The Tenth Crusade
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Holy Water
THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLY WATER A MEANS OF SPIRITUAL WEALTH
Holy Water is a means of great spiritual wealth -- a sacramental that remits venial sin. Because of the blessing attached to it, Holy Mother Church strongly urges its use upon Her children, especially when dangers threaten, such as fire, storms, sickness and other calamities. Every Catholic home should always have in it a supply of Holy Water. We do not sufficiently take advantage of the benefits derived from Holy Water.
LET US CULTIVATE ITS USE
Untold spiritual wealth is concentrated in a tiny drop of blessed water--and we give it so little thought! Did 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. Holy Water has its great power and efficacy from the prayers of the Church, which its Divine Founder always accepts with complacency.
The following are some of the petitions that the priest makes to God when he blesses water:
"O God… grant that this creature of Thine (water) may be endowed with divine grace to drive away devils and to cast out diseases, that whatever in the houses or possessions of the faithful may be sprinkled by this water may be freed from everything unclean and delivered from what is hurtful… Let everything that threatens the safety or peace of the dwellers therein be banished by the sprinkling of this water, so that the health which they seek by calling upon Thy Holy Name may be guarded from all assault."
PRAYERS EFFECTIVE
These prayers ascend to Heaven each time you take Holy Water and sprinkle a drop either for yourself or for another, whether he be present or absent, and God's blessings descend for soul and body.
DISPEL 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. Do your dear ones live at a distance? Holy Water, sprinkled with faith and piety, can move the Sacred Heart 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 will one understand how ardently the Poor Souls long 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. The Holy Souls nearest to Heaven may need the sprinkling of only one drop to relieve their intense sufferings.
REMITS VENIAL SINS
Because Holy Water is one of the Church's sacramentals, it remits venial sin. Keep your soul beautifully pure in God's sight by making the Sign of the Cross reverently while saying: "By this Holy Water and by Thy Precious Blood, O Lord, wash away all my sins."
Imprimatur: † Albert G. Meyer, Archbishop of Milwaukee Jan. 13, 1958
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5 comments:
A few months ago, someone asked Father Z about how water is blessed in the new rite. His answer is quite detailed but note his summary,
"So, my answer is, I know without question that when I bless water with the older rite, it is blessed water, holy water. I have never used – and never will use – the newer book. But were I to imagine myself to do such a thing, I am not sure what there would be in the bucket when I was done."
great topic and Fr Z's comment just reminds me of my gut feeling that you can't trust any Catholic text after 1960. that's a real problem. the pope knows it too but is so wedded to vatican ii that the verbosity and ambiguity continues.
I was surprised to read Fr. Z's post on Holy Water but I took it to mean the watering down of prayer in the Vatican II council leaves us less armed.
That is the truth.
I wholly trust validity. Christ's Church either has the power or it does not. The foolishness of sspx sedevacanists and sspx has cast its sinful shadow but they can never take away the validity of Christ Himself.
Those of us who gravitate towards efficacious prayer and deep intimacy with Christ have no desire to wallow in mediocre.
Yes, the N.O. Mass is valid (SSPX has always said that) but many prayers have been watered down. I don't have time to look right now but exorcists were alarmed because the exorcism prayers were weakened.
I don't have my fingers on the pulse of SSPX but to the best of my knowledge, they are separated because they do not believe the Pope has the authority to say what is valid and what is not valid, what we are to accept and follow in terms of the teachings of the Church to obtain our salvation. They want to say that the changes made at Vatican II were invalid. I'm pretty sure that their refusal to acknowledge the authority of the Pope to determine validity is the entire reason why the talks with them collapsed. Am I mistaken?
The rite of exorcism was indeed weakened along with the Sacraments of Penance, Viaticum, baptism, confirmation, ordination. Let us face it, it would be easier to list the things that weren't.
I will often take things to priests to be blessed. Medals, scapulars,etc., and there are priests who take it seriously, know the power they have and can give and will pray over them and turn them into a powerful weapon. Other priests are believers and will pray over them but the prayers they use will leave you with a butter knife.
It is terribly painful but truth be told, the properties of a valid absolution (which we have in spite of weakening the prayers) and valid Eucharist contain everything we need to cripple every adversary of salvation.
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