Red Bracelets with Benedict medal, Yes or no?

[MitzyRoman]

I’ve been told by a few people that I should wear a red bracelet to ward off evil thoughts or jealousy from people. I have been offered the bracelet with a Medal of Saint Benedict. Doesn’t this seem superstitious? I have seen it a lot in my Hispanic culture. Thoughts?

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[thistle]

I’ve been told by a few people that I should wear a red bracelet to ward off evil thoughts or jealousy from people. I have been offered the bracelet with a Medal of Saint Benedict. Doesn’t this seem superstitious? I have seen it a lot in my Hispanic culture. Thoughts?

If you wear a bracelet for the purpose you mention in your post that is superstition and a sin against the 1st Commandment.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

With all due respect to the rich Hispanic culture, combining Christian spirituality with pagan folk religion and superstition is displeasing to Almighty God. Pursue instead pure Catholic and Christian faith, and dismiss all thoughts of amulets, lucky charms, “evil eye”, and so on.

If you are going to wear anything along with your St Benedict Medal, let it be the Brown Scapular.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s fine to wear a medal or bracelet to remind you that you are under God’s protection at all times and to remind you to invoke St Benedict.

It’s wrong to wear it like a magic charm to “ward off” evil. If you ask God to protect you then he’s going to do it whether you have a bracelet on or not.

 

[Mary888]

Wearing a red bracelet on your right hand is superstition. It is a popular belief born of an ancient Jewish belief that a red string worn on the right hand or skmetimes hidden within yoir clothes protects you from the “evil eye” (people’s envy and spells cast against you). It is widely spread in certain Christian communities. In Eastern Europe is very popular still. Sometimes it’s just to wear something red or touch something red if you feel you have been cursed or smth like that. Priests constantly speak against it but many monasteries and church shops sell bracelets with or without crosses or other Christian insignia (to make it look acceptable and less superstitious). Heeheehee, but we all know it’s about the red string of the bracelet more than the other medals attached to it. My grandma’s generation wouldn’t even consider letting a child out of the house without a red string on their right hand.
It’s not something evil, like all superstition, but it can weaken your faith and definitely diminish your freedom and discernment as it is very binding. You play belief in it once for fun and it can come a day when you realize you actually do believe a red string can protect you from “the evil eye” (koh i nora I think?). What I never figured out is if the evil eye represents a supernatural force (like the Enemy) or just bad energies coming from people who for some reason don’t like you. But like any superstition I guess the charming force also rests on the mystery of it all. Superstitions are also called proto-faith, as in close to faith in God but not really. Once you are baptized and fully intiated the Church teaches us to rise above superstitions and live fully not half-living, hiding away from the visible and invisible enemies all the time.

 

[MitzyRoman]

Thank you all for your comments and I totally agree. I don’t like the superstition behind these red strings and I had been tempted to buy it a few times because of so many people telling Me I need it. I don’t need anything but Jesus and the intercession from our Mother MARY and the saints.