Sacramentals prepare us to receive God’s grace and to cooperate with it. It is important to know the difference between sacramentals and sacraments. While they are similar in name, sacraments and sacramentals have a unique and distinct role in the life of the Catholic Church. Sacramentals always include a prayer, usually a sign or action such as laying on of hands or counting beads or making the sign of the cross or sprinkling with another sacramental, holy water or preparing the body, casket and grave with incense. Again, sacramentals prepare us as we hope to next receive God’s grace. Sacramentals help us to call on God’s blessing. They help us to be a blessing in the service of the Lord.
“Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1667).
Sacramentals should not be thought of as contracts, investments, or good luck charms. To wear the scapular does not give us free reign to commit mortal sin and still be assured of heaven. The power of sacramentals, then, depends greatly on the devotion of both the priest who gives the blessing and the person who is receiving the sacramental. They depend on the prayers of the church, the prayers of the blessings that are imposed on them, and the merits of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, and the Saints. Of themselves they do not save souls, but they are the means for securing heavenly help for those who use them properly.
Sacramentals are not unlike the sacraments in that they are channels of grace and can obtain for us these benefits:
- Actual graces
- Forgiveness of venial sins
- Remission of temporal punishment
- Health of body and material blessings
- Protection from evil spirits
Are Sacramentals found in the Bible?
While you will not find people in the Bible fingering rosary beads, wearing scapulars or donning Miraculous Medals, there are a number of passages of Scripture that support the use of sacramentals:
- In the Old Testament, Naaman went to Elisha for a cure for his leprosy. Elisha told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean” (2 Kings 5:10).
- When the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and rose to his feet (see 2 Kings 13:20-21).
- Jesus healed the blind man using mud (see John 9:6-12).
- The woman with hemorrhages was healed by touching Jesus’ garment (see Luke 8:44).
- In Acts 19:11-12, it is recounted that when face cloths or aprons that had touched the skin of Paul and were applied to the sick, diseases were healed and evil spirits released.
Types of Sacramentals:
Sign of the Cross — The first sacramental that is most used is the Sign of the Cross. St. Paul states emphatically, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified for me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
Holy Water — Numbers 5:17 states, “In an earthen vessel [the priest] shall take holy water, as well as some dust from the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.” Water was also used for ceremonial cleansing (see Psalm 16:4). In addition, water cleansed the world in the great flood and saved the Hebrews from the Egyptians after they walked through the Red Sea. During the time of Jesus, a ritual cleansing was commonplace, which is why Saint John the Baptist was “baptizing” people even before Jesus sanctified the waters of Baptism.
Water has always been viewed, even by non-Christian religions, as a symbol of spiritual cleansing. The use of holy water as a separate sacramental from the water at Baptism is always meant to remind us of our own Baptism. Jesus also used water as a sign of spiritual cleansing, such as in the case of the man born blind (cf. John 9). Jesus asked him to wash in the pool of Siloe so that he could not only be cured, but be brought back into the spiritual life of the Jews, who thought he was blind on account of his sins or the sins of his parents.
Blessed Objects of Devotion — The Church blesses an untold variety of objects which the faithful use to inspire devotion. It would be impossible to list them all, but some of the main ones are holy water, candles, ashes, palms, crucifixes, medals, rosaries, scapulars, and images of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints. Some of these blessed objects, namely candles, ashes, and palms, are given to us directly through the liturgy. Others, such as the scapular, rosary and Miraculous Medal have been instituted or directly propagated by Our Blessed Mother. Sacramentals such as these play a pivotal role in the devotion and spiritual life of any Catholic and should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.
Finally, although the Rosary was not yet created during the time of the Bible, repetitive prayer is mentioned. Yes, the Rosary is often criticized due to its repetitious nature, which is forbidden in Matthew 6:7: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” However, that is the only verse in Scripture that condemns such practice. There are several biblical passages that state otherwise on this issue.
In the Agony of the Garden, Jesus prays three times that the cup would pass from Him (see Matthew 26:39-44). Similarly, in Psalm 136, God is praised numerous times, and in Revelations 4:8, the four living creatures cry out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.”
What are Sacramentals? (8:05)
Why Should We Have Sacramentals? (6:52)
Why Statues? | Fr. Brice Higginbotham (5:15)