Catholic Customs and their Biblical Roots

Our Catholic faith is a liturgical faith. It makes use of all five of our senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This is certainly by design as each sense aids us in availing ourselves of the salvific grace flowing from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is precisely why every effort should be used to employ all of our senses whenever possible during the celebration of the sacred liturgy. In more concise terms, the “smells and bells” most certainly do matter. Catholic popular devotions are well-grounded in Scripture and were practiced by the leading lights of the Catholic intellectual tradition. In this presentation, Fr. John Clote will explain the history and biblical roots of catholic customs including The Sign of the Cross, Holy Water, Incense, Candles, Scapulars and Medals, the Rosary, and Relics.