Devoutly making the Sign of the Cross with holy water brings countless benefits for body and soul.
Newsdesk (19/06/2021 15:40, Gaudium Press) A priest friend once told me that many Catholics, even the most educated, do not know what holy water is for. What a pity! As a result, they do not benefit from this precious instrument instituted by the Church to help them in practically all circumstances and difficulties of life!
What is it used for?
There are various ways of using holy water. The most common is to bless or sprinkle oneself with it, as well as on other persons, places, or objects. Any layman or laywoman can do this. Of course, when done by a priest it is much more powerful.
Its most important effect is to drive the devil away. The devil “prowls around like a roaring lion”, seeking to do us all sorts of evil, as St. Peter warns us (I Pet 5,8).
The evil spirits, whose mysterious and sinister activities sometimes affect even the physical activities of man, desire above all to induce us to commit grave sin, which is a pathway to hell; to this end, they use every resource. Sometimes, for example, they may provoke in us a multitude of physical or psychological discomforts.
At other times they cause small incidents to occur in our daily lives, and they create disturbances that would seem to have merely natural causes.
For example, when it is time to carry out a duty, a person may feel an inexplicable uneasiness, an unexpected discouragement, a strange headache…
On certain occasions, without any apparent reason, a husband may suddenly become irritated with his wife, or vice-versa; an argument may then arise and the peace of the home is broken.
Or a father or mother becomes impatient and scolds a son harshly, instead of admonishing him gently. The son rebels and leaves home and a new problem has been created!
All this can be avoided by chasing the devil away with a Sign of the Cross, made with holy water. When you sense a strange irritation, make this simple act and pay attention to the salutary effect it produces! Serenity will soon return to you.
A sacramental
Moreover, holy water is a sacramental which obtains for us the forgiveness of venial sins, can save us from accidents (traffic accidents, assaults, falls), and can even help to cure illnesses.
The well-known book, ‘Treasure of Examples’, tells how a seriously ill child was immediately cured when he received the blessing of Saint John Chrysostom with holy water.
Holy water, like every sacramental, leads us to invoke, throughout our daily activities, the help of the Divine Holy Spirit for the good of the soul and the body.
There is another very interesting and little-known benefit of holy water: it can be used effectively for the benefit of people who are far from us, by sprinkling it and intending it for the help and protection of those we wish to assist.
Moreover, we can use holy water to help the souls in Purgatory; every time we use it to make the Sign of the Cross for them, they are relieved of their sufferings.
Where does this wonderful power come from?
It comes from the fact that it is a sacramental instituted by the Holy Catholic Church. The priest, as a minister of God, blesses the water in the name of the Church and as Her representative, whose prayers our Divine Saviour always graciously answers.
It is important to remember that for water to truly and properly become holy water, it must be blessed by a priest according to the ceremonial prescribed by the Church in the ‘Ritual of Blessings’ and in the Roman Missal itself, both published by the CNBB.
The prayers for the blessing of water are beautiful and highly significant. Here is one of them, for example:
‘Lord God almighty, source and origin of all life, bless this water which we are going to use confidently to implore forgiveness for our sins and to obtain the protection of Your grace against every sickness and snare of the enemy.
Grant, O God, that by Your mercy the waters of salvation may always flow out for us so that we may approach You with a pure heart and avoid all danger of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
So, do not forget your holy water!
It is very convenient to always carry holy water on your person to use at any time, in any place. You can, for example, bless yourself with it when leaving and entering a church; at home or at work; when beginning a prayer, a service, or a journey.
To ward off the evil influence of demons from the home, it is highly recommended to sprinkle a few drops of holy water in the house from time to time. This can be done by anyone in the family.
Of course, asking a priest to bless the house is much better!
Always remember that holy water is at all times beneficial and effective. Use it often!
Text taken from the magazine Heralds of the Gospel, n. 30, June, 2006.
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Piously making the Sign of the Cross with holy water brings countless benefits for body and soul. Editor (18/06/2021 09:30, Gaudium Press) A priest friend of mine once told me that many Catholics, even the most educated, don’t know what holy water is for. What a pity! As a result, they do not benefit from this precious instrument instituted by the Church to… View article
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