Holy water is a powerful sacramental (see Note below) in the Catholic faith, symbolizing purification, protection, and spiritual renewal. It is water blessed by a priest to impart God’s blessing on those who use it.
Water represents life, for without it, no living thing can survive. In the creation of water, God destined it to also be the means of life for our souls, for it is through water that we come to the life of Sanctifying Grace in our souls in the Sacrament of Baptism.
The ritual use of this precious substance is ancient and rooted in the Old Testament. When the Israelites entered the Temple, they had to undergo purification by immersion in a mikvah (Jewish purification ceremony). These ritual purifications by water prefigured Christian Baptism. St. John the Baptist, in another foreshadowing of the Sacrament, used water in his Baptism of repentance. Most importantly of all, Christ Himself established the pouring of water as the form for the Sacrament of Baptism. The water for Baptism is solemnly blessed on Easter Saturday during the Easter Vigil. However, the Church has for centuries, blessed water for other uses, and this water is called “Holy Water.” From the prayer of blessing of water:
“Lord, God Almighty, creator of all life, of body and soul, we ask you to bless this water: as we use it in faith forgive our sins and save us from all illness and the power of evil. Lord, in your mercy give us living water, always springing up as a fountain of salvation; free us, body and soul, from every danger, and admit us to your presence in purity of heart.”
As Catholics, we dip our fingertips in the blessed water and make the sign of the cross upon entering and leaving the church. Ideally, we are to recall our baptism and our baptismal promises, while making a brief act of Contrition.
Unfortunately, there ae many who bless themselves with this water without even thinking about how holy it really is.
“Holy Water is an efficacious sacramental for avoiding all misfortunes and obtaining divine graces, forgiveness of venial sins, and temporal favors.” —St. Alphonsus Liguori:
Holy water reminds us of our Baptism, when by the invocation of the Holy Trinity and the pouring of holy water, we were set free from Original Sin and all sin, infused with sanctifying grace, incorporated into the Church, and given the title son or daughter of God.
In making the sign of the cross with the holy water, we are mindful that we are called to renew those baptismal promises of rejecting Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises, and to profess our credal faith. Once again, we repent of sin, so that we can offer our prayers and worship to God with pure and contrite hearts. Just as water and blood flowed from the Sacred Heart of our Lord as He hung upon the cross — signifying the great sacraments of Baptism and Holy Eucharist, the taking of holy water and making the sign of the cross remind us of our Baptism in preparation for the reception of the Holy Eucharist.
Although we most often see holy water in churches, it is acceptable to use holy water in other places and situations. For instance, many Catholics observe the beautiful custom of keeping personal holy water fonts inside our homes.
Should we realize now, as we shall realize after death, the many benefits which may be derived from holy water, we would use it far more frequently, and with greater faith and reverence, as a means of invoking God’s grace and protection.
*NOTE – The catechism teaches us that sacramentals are “holy things or actions of which the church makes use to obtain for us from God, through her intercession, spiritual and temporal favors.” A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the church to excite good thoughts and to help devotion. It is through the prayers of the church offered for those who make use of these sacramentals, as well as through the devotion they inspire, that they convey and obtain God’s grace and blessings.
Sacramentals are not unlike the sacraments in that they are channels of grace and can obtain for us these benefits: Actual graces, Forgiveness of venial sins, Remission of temporal punishment, Health of body and material blessings, Protection from evil spirits.
One difference between sacraments and sacramentals is that the latter do not produce sanctifying grace, a power that belongs to sacraments alone. Another difference is that sacraments were instituted directly by Christ while sacramentals were instituted by Christ through His church.
“The Church … has given us Holy Water as a means of washing ourselves from stains of sins. This sacramental prepares us to receive the sacraments, strengthens us, and brings to us graces.” — St. Therese of Lisieux
Sacramentals should never take the place of sacraments. The sacraments are necessary for salvation; sacramentals are not necessary. Nevertheless, the prayers, pious objects, sacred signs, and ceremonies of Mother Church are means to salvation.
A sacramental is a sign of the power of the sacraments. According to Vatican II, “sacramentals are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments: they signify effects, particularly of a spiritual kind, which are obtained through the Church’s intercession. They are objects, prayers, and actions that dispose people to receive grace. They provide access to the stream of divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, the font from which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power.
Sacraments bear grace because they are the actions of Christ himself. Sacramentals participate in the prayer of the Church and prepare us to cooperate with grace.
In the incarnation, the Divine touched the material world and made it an instrument of grace. Thus, in Catholicism, matter matters. The most powerful evidence of this is the Eucharist. Outside of the sacraments, however, sacramentals act as devotional tools which prepare the individual to receive grace, participate in the blessings of the Church, and create tangible, everyday links to the divine. Humans are very tactile. We respond to touch, signs and images, sounds, smells, and tastes. Sacramentals allow the material world to become alive and part of our faith.
At the root of all sacramental use is the idea of blessing. A blessing is the invocation of God’s protection and sanctification.
The blessing of objects—for example, water, a building, or a piece of jewelry—is meant to set that object apart for holy use. Water becomes holy water, a building a Church, and jewelry a holy medal. Once a blessing is imparted by a priest or deacon, the object should be treated with respect and not disposed of casually or disrespectfully. The object, in being blessed, has become the bearer of a blessing.
The use of medals, statues, holy water, and other sacramentals can slide into superstition quite easily, and we must guard against it. We are merely regarding the objects—say holy water or a crucifix—as set aside for sacred use and imbued with a blessing that derives any “power” from God’s will alone. The object itself is not the source of the power. To believe an object is powerful on its own would be a form of idolatry.
While the laity can bless, our blessings are more of a prayer or a plea to God. For example, the blessing at meals is a chance to offer God a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. It makes holy the mere need for nutrition and is a reminder of the most blessed meal, the Eucharist. In a similar manner, a parent’s blessing of their children serves as a petition to God to keep their kids safe from all evil.
It is easy to forget that rubrics and prayers are all sacramentals, such as the bowing of the head at the holy name of Jesus or the sign of the cross. Many of these actions are used so often that they are performed flippantly and without thought. How easy it is to forget that a sincere recitation of the Confiteor before communion and the absolution of the priest afterwards can remit venial sin and be used as a way of purifying one’s soul before receiving Holy Communion. How often in a day do we make the sign of the cross, forgetting that it is a testimony of faith in the Trinity to Whom we belong and in the act of Redemption. All these things should be done deliberately and devoutly, since they were deliberately instituted by the church to aid us in attaining a deep love of God.
“I often repeat when signing myself with Holy Water: By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord.” St. John Vianney
