Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
March 18, 2014

Memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
One of the great theologians of the early Church.


Prayer:



O God, who through the Bishop Saint Cyril of Jerusalem led your Church in a wonderful way to a deeper sense of the mysteries of salvation, grant us, through his intercession, that we may so acknowledge your Son as to have life ever more abundantly.




Question of the Day:

Should religious articles be burned or buried if no longer used or needed?



Certain religious articles are regarded as sacramentals and because of their liturgical character fall within the confines of liturgical law. By adopting what was put forward by the Vatican II document on the Sacred Liturgy, canon 1166 defines sacramentals in the following way:
"Sacramentals are sacred signs which in a sense imitate the sacraments. They signify
certain effects, especially spiritual ones, and they achieve these effects through the
intercession of the Church." To elaborate further, sacramentals in today’s understanding are best described as blessings (constitutive or invocative) asking God to set aside, watch over, dedicate or consecrate persons, places or things to the glory of God. Sacramentals are one of the signs of the holiness of the Church. They make us remember who we are as a people of faith and what we are called to - holiness. The sacramentals help us remember to cherish God’s creation and God’s many gifts given to us. They imitate the sacraments in that they produce certain spiritual effects. Finally, sacramentals sanctify the ordinary happenings of life and raise them to a higher plane. As Catholics, water, palm branches, ashes, candles, wedding rings, bells, oil, pictures, medals, rosaries, etc assist in calling us the prayer, holiness and service.

For an answer to your question we turn our attention to canon 1171 which states:
"Sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessings, are to be
treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use,
even though they may belong to private persons."

　
So then, the practice of disposing of religious articles - no longer needed or in use - in a respectful and reverent manner is still encouraged. Because they are blessed , care should be taken in both their use and disposal. The practice of burying in the garden or burning in a stove or fireplace of such articles is acceptable and commendable.