Sacramentals - I don't get it :-(

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GandalfTheWhite

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Alright, here is the thing. If there is one thing I don’t understand, it’s Sacramentals. Can someone please explain to me their “power” and meaning and all that we to know about them? The more I’ve tried to read about it the more I was getting lost. So I pushed it aside for a while. Today my mom asked me about it so I opened the Catechism and read her the passage (we were speaking on the phone) because I didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t really get it. It might be hereditary. 😃

Thank you beforehand!
Pax Domini!

EDIT: Uuups, wrong forum. My mistake. I apologize to the Moderator that will have to move this. 😊
 
GandalfTheWhite said:
Alright, here is the thing. If there is one thing I don’t understand, it’s Sacramentals. Can someone please explain to me their “power” and meaning and all that we to know about them? The more I’ve tried to read about it the more I was getting lost. So I pushed it aside for a while. Today my mom asked me about it so I opened the Catechism and read her the passage (we were speaking on the phone) because I didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t really get it. It might be hereditary. 😃

Thank you beforehand!
Pax Domini!

EDIT: Uuups, wrong forum. My mistake. I apologize to the Moderator that will have to move this. 😊
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Have you read the article on the subject in the Catholic Encyclopedia? See newadvent.org/cathen/13292d.htm
 
Sacramentals are really just objects which serve to remind you of Christ and the saints, and which serve to remind you pray more, and so try to live a holy life. That’s about the simplest explanation I can give you. 🙂
 
Thank you. So it’s the fact that I know that is has been blessed by my priest and not the fact that it actually happened?
 
If you’re referring to the accounts attached to some sacramentals, such as, say, the Promises of the Brown Scapular, etc., those all fall into the category of “private revelation”, which means that even though they may be approved by the Church, you are not required to believe in them.

If, however, you decide to act on the promises and you pray more and engage in acts of devotion, then the sacramental has done its job in getting you to do more good things instead of bad ones. See? 🙂 If it encourages you to say more prayers, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? We all need to pray more. 🙂
 
Just as holding a beloved item of a deceased loved one might help you to some how feel closer to them, for some people, sacramentals help them to feel closer to God, or Mary, or a particular saint.

~Liza
 
GandalfTheWhite said:
Items…such as candles, crosses, rosaries etc.
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OKay, that’s what I thought.

All of these things help us to lift our heart and mind toward God. They hold no power in themselves. I think a comparison is how looking at a photo of a loved one helps you to reminisce about being with that person. Likewise, sacramentals are aids in setting a mood which helps us to focus more fully on God by engaging many if not all of our sense. They should not be a distraction.

Here’s a simple example. Think about saying a rosary…you feel the rosary in your hands, you hear the music, you smell the incense and you see the crucifix while you’re mind is praying and meditating on our Lord. You’re entire being, all of your senses are directed toward God! Whether you realize it or not you’re praying with your whole body and it’s the sacramental that are helping you do this.

While you mentioned some of the more traditional sacramentals really anything that works to help us in this way is a sacramental. Even a video of The Passion of the Christ might be considered a sacramental. Hope this helps.

Michael
 
Just as holding a beloved item of a deceased loved one might help you to some how feel closer to them, for some people, sacramentals help them to feel closer to God, or Mary, or a particular saint.
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~Liza
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So what is it about them that makes us do it? Our knowledge that they were blessed? Or the fact that they were blessed? As far as I understand it, they don’t have any ‘special powers’ so I would go for the first one.
 
GandalfTheWhite said:
So what is it about them that makes us do it? Our knowledge that they were blessed? Or the fact that they were blessed? As far as I understand it, they don’t have any ‘special powers’ so I would go for the first one.
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You specifically mentioned Candles so let’s start there. You have two candles that look very similar and in fact may be exactly tye same. One you are used to having lit on your dinner table or too light the house when the juice goes out in a thunderstorm. The other you know has been blessed and as such dedicated to assisting in your relationship with the Lord. If you didn’t know this it wouldn’t be any different for you than the dinner candle. When you light it during a storm or while praying or during a storm it may remind you of the light of Christ and His presence protecting you or being close as you pray.

Some things like Rosaries are blessed and because of this your use of a blessed one over an unblessed one may accrue further merit for your prayers, but of course only if you pray using it. I think if you could ask a priest to let you read the blessing for some of these objects from his prayer book it would help your understanding. These things are not like so called amulets or good luck charms that of themselves are supposed to bring you good fortune
 
Lets not forget incense, ashes, ect.

We are chock full of wonderful sacramentals!

The Eastern rites are blessed. Ah, the smell of incense. I wish it -]could be /-]was used at every Mass in my parish.
 
Remember, the word “holy” means “set apart”.

Therefore, we bless objects to make them holy-- to set them apart for use only in context of our spiritual life and liturgy.

You can drink water, wash dishes with it, bathe in it, give your plants a drink with it-- but Holy Water should be used only to bless objects and people. It is “set apart”.

Candles can be used at the dinner table, as decorations, and on birthday cakes. Blessed Candles should be used only in the liturgy and in private prayer and devotional time.

The same for other blessed objects. They are set apart for use in the liturgy and private devotionals.

They have been made holy by the power of the priest’s blessing. They aid us in worship and aid us in devotion. They help sanctify us through their use. Yes, they are a means of grace-- grace we also receive in the Sacraments.
 
Sacrementals are things consecrated to religious use – think of them like the flag. Do you not stand at a parade and put your hand over your heart as the flag goes by? Just as we have respect for those things related to our country, we have respect for those things related to God.
 
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