Picking From the Sacramental Menu

Time2bCatholic.com

OK, I have a Miraculous Medal around my neck, a Divine Mercy image on our front door, a Purple Scapular hanging over the fireplace, and a Brown Scapular in a box that I keep saying I'm 'gonna find out "how to do"--but it's been sitting in my room over a year.  Each beckon attention from Heaven...and remind me to...pay attention to Heaven...and perhaps receive a certain Grace.  And these are only four in the huge buffet of Catholic Sacramentals.  Am I "paying attention" to Heaven/"using" Holy things correctly?   It's important to note, as Catholics, we don't have to own even one Sacramental... And that's good because that means my obvious slacking with my Brown Scapular is not a sin :) .  

Oh, and don't confuse Sacrament-als with the 7 Sacra-ments (Baptism to Last Rights).  

There's a different post in here about the 7 Sacraments...

The occasional Catholic person that "gets a little "weird" with a picture or statue - seemingly worshipping the thing - is unfortunate--and wrong.  Sacramentals are never to be worshipped - at all.  (That said, Holy things that are broken or no longer wanted are to be respectfully burned, buried, or passed to someone...).  Here's the thing.. Sacrament - als, are things, gestures, etc.  You can add them to your life, or not...  Think making the Sign of the Cross, having a Crucifix, Catholic statues, pictures, candles, Rosary beads, Holy Water, etc., --anything blessed by a Catholic priest.  And they are SO not to be confused with, or used as, good luck charms, superstitions, magic, or anything weird like that...  You won't have better or worse "luck" with a sacramental, just clear opportunity - stay with me...  Choosing to utilize Sacramentals to bring your thoughts heavenward, and as ways to receive certain Graces/Blessings/etc., go for it - they are amazing opportunities for Graces and Blessings.  I don't know about you, but I want as much of those as I can get!

Where are Sacramentals in the Bible...?  Gosh, everywhere.  Moses had to remove his sandals to stand on "Holy ground" ...The specific way the first Passover Meal was to be prepared-with blood on the doorframe to save the family from death...  The golden Tabernacle with statues of angels, and the details of the tent it was kept in, were all "Holy" with specifics of what would happen if certain people touched it ...Moses was instructed by God to make a bronze snake on a pole-whoever looked at it didn't die that night from snake bites... Touching the bones of the prophet Elisha brought a man back to life (relics of Saints are Sacramentals)... Cloths that touched the Apostle Paul's skin cured the sick and possessed ...and of course Jesus' Institution of the Eucharist -the only thing Jesus actually told us to do- holding up the Passover meal's bread and wine he instructed: "...do this in remembrance of me."    ...there're more.

Catholicism consistently reminds us of how the physical is attached to the eternal... Jesus remains on earth in the Eucharist - physically feeding our souls.  Instead of humbling himself on the Cross and in the Eucharist, he could have just stayed in Heaven and willed our sins to be forgiven.  And so, we could stop at bringing our thoughts to Heaven--but in recognition of the Heaven and Earth connection, we are given Sacramentals to see and feel and do...and even our gestures at Mass are there to remind us of what should be on our minds, lips, and hearts, as our fingers trace crosses on them, we stand to pray, sit to listen, kneel to Jesus with humility and reverence...we might even utilize two more Sacramentals at the door--making the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water.  

It's the intention and "works" of the person/family/organization utilizing the Sacramental that matter.   That said, God's Infinite Mercy can see a tiny mustard seed of faith, so if wearing/having/"doing" sacramental's keeps reminding us to "do" Mother Mary's directives, I don't know about you, but I'm grateful for the visual reminders...  Remember, Sacramentals (like statues, icons, holy water, rosary beads etc.), and Devotions (Church-approved saints we might pray to, or focusing on something specific about Jesus, for ex. His Sacred Heart), or a practice--(like going to Adoration...), are again, not mandatory.  They are opportunities.  Just like we may choose from God's endless buffet of what to eat, and what hobbies to engage in, to nourish our bodies and minds, we may also choose from His Catholic Church's endless nourishing ways to grow our souls, closer to Him, through Sacramentals. 

Leave it up to a Mama, (Mary) to, as we grow in faith, offer do-able small, medium, and large, tiers of opportunities, with corresponding levels of responsibility and rewards!

    -With the Miraculous Medal, just having it blessed and wearing it suffices...(of course it's there to remind and encourage you to do more...)

    -Rosary beads are to be prayed with: it's wrong to wear them if you won't be saying a Rosary

    -A Brown Scapular requires wearing it - then persistent "work" (staying in a state of grace and praying etc.).  

Click the Resources Tab on this TIME To Be Catholic site to see

the aMAzing lists of Mary's Promises

to those who say the Rosary, or wear a Miraculous Medal or Scapular.  

Talk about un-cashed lottery tickets!  With all of Mary's amazing promises attached to those Sacramentals, having to do with our earthly life and our souls forever eternity, WHY, again do we not choose these things!?  Have I mentioned I'm gonna figure out "how to do" the brown scapular...?  

Mother Mary, Pray for us!!

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check out:  

YouTube:  Brown Scapular: Mt. Carmel & Fatima - Explaining the Faith w/ Fr. Chris Alar

YouTube:  Day 228: Blessings, Sacramentals and Popular Piety - The Catechism in a Year

(with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

usccb.org:  Home Page/Resources tab/ Catechism of the Catholic Church/ 2129-2141

and 1667-1679

Great place to get Sacramentals: Catholicity. com