Hey everyone, someone recently asked, “What’s the deal with holy water and why are those holy water holders (fonts) at the entrance to the church?”
Catholics have signs of our faith, some of which are unique to Catholicism, called sacramentals: holy water, crucifix, prayer beads (rosaries), and palm branches for Palm Sunday. All of these are used to remind us of something greater, but they, “[do] not so fully express the nature of the Church and which, according to Catholic doctrine, [do] not carry the guarantee of grace associated with the seven sacraments.” (from Richard McBrian’s Catholicism). What does that mean as far as holy water is concerned?
Holy water is intended to remind us of our baptism, but holy water is not enough to constitute a baptism. For example, if you invite a non-Christian friend to Mass and there happens to a Rite of Aspersion (Sprinkling), that friend isn’t suddenly baptized against their will. For a Catholic, holy water is a reminder of incorporation into the body of Christ, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God (Ephesians 4:25).
The purpose of the holy water font or baptismal font at the entrances of the church is for us to call to mind our baptism before Mass, especially that we are, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). Holy water has more uses than that. For example, after Mass, one will have well in mind our unity with God, but the holy water can be used as physical sign praising God for our being blessed with, “every spiritual blessing in the heavens,” (Ephesians 1:3) which is something we always need to keep in mind.
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Holy Water is also important in dealing with evil spirits. I have dealt with three separate incidents that necessitated the use of Holy Water. These incidents were very scary for all involved. Ever since these incidents, I always make sure there is a full bottle of Holy in each of my vehicles, and in my house.
Every Sunday, Catholics (and some Protestants) all over the world recite the Nicene Creed, which states, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen."
We believe that things we cannot see do exist; there is a spiritual existence. However, we have to be careful about over emphasis on one side of the spectrum over the other. Many people today do not believe in spirits, God, or in anything that cannot be proven with empirical evidence. Ancient Jews believed that any kind of skin impurity was leprosy, and the only way one could get something like that, or any disease, was through divine punishment due to sin; there was no other explanation. These two extreme views leave out a lot of reality. We have no way to know to what extent spiritual realities are affecting us, but we must, as people who believe in God, believe that things we cannot see affect our reality.
Another thing we have to be careful of is being too dismissive or abusive of the power of God. In Eucharistic Minister Training, the Minister is trained NOT to use the Eucharist as an instrument to bless a person when they do not receive. We do not use Jesus, or his Body, to do anything we will, and it is not like waving a magic wand. The same goes with sacramentals. If you have a house with a relic from St. Agatha to prevent your house from burning down, but you also keep your propane tanks next to your wood stove, you should expect a fire, despite the saint’s “protection”. However, the Anointing of the Sick (which is a sacrament, holy oil being the sacramental) is a beautiful way to put yourself, mind and sick body, into the hands of God, trusting His will be done, neither demanding a miracle cure as soon as the oil touches your forehead, nor excusing God from the whole procedure.
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