Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
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Relics and Sacramentals | Lj | Wednesday, July 11, 2007 |
Question: I am still in college and fortunately I had the chance to spend one year last 2004-2005 in the Eternal City for sort of socio-religious formation. In my stay there, I was fortunate enough to visit many basilicas and shrines dedicated to Our Lord, our Lady and the saints. It was also there that I was able to acquire a considerable amount of relics ranging from third class to first class. In fact, i now have the relics of St. Raymond Peņafort, St. Hannibal Mary di Francia, a little Crucifix reliquary of all the Passionist Saints, St. Anthony Claret, of the Servant of God JPII and Mother Teresa to name a few. I always keep them / bring with me whenever I go. I have also in fact developed a sort of kit wherein I have also blessed salt, holy water, and the crucifix of St. Benedict/of Good Death. Is it really true that the effective one (crucifix) that is being used for exorcism is made of wood? What other sacramentals are effective? How can you delineate superstition from proper use of them? |
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Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
Dear LJ: We will certainly pray for you. As mentioned in the previous post, First Class relics really should not be kept by private individuals. Second and Third Class relics are more appropriate for private possession. Relics and Sacramentals need to be handled with respect and reverence. If you are carrying these relics around, it should be in an appropriate container or bag and not, for example, in your wallet or bill-fold, or stuffed in your pants pocket. The Definition of a Sacramental is, according to Canon Law 1166: "Sacramentals are sacred signs by which effects, especially spiritual effects, are signified in some imitation of the sacraments and are obtained through the intercession of the Church." Canon Law 1171 states: "Sacred objects, which are designated for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated reverently and are not to be employed for profane or inappropriate use even if they are owned by private persons. Here is the Catechism on Sacramentals:
We need to avoid superstitious thinking and behavior with Sacramentals and relics. We need to remember that the "power" of a blessed object/sacramental comes not from the object itself, but from the faith of the person who uses it. An object that is blessed, and a relic of a Saint, however, do have the imprint of God's "fingerprint" (His ordinary grace). The presence of God's ordinary grace upon an object is a sign to the demons of God's sovereignty and authority. Demons generally do not want to be around a blessed object, but are not necessarily deterred by one; some demons are more tenacious than others. Any crucifix can be used in an exorcism; it does not have to be wood. St. Benedict medals are particularly useful in that St. Benedict is such a powerful spiritual warrior. Intercession to St. Benedict is always prudent in dealing with spiritual warfare. God Bless, P.S. I do have occasional correspondence with people in the Philippines. By the way, is there any way you can arrange to send me Fr. Syquia's book? I tried to order it from the National Bookstore in Manila but they wanted to charge something like PHP 2,356 / $50 US just to mail it. If is really how much it cost to mail, then I guess I will not worry about getting the book.
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