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Holy Water 1335. On entering a Catholic Church I noticed people taking holy water Why is this? Holy water is placed at the doors of Catholic Churches to remind us of the waters of Baptism which once flowed over our foreheads, to signify that we are not worthy to enter into the Presence of Christ without purification, and to forgive us those venial sins for which we are sorry, as well as remitting the temporal punishment due to our sins according to the measure of our regret and contrition. I do not know how you feel, but I know that...

TALKS ON THE SACRAMENTALS Father Arthur Tonne Copyright 1950 Didde Printing Company Emporia, Kansas (For the whole book, download tlksac.txt/.zip)Cross, Sign Of"God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians, 6:14In April of 1945 American artillery in the town of Siegburg, Germany, was shelling a nearby village, in which there were about 20 German soldiers. The natives were in constant danger of being hit by bullets from either side. Toward evening of April 12 the people persuaded the German soldiers to cease fire.Next morning the village priest carried a white flag to...

Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict  The medal of St. Benedict is a very powerful sacramental with exorcizing properties; the exorcism is written right on it. First a little history: St. Benedict of Nursia, Italy (A.D. 480-543), the twin brother of St. Scholastica, is considered to be the Father of Western monasticism, and his "Rule of St. Benedict" came to be the basis of organization for many religious orders (his own Order has its cradle at Monte Cassino, Italy, about 80 miles South of Rome). At any rate, in order to understand the symbology of the Medal, you must know of...

The Miraculous Medal    On the night of 18 July, 1830, a "child" awakened Sr. Catherine Labouré  (seen above) in her Daughters of Charity convent at 140 Rue du Bac, Paris, telling her to go to the convent's chapel where Mary awaited her. There Mary told her:God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world. Come to the foot of the altar. Graces will be shed on all, great and...

Fire    Leviticus 6:12-13 "And the fire on the altar shall always burn, and the priest shall feed it, putting wood on it every day in the morning, and laying on the holocaust, shall burn thereupon the fat of the peace offerings. This is the perpetual fire which shall never go out on the altar."  The light of fire, penetrating darkness, is a symbol for the Trinity and for the grace or Person of Christ, in particular. He is "the Light of the world," as St. John tells us, and "in Him there is no darkness." While the light of...

Q. 1052. What is a sacramental? A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin. Q. 1053. How do the Sacramentals excite good thoughts and increase devotion? A. The Sacramentals excite good thoughts by recalling to our minds some special reason for doing good and avoiding evil; especially by reminding us of some holy person, event or thing through which blessings have come to us. They increase devotion by fixing our minds on particular virtues and by helping...

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