Ritually blessed object or action
The term "sacramental" can also refer directly to ideas, traditions or doctrines pertaining directly to the Christian
sacraments
.
A
sacramental
(Latin pl.
sacramentalia
) is a sacred sign, a ritual act or a ceremony, which, in a certain imitation of the
sacraments
, has a spiritual effect and is obtained through the intercession of the Church.
[1]
Sacramentals surround the sacraments like a wreath and extend them into the everyday life of Christians. Sacramentals are recognised by the
Roman Catholic Church
, the
Eastern Orthodox Church
, the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
, the
Church of the East
, the
Lutheran
churches, the
Old Catholic Church
, the
Anglican
churches, and
Independent Catholic
churches.
In the
Bible
,
prayer cloths
and
holy oil
are mentioned in reference to praying for healing.
[2]
[3]
Holy water
is a sacramental that the faithful use to recall their
baptism
; other common sacramentals include blessed candles (given to the faithful on
Candlemas
), blessed palms (blessed on the beginning of the procession on
Palm Sunday
), blessed ashes (bestowed on
Ash Wednesday
), a
cross necklace
(often taken to be blessed by a pastor before daily use), a
headcovering
(worn by women, especially during prayer and worship),
blessed salt
, and
holy cards
, as well as
Christian art
, especially a
crucifix
.
[4]
[5]
Apart from those worn daily, such as a cross necklace or
devotional scapular
, sacramentals such as a
family Bible
, are often kept on
home altars
in Christian households.
[6]
[7]
When blessed in a
betrothal
ceremony,
engagement rings
become a sacramental.
[8]
As an adjective,
sacramental
means "of or pertaining to sacraments".
Biblical basis
[
edit
]
The
Biblical
basis for the use of sacramentals is that
Jesus Christ
used a form of sacramentals himself; for example, when he
healed a blind man
, he made a mud paste that he put over the eyes of the man, before telling him to wash in the
Pool of Siloam
.
[9]
Prayer cloths
and
holy oil
are mentioned in reference to praying for healing, as in
Acts 19:11?12
and
James 5:14?15
.
[2]
[3]
Denominational usage
[
edit
]
Catholic
[
edit
]
The
Roman Catholic Church
currently defines sacramentals as "sacred signs which ... 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".
[10]
Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare one to receive grace and dispose a person to cooperate with it. "For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power."
[11]
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
lists three types of sacramentals:
blessings
,
[12]
consecrations
and
dedications
,
and
exorcisms
.
Rosary beads, scapulars, medals and religious images are more accurately termed
devotional articles
; prayers such as the rosary, the stations of the cross, litanies, and novenas are called
popular devotions
or "expressions of popular piety".
The
Latin Church
allows the bestowing of certain sacramentals, such as blessings, "to catechumens and even to non-Catholics unless there is a prohibition of the Church to the contrary.
[16]
Lutheran
[
edit
]
In Lutheran churches, sacramentals such as palms and crosses, are used by the faithful.
[17]
Anglican
[
edit
]
A text of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
includes items such as the
Anglican rosary
,
ashes
, and
palms
among objects counted as sacramentals.
[18]
Pentecostal
[
edit
]
Pentecostal
theologian Mark Pearson states that the
Bible
speaks of sacramentals, sometimes referred to as points of contact, such as blessed
prayer cloths
(
Acts 19:11?19:12
) and
holy oil
(
James 5:14
).
[2]
He states that
God
is the source of
healing
and that Pentecostal clergy "can confidently offer
prayer
, administer the various sacramentals, and
lay hands on the sick
".
[2]
Further reading
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
CIC, can. 1166
- ^
a
b
c
d
Payne, Leanne (1 March 1996).
Restoring the Christian Soul: Overcoming Barriers to Completion in Christ through Healing Prayer
. Baker Books. p. 277.
ISBN
978-1-4412-3957-0
.
- ^
a
b
Pearson, Mark (2004).
Christian Healing: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide
. Charisma Media. p. 153.
ISBN
978-1-59185-629-0
.
In Scripture and Church tradition, we read of blessed prayer cloths and holy oil (Acts 19:11-12; James 5:14). ... The historical term in the Church for these things is
sacramentals
.
- ^
Experiencing Religion: New Approaches to Personal Religiosity
. LIT Verlag Munster. 2016. p. 125.
ISBN
978-3-643-90727-1
.
Clara Saraiva, Peter Jan Margry, Lionel Obadia, Kinga Povedak, Jose Mapril
- ^
Myers, Ryleigh (20 September 2018).
"Sound Board: Why I veil"
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
. Archived from
the original
on 11 August 2022
. Retrieved
19 March
2023
.
- ^
Nelson, Paul A.
"Home Altars"
. Immanuel Lutheran Church
. Retrieved
14 April
2018
.
- ^
Turpin, Joanne (1 June 1993).
Catholic Treasures New and Old: Traditions, Customs and Practices
. St. Anthony Messenger Press. pp.
49?50
.
ISBN
978-0-86716-164-9
.
- ^
Marriage Mass & Rite of Betrothal
.
Angelus Press
. 1962.
- ^
O'Neill, Eddie (1 November 2014).
"What Are Sacramentals?"
.
Our Sunday Visitor
. Archived from
the original
on 8 August 2018
. Retrieved
14 March
2017
.
- ^
Sacrosanctum Concilium 60
- ^
Catechism of the Catholic Church § 1670
- ^
Catechism of the Catholic Church § 1671
- ^
Code of Canon Law 1170
- ^
Kavouras, Dean.
"Blessed Is He - Blessed Are We"
. Christ Lutheran Church.
- ^
Armentrout, Don S. (1 January 2000).
An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians
. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 541.
ISBN
978-0-89869-701-8
. Retrieved
9 April
2014
.
External links
[
edit
]