Sacramentals

By

Anthony Gonzales

Everyone knows about the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the nuclear weapons that ultimately ended World War II. However, very few people realize that in all of Japan there were only two large Catholic communities and both of these were in the cities that we destroyed. Even fewer people had heard about the amazing miracle that took place in Nagasaki when it was leveled by the atomic blast. Just 100 yards from ÒGround ZeroÓ was a Jesuit mission with a church, school and rectory. The 7 priests were very fervent in spreading the gospel and had made many converts. This was during the time when the Church was still healthy and the people practiced many devotions that strengthened their faith. The Jesuit priests had a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and promoted with great zeal the daily recitation of the Rosary and the devout wearing of the Brown Scapular. When the nuclear blast hit, everything was leveled around this mission but it was left unharmed. The 7 priests, who were also unharmed, never suffered from radiation sickness nor the aftereffects of radiation such as leukemia, etc. They have all since died of natural causes, but were studied by over 200 scientists for over 30 years. These scientists wanted to know Òthe secretÓ of their apparent immunity from the effects of a nuclear blast. Their answer was always the same. They were protected, they said, because they prayed the rosary every day and devoutly wore the Brown Scapular as Our Lady requested at Fatima. The scientists failed to come up with any other logical explanation.

Now, one of the many aspects of Catholicism that confuses our non-Catholic brethren is our use of ÒsacramentalsÓ; such as holy water, medals, scapulars, statues and the like. Because we live in a culture that was originally Protestant in nature, many of our own Catholic people have lost sight of the reasons for the use of these signs and symbols which reflect individual faith, and, sadly, many of them have adopted the Protestant attitude that these things are superstitious. Recently a controversy was generated by ÒThe View from the PewÓ a local lay Catholic underground newsletter in the diocese of San Jose, California. In the April 1995 issue there was an article on the promises that Our Lady gave to Blessed Alan to those who faithfully pray the Rosary. Some Catholics who have been influenced to one degree or another by Protestant misconceptions were ÒscandalizedÓ by what was supposedly said by Our Lady; in addition the language used in these promises tends toward exaggeration. Because of this I have decided to write this article as an explanation in order to set the record straight and correct any errors or misconceptions these kind of Catholic ÒthingsÓ may generate.

The following principles must be remembered when discussing or describing the ÒpromisesÓ or ÒgracesÓ attached to various Catholic devotions.

1. The Church may say that a par-ticular devotion is worthy of prac tice and may even give permission for the publication of "promises" that may have been received within a "private revelationÓ but it has never said that those promises are guaranteed.

2. For a person to receive the graces promised by the practice of a particular devotion it is absolutely necessary that they be in the state of sanctifying grace. This is accomplished by making a sincere and good confession of any mortal sins one may have committed and by the worthy reception of Holy Communion.

3. No devotion, no matter how laudatory or worthy, can, in and of itself, be sufficient to save someone from eternal damnation no matter how faithfully they may practice it. This is especially true if that person is living a sinful and unrepentant life.

4. No private revelation is ever given the same authority or necessity as the public revelation of Jesus Christ preserved for us through holy Tradition and Sacred Scripture. Therefore, the Church has never commanded anyone to practice a private devotion. In fact, if anyone claims that a particular devotion is necessary for salvation (by the authority of a"private revelation") this indicates to the Church that this particular revelation is not from God and the Church will automatically condemn it as being contrary to the Christian Faith and to be rejected.

Now, taking into consideration these 4 principles, let us analyze a particular devotion and any promises given to it by a Òprivate revelation.Ó A very common and laudatory devotion, practiced by many Catholics throughout the world, is the wearing of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It has been recommended and worn not only by countless saints and ecclesiastics throughout the centuries, but even by many Popes. In fact, this is one of only 3 private devotions that have special ritual blessings attached to it in the Ritualae Romanum, which is the official book of rituals used by the Church. Wearing the Brown Scapular signifies two things; first it is a visible sign of our belief in the maternal protection and love of the Blessed Virgin Mary and secondly, wearing it is a sign of oneÕs love for and devotion to her as the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and consequently our Mother. By wearing it devoutly it should strengthen our faith and be a means toward greater virtue. It becomes a constant reminder to us of our Catholic Faith and the commands of Christ. It must be remembered, especially by us sinners, that we gleefully and humbly accept any help offered to us. Our perseverence in devotion is pleasing to God even when we fall short of our resolutions. God does not expect perfection overnight but He does expect progress and persistence. The devout wearing of the Scapular should be sign of our desire to progress in doing His will above our own.

The promises attached to the devout wearing of the Brown Scapular were given to St. Simon Stock around the 13th century. According to St. Simon, the Blessed Mother appeared to him in a vision in which she presented to him the Scapular that was to be worn by all Carmelites and she said, ÒAnyone who dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.Ó Now thatÕs a pretty strong promise. In private revelations to other saints (the most recent example of which was at Fatima) Our Lady has also said that those who devoutly wear her scapular will be protected from harm. There are some very spectacular miracles associated with the Brown Scapular, one of which you read about at the beginning of this article. Nonetheless, even with such wonderful proof of the Blessed MotherÕs promise, the Scapular is not some kind of magic talisman that has the power to protect and save in and of itself. If a person is living a life contrary to the gospel it doesnÕt matter how many rosaries and novenas a person may pray or how many scapulars and medals a person may wear; these things will not protect someone from eternal damnation if that is what that person deserves due to their sins. God will not be mocked nor will He allow those things He gives us to assist us in our pilgrimage toward Him be used to subvert His justice.

One last comment: All the devotions and sacramentals of the Church are designed to enhance our love for God and neighbor and to give us both the strength and discipline to live out the law of God and cooperate with His grace. Even though they are not essential to the Faith they are still very important. We are tangible beings and we need tangible signs and symbols to assist our intangible faith. The Church recommends these signs and practices for this very reason. Not, as some Protestants may claim, as a kind of promotion of idolatry or superstition but rather as an assistance and a means toward living the way God wishes us to live. Because of our fallen nature obedience is not easy; therefore, we need all the help we can get. To deny the efficacy of these means of grace is to deny the very humanity that God has created the way He created it. We are not Puritans or Quakers who deny the reality and goodness of human nature. The religion of Jesus Christ is a tangible, sacramental religion that uses the reality of our tangibility to bring us to spiritual union with God.