OFERENDAS PASCAIS (II): UM MIMINHO - O CILÍCIO

"A cilice was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt). In more recent times the word has come to refer not to a hairshirt, but to a spiked metal belt or chain worn strapped tight around the upper thigh. Many religious orders within the Roman Catholic Church have used the cilice as a form of "corporal mortification," but in recent years it has become known as a practice of numeraries (celibate lay people) of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church".

"Practiced for centuries, use of the cilice has been commonplace in the lives of the saints, for example: St Francis of Assisi, St Thomas More, St Therese of Lisieux, Pope Paul VI, St Padre Pio and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. * The motivation behind these voluntary mortifications is to imitate Christ and to join him in his redemptive sacrifice (cf. Matthew 16:24), and they can also be a way to suffer in solidarity with the many poor and deprived people in the world".

"Among other items, Cilice.co.uk offers a range of cilice belts, from traditional full length and half length chains produced by Italian nuns, to specialist belts crafted by our own blacksmith from various metals of different gauge and weight. We also supply traditional goatskin hairshirts and goatskin cilice belts. They are shipped in discreet packaging (All prices shown include shipping worldwide) and confidentiality is assured". (daqui: "how luminous is darkness"; outros piedosos serviços com reportagem aqui)

* ... & "kinky Wojtyla".

(2010)