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princessleah
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| Joined: | Tue Mar 27th, 2007 |
| Location: | Adelaide, Australia |
| Posts: | 19 |
| First Name: | Leah | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Adelaide to Rome, I'd say I'm at about Naples!! |
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Posted: Sat Apr 14th, 2007 03:46 am |
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| This seems like a silly question, but I have noone else to answer it for me, so I'll ask it anyway!! I bought a crucifix pendant (for a necklace) today, and was wondering whether I need to have it blessed.
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CajunRick
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| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat Apr 14th, 2007 12:48 pm |
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princessleah wrote: This seems like a silly question, but I have noone else to answer it for me, so I'll ask it anyway!! I bought a crucifix pendant (for a necklace) today, and was wondering whether I need to have it blessed.
There are no silly questions except the ones that don't get asked.
Getting an item blessed dedicates it for a sacred purpose. It does not have "magical powers" except in how it affects you to wear something you know is blessed. So it's really up to you.
Having something blessed makes it into a sacramental, which can be helpful in our prayer lives. It also imposes certain obligations on the user, such as the knowledge that a blessed object cannot be sold and that it must be destroyed or buried rather than discarded if it is no longer used. A blessed object may be given away, but if it's sold it loses its blessed character.
So it's really up to you and whether you consider it jewelry or a sacramental.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1382 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 11th, 2007 01:52 pm |
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cajunrick wrote: princessleah wrote: So it's really up to you and whether you consider it jewelry or a sacramental.
I have a similar question. I bought a rosary bracelet for my grown daughter at Christmas. She is not Catholic, but I knew she would wear it sometimes as jewelry. I had it blessed before I gave it to her, because I pray for her daily and often I say rosaries before the Blessed Sacrament for my children. I felt she would receive grace from wearing the bracelet, but now I wonder if I did the wrong thing. Should I caution her about how she uses it? She is a baptized Southern Baptist, not regularly attending.
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 11th, 2007 04:05 pm |
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Marsha, the only caution would be that, as a Baptist, your daughter may not regard the bracelet as a sacramental but as mere jewelry. I suggest that you tell her that you had it blessed, and what that blessing means, so that she will realize that, at least for you, it has special value. It may be that this will help her treat it with the respect it deserves.
David
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BodRod
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 812 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Fri May 11th, 2007 11:54 pm |
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| I have a crucifix that looked normal except that it had a skull at the bottom under Christ's feet. I pulled the skull off and now I am wondering if it is not a Christian crucifix but rather a Black crucifix and I should get rid of it. Naturally, the next question is how to get rid of it. Anybody hear of such a thing?
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Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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David W. Emery
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sat May 12th, 2007 12:55 am |
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Yes, BodRod, the skull under Christ’s feet is a symbol that he has conquered death, the main consequence of sin. So it is a Christian symbol and not a satanic one.
David
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Darlene
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
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| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Sat May 12th, 2007 01:50 am |
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David W. Emery wrote: Yes, BodRod, the skull under Christ’s feet is a symbol that he has conquered death, the main consequence of sin. So it is a Christian symbol and not a satanic one.
David
David,
What is a Satanic crucifix anyway?
Darlene
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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BodRod
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
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| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Sat May 12th, 2007 09:33 am |
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| Thanks David. I feel considerably relieved. The skull reminded me of the ones on the Nazi caps of WWII and it gave me the creeps!!!
____________________
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Sat May 12th, 2007 09:38 am |
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Darlene wrote:
David, What is a Satanic crucifix anyway?
A blasphemous one, obviously. BodRod used the word “black,” which translates to “satanic.” I used the latter term to make clear his reference.
To my recollection, I have never seen a “black crucifix,” although I have stood inside a satan worshipers’ place of worship and seen the trappings of their “religion.” I can tell you, that was a spooky experience. I recall seeing horns, an inverted star, an image of La Santa Muerte (literally, “Holy Death,” a figure like the Grim Reaper), an altar and about 20 chairs. There were ghoulish tapestries and other paraphernalia whose significance I can only guess at, but I don’t remember seeing a crucifix.
David
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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 10:06 am |
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I have another question about having objects blessed. Is it alright to have something blessed more than once? I have had rosaries blessed before, but not all of them, and now I don't remember exactly which ones were and which ones weren't. Having read here the importance of proper care and disposal, etc. I'm thinking I'd like to have them all blessed again and then I'll know they all require the same care.
Now I have a really "out there" question, and I hope it's not too weird or dumb. I have heard of pets being blessed, especially on the feast day of St. Francis. I have a 12 year old lab, wonderful family pet, she has bone cancer. Am I way out of line thinking of asking a priest or deacon to bless her before she dies? I'm getting tears thinking of her gone and no life afterward.
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 01:24 pm |
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Credo Catholic wrote: I have another question about having objects blessed. Is it alright to have something blessed more than once?
Yes. A blessing of an object like a rosary is a dedication to sacred use, so you're rededicating it.
Now I have a really "out there" question, and I hope it's not too weird or dumb. I have heard of pets being blessed, especially on the feast day of St. Francis. I have a 12 year old lab, wonderful family pet, she has bone cancer. Am I way out of line thinking of asking a priest or deacon to bless her before she dies? I'm getting tears thinking of her gone and no life afterward.
No, you are not out of line. Blessing animals is a common practice especially on the Feast of St. Francis, but can be done at any time. It's also not inappropriate that you pray for your pet's health and healing, for relief from pain and suffering, for your own acceptance of God's will, and for your own grief.
You can ask for anything you care about to be blessed. You can also ask for a blessing before traveling, or when you're looking for a job, or before a big test, etc. There is no bad time to be blessed, or to have something important to you blessed.
I am not aware of any Church teaching that says animals have no souls, or that their souls are obliterated after death. Of course, since they have no rational thought and no free will, they will not obtain an eternal reward of salvation like God's rational creations, man and angels, but it is not impossible that they may continue to serve after their physical lives as reminders of God's love for us. They were created to serve humanity, and it certainly can do no harm to believe that we will meet them again. Children especially draw great comfort in believing that their favorite pet will share eternity with them.
We certainly should not equate animals with humans in any way. If our pets continue to exist in any way after their earthy life, it will be an existence of service. They will be there as a demonstration and manifestation of God's love for us. But it is not necessary that we believe they will cease to exist.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Credo Catholic
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| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 03:42 pm |
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| Thanks for your understanding. It helps a lot. Now if I can get the nerve to approach a busy priest or deacon!
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 10:31 pm |
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Marsha, regarding animal souls, I thought you might find the following links of interest. They provide little more information that Rick has given, but do so in a more authoritative manner.
The first link is to a brief description of medieval psychology from the point of view of the followers of St. Thomas Aquinas.
The second link is to a Q&A by the late Fr. John Hardon. Fr. Hardon is one of my favorite “go to” guys. His expertise was in catechetics, and he appeared a time or two on EWTN.
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 10:49 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: They provide little more information that Rick has given, but do so in a more authoritative manner.
So you think I'm not authoritative enough??? 
Seriously, here is one of my favorites, which I have posted on my Inspirations web site.
If You Can... If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against any creed, color, religion or politics.....
Then, my friend, you are ALMOST as good as your dog!
I read a story once where God created dogs to show us how much God loves us, and God created cats to show us how much we love God.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
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| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 11:24 pm |
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Thank you David, I read both of them and did get something new from each, although the medieval psychology was a little deep for me! It is very difficult to imagine what heaven will be like. I can't even get the concept of no time. But thinking about this today it occurred to me, what could a dog do to deserve hell? I just want to do whatever I can to make things better for Holly before she gets too sick or in pain.
I know dogs don't have the same place or "position" in heaven that we do, God made us for Himself. He has the Master Plan.
Last edited on Sat May 19th, 2007 01:15 am by Credo Catholic
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Credo Catholic
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Posted: Sat Aug 4th, 2007 12:05 pm |
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CajunRick wrote: Credo Catholic wrote:
Now I have a really "out there" question, and I hope it's not too weird or dumb. I have heard of pets being blessed, especially on the feast day of St. Francis. I have a 12 year old lab, wonderful family pet, she has bone cancer. Am I way out of line thinking of asking a priest or deacon to bless her before she dies? I'm getting tears thinking of her gone and no life afterward.
No, you are not out of line. Blessing animals is a common practice especially on the Feast of St. Francis, but can be done at any time. It's also not inappropriate that you pray for your pet's health and healing, for relief from pain and suffering, for your own acceptance of God's will, and for your own grief.
Our dog has become worse with her limping and actually fell while walking the other day so I know her pain is becoming bad. I had her bathed yesterday and called one of our deacons to ask for a blessing for her. He came to the house this morning after his morning mass. He blessed some water, said a prayer from the prayer book, and sprinkled her. I know she has no idea what's going on, but it helps our family to know we're doing what we can for her. I have an appointment Monday afternoon with the vet to determine if she should be put down. The catholic church cares for every aspect of our lives and doesn't think it silly or trivial to bless a dog that has cancer. One more reason I'm so blessed to be here!
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catholiceternal
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| First Name: | Sarah | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Aug 4th, 2007 02:16 pm |
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Credo Catholic
I am sorry that you are going to have to put your dog to sleep. You are in my prayers! God Bless
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Darlene
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| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
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Posted: Sat Aug 4th, 2007 04:22 pm |
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I too, know the heartache of having a pet put to sleep. Our precious cat, Harry, of 11 years,had to be put to sleep on March 14th of this year. We found out in January that he had cancer and in two months his health deteriorated to the point that Harry could hardly eat and no longer could clean himself. We buried him in our backyard and had a short service for him. Now when I say service, I mean that we (my daughter, husband, myself) said our goodbyes and my dh spoke about some wonderful memories that we had of our beloved Harry. Our daughter found a rock and painted it with his name and dates of birth and death. We put flowers around his grave as well. Our daughter has said that she still finds it very painful to go to his gravesite.
Many blessings to you Credo. Cherish all the good memories you have of your pet. Our pets are, afterall, an integral part of our families.
Darlene
D
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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Credo Catholic
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Posted: Sat Aug 4th, 2007 05:38 pm |
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| Thank you Darlene and Catholiceternal, I appreciate your condolences. I would like to bury Holly in the backyard too but I'll have to ask the vet what the procedure would be here in the city. A lab would require a considerable amount of digging, not to be too graphic. Possibly a rock, like you say Darlene, with her name and the date would suffice. It's going to be a lonely house for awhile.
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catholiceternal
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Posted: Sun Aug 5th, 2007 01:19 am |
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God Bless and you are in my prayers tonight!
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