THE SACRAMENTAL HOME - THE HEART OF THE CATHOLIC HOME

THE SACRAMENTAL HOME, ALSO KNOWN AS THE DOMESTIC CHURCH, IS THE HEART OF THE DEVOUT CATHOLIC HOME

The sacramental home is where we bring the heart of the Catholic Church in to the family home. We can create this at any age and whether or not there are children in the home.




Where there are children we see the father and mother being both equal before God in dignity and always treating each other equally in charity, and with the children brought up learning how to know, love, and serve God. 




God created man and woman differently. Within the devout sacramental home it is the father's role to lead his family to the foot of the Cross, whilst it is the mother's role to lead by nurturing the Catholic faith within family life. Both surrender their lives, and die to self, for the spiritual building up of the family, and the Church. After leading their children to Christ, the greatest gift that a husband and wife can give to their children is to love each other.




The true head of the Catholic home is Jesus. The constant awareness of Christ's kingship within the family is central to a week centered on prayer and the holy sacrifice of the Mass.




At the heart of this movement is a genuine love for Christ and His Church, and a desire on the part of Catholic parents to reclaim authentic Catholic identity. Below are links to well known books, resources, and a series of articles about the domestic church…

Cardinal Burke
The Family is a Little Church

THE RETURN OF THE

CATHOLIC HOME ALTAR

ALTARISIMO DOMESTICUS

The Catholic home is the Domestic Church. Two main reasons for this true saying are that parents are primarily responsible for children’s catechesis, and of course, families spend much more time in the home than they do at the parish. The Catholic home altar is also one of the simplest means of evangelising friends and family. The are also 'holy distractions' that act as an oasis during, or at the end of, an hectic day. So, like an increasing number of Catholics, why not bring some of those Catholic sacramentals from Church, that draw souls to God, and incorporate them into your home.

 

BRINGING THE LITURGY INTO THE DOMESTIC CHURCH

CANDLEMASS &

THE BLESSING OF CANDLES

To rediscover our Catholic identity and culture we often have to look to strong Catholic countries that have never lost the Catholic Faith. In Poland the candles brought from home to be blessed are decorated with symbols and ribbons. 

This tradition gives Candlemas its Polish name "Matka Boska Gromniczna," 

or "Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle."

There, the custom is to let a blessed candle burn all night before an icon of Our Lady who, when the world still had forests, was relied upon to keep the wolves away during these cold nights. Now, our "wolves" tend to be of a different sort, but the pious burning of a blessed candle tonight, with powerful prayers offered to Our Lady, still help keep the world at bay.

 

The mystery of today's ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century. According to Ivo of Chartres, the wax, which is formed from flowers by the bee was always considered as the emblem of virginity, and signifies the pure nature of the body of the Divine Infant, who is diminished not, either by His conception or His birth, and was born through the spotless purity of His Blessed Mother. The same holy bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus who came to enlighten our darkness. St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, asks us to consider three things in the blessed Candle: the wax, the wick, and the flame. The wax, he says, is the Flesh of our Lord; the wick, is His Soul within; the flame, which burns on top, is His divinity.

From: Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB The Liturgical Year

With a return to Catholic tradition in this country, especially in the home, many more will be lighting blessed candles on Candlemas and many other nights as well. This is also a wonderful way to evangelise friends and family in the home. Beyond this you can always ask your priest to bless your candles at anytime.

HOLY WATER IN THE
DOMESTIC CHURCH

In today's secular society the culture will simply not acknowledge the realities of sin let alone the influence of the devil in the world....

However,
Holy water is just one of
the sacramentals that is at our disposal. 
  A sacramental is a sacred sign that signifies effects obtained through the Church's intercession.

 There are three types of holy water, but the type we take home is a sacramental that also remits venial sin. Due to the blessing attached to it the Church strongly urges every Catholic home to also have a small supply for times of danger and to protect against evil.

WHY DO WE BLESS OURSELVES WITH HOLY WATER AS WE ENTER CHURCH?

.

This use of holy water from a stoup and making a sign of the cross when entering a church also reflects...

1. a renewal & reminder of baptism, 

2. a cleansing of venial sin

3. protection against demonic and negative spiritual activity.  

However, what is not commonly known is that every time we cross ourselves with Holy Water, the original blessing over the water is sent up to heaven. It is also sometimes accompanied by the following prayer:

"By this Holy water and by your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins O Lord".

The font is also at the back of a Church to remind us of our baptism when we enter.  It is best practice to use the baptismal font as a holy water stoup for this reason.

 Always ask your priest to bless your Holy Water with the special exorcism prayer!