A Hamsa Hand charm with an evil eye.During her recent visit to the U.S., Meghan Markle was seen sporting an amulet known as a Hamsa Hand, a good luck charm that allegedly conveys protection and good luck on the wearer.
GM writes: "My mother and I got into a discussion about idolatry a few weeks ago. She seems to think that having pagan artwork in the home isn't idolatry, and I can't help but feel like it is, although the extent of it is a rendering of a buddha by my sister, and a couple buddha statues in opposite alcoves in our entryway. What is Church teaching regarding this?"
AK wrote about being given a crystal by a friend who said she should use it to find "clarity, atonement, and peace." Certain that the object was given to her out of love and kindness, she now asks what she should do with it. "Do I just look at it as a pretty geode? Do I return it? I'm not interested in giving my friends the impression that I promote or believe in the power of crystals.”
LR writes: "I heard that burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in yard to sell a house is superstitious. What about putting St. Benedict medals in corners of a home for protection and blessing. Is this superstitious?"
Anonymous writes: “I heard that wearing a cimaruta symbol wards off evil. Is it okay to wear one? If it wards off evil, isn’t that a good thing?”
SO writes: “I saw this doll advertised on a local channel. The webpage for it is scary. The ‘Warning’" are unsettling. Are they just scary fun? Or should we avoid bringing this into the house?”
Alleged revelations from Our Lady to a Costa Rican woman that call for the use of essential oils to prevent infection by the coronavirus have gone viral on the Internet. What should Catholics make of revelations such as these?
JB asks: “Is wishing on a shooting star new age or occulty? I personally don't but should we avoid brands that show their characters wishing on stars?”
LM writes: “Are Church Grims a real thing? Are they of demonic origin? There are some that are considered benevolent (like the one at Boston College). Is it possible that some of these are of God?”
St. Expeditus (WikiCommon: Piotr Rymuza)LB writes: “Is praying a novena to this saint okay? I’ve read different things about leaving an offering of pound cake and that some people that practice voodoo pray to this saint. So that concerns me and I don’t want to invite the wrong things into my life. I know he has a huge following in Brazil, but given that I’ve read different things about this saint, I wanted to be sure. Is he not considered a true saint because there is no historical record of an actual date of death? Please advise.”
