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HOLY WATER
A
Spiritual Treasure
The
Devil Hates it
Holy Water is a powerful spiritual armor in times of
temptations. St. Teresa of Avila,
whose temptations were as terrible as anyone’s, has left us these wise words
of counsel:
“I have found by experience that there is nothing from
which the devils fly more quickly than from Holy Water. They also fly from the Cross, but they return almost
immediately. Certainly, the power
of Holy Water must be great; for my part, my soul feels particular comfort in
taking it, and very generally a refreshment and interior delight which I cannot
express.”
Long before St. Teresa of Avila, Holy Water was a sacramental in the Catholic Church. Water, which as a symbol of purification held a high place in biblical times, has retained its rich symbolism.
According to the Apostolic Constitutions, a document dating
back well over 15 centuries, the use of Holy Water is attributed to a
recommendation issued by St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist.
The lives of the saints are packed with instances of heavenly
protection and blessing secured through the reverent use of Holy Water.
Knew
it for a Good Thing
The saints knew, as we know by faith, that Holy Water is
sanctified by the blessing of the Church, that it benefits the faithful by
obtaining actual grace and the remission of temporal punishment; that
it is a most effective aid in all conflicts with the powers of Hell.
A calm and reverent tracing of the Sign of the Cross with
Holy Water upon oneself will often prove most helpful in subduing
a temptation.
In
the Home
Take an empty bottle to the parish church, fill it with Holy
Water and bring it back home for the spiritual and temporal protection of the
family. It should not be tucked
away in a remote corner but be made available to all.
Holy Water is a sacramental that helps us to be sorry for our
sin. Because of the blessing
attached to it, the Holy Church strongly urges its use upon Her children;
especially when dangers threaten such as fire, storms, sickness and other
calamities. Every home should
always have a supply of Holy Water in it.
Holy Water has its great power and efficacy from the prayers
of the Church which its Divine Founder always accepts with readiness.
These
are some of the petitions
the priest makes to God
when
he blesses water
May this, your creature, become an agent of divine grace in
the service of your mysteries, to drive away evil spirits and dispel sickness,
so that everything in the homes and other places where your faithful gather that
are sprinkled with this water may be freed of all uncleanness and delivered from
every harm (Let no breath of
infection, no disease bearing air remain in these places).
May the wiles of the lurking enemy prove of no avail.
Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be
put to flight by the sprinkling of this water so that the health obtained by
calling on your Holy Name may be made secure against all attack.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Disposes
us to be sorry for our sin
Because Holy Water is one of the Church’s sacramentals, it
disposes us to be sorry for our sin. Keep
your soul beautifully pure in God’ sight by making the Sign of the Cross
reverently while saying:
“By
this Holy Water and by Thy Precious Blood wash away
all my sins, O Lord.”
Dispels
the Devil
The devil hates Holy Water because of its power over him.
He cannot long abide in a place or near a person that is often sprinkled
with this blessed water.
In case after case of possession, both exorcist and onlookers
are in complete agreement on this particular point:
it is impossible to sprinkle Holy Water on any man or woman in a state of
possession without deadly effect on the possessing spirit. “You are burning
me, you are burning me!” he
cries. There is thus an active
power in the Holy Water which cancels out hidden demonic activities.
Do
your dear ones live at a distance?
Holy Water, sprinkled with faith and piety, can move the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, to bless your loved ones and protect them from all harm
of soul and body. When worry and
fear take possession of your heart, hasten to your Holy Water font, and give
your dear ones the benefit of the Church’s prayers.
The
Holy Souls long for it
Only in Purgatory can one understand ardently the poor souls
longing for Holy Water. If we
desire to make a host of intercessors for ourselves,
let us try to realize now some of their yearnings, and never forget them
at the Holy Water font.
When sprinkling Holy Water for your loved ones, your friends,
etc., do not forget the priests, especially those of your own parish, who have
served the sacraments and holy masses. In gratitude, you should give them
sprinkling of Holy Water several times daily and have Masses offered up for the
repose of their souls.
Sprinkle a few drops of Holy Water and pray fervently: “O
God, in Your Mercy multiply these drops into as many drops of Holy Water as
there are souls in Purgatory, and allow them not to fear the pains of Purgatory,
as long as the moisture of Holy Water is present.”
What
some parents do
Some parents make it a regular routine to sprinkle their
sleeping children with Holy Water. Others
install Holy Water fonts in all the bedrooms and encourage all the members of
the family to bless themselves, morning and night and during the day.
Whenever the faithful make the Sign of the Cross devoutly with Holy Water and pray: “ In the Name of the Father, etc.” they gain a partial indulgence.
.
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