More on Sacramentals

From Fr. John Laux's The Mass and the Sacraments copyright 1934, TAN Books & Publishers -

"Apart from the sacraments, there are in the Church other sacred rites and liturgical acts by which grace is conferred. They are called Sacramentals, because they resemble the sacraments externally...
The Church blesses persons and objects to call down upon them the special blessing of God...

Blessings which do not only call down the blessing of God upon the objects blessed, but also make them sacred...thus rosaries, medals, scapulars, and crucifixes are blessed and retain the blessing until they are sold or destroyed...

It may be asked, how water, or medals, or candles, or scapulars, can possibly help us on the way to Heaven.

In themselves these objects have no such power, and it would be superstition to attribute such power to them. But they tend to excite good dispositions in those who use them aright; they excite increased fear and love of God, and hatred of sin, and because of these movements of the heart towards God, they remit venial sin. 'They have a special efficacy, because the Church has blessed them with prayer, and so, when a person takes Holy Water, accompanying the outward act with the desire that God may cleanse his heart, the prayer of the whole Christian people is joined to his own. There is surely no superstition in believing that if the Church prayers that the sight or use of blessed objects may excite good desires in her children, God will listen to these prayers and touch in a special way the hearts of those who use them aright.'" (pgs. 139-141)