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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.
A. The difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals is:
- The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ and the sacramentals were
instituted by the Church;
- The Sacraments give grace of themselves when we place no obstacle in the
way; the sacramentals excite in us pious dispositions, by means of which we may
obtain grace.
A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is the sign of the Cross.
A. We make the sign of the Cross by putting the right hand to the
forehead, then on the breast, and then to the left and right shoulders, saying,
In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
A. We make the sign of the Cross to show that we are Christians and to
profess our belief in the chief mysteries of our religion.
A. The sign of the Cross is a profession of faith in the chief mysteries
of our religion because it expresses the mysteries of the Unity and Trinity of
God and of the Incarnation and death of our Lord.
A. The words, In the name, express the Unity of God; the words
that follow, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, express the mystery of the Trinity.
A. The sign of the Cross expresses the mystery of the Incarnation by
reminding us that the Son of God, having become man, suffered death on the
cross.
A. Another sacramental in very frequent use is holy water.
A. Holy water is water blessed by the priest with solemn prayer to beg
God's blessing on those who use it, and protection from the powers of darkness.
A. Besides the sign of the Cross and holy water there are many other
sacramentals, such as blessed candles, ashes, palms, crucifixes, images of the
Blessed Virgin and of the saints, rosaries, and scapulars.
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