Catholic Sacramentals · Water and oils
Historical origin: Annaya (Líbano), centuries XXX–X.
What is and what is not
This object or practice belongs to the field of Catholic piety and must be understood from the general doctrine of the sacramentals. The sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the Church who, by their prayer, prepare to receive grace and sanctify the circumstances of life. They do not confer grace in the same way as the seven sacraments and do not act automatically. Matter, color, or form have no magic power.
History
Saint Charbel Makhlouf, a monk and Maronite hermit who died in 1898, was buried in Annaya. Devotion grew around his grave and testimonies of intercession. In the sanctuary, blessed oil and small diapers were spread as signs of prayer for the sick, in continuity with ancient Eastern Christian customs of devotional anointing and playing with fabrics venerated places. This oil is not the oil of the catechumens, the holy chrysm or the oil of the sick, and a secular does not manage with it the Untion of the Sick.
Its development is inserted into a broader Christian history. From the first centuries, the faithful used the sign of the cross, blessings, water, oil, clothing, pilgrimage and images to keep alive the memory of Baptism and the communion of the saints. In the Middle Ages, the cofradies and reduced forms of religious habits grew; the Modern Age multiplied rituals, medals and sanctuary memories. The contemporary liturgical reform called for a review of these practices so that they lead to the liturgy, sprout from it and avoid superstitions.
Christian use and blessing
It can be used externally with a simple prayer, without giving it medical or sacramental effectiveness. The doctor and, where appropriate, a priest are also involved in a disease.
The blessing must be done with a rite approved and by the competent minister. The faithful responds to that prayer by living the Gospel: faith, hope, charity, participation in the Eucharist, confession when necessary and works of mercy. A sacramental does not replace a medical consultation, a prudent decision or moral duty.
doctrinal sources for deepening
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1667-1679
- Code of Canon Law, 1166-1172
- Directory on popular piety and liturgy
