Catholic Sacramentals · Crosses and medals
Historical origin: Mexico and Catholic diaspora, Modern Age and beyond.
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
The Guadalupan medals moved the venerated image in the Tepeyac to a small object. The New Hispanic religious medallery has grown since the 17th and 18th centuries, along with prints, pilgrimages and co-fradies; in the 19th and 20th centuries the image also became a sign of identity for migrants and American communities. A medal may have been blessed, but it is not a ayate relic or a reproduction with its own powers.
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
To take it is to confess the Incarnation and to entrust itself to the maternal intercession of Mary. It must lead to Christ, to the dignity of the neighbor and to a coherent life.
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
