Sacramentals: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Sacramentals

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Sacramentals
	Home Discussion Definition
	Topics Sacramentals Topic Home Sacramentals are material objects or things (sacramentalia) set apart or blessed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox ChurchOrthodox Church Several Christian Churches or church bodies are commonly referred to as "Orthodox".... es and the Anglican ChurchChurch of England The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the 'mother' and senior branch ... es to manifest the respect due to the Sacraments, and so to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sinFacts About Venial sin According to Roman Catholicism, a venial sin is a lesser sin which does not result in a complete separation from God.... , according to the Council of TrentCouncil of Trent The Council of Trent is the Nineteenth Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church.... (Session XXII, 15). Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican usage When the term is used in the singular it is preceded by an article ("a sacramental" or "the sacramental") as sacramentalSacramental * *Sacramental* as an adjective means of or pertaining to sacraments.... is also an adjective describing the Sacraments. These churches recognize two differences between the Sacraments and the sacramentals: The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus ChristJesus Jesus,Some of the historians and Biblical scholars who place the birth and death of Jesus within this range include D.... ; most, but not all, of the sacramentals were instituted by the Church. The Sacraments give grace of themselves and are always fruitful when the faithful place no spiritual obstacles in the way; the sacramentals excite pious dispositions, by means of which the faithful may obtain graceDivine grace In Christianity, divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for humankind, especially in regard to salvation — ... . It is not the sacramental itself that gives grace, but the devotion, the love of GodTrinity Within Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is a single Being who exists, simultaneously and eterna... , or sorrow for sinSin Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral code of conduct or the state of ha... that it inspires, and the prayers of the Church that render sacramentals efficacious against evil. Although the Catholic Church restricts on the reception of the Sacraments by non-Catholics, this is not true of the sacramentals. The pious use of sacramentals by non-Catholics is permitted and encouraged. As blessed objects or rituals that represent sacred beliefs and persons, disrespect to sacramentals is considered a form of sacrilegeSacrilege Overview Sacrilege is in general the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object.... . Examples Some examples of rituals that are sacramentals are making the sign of the crossSign of the cross The Sign of the Cross is a ritual performed mainly within Latin-Rite Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eas... , bowing the head or bowing deeply, folding hands, genuflectionGenuflection Genuflection is an act of reverence consisting of falling onto one knee.... , prostrationProstration Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position.... , the imposition of blessed ashesAsh Wednesday In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.... (the ashes themselves are also a sacramental), the recital of blessingBlessing A blessing originally meant "sprinkling with blood" during the pagan sacrifices, the Blts.... s, the washing of feetFeet washing Feet washing or foot washing is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations.... , the celebration of the canonical hoursCanonical hours Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescrib... and the seasons of the liturgical yearLiturgical year The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian c... , exorcismExorcism Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities which are supposed to have possessed a person o... s, the reception of the minor ordersMinor orders The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy.... , and the churching of womenChurching of women In Christian tradition churching of women was the ceremony wherein a blessing was given to mothers after recovery from child... . StatueStatue A statue is a sculpture depicting a specific entity, usually a person, event, animal or object.... s and iconIcon An icon is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or repres... s are examples of objects that are sacramentals. Other examples of objects that may be considered sacramentals are ashesAsh Wednesday Overview In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.... , bells (especially church bells), blessed fireHoly Saturday Holy Saturday is the day before Easter in the Christian calendar.... , blessed saltBaptism Baptism is generally a water purification ritual practiced in many of various religions including Christianity, Mandaeanism,... , candleCandle Overview A candle is a light source usually consisting of an internal wick which rises through the center of a column of solid fuel.... s, crucifixCrucifix A crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus.... es, holy oilOil Oil, in a general sense, is a chemical compound that is not miscible with water, and is in a liquid state at ambient tempera... , holy waterHoly Water ----*Holy Water* is a studio album by the rock band Bad Company with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as Lead Vocals, ... , incenseIncense Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal ... , liturgical vessels (e.g. chalicesFacts About Chalice (cup) A chalice is a goblet intended to hold drink.... ), medals (e.g. the Miraculous MedalMiraculous Medal The Miraculous Medal, also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, is a medal created by Saint Catherine Labour, su... or the Saint Benedict MedalSaint Benedict Medal History The exact time and date of the making of the first St.... ), palm branchesPalm Sunday Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the church calendar observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians.... , religious habitReligious habit A religious habit refers to the distinctive garment worn by members of religious orders, e.g., for Catholic orders, it is no... s and scapularScapular A scapular is a Roman Catholic devotional artifact in the form of a cloth pendant, the wearing of which is believed by the f... s, rosariesRosary The Rosary , is an important and traditional sacramental devotion of the Roman Catholic Church consisting of a set of praye... , vestmentVestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religions, especially the Catholic, E... s, or wedding ringWedding ring A wedding ring or wedding band consists of a precious metal ring, usually worn on the base of the left ring finger &nd... s. Other examples may be found at Anglican devotionsAnglican devotions Anglican devotions are private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians to promote spiritual growth and communion w... and Catholic devotionsCatholic devotions Catholic devotions are prayer forms which are not part of the official public liturgy of the Church but are part of the popu... . Protestant usage Some groups, in particular Lutherans and Methodists, use "sacramental" to refer to the "five commonly called sacraments" that are recognized as Sacraments by the Roman Catholic Church, but not by most Protestants: marriage, confirmation, ordination, confession, and unction/anointing. This usage is intended to emphasize the Protestant belief that only Baptism and the Eucharist are explicitly ordained by Christ in the gospels with parallel rites in the Old Testament (in Circumcision and Passover), but that these sacramentals are nevertheless similar to sacraments in many respects and can be valuable means of GraceMeans of Grace Summary The Means of Grace in Christian theology are those things through which God gives grace.... for believers.