Exorcism Blessing for Salt and Water
Fr Richard Heilman July 12, 2015 This past week, I was blessing water. It takes a lot longer and is more work, but I now only do the traditional blessing of water. For the first half of my priesthood, I did what most priests do … I would just make the sign of the cross […]
Agnus Dei
The name Agnus Dei has been given to certain discs of wax impressed with the figure of a lamb and blessed at stated seasons by the Pope. They are sometimes round, sometimes oval in diameter. The lamb usually bears a cross or flag, while figures of saints or the name and arms of the Pope are also commonly impressed on […]
How and why do Catholics use Holy Water?
Blessed or Holy Water is a Sacramental. Sacramentals are holy things or actions which the Church is given to the faithful for the spiritual benefit. They are called sacramentals because they have some outward resemblance to the sacraments and obtain favor from God. They must not be confused with the sacraments which were given by Christ […]
Isn’t the wearing of medals a superstitious practice, similar to the pagan custom of wearing amulets or charms to ward off disease and danger.
No, there is no superstition in the wearing of medals. The pagans attributed magical power to the amulets they wore to ward off disease and death. Catholics wear medals to honor God and His saints, to bring to their minds some doctrine of the faith, or to show their membership to some pious confraternity. We […]
What is the difference between a Sacrament and a Sacramental?
The seven Sacraments were all instituted by Christ, and the Church is powerless to change them; when worthily received, they infallibly confer grace of themselves. Sacramentals differ from the sacraments in not having been instituted by Christ in order to be perpetuated within the Church as divinely established means of conferring grace. For the most […]
What is the purpose of blessed salt in the Catholic Church?
Blessed salt is a very powerful Sacramental of the Catholic Church. It is an instrument of grace to preserve one from the corruption of evil occurring as sin, sickness, demonic influence, or other manifestation. Since Vatican II, Catholics are being urged to participate “intelligently and actively” in the use of Sacramentals. The usage of Blessed […]