Each time we enter a church, we bless ourselves with holy water. Holy water is a sacramental. It is one of the many we use in the practice of our Catholic faith. Sacramentals are visible signs used to give invisible grace. Sacramentals, like the (seven) sacraments, effect what they signify. They signify God’s grace or blessing and impart that grace or blessing. Unlike the (seven) sacraments, which were instituted by Jesus Himself, the sacramentals are instituted by the Church. The power, or efficacy, of a sacramental is dependent upon the prayers of the Church and upon the faith of the recipient of the sacramental.
A sacramental can be a blessed object, such as a crucifix, statue, bible, scapular, candles, rosary beads, a blessed medal, holy water, or blessed salt, etc. Bells and Incense are also sacramentals. These sacred objects must be blessed by a priest before they are considered a sacramental. A sacramental can also be an action, such as making the sign of the cross, kissing a crucifix, or simply genuflecting on one knee when passing in front of the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament. Also, a sacramental can be in the form of words, such as “Jesus I trust in You” or “Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over me”, or any such pious aspirations.
The use of Sacramentals can also help us obtain remission of temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven in confession. When we sin, we incur temporal punishment. The use of sacramentals can help lessen that punishment so as to reduce or hopefully even eliminate punishment that we might otherwise have to suffer in purgatory. Also, many people may not know, but blessing yourself with holy water with devoutness can actually remove venial sins. Of course, for mortal sins the ordinary means of obtaining forgiveness is the sacrament of confession, which includes performing our assigned penance. Through the sacraments and sacramentals the Church offers us an infinite treasury of graces. The fountains of these graces are principally the sacraments, but also available to us is a wealth of Sacramentals.