THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 8 July 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

In today’s gospel we witness Christ blessing and multiplying bread and fish to feed the hungry. Christ has given this power of blessing to the Church. The Catholic Church has from the very beginning exercised this power for the good of Her children. Let us consider one blessing in particular that we can trace from Apostolic times. Every Catholic is familiar with the use of Holy Water, but often the symbolism, meaning and power of this sacramental are ignored or forgotten.

When the priest blesses Holy Water he wears a violet stole. The stole is required to impress upon us that it is the priest who has the power of blessing. The Church vests the priest in violet because it is the color of restoration. We see violet primarily during the penitential seasons to impress upon us the direction we are striving for in our penances – we are leaving sin, the world, the devils, our passions, etc. behind and are moving towards sanctity and newness of life. In the blessing of Holy Water the priest is taking this water from all profane uses and imparting upon it a new use.

It is necessary that the priest bless salt before blessing the Holy Water (unless there is already some blessed salt available). In the blessing of salt he pronounces an exorcism casting out all evil spirits and imparting to the salt the power of expelling demons. Exorcists have traditionally used blessed salt in casting out devils. Many of the modern “ghost hunters” and people of that ilk have witnessed the power that this salt has and have attempted to imitate its use with unblessed salt in their endeavor to trick people into believing that they are able to cast out demons. It is not the salt that has the power over the devils and keeps them at bay, but rather the blessing of the Church that is only imparted to the salt by a true or valid priest.

After the exorcism of the salt, the priest then performs a similar exorcism over the water. Again, he takes the common element away from the profane use and any influence of evil spirits and gives it a new direction and dedication. The water now takes on a new life. When both elements (salt and water) have been exorcised and blessed, then the salt is mixed with the water. The priest makes the sign of the cross with the salt as he sprinkles it in the water. When the blessing is complete we now have holy water.

This water symbolizes many things to Catholics, principally the power of washing away sins as in the sacrament of Baptism, but it also calls to mind the parting of the Red Sea, the power of the water in the river Jordan to cleanse the lepers, the water that was changed to wine at the wedding feast, etc. Hugo of St. Victor says: “The water signifies penance for sins committed; the salt, prudence for the future; and both united change the bitterness of conscience into sweetness.” If we like David, St. Peter, St. Mary Magdalen, and other great penitents spend the rest of our lives in penance then the bitterness of our consciences will be make sweet.

The priest before a high Mass begins with the Asperges he blesses the people to obtain the grace for them to excite a supernatural contrition for their sins and to pray with true devotion. It is for this same reason that we place Holy Water founts in Churches, schools, homes, etc. so that might frequently bless ourselves and obtain the remission of one or more of our venial sins. St. Thomas of Aquinas says that Holy Water effects the remission of sins: “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.” We also drive away evil spirits that are tempting us with this same Holy Water. The lives of the saints are filled with many testimonies of the power of Holy Water in the battle against evil spirits.

Holy Water by the blessing of the Church is given these and so many other wonderful powers that it would take a book to enumerate them all. But, in short, Holy Water: washes away sins, excites us to contrition and a life of grace, it is a powerful weapon against evil spirits, it is a remedy against temptations, it is useful for the cure of diseases and for delivery from many evils, and it even affords consolation and help to the departed souls in Purgatory when their corpses and graves are blessed.

Lastly, may we always have Holy Water at hand considering it as more precious than any medicine or food or even any precious coin or metal. Let us maintain Holy Water founts in our homes so that we might bless ourselves frequently (not out of habit and by rote but with true faith and devotion). We should bless ourselves, our children and loved ones, our home, our food, etc so that all these things may be made better to serve us in fulfilling our obligations of increasing day by day our service, knowledge, and love of God.