CHAPTER FOUR
OTHER LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
Article 1
SACRAMENTALS
1667
"Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are
sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects,
particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession
of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the
sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy."171
The
characteristics of sacramentals
1668
Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the
Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian
life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops'
pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special
history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always
include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on
of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls
Baptism).
1669
Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is
called to be a "blessing," and to bless.172 Hence lay people
may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and
sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained
ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).173
1670
Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the
sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and
dispose us to cooperate with it. "For well-disposed members of the
faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost
every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal
mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all
sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use
of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of
men and the praise of God."174
Various forms
of sacramentals
1671
Among
sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first.
Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are
blessed by God the Father "with every spiritual blessing."175
This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually
while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ.
1672
Certain
blessings have a lasting importance because they consecrate persons to God, or
reserve objects and places for liturgical use. Among those blessings which are
intended for persons - not to be confused with sacramental ordination - are the
blessing of the abbot or abbess of a monastery, the consecration of virgins,
the rite of religious profession and the blessing of certain ministries of the
Church (readers, acolytes, catechists, etc.). the dedication or blessing of a
church or an altar, the blessing of holy oils, vessels, and vestments, bells,
etc., can be mentioned as examples of blessings that concern objects.
1673
When
the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a
person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn
from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from
him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.176 In a
simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. the solemn
exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a
priest and with the permission of the bishop. the priest must proceed with
prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is
directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic
possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church.
Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating
this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is
performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence
of the Evil One, and not an illness.177
Popular
piety
1674
Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals, catechesis must take into account
the forms of piety and popular devotions among the faithful. the religious
sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of
piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of
relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the
cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals,178 etc.
1675
These expressions of piety extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not
replace it. They "should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the
liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived
from it and lead the people to it, since in fact the liturgy by its very nature
is far superior to any of them."179
1676
Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety and, if
necessary, to purify and correct the religious sense which underlies these
devotions so that the faithful may advance in knowledge of the mystery of
Christ.180 Their exercise is subject to the care and judgment of the
bishops and to the general norms of the Church.
At its core the piety of the
people is a storehouse of values that offers answers of Christian wisdom to the
great questions of life. the Catholic wisdom of the people is capable of
fashioning a vital synthesis.... It creatively combines the divine and the
human, Christ and Mary, spirit and body, communion and institution, person and
community, faith and homeland, intelligence and emotion. This wisdom is a
Christian humanism that radically affirms the dignity of every person as a
child of God, establishes a basic fraternity, teaches people to encounter
nature and understand work, provides reasons for joy and humor even in the
midst of a very hard life. For the people this wisdom is also a principle of
discernment and an evangelical instinct through which they spontaneously sense
when the Gospel is served in the Church and when it is emptied of its content
and stifled by other interests.181
|