It’s all good, Shin.
. Really, I DO appreciate authoritative references and it’s nice to be clear. (I was just referring to the Ten Commandments as my reference - didn’t think you needed: Exodus 20:2–17; Deuteronomy 5:6–21; Exodus 34:17 (lol))
Anyway. WE all understand that good practicing Catholics don’t worship the objects themselves, but I think it’s important on these open forums, lest our non-Catholic, and misunderstanding Catholic brethren become confused, that we state these things clearly.
Also, I think it’s common knowledge that if we purchase a blessed object, it is no longer blessed. I have heard this over and over. Have you heard this too? Someone even told me once that (and these were their words) that “some pope officially declared that to be so to prevent the sale of blessed objects.” Needless to say I took this last with a grain of salt, but even when we had visiting missionaries that had rosaries and chaplets to sell, our priest made himself available only after the sale to bless the objects, not before, for this reason.
Conversely, I’ve seen tons of purportedly “blessed” objects and “relics” for sale on ebay and have wondered how there can be a market for such things.
Doesn’t this “fact” (I’ve no real reference I can point to at this point) at least demonstrate that blessed items are not eternally blessed?
Some education regarding this would probably be helpful for this forum in general, too.
Well, let me tell you what I remember about this issue.
I hope my recollection is good. This is going to be sketchy with qualifiers, bear with me, hopefully someone will fill in.
I have never heard the ‘Pope’ story and have my doubts about it.
It was somewhere stated once that rendering an object for secular use was sufficient for it to no longer be considered consecrated. I forget where, this was perhaps an apologist’s blog or an official source. This might’ve been in the context of how they take care of churches that are no longer to be used and then sold, and so, what is done about that, that being the official bit.
I believe the question to the apologist was of how to dispose of blessed objects properly and respectfully being asked of the apologist.
In any case, it was inferred, that ‘selling’ an object was ‘secular use’ and so ‘removed’ the blessing. Or simply declaring it to be so. This is a lot to infer actually, and people have been repeating it as if it were certain, when frankly I don’t know about that.
First in regards to relics, you can’t render them for secular use. They’re relics. Period.
God always remembers.
Sacramentals, are always sacramentals, they’re just blessed or not blessed… How would one ‘render one for secular use’. I surely don’t know. You could in an act of will, say to God, I am rendering this to secular use, that might be good, or, I am laying it to rest…
Disposing of it reverently… not like anything else no matter what happens…
It is true ‘blessed objects can’t be sold’ that is, they can’t be because it’s a sin to sell a blessing, not necessarily because ‘there’s no more blessing’ if you do that. But that appears to be the conclusion people have come to in a lot of places.
It may be true, that selling it object while blessed, being a secular thing to do, causes God to take away the blessing. It might not be.
But frankly, a prayer is a prayer – I can see God no longer acting on it, because its usefulness has come to an end, and giving us standards for that, and so removing blessings in certain cases. I can also see them lasting despite some things. It’s up to Him really, and since sacramentals are somewhat less formal and set than the sacraments, one could see He, Himself applying a more flexible standard about how He deals with it even.
Blessings aren’t understood well these days, it’s one of the things that suffered after the Council (what did not?) with that awful new ‘Book of Blessings’, instead of the Ritual’s. I keep trying to learn more about them as time goes on, and hope to more in the future through reading and conversation.
However, let me add that sacramentals often have promises associated with them, that are regardless of any additional blessings to do with them. These don’t go away no matter what, until the sacramental itself no longer is what it is. Such as the Green Scapular promise, Brown Scapular, Miraculous Medal, Divine Mercy Image, etc.
