Are Catholics superstitious? Some people who see Catholics with statues, rosaries, certain prayers, scapulars, candles, might be tempted to think these things are just superstition. But superstition is an unfounded belief in a connection between some action or event and a certain outcome. In contrast, sacramentals help us become closer to Jesus. The catechism reminds us in paragraph 1667, "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.”
Sacramentals resemble the sacraments and point us towards them. They open us up to receiving grace from God and help us to orient our lives towards Jesus.
Up Next in Unit 23 | Sacramentals
-
How to Use Holy Water
Holy water is a sacramental. Holy water reminds us of our Baptism and should encourage us to continue to walk in the new life we received in Baptism. This also prepares us to receive the other sacraments available to us: like Reconciliation and the Eucharist. This is why holy water is at the fron...
-
What Are Sacramentals?
The Church has instituted sacramentals — through which God showers us with grace and prepares us to receive the sacraments. There are three main “types'' of sacramentals: blessings, consecrations and dedications, and exorcisms. Sacramentals always include a prayer and some specific sign, such as...
-
Why Are Mementos So Important to Us?
What would you take to the moon? In 1971, during the Apollo 14 mission, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard brought a golf club—a modified Wilson six iron. During the Apollo 16 mission, astronaut Charles Duke brought a photograph of him and his family.
Humans are physical beings AND spiritual beings. We...
