I found this prayer page at Church, and

[Caldera]

here’s what it says:

• You must make 81 copies of this prayer page.
• For 9 consecutive days you have to attend mass and leave 9 copies of the page in the church.
• The prayers must be said 6 times each day.

The prayers are:

• Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus
• Our Father
• Hail Mary
• A couple other short prayers possibly from Our Lady of Fatima prayers.
• Then ends with: Blessed be Jesus, Mary, St Jude, etc…

So, by leaving 9 copies in Church each day “YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR INTENTION”.

“PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED ON OR BEFORE THE 9th DAY. IT HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL”

Does anyone see this as inappropriate? Does the Church accept things like this? To me it seems to be superstitious… I mean, what does leaving a specific amout of copies in the church have anything to do with God answering your prayer request?

Thoughts?

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

Caldera:

Does anyone see this as inappropriate? Does the Church accept things like this? To me it seems to be superstitious… I mean, what does leaving a specific amout of copies in the church have anything to do with God answering your prayer request?

Thoughts?

I also think this is superstition. The prayers themselves are perfectly OK, but not the bit about having to say them six times, or making 81 copies, or the idea that these practices will cause God to grant your prayer.

The same applies to those prayers that claim your request will be granted as soon as you publish the prayer.

Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag

 

[Caldera]

Thanks CarolAnn…

Do you know if the Church has ever said anything official about these types of prayers?

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

Caldera:

Thanks CarolAnn…

Do you know if the Church has ever said anything official about these types of prayers?

Here’s something from the Catechism (especially note the last sentence):

Superstition

2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.41

Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag

 

[Fidelis]

CarolAnnSFO:

Here’s something from the Catechism (especially note the last sentence):

Superstition

2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.41That’s pretty clear to me. “Prayers” like these are superstitious, ignorant, and childish and give Christians in general and (in this case) Catholics in particular a bad name (just like the e-mails that say “Don’t break this chain!”).Don’t have any scruples about taking those prayers to the nearest recycling bin. That’s what I do when I find 'em.

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

Keep in mind that, in general, the prayers themselves are not the problem – it’s the ritual you are supposed to go through in copying/repeating/distributing/publishing, etc., that makes it superstition – along with the belief that your request is guaranteed to be granted if you go through the ritual.

I’ve had some beautiful prayers sent to me via e-mail; I feel perfectly free to keep the prayers, but discard all the rubbish about sending it to x number of people and “not breaking the chain”.

Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag

 

[puzzleannie]

take it to your pastor so he can remind parishioners not to leave prayer sheets, pamphlets, magazines, prayerbooks et. al. in the Church or chapel without permission. If you find more of these toss them.Legitimate prayers come with promises, not threats.

 

[joeysmom]

When I find them in our church, I just take them all and throw them out. I also do that when I find the Fatima Crusader magazine in church. Do you think that is wrong of me to do?
joey(name removed by moderator)

 

[TobyLue]

This is something like e-mail that I get often that says for you recite some prayers and then send that same e-mail to 10 people and also to the sender and to please, please, dont break the chain, then you will see the blessings you received and that your prayers will be answered. I send an e-mail back to the sender and explain church teachings and let them know that I have ignored their request. These e-mails are usually accompanied with some beautiful picture of Our Blessed Mother. I guess to make it look legit.

 

[Sherlock]

As others have said, this is superstition. Our pastor once came across something similar in the pews before Mass (he sits in the pews and prays the Rosary with parishioners before daily Mass), and at his homily he held it up, tore it into pieces and said that we should toss these sorts of things into the garbage where they belong. It sounds dramatic, but it really wasn’t—just quick and to the point!

 

[Fidelis]

TobyLue:

This is something like e-mail that I get often that says for you recite some prayers and then send that same e-mail to 10 people and also to the sender and to please, please, dont break the chain, then you will see the blessings you received and that your prayers will be answered. I send an e-mail back to the sender and explain church teachings and let them know that I have ignored their request. These e-mails are usually accompanied with some beautiful picture of Our Blessed Mother. I guess to make it look legit.

Yup. Maybe there should be a Catholic equivalent of this:
breakthechain.org/