Sacramentals: Their Meaning and Spiritual Use 

by: Ralph Weimann

Foreword by: Robert Cardinal Sarah

Book Description:

There are countless books about the sacraments — but few books about sacramentals. These powerhouses of grace are often overshadowed but should not be overlooked. Here is the book that will help you understand various types of sacramentals and receive the abundant graces that flow from their use.

“During the last decades, sacramentals seem too often to have been marginalized, even though they are supposed to be the daily bread of any priest, as well as of the laity,” affirms Fr. Ralph Weimann. Drawing from Scripture and the Tradition of the Church, Fr. Weimann has succeeded in closing this gap by striking a proper balance between the natural and the supernatural, between reason and revelation. He breaks open how sacramentals developed in the history of the Church and their definition in modernity, both in the liturgical documents of Vatican II and the Code of Canon Law.

Sacramentals are meant to “produce spiritual effects” in the daily lives of the faithful,” Father shares. He further explains:

• Four categories of sacramentals (See if you can name them!)
• Two elements that are integral in each sacramental (Do you know?)
• How sacramentals are acts of divine worship and are intrinsically linked to the Faith
• The real meaning of consecration and three levels of this type of blessing
• Nine important spiritual effects of holy water
• Five temporal and spiritual benefits received from the blessings of persons

Additionally, Fr. Weimann provides an extensive framework about exorcisms and their significance as a sacramental, noting that when faith weakens, there is often a rise in superstition and the occult. Included are sample blessings (both new and old versions) and commentary about their relevance today.

You will see how sacramentals help us on our journey to God and the wondrous graces that emanate from them. Most significantly, you will find that how we use sacramentals demonstrates the maxim “As we worship, so we believe.” As Fr. Weimann reflects, “The indwelling grace of the sacred signs is usually hidden to our eyes. However, they become visible through the eyes of faith, causing spiritual effects.”

Endorsements: 

Due to a twofold difficulty, contemporary theologians have neglected the study of Sacramentals: the crisis of faith and the question of hermeneutics. I am very grateful to Father Ralph Weimann for confronting and overcoming this double difficulty in the present book.

– Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke