We oftentimes see some of our friends wearing blessed objects on their person, such as crosses, medals featuring certain saints, and the like. Why is the practice of wearing these blessed objects, which are called “sacramentals”, a beautiful and important devotion? In this article, we provide you 3 reasons why wearing blessed objects are highly recommended for us Catholics.
Blessed Objects are Sacramentals
Blessed objects, such as medals which bear the images of Our Lord Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and various saints, are classified by the Catholic Church as “sacramentals”. Sacramentals are “sacred signs” which are created by the Church to produce spiritual fruits in our lives. Thus, these blessed objects, when used properly, predispose us to receive much spiritual graces, if we live our lives in a state of grace.
Sacramentals shouldn’t be treated like “anting-antings”, whereby we mistakenly think of these objects as having magical powers. Rather, sacramentals can be considered as “sacred signs” through which we obtain spiritual graces from the Source of All Grace - Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed Objects Help Remind Us of Jesus, Mary and the Entire Heavenly Hierarchy Throughout the Day
Many, many graces are available for us, if we only we ask for it from the Lord! More than material benefits, we should ask the Lord for spiritual benefits or graces. Are we in a difficult financial situation because of this pandemic? Let us ask the Lord for the grace of wisdom to know how to handle the situation, as well as the gifts of perseverance and patience. Is our marriage on rocky ground? Let us ask the Lord for the grace of love. Are we sad or depressed? Let us ask the Lord for the grace of peace and joy.
Blessed objects help channel these spiritual graces to us - if only we ask for them! Do we wear the Brown Scapular of Mt. Carmel? At least once a day, touch your brown scapular, and ask Our Lady to give you the grace that you need for that particular day. Do we wear a Cross around our neck? A few times a day, particularly during times of difficulty, let us hold this Cross, and ask the Lord for the grace to carry our various little crosses throughout the day. Do we wear a Rosary Bracelet? On the way home from work, let us use this Rosary Bracelet to pray for our family and ask for the grace of perseverance in prayer.
Isn’t it that most of us keep photographs of people we love and care about in our wallets? Once in a while, during difficult moments, we open our wallets and take a look at the photo of our loved one. This gives us strength and a bit of joy in an otherwise difficult day. In the same way, blessed objects we wear in our person, such as crosses, rosary bracelets, and medals, should help remind us of our Heavenly Friends, who are beside us every single moment of our lives. All it takes sometimes to regain our peace and balance in the middle of a difficult day is to take a single glance, or perhaps a touch of the blessed object we wear, and then say a short prayer, such as “Jesus, help me!”, or “Jesus, I love you!”.
Blessed Objects Protect Us from the Devil
Perhaps one of the most important reasons for us to wear blessed objects is that these blessed objects, when worn in our person, help protect us from the devil.
During exorcism rituals, the priest makes use of various blessed objects, such as the Crucifix, Holy Water, and Blessed Salt, St. Benedict medal, and others, in order to vanquish the devil. Many exorcists recount that possessed persons actually recoil from these blessed objects! The devil, who lives in the possessed person, actually howls in pain, whenever a blessed object such as a Cross or Holy Water, touches the body of the possessed person.
Blessed objects not only help drive the devil away from possessed or demonically infested persons - they also help keep the devil away from our person! The Church highly recommends the use of blessed objects in protect our homes and our person from the evil influence of the devil.
We may not see the devil, but his influence is there in our lives all throughout the day. He is the unseen force that makes us sad and depressed. He is the hidden liar, who whispers in our ears and makes us lash out in anger at someone at home or at work. He is the unseen power who makes us lazy in our prayer life, drives us to despair and sadness, makes us impatient and unloving with our spouse. Many misfortunes and miseries in our day-to-day lives can actually be attributed to the unseen force that is the devil - he who never rests, and will always persist in trying to destroy our lives every single moment.
This is why it is such an important practice to wear various blessed objects in our person, to keep the devil away.
Do you wear blessed objects in your person? If you’re not, it’s never too late to take advantage of these important sources of grace and protection for yourself and your loved ones.