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M.M.Snyder
A Time for Grace
A Time for Grace
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Catholic superstition
Some of you may be thinking, "I stay away from all that paranormal stuff. I only read and listen to Catholic things, so I'm safe from being duped." Of course, even God's own house is not safe from superstition and false beliefs that believers must guard against. One doesn't need to look far to find online novenas that are "guaranteed" to grant any prayer intention, or Catholic prophets who claim to know the future based on a private revelation from God.
How can Catholics protect themselves from erroneous or dangerous beliefs that appear to be Catholic? By judging these beliefs in light of the public revelation God has provided his Church. According to the Catechism, superstition occurs when one attributes "the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand" (CCC 2111).
A novena that will grant any petition the person desires is a spiritual vending machine that is condemned by James 4:3: "You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." Belief that the act of saying a prayer, or leaving nine copies of it in the church vestibule, will guarantee a certain outcome defeats the entire purpose of prayer.
Similarly, the practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in hopes that God will sell your home faster (because St. Joseph is irritated to be in such a position and would like it ended immediately) dishonors God. These superstitions put us in the position of trying to manipulate God to do our will instead of honestly praying to God and being willing to submit to his will, even if that involves God not granting our petitions.
Some of you may be thinking, "I stay away from all that paranormal stuff. I only read and listen to Catholic things, so I'm safe from being duped." Of course, even God's own house is not safe from superstition and false beliefs that believers must guard against. One doesn't need to look far to find online novenas that are "guaranteed" to grant any prayer intention, or Catholic prophets who claim to know the future based on a private revelation from God.
How can Catholics protect themselves from erroneous or dangerous beliefs that appear to be Catholic? By judging these beliefs in light of the public revelation God has provided his Church. According to the Catechism, superstition occurs when one attributes "the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand" (CCC 2111).
A novena that will grant any petition the person desires is a spiritual vending machine that is condemned by James 4:3: "You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." Belief that the act of saying a prayer, or leaving nine copies of it in the church vestibule, will guarantee a certain outcome defeats the entire purpose of prayer.
Similarly, the practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in hopes that God will sell your home faster (because St. Joseph is irritated to be in such a position and would like it ended immediately) dishonors God. These superstitions put us in the position of trying to manipulate God to do our will instead of honestly praying to God and being willing to submit to his will, even if that involves God not granting our petitions.
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