Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
Heartfelt Sacramentalism (Not Mere Charms)

Heartfelt Sacramentalism (Not Mere Charms)

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:37 pm by Dave Armstrong

Heartfelt Sacramentalism (Not Mere Charms) 2017-04-18T18:37:21-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

FrancisAngels

A Choir of Angels Dispels the Sorrows of St. Francis, by Josep Benlliure y Gil (1855-1937) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

*****

(1996)

***

Blessed Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences, of January 1, 1967, made some statements which have relevance to all devotional and pious practices of Catholics, such as the scapular and the Rosary:

To gain indulgences the work prescribed must be done. But that is not all. The faithful must have the dispositions that are necessary. These are that they must love God, hate sin, trust in Christ’s merits, and believe firmly in the great help they obtain from the Communion of Saints. (ch. 4, sec. 10).

In other words, it is not a mere “magic formula,” apart from disposition, holiness, intent, sincerity, etc. Sacramentals (holy water, scapulars, blessings, miraculous medal, genuflection, etc.) work differently than sacraments, which are objectively efficacious (ex opere operato). But even the sacrament of the Eucharist will not have an effect if taken by a person in mortal sin, and priestly absolution is null and void without the prerequisite of true repentance.

The scapular will not “work” — Protestants can rest assured — for a person who neglects holiness and obedience and uses it as a “magic charm” (which is occultic superstition, not Christianity). A piece of cloth cannot rescind the normal, routine duties of the Catholic life. Any Catholic worth his salt knows this. Yet we see – sadly – how many don’t know it. On the other hand, devotional language is usually not meant to be taken literally, any more than love letters of young lovers are (“I’d cross any mountain or river to get to you…..,” etc.).

Likewise, Vatican II stressed active participation in the liturgy:

In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds be attuned to their voices, and that they cooperate with heavenly grace lest they receive it in vain. Pastors of souls must, therefore, realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the laws governing valid and lawful celebration. It is their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite and enriched by it…….Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy…….In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered above all else, for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit. Therefore, in all their apostolic activity, pastors of souls should energetically set about achieving it through the requisite pedagogy.

(Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Dec. 4, 1963, ch. 1, I, sec. 11 and II, sec. 14; emphasis added)

In his booklet The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946; rep. TAN Books, Rockford, IL: 1993), which is about a common devotion known as the “Jesus Prayer” ( a repetition of “Jesus”), Fr. Paul O’Sullivan is quite cognizant of these considerations (they did not begin with Vatican II, after all!). First of all, he grounds the practice in Scripture (Col 3:17), so that it can hardly be objectionable. And he explicitly places it in the context of holiness and gratefulness, so that it is not intended as a charm or magic remedy (p.34):

And in the future, when you say, “Jesus,” remember that you are offering to God all the infinite love and merits of His Son……You cannot offer Him anything holier, anything better, anything more pleasing to Him…… How ungrateful are those Christians who never thank God for all He has done for them …….When you say the Name of Jesus, remember, too, to thank Our Sweet Lord for His Incarnation.

Thus understood, this practice – and by extension, many “sacramental” Catholic practices – are wholly in accord with the Protestant stress, in their doctrine of sanctification, on gratefulness to God for all He has done as a compelling motivation for engaging in good works and becoming more righteous in some sense. And it is the very opposite of a pathetic attitude of treating God like a “vending machine,” as some Protestants put it. If any Catholic does that, he or she is in opposition to clear Catholic teachings, and is in serious sin.

*****

Meta Description: Sacraments and sacramentals are not mere magic charms. They must be accompanied by genuine, sincere, heartfelt piety.

Meta Keywords: piety, reverence, genuine spirituality, authentic spirituality, interior disposition, joy, wholehearted discipleship, religious sincerity, spiritual depth, genuine worship, wholehearted worship, sacraments, magic charms, sacramentalism

Baptism and Sacramentalism

Eucharist & Liturgy

authentic spirituality

wholehearted discipleship

wholehearted worship

Previous Post

September 18, 2016

Bishops in the Apostolic Church

Next Post

September 20, 2016 Apostles Became Bishops (Apostolic Succession)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category & Last Things About Me Anti-Catholicism Atheism & Agnosticism Baptism and Sacramentalism Bible and Tradition Blessed Virgin Mary Books by Dave Armstrong C. S. Lewis Calvinism & General Protestantism Catholic Apologetics Catholic Apologists Catholic conversion Catholic converts Christmas Church (Ecclesiology) Church History Conversion and Converts Development of Doctrine Eastern Orthodoxy Ecumenism & Christian Unity Eucharist & Liturgy Fathers of the Church French Translations G. K. Chesterton Hell Hell & Satan Hell & Satan & Last Things Heresies & Comparative Religion Holistic Health Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals James White Jews & Judaism & Old Testament John Calvin John Henry Newman Liberal / Modernist Theology Life Issues Literary Resume Lutheranism Mariology Martin Luther Music Orthodoxy Papacy & Infallibility Personal Page Philosophy & Science Political & Ethical & Moral Issues Protestant Persecution & Intolerance Protestantism Purgatory Purgatory & Penance Romantic & Imaginative Theology Saints & Purgatory & Penance Salvation Salvation & Justification Satan & Last Things Sexuality and Gender Issues Spanish Translations Traditionalism vs. Radical Catholic Reactionaries Traducciones al español / tradução para português Trinitarianism & Christology Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 October 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 July 2004 May 2004 April 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz