Dear Brian,
I remember once, when on a trip w/ my great aunt, a thunderstorm came up. I was in the backseat w/ her and she started praying. She opened up her purse and pulled out an entire holy family and several saints (in statue form), and a rosary or two.
The Church gives us
sacramentals to increase our faith and devotion. I know people who have burned palms from Easter whenever a terrible storm threatened. Their faith resides in the efficacy of the sacramental, but I do not believe this is the most mature faith one can exercise. St. Paul mentioned that he had to instruct his hearers as children, and minister to them with milk.
Please do not misunderstand me, thinking these are useless traditions, for the Church does attach a blessing to many of them. I’m remembering at the moment about the blessing of throats on the feast of St. Blaise, through his intercession and prayer. I trust that God meets us at many levels of spiritual development, and for many, these are wonderful aids to devotion and prayer.
If you are not able to partake of them, do not be sad. Think about Jesus’s words in these two scriptures:
John 8
29 And he that sent me, is with me, and he hath not left me alone: for I do always the things that please him.
1 John 3
22 And whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of him: because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.
The efficacy of our prayer is increased because we keep His commandments and do always the things that please God. This is not lessened in any fashion if we do not have a blessed sacramental on hand. No, I would think our prayer is heard before God perhaps even more than if we did have these aids … simply because we are wholly devoted to God’s will.
Carole