Sacramentals

1. Sacramentals

2. What is a Sacramental? • The crucifix • The rosary • Icons, Medals • Holy Water, Blessed Palms, Blessed Ashes • A sacramental is a sacred sign that makes us think about our faith and sanctifies our lives • They are the images, actions, blessings that are unique to our faith

3. The Crucifix • Prayer in front of a crucifix, (asacramental )is often part of devotion for Christians, especially those worshipping in a church, and also privately. • The person may sit, stand, or kneel in front of the crucifix, sometimes looking at it in contemplation, or merely in front of it with head bowed or eyes closed. • During the Middle Ages small crucifixes, generally hung on a wall, became normal in the personal cells or living quarters first of monks, then all clergy, followed by the homes of the laity, spreading down from the top of society as these became cheap enough for the average person to afford. • By the 19th century displaying a crucifix somewhere in the general reception areas of a house became typical of Catholic homes.

4. History of the Rosary • Prayer beads have their origins in the Eastern religions in India in the 3rd century BC. • The use of knotted prayer ropes in Christianity goes back to the Desert Fathers in the 3rd -4th centuries. • According to tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214. • In the Middle Ages, people prayed the rosary as we know it today.

5. Icons • Icons are religious work of are, usually from the Eastern Church • Why do you think icons were so important to Christians in the Middle Ages?

6. Medals • Not like the Olympics • Used to commemorate different people, such as Jesus, Mary, or saints, or Sacraments such as First Communion or Confirmation • How are medals different from Relics?

7. Holy Water • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF7vFLP63Ec • Holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest • The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common among several religions, from Christianity to Sikhism. • The use of holy water as a sacramental for protection against evil is common among  Roman Catholics

8. Holy Water Across Faiths • In Ancient Greek religion, a holy water called chernipswas created when a torch from a religious shrine was extinguished in it. In Greek religion, purifying people and locations with water was part of the process of distinguishing the sacred from the profane • Bathing in holy water is a key element in Hinduism and the Ganges is considered the holiest Hindu river. • In Islam, an imam blesses drinking water, which is then considered to be healing water, and is then drunk by followers

9. Blessed Palms • The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm (Phoenix) was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. • A palm branch was awarded to victorious athletes in ancient Greece

10. Blessed Ashes • It was adopted into Christian iconography to represent the victory of martyrs, or the victory of the spirit over the flesh. • Since a victory signals an end to a conflict or competition, the palm developed into a symbol of peace, a meaning it can have in Islam, where it is often associated with Paradise. • What do Catholics do with the Palms from Palm Sunday?