The following may have been written by a N.O. priest but it's accurate!
Heaven's Special Gifts to the Holy Church
By Fr. Ray Donohue
On New Year's Day, at the parish where I assist, a wonderful and spirit-filled parish, I noticed as I was in the back of the Church ready for the procession to the Holy Altar, a few people came in at the last minute (they were not late) and I watched as they put their finger or fingers into the Holy Water and made some kind of a gesture around their face and body quickly as water was splashing in all directions, and then went to their seat with a kind-of "loop de loop" motion I am guessing was a genuflection. I am not judging anything, but I am reminding all of us of what these beautiful symbols of the Church are in respect to you and me and to God.
People have often asked me when Holy Mass begins. Is it at the Entrance Hymn? Is it when we come into the Church? Is it at the Sign of the Cross that the people and priest make together? Well, I firmly believe that Holy Mass actually begins when we are at home preparing to leave for Holy Mass. Our frame of mind and heart is very important. Are we screaming up the stairs to the children, "Get your fannies down here or we'll be late again?" or to our spouses: "Hurry up, you're always so slow, what's the matter with you?" Or maybe we have plans after Mass and all our thoughts are on the dinner or preparation for the afternoon when we get home, or going out for breakfast right after Mass.
Holy Mass begins with us at home, preparing to meet Jesus in the Holy Mass, in all the wonderful and holy prayers, the Holy Scriptures where God speaks to us, the hymns, the homily that helps us understand and gives us explanations and direction, bringing the gifts up to the Holy Altar, which includes the very Gift of ourselves to God and placing our love for God and everyone else on the Holy Altar of Sacrifice. It is kneeling at the Holy Consecration and adoring Jesus present to us in that tiny little Host! It is coming forward to receive Jesus with a pure heart and mind and soul, focusing on the Lord, welcoming Him into us – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. It is coming back to our seats thanking God (the very word "Eucharist" means "Thanksgiving"), knowing that we are now living and breathing Tabernacles of the Lord and that we now bring Jesus to everyone we meet and everywhere we go! The Holy Mass is timeless. We enter a bit of Eternity in every Holy Mass.
There is no need whatsoever to bring a watch to Mass and look at it. There is no need to have a cell phone in the Church with us, none whatsoever. One hour with God, with no distractions. Such beauty! Such peace! United in Holy Prayer with all our sisters and brothers in the Lord, with the priest in Persona Christi. We adore, we are One with God in so special a way.
Sacraments are where God touches us one on one, and we touch God. Sacramentals are special gifts God gives to us to assist us, protect us, heal us and help us to adore God. They open a very wonderful door for us!
That Holy Water we splash around when we come in – that is a Sacramental. Do you know that Holy Water remits venial sins and the remission of temporal punishment? It protects us from evil spirits that roam the earth searching to destroy us. When I bless myself with Holy Water (and I keep it in the house with me always and bless myself often throughout the day), I say a little prayer taught to me when I was a child: "By this Holy Water, and by Thy most Precious Blood, please wash away all my sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen". Do it slowly and reverently. This is a Sacramental from the Church, a true gift!
The action of Genuflection and/or bowing, is a sign of reverence to God and the Holy Eucharist in the Tabernacle. It shouldn't be a "swooshing motion", like diving into a swimming pool, or like our knee suddenly went out from under us, but slowly and deliberately, as an act of love and adoration and reverence. This, too, is a Sacramental.
Fr. Ray celebrating Mass in Tihaljina According to the Church's teaching, "Sacramentals are holy things or actions, of which the Church makes use to obtain for us from God, through her intercession, spiritual or temporal favors". Say that again slowly and think about that for a moment! The chief benefits from using the Sacramentals are Actual Grace, the forgiveness of venial sins, the remission of temporal punishments, health of body and material blessings, and protection from evil spirits that roam the earth. We are drawn closer to God! That is awesome!
We talked about reverence and God's special gifts to His Holy Church. I now want to show the chief kinds of Sacramentals that help and assist us in our daily life, and for the Graces we need to assist us into Eternal life.
First are Blessings, given by priests, deacons and bishops. I bless people all the time; if I see them in Wal-Mart or Tops or the dollar store and they come to me to say hello, before we part, I bless them. When I am in Medjugorje, I am surrounded by many people from all over the world begging for a priestly blessing! It is so humbling, and just coming down from the Blue Cross after the Apparition on the 2nd of the month, it takes me over an hour or more as the hands are reaching out to this lowly priest for prayers and blessings, and I will never refuse them! My mother used to trace the Sign of the Cross on my forehead as a little child, before I left for school, and asked God and our Blessed Mother to watch over me. Do parents still do this? Even to their adult children when they come to visit, asking God to bless them? If not, they should! And their grandchildren too! Doesn't it show the love we have for God and each other in our Holy Faith? Yes! It does, and very powerfully, too! We can also be a Sacramental if we let Jesus use us! Let the Lord use you! Don't ever be selfish with your Faith but share it generously; use it and be a means of Grace!
Next are Exorcisms against evil spirits, then Blessed Objects of devotion and prayer, such as, but not limited to, Holy Water, Blessed Salt, Candles. (We celebrated Candlemas Day on February 2. I always gave Blessed Candles to all my parishioners, to use in time of storms, or when a priest comes for a sick call, or when the person just wants to pray and light a Blessed Candle in their home.) Ashes are a Sacramental, coming on this February 26th on Ash Wednesday. Don't wash them right off, but let people see you as a sign for the world to repent and believe! Additional Sacramentals are Palms from Palm Sunday (I put one in each room, or a piece of one, including in my garage and my reindeer barn, and my car and basement), Crucifixes, Holy pictures of the Lord, the Blessed Mother and Saints, Holy Blessed Medals and Crosses to carry or wear, the Holy Rosary, Scapulars, statues of saints or the Lord, and so much more.
When I perform an Exorcism, I always bring with me Holy Water, relics of saints, Rosaries (I always carry my Rosary with me, with Blessed Medals), Blessed Salt, a Crucifix, and I give to each person there a Blessed Rosary from Medjugorje, a medal of Saint Michael, the prayer of Saint Michael, and a Crucifix for their home. These are my gifts to them, and they are Sacramentals to protect them from evil. I make them promise me they will use them and pray them every day! What good is a car if you never drive it, or food if you won't eat it? What good are prayers and holy things if we don't pray them or use them? It is a waste, such a terrible waste!
Now, please note this very important fact: we use Sacramentals with Faith and devotion; they are NOT "good luck charms" or anything worldly like that. To use a Sacramental in such a way would be a very severe sin, such as a pagan idol or superstition. The Holy Catholic Church does NOT have "graven images" that we adore or worship; we never have and we never will! They are never any sort of "lucky charm" and to do so and to think like this would be paganism. We adore only the One True God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the very early days of the Church, Blessed Salt was used in many ways – for one, at the Anointing of the Sick (some of you who have sick-calls in your home will see there is a place for a Blessed Candle, Holy Water and Blessed Salt). For another, when Churches and priests were far away and people couldn't get there regularly, then the priest would bless the salt for the home, and they would sprinkle a bit in their cooking, or mainly, put some in water to make Holy Water from the salt that was blessed by the priest. If you are out of Holy Water and cannot get to Church, such as in the case of a shut-in, Blessed Salt can be used to add to water for Holy Water, providing always that the salt was blessed by a priest or bishop.
Fr. Ray speaking about Blessed Salt at our mailing Remember, these are holy and blessed objects. I remember in the Seminary a priest telling us not to think that if you carry a Saint Christopher medal with you that you can drive down the street in reverse at 100 mph and expect Saint Christopher to keep you safe! Or that you can sin all you want and have a Rosary to protect you.
Remember, Satan temped Jesus to "jump off the parapet of the Temple", and the devil even quoted Holy Scripture, reminding Jesus that the Scripture said, "The Angels would protect You lest You dash Your foot against a stone." So even the devil can quote Scripture, and Jesus responded, "Do NOT put the Lord your God to the test!" Use your Faith and use your head! There are no such things as magic charms, but there is such a thing as Faith and Grace!
Carry, use, and have Sacramentals, but do not abuse them or misuse them. Understand these are gifts from God to His Church to assist us in keeping in the state of Grace and protect us from evil, but we need to do our part, too. The prayers of the Church are very powerful. The Church (and you and I ARE the Church) is the living Mystical Body of Christ on earth, and her prayers then must become the very prayers of Jesus Himself, for the Lord Jesus is Head of the Church.
In every Mass and in all the official prayers of Holy Mother Church, every Catholic is remembered! Think about this – Holy Mass being offered throughout the whole world, every day, every second – Holy Mass is being celebrated, and you and I are being remembered to God in Holy Prayer! And when you and I, with reverence and piety, use a Sacramental, at that very moment, the entire Church is now praying especially for us – for You, to God!
Sacramentals obtain favors from God through the prayers of the Holy Catholic Church offered for those who make use of these gifts from God to His Church through the devotion they inspire! I light a Blessed Candle every time I enter my little Chapel. I pray for all who have asked me to pray for them, for peace and God's Holy Will to be done. I genuflect with awe, knowing Jesus is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle. I love praying the Holy Rosary, and do it slowly and with love, meditating on both the Hail Mary and the Mystery I am praying, and if my mind wanders, I bring it back and begin again. Prayer takes practice. Pray, as our Mother begs us, to pray with and from the heart – from our heart to Jesus and Mary, and from Their Hearts to ours, being made ONE in God through His Church and all the many gifts He gives to us through His Church.
May our dear Blessed Mother, who visits the world daily in Medjugorje for our sake and out of Love for us, bless you as we prepare for this upcoming Lenten journey, and may the Sacramentals, which Holy Mother Church provides for us, guide us and our devotions, protect us from the evil one, and bring us close to each other and to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary by the Love of God the Father and the Holy Spirit! Amen.
With my deepest love,
~Father Ray
Topic: Sacramentals ...special gifts (Read 130 times)