What is the significance and proper usage of holy water?

An early childhood memory comes to mind when asked this question.

It was a summer evening. I was about five years of age. Dad must have been out in the field as the thunderstorm came blowing through the Evinger farm. Now, whenever a thunderstorm came through our place it was common for Dad to grab a holy water bottle, go outside, and bless the storm so that it wouldn’t ruin any of our crops and gardens. But, Dad was out in the field when this storm came. It was just Mom and nine of us kids at the time.

At first, there was the wind, then there was the rain, and then came the hail. When the hail came, Mom quickly stopped what she was doing, got the holy water bottle, and asked if someone could go outside and get a hail so that she could put it in the holy water bottle (something she had learned from Gramma Reisenauer, her mother). She quickly followed the sibling to the door, but stepped a little too much outside. The howling wind blew the bottle’s cover out of her hand into the lilac bushes as she put a hail into the open bottle.

I may remember this story because the next day and days following we tried looking for that cover. It wasn’t until about two years later when we were playing in the same bushes that we found it.

However, I most remember this story for another reason. When Mom put that hail in the bottle immediately the hailing stopped. As a growing young lad, I came to know that this happened on other occasions as well when Dad or Mom sprinkled holy water at the storm or put a hail in the bottle. Their faith and use of this sacramental worked so well that on a few occasions I asked God not to hear their prayers so that I could see what a really bad storm looked like. Nevertheless, God said “yes” to their prayers and “no” to mine.

Theologically speaking, holy water reminds us of baptism. When you and I were baptized, water was poured over our head (or we were submerged in water) cleansing us of our sins. Therefore, any time we use holy water we are reminded of our birth into the Church. But, we are not only reminded of our birth, our love for the Trinity grows as we remain in sanctifying grace and live according to Christ’s desire. As all sacramentals do, holy water points us to the sacraments. And, the sacraments unite us to God. Consequently, the Church encourages us to make use of sacramentals such as holy water with love and devotion.

I would like to mention now a few other ways the Church encourages us to use holy water.

Primary place goes to the use of holy water when we enter into a Catholic church. We dip our hands into the water and make the Sign of the Cross saying the words of our baptism: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This little action ought immediately to call to mind that we once entered not a building made with hands, but we entered into the Church, the assembly of believers who attend the eternal banquet of the Lamb.

Second place goes to sprinkling our homes and especially our bedrooms with holy water. Furthermore, smudging holy water on one’s children is an age-old practice as we see in many Latin and other cultures of the world.

Holy water is better than mosquito repellent; this stuff repels the devil. It repels the devil because the more we draw close to God in the sacraments and with the use of this sacramental, the less power the evil one has over us.

Holy water can also be used to sprinkle one’s own property, crops and gardens, cars and sheds, or other personal belongings.

Lastly, keep in mind that since holy water is a sacramental and thus holy, we must never pour this sacred water down the drain or sewer. It ought to be poured out on the ground if it has become too old for practical use. Keep in mind, too, that its spiritual powers never wear off.

May this sacramental always help us to live as followers of Christ whom we promised to obey when we were baptized.

Fr. Evinger is pastor of St. Joseph in Killdeer, St. Paul in Halliday and St. Joseph in Twin Buttes. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.