Lesson 6: The Sacramentals of the Church

Overview
The Church is the Foundational Sacrament which makes the Risen Christ present by being
his Body, and by celebrating his saving acts in the seven ritual sacraments.

Catholics often use images and pictures when praying but we seldom understand why they
use those things. Without proper knowledge and understanding we are easily misled and
that Catholics worship idols. Why do Catholics use images? What are they called?

Learning
Outcomes

At the end of this module, you will:

1. Explain the nature, elements and kinds of sacramentals and the reason why Catholics use
them.
2. Explain the connection between sacramentals and the sacraments.
3. Compare and contrast sacramentals and/from sacraments by making a Venn Diagram.
4. Participate meaningfully in prayer and worship with the proper disposition towards
sacramentals.

BECOMING AWARE OF OUR COMMON EXPERIENCES

A. Life Situation – Picture Analysis

Kindly look and analyze the pictures below.

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 Guide Questions

1. What are these pictures?

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2. What do they do?

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3. How do these help us in our daily activities?

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4. Do you think it would be better and safer without these things? Why or why not?
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Everyday we see signs around us. Signs tell us something. They give us warning just like the
red traffic light that tells us to stop because other vehicles will be passing. Ignoring this traffic light
would lead us to a car accident. Furthermore, a sign can also tell us the presence of something like
for example the swab or the rapid testing kits for COVID-19. These tools are signs that tell us
whether the virus is in us or not. Without signs, we can easily lose track, direction and focus.

VALUES INTEGRATION:

❖ Adherence to rules and regulations through signs.

❖ Sensitivity to God’s presence.
❖ Piety and trust in God.

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 LEARNING OUR CATHOLIC FAITH

A. WORD OF GOD

“God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that

handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick,
and the diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
-Acts 19:11-12

“Handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick…” I remember
the time when the entire Luzon was first placed under a lockdown – businesses are
closed, no mass gatherings and the Eucharistic Celebrations were suspended. During
those times, many of my relatives, friends and acquaintances were complaining
since they cannot attend Mass. I saw how people thirst for spiritual things. All of
them were longing for God’s presence. During the Holy Week, the Church
suspended the religious devotions which included the Blessing of Palms. My aunt
called me because she wanted her palms to be blessed and I told her that she could
come over and visit me in the seminary so I can bless her palms. She told me that
she was just alone but I was surprised that when she came into the seminary there
were two other peoples who want their palms be blessed. She said that she met her
along the way and asked her if they could come with her to have their palms blessed
too. My aunt agreed.
The story of my aunt with the two unexpected visitors is similar with the story in the
Bible passage above – they took something sacred to their respective homes. This is
not superstition. The handkerchiefs, the aprons, the palms are not anting-anting or
lucky charms but they are important for them because they are signs – signs of God’s
presence in their midst. Those items are not God but they point to God. They are
signs that make them secure because they are reminded of the power and the glory
of God. These signs help them to place their thoughts and hearts to the One, True
God.

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 Guide Questions:

1. What is my attitude towards sacred images, objects, places and blessings?

Do I treat them as an anting-anting or lucky charm?
2. Am I reminded of God’s presence whenever I see sacred images or when I
go to sacred places or when I receive a blessing from the priest?

B. CHURCH TEACHING:

In the Church, there are two signs by which a Catholic can experience God’s
presence. The first are called sacramentals and the second one is collectively called
as sacraments.

CCC, 1677: “Sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church. They prepare
men to receive the fruit of the sacraments and sanctify different circumstances of
life.”

CFC, 1532: “They are objects, actions, practices, places and the like, that help us
become aware of Christ’s grace-filled presence around us or liberate from the
presence of the Evil One. They help us receive the sacraments with greater fruit,
and “render holy various occasions in life.”

Sacramentals
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) number 1677 tells us the elements of a
sacramental. To understand better its nature, just remember S-I-D-S.
S Sign – Sacramentals are signs. According to St. Augustine, a sign is “a thing
which, besides the species on the senses, leads to the knowledge of
NATURE

something other than itself.”1 This means that a sign represents a reality. As
for the sacramentals, they represent the reality of God’s presence at the
particular place and time. As a sign, sacramentals are perceptible to the
senses – I can see the crucifix, I can hear the priest uttering the blessing, I

1
Cyprian Vagaggini, O.S.B., Theological Dimensions of the Liturgy, (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical
Press, 1976), 32.

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 can smell the incense, I can taste the food that was blessed by the priest
and I can touch the images.

I Instituted – Sacramentals are instituted by the Church. This means that

they are introduced by the Church. “Grace…is dispensed upon the proper
use of these sacramentals through the intervention of the Church.”2

D Dispose - Sacramentals prepare us to receive the grace of the sacraments.

For example, when we go to Mass, all of us can receive graces from God
but the grace that each of the Mass-goers receive is different from each
other depending upon their disposition. If a person goes to Mass without a
wholehearted willingness, that person may just receive few graces
compared to a person who is ready to hear God’s Word on Sundays and to
EFFECTS

receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Now, when we arrive early at Mass and said
a Rosary or we marked ourselves with the Sign of the Cross, these
sacramentals help us to place our heart and mind in the presence of God so
that when the Mass begins, we will be ready to receive fully the grace that
Jesus is giving us.

S Sanctify – Sacramentals make holy the “here and now.” They help us
dedicate to God whatever we are going through in the present moment.

The first two (S and I) are the nature of sacramentals while the last two (D and S)
are the effects of sacramentals to our souls.
Sacramentals and Sacraments
Both sacraments and sacramentals are signs perceptible to the senses. They both
signify a spiritual effect to the soul but “sacramentals differ in their effect from the
sacraments as they do not confer grace in the way the sacraments do but prepare
the faithful to receive the grace of the sacraments and dispose them to cooperate
with it.”3
Furthermore, sacraments are instituted by Christ himself while sacramentals are
instituted by the Church. However, these two are not totally alien to each other. In
2
Corral, Victoria and Fides Maria Lourdes Flores-Carlos, Church & Sacraments, (Manila: UST Publishing
house, 2012), 232.
3
Cf. CCC 1670.

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fact, they are interconnected. Sacramentals prepare us to receive the grace that
the Sacraments give.
In the Church, there are only 7 Sacraments which are divided into three main
parts:
I. Sacraments of Initiation
a. Baptism
b. Confirmation
c. Eucharist
II. Sacraments of Healing
a. Penance
b. Anointing of the Sick
III. Sacraments of Commitment
a. Matrimony
b. Holy Orders
Various forms of Sacramentals4
The four forms of sacramentals are:
1. Ceremonies associated with the Sacraments (i.e., Eucharistic Adoration,
Penitential Services, Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word and Prayer
Services for the Dead.)
2. Blessings and consecrations outside the sacraments.
a. The Rite of Blessing of Persons (i.e., Blessing of Lectors, Blessing of an
Engaged Couple, Blessing of Mother before and after childbirth, Blessing
of children by the parents, Blessing of the sick.)
b. The Rite of Blessing of Places (i.e., Blessing of a House, Blessing of a
factory, Blessing of a shop)
c. The Rite of Blessing of Objects (i.e., Blessing of religious articles for us in
the Sacraments, Blessing of religious articles for personal devotion)
3. The religious use of blessed and consecrated objects (i.e., Wearing of
Scapular, Kissing the Crucifix, Making the Sign of the Cross with the Holy
Water, Praying the Rosary, etc.)
4. The blessed and consecrated objects themselves (i.e., Rosaries, Crucifixes
and others)

4
Cf. CCC 1671-1673.

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Why do Catholics use Sacramentals?
CFC, 1532 gives us the answer:
✓ To help us become aware of Christ’s grace-filled presence around us.
✓ To liberate from the presence of the Evil One (exorcism).
✓ To help us receive the sacraments with greater fruit.
✓ To render holy various occasions in life.

Activity 1: Compare and Contrast

Instructions:
Make a Venn Diagram that shows the similarities and differences of
sacramentals and sacraments. A Venn diagram is an illustration that uses circles
to show the relationships among things. Circles that overlap have a commonality
while circles that do not overlap do not share those traits.
Fill-in the Diagram below.

SACRAMENTS SACRAMENTALS

BOTH

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 C. SUMMARY:
Doctrine: Sacramentals are signs instituted by the Church so that we could be
reminded of God’s presence in our midst and to prepare ourselves to receive God’s
Grace in the Sacraments so that we may bear fruit a hundredfold.
Moral: Sacramentals are not lucky charms or anting-anting, else, we fall into
superstition. They don’t have power in themselves. What they do is that they evoke
in us the spirit of piety and trust in God. These piety and trust evoked increase in us
our Love for God which helps us to bear much fruit by loving our neighbors.
Worship: Whenever we use these sacramentals we are disposed to participate well
in the Sacraments of the Church. Sacramentals are good “appetizers” so that we
could worship God fully and wholeheartedly “in spirit and in truth.”

LIVING OUT OUR FAITH ________

Every time we use sacramentals, we are being prepared to receive God’s Grace.
They remind us of how God loves us. Thus, they lead us to God. However,
sacramentals contain no magic and so, our cooperation is needed. One priest once
said that even if our house is full of sacred images of saints, even if we wear many
blessed medals and even if we go to the priest everyday to ask for his blessing but if
we do not cooperate with God’s grace, these sacramentals will have no effect
because our hearts and minds already became numb. And so, these sacramentals
are just there to evoke in us the presence of God but if we’ll neglect God’s presence
and become uncooperative, their rich symbolism loses its meaning.

CHALLENGE
1. Have I treated sacramentals as signs of God’s presence and not as
superstitious items or practices?
2. When I use sacramentals, do I allow myself to enter into God’s presence?

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Activity 2a: (For CATHOLIC STUDENTS)

Instructions:
Choose at least three sacramentals from the box below which you have already
encountered and identify what kind of sacramental they are and then explain how
they helped or didn’t help you feel God’s presence.

7. Praying the Rosary 1. Blessing of pencils before exams

8. Easter Salubong 2. Wearing of Scapular Blessing of
9. Processions vehicles
10. Blessing of Birthday Celebrants 3. Blessing of the sick
11. Kissing the Crucifix 4. Blessing of animals
12. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 5. Bible Prayer Service
13. House Blessing 6. Blessing one’s self with Holy water
while making the Sign of the Cross
Sacramental Classification How did it help or did not help
you feel God’s presence?
(Use of Sacred Object, Blessing
of Persons, Blessing of Places,
Blessing of Objects, Religious
Practices or ceremonies)

1.

2.

3.

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Activity 2b: (For NON- CATHOLIC STUDENTS)

Instructions:
Compare how you view sacramentals before you have studied this lesson and
your view now after studying this lesson.

My View of Sacramentals BEFORE My View of Sacramentals AFTER

studying this lesson: studying this lesson:

References

1. Cathecism of the Catholic Church. (1994). ECCCE Word & Life Publication.
2. Corral, Victoria and Fides Ma. Lourdes Carlos. Church & Sacraments. Manila: USTPublishing
House, 2012.
3. Philippines, C. B. (1997). Catechism For Filipino Catholics. Manila Philippines: ECCCE Word & Life
Publication.

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