green Scapular does not represent the habit of an order, and often comes with either no cords or with just very short ones for hanging it up. It is not meant to be worn, although it’s okay to wear it if you want. It comes from a private revelation to a Vincentian sister, who discussed it with very few people other than her spiritual director and Blessed Pope Pius IX, who approved the Green Scapular devotion. It is currently promoted by the Vincentians.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

<<Yes, there are also plenty of sources where you can purchase a St. Joseph statue designed to be buried upside down in your front yard, sold as a “St. Joseph Home Selling Kit” with explicit instructions. That doesn’t make it a valid Catholic devotion.>>

I went on a retreat at Visitation Monastery and the retreat master told us to not purchase those “St. Joseph Home Selling Kits” as it is not a valid Catholic devotion. We can certainly pray to St. Joseph for his intercession to help sell our home, but we do certainly do not have to bury the little plastic statue of him upside down on our property.

Someone must have thought that up some time ago, and then it seems to have slipped into many Catholic supply stores.

Before I go further, please file this under “do as I say, not as I do” — this is not a practice I advocate, it does indeed border on superstition — but my family had a home that was very difficult to sell, the market was beyond soft, and we had a deadline approaching, beyond which not being able to sell the house was going to have very bad financial consequences for us. I finally got desperate and bought a small plastic St Joseph statue. I buried it in the back yard, with prayers seeking St Joseph’s intercession for sale of the house.

The house sold within days.

Perhaps Our Lord took pity on our situation and moved an interested party to take the plunge and buy it. I wouldn’t misuse a St Joseph statue in this fashion again, and don’t recommend that anyone else do so. That’s been 25 years ago and I don’t recall if I mentioned it in confession — I did do it in good faith, and I hardly think something like that rises to the level of mortal sin.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

The house I bought a few years ago that I’m typing this from had a St. Joseph buried by the seller in the yard. She was Jewish. I know she did it because she and her husband were slightly late to the closing and she explained it was because they had to stop at the house and dig St. Joseph out of the yard. I’d say it worked in her case.

 

[Anesti33]

It’s amusing or possibly disturbing to me that this would be acceptable, and people should think that abusing a holy image by covering it with dirt and mud, in an undignified upside-down pose where nobody can see it, and then essentially holding it hostage until the desired outcome is achieved, is somehow the answer to intercessory prayer. . . .

 

[Dorothy]

You certainly did that in good faith…thanks for sharing!

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Anesti33:

It’s amusing or possibly disturbing to me that this would be acceptable, and people should think that abusing a holy image by covering it with dirt and mud, in an undignified upside-down pose where nobody can see it, and then essentially holding it hostage until the desired outcome is achieved, is somehow the answer to intercessory prayer.

I hope that anyone who attempts this, especially someone getting the idea from these forum posts, never sells the house at all. Call it “St. Joseph’s Revenge”.

Burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in the ground sounds like something that Satan would approve. Who knows, maybe the people who have done this have unwittingly made a pack with the devil?

Aren’t both of these comments a bit strong?

Countless Catholics throughout history, through being ignorant, perhaps a bit superstitious, and not having an educated understanding of the distinctions between obtaining grace and favors, and bestowing grace and favors, between dulia, hyperdulia, and latria, have sought the intercession of the saints in a way that others might find theologically inaccurate.

For instance, some communities of Catholics seek the intercession of “St Expedite” to obtain favors “right here, right now” (never mind that properly disposed prayer keeps in mind “if God wills it, in what measure He wills it, and when He wills it”) and make offerings of flowers and pound cake (pound cake?!?!!) in thanksgiving for favors granted. I was raised in a Baptist and fundamentalist environment (didn’t embrace the religion, didn’t really go to church, but it was just atmospheric, no escaping it), and hence it is not “top of mind” for me to seek the intercession of Our Lady or the saints, rather, I go straight to Our Lord. But other people are raised differently.

It wouldn’t be a bad thing for priests in these communities to give the occasional “pep talk” sermon about worship versus veneration, and the proper way to seek saints’ intercession, but old habits die hard. I have to wonder how evangelical fundamentalists “root out” these habits among the simple Catholic layfolk whom they manage to lure away from the One True Church.

I’d take the money and give it to the poor, rather than buy a Sara Lee pound cake for a saint who can’t eat it anyway. But maybe that’s just me.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Aren’t both of these comments a bit strong?

Yes, of course. It’s CAF.
If you don’t do or think exactly like the opinion of whoever is commenting, you’re (insert various pejorative terms). Doesn’t matter if your saintly grandma did it in good faith.

That’s why this forum is best read by people who are secure enough in their faith to just dismiss such comments. Obviously St Joseph doesn’t punish people who bury his statue by causing their house not to sell. The Lord is more concerned with the sincerity of the gesture.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

HomeschoolDad:

Aren’t both of these comments a bit strong?

Yes, of course. It’s CAF.
If you don’t do or think exactly like the opinion of whoever is commenting, you’re (insert various pejorative terms). Doesn’t matter if your saintly grandma did it in good faith.

That’s why this forum is best read by people who are secure enough in their faith to just dismiss such comments. Obviously St Joseph doesn’t punish people who bury his statue by causing their house not to sell. The Lord is more concerned with the sincerity of the gesture.

Thanks for pointing this out.

As a sidebar comment, to expand upon something I said above, I have wondered if Hispanic Pentecostals and other evangelicals, who have somewhere in their family’s history departed from the ancestral Catholic Faith of their people, are told by their pastors “put aside that Our Lady of Guadalupe business, lighting candles to the saints, and so on, that’s idolatry, we worship only Jesucristo and anything else is not scriptural”. The Anglicans and Lutherans who have attracted Hispanics probably don’t have an issue with it, but I’d bet good money the Baptists and Pentecostals do. I honestly don’t know. Can anybody shed light?

Or maybe it would behoove me to take that money, too, and give it to the poor. One cannot pontificate on such matters unless they’re willing to follow their own conclusions

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I was suggesting more that veneration of saints, and especially devotion to Our Lady, is so “baked into” Latin culture, that to ask a newly “saved” ex-Catholic Hispanic to give up these things they’ve grown up with, might be too much to ask right up front. Again, I don’t know how they handle that.

 

[ThomasMT]

Scapulars are vestments meant to be worn on the body. I have seen people talk about hiding scapulars among the belongings of unbelievers, in the hope that they will convert. This is superstitious thinking.

If we are discussing green scapulars, then it is indeed appropriate.

 

[Katie777]

I htheyave a few scapulars. Believe me they are supernatural sacramentals

 

[Katie777]

Yes Jesus please grant me your peace and protection for me & family
Amen.

 

[GioG12]

I have seen people talk about hiding scapulars among the belongings of unbelievers, in the hope that they will convert. This is superstitious thinking.

No, this isn’t superstitious. Doing this is the most common practice of using the green scapular.

 

[InThePew]

At the end of the day it’s just like any other blessed item - people hang rosary beads from the rear view mirror in their car all the time. As long as what it’s being used for isn’t irreverent then there’s really no problem - it’s just like having any other religious item in the home

 

[JanR]

I’ve had house scapulars, which I’ve place on our door knobs, after first having them blessed by our priest.