Sacramentals in the Home - A Catholic Tradition

Yesterday at the Easter Sunday Mass, I filled our Holy Water bottles with the Easter Water blessed at the Easter Vigil Mass the night before. I don't remember where I first learned about bringing home Easter Water on Easter Sunday. I believe I learned this from my mother but this is a tradition in our family now.

Tradition is an important part of the Catholic faith. Not only do we as Catholics continue the traditions passed on by the early Church, but also traditions passed down from our own families.

My husband and I grew up in homes filled with statues and pictures of saints, crucifixes, and other blessed and holy objects. There was no mistaking our home as belonging to a Catholic family. Well, that and the fact that there were so many children growing up there too. :-)

Even before our son joined our family, our home as a married couple was filled with the richness of Catholic holy items. These holy items are referred to by the Catholic Church as sacramentals.

The following is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church with regard to sacramentals:

667 "Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They 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...

The use of sacramentals enriches our spiritual life through graces obtained when we use them and as a constant reminder to us of Christ and His holy church.

Holy Water

The Holy Water we keep in our home is one such sacramental. We have a little Holy Water font by the front door. We bless ourselves, each other and our pets when we leave the house. We have a supply of bottled Holy Water for the family's use throughout the year.

Rosaries

Each member of the family should have his or her own rosary. However, if your family is like our family, a multitude of rosaries can be found in the household. Just to give you a little glimpse into our Rosary filled home: My husband and I have a beautiful rosary given to us by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth when we got married. We have the Pro-Life Rosary with the baby in each bead given to me by a good friend. We have the Rosary to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Fatima. We have finger rosaries, plastic rosaries, corded rosaries, etc. But we usually have our own favorites when we pray the Holy Rosary together in the evenings.


Scapulars

There are different kinds of scapulars, with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Green Scapular being the most popular kinds of devotions by Catholics.

Some scapulars have privileges and indulgences attached to wearing them, but like any sacramental (holy water, blessed candles, etc.), scapulars are not magic; their efficacy depends on the proper intentions and faith of the wearer. Only by following through on the promises one makes when becoming invested can the benefits associated with them be had. They are best thought of as signs of a commitment to do certain things and of one's being a part of a religious community. They act as reminders, too, of these things they signify and of the Saints who are parts of the religious community in question. They are reminders to behave with holiness.

Blessed Candles

Most of our blessed candles were blessed at Candlemas otherwise known as the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord. We also have our blessed Advent Candles from past years and our blessed wedding candle, along with other blessed candles received during different Mass celebrations such as the Easter Vigil. Now, you don't need a candle as large as the one seen in the photo above of Joey lighting the Easter Candle at yesterday's Easter Sunday Mass, but blessed candles are also a good sacramental to keep in a Catholic home. There is a story of the 3 days of darkness that I remember reading. It says that the only candle light that will be able to shine forth will be from blessed candles. I don't know if that is true or not but if that is the case, we will be well prepared.

Blessed Salt

We have our Hawaiian Sea Salt blessed by our dear friend Fr. Edwin Duffy. I use it only when necessary, for example as part of our Epiphany House Blessing. My mom utilizes blessed salt when she cooks something she is not sure is very fresh, as a way of protecting the family members who will partake of the food. One of my friends sprinkles blessed salt around the windows and doors of her home as protection for her family and home. Neither my mom nor my friend use blessed salt as a magical way of protection but rather rely on God's grace to assist them.

There is a renewed interest today in the ancient sacramental of blessed salt, especially by charismatics, in healing and deliverance situations, etc. To understand its proper use and its efficacy, it would be helpful to review the Scriptural symbolism and its history, since Vatican II urges us to participate “intelligently and actively” in the use of sacramentals, just as in the use of Sacraments.

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The other sacramentals or blessed objects that are in our home include numerous crucifixes, holy images of Our Lady's different apparitions, Jesus (Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy), relics, statues of the saints, blessed oil, the Holy Family, blessed medals, etc.

Keeping sacramentals in the home and using them to remind us of God's love and assistance is a beautiful tradition to pass on to your own children. Even though our son is a teen, he would never consider being without his Brown Scapular, Crucifix or Miraculous Medal.

To learn more about sacramentals and the proper way of disposing of sacramentals, be sure to visit Fisheaters