Drinking Holy Water

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Yes.

It’s not something “typical” in Western cultures, but many people do. Just be sure you’re doing so as a sacramental and not in any superstitious way–like anything else that’s blessed.
 
JennaMarie77 said:
I have no idea but why would you want to?
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Priests bless foods and drinks all the time. There are a number of blessings (many of them quite popular) of foods like Easter foods, bread on St. Joseph day, grapes, etc. There are even blessings for wine and beer.

Given that we eat blessed foods and drinks all the time, why not blessed water?
 
Well that makes sense, I will admit it did sound odd to me at first.
 
JennaMarie77 said:
Well that makes sense, I will admit it did sound odd to me at first.
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I see you’re in Washington.

It only sounds odd because for some reason, in U.S. culture, it’s just “not done” and so we aren’t accustomed to it. I say “we” because it seems a bit odd to me as well—but in other cultures, it’s quite common practice.
 
Of course! Just make sure it’s fresh water that you have your priest bless… Not like… from a font or something. 😛
 
Yes, it is okay to drink Holy Water.
I do so on occasions, prayerfully, that is and only in small amounts.
If I have a sore throat, for instance, Holy water is one of the “medicines” I take 🙂
 
FrDavid96 said:
Priests bless foods and drinks all the time. There are a number of blessings (many of them quite popular) of foods like Easter foods, bread on St. Joseph day, grapes, etc. There are even blessings for wine and beer.

Given that we eat blessed foods and drinks all the time, why not blessed water?
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Holy Water usually contains some salt and is kept under considerably less than food-safe conditions. Why do it anyway? You get no grace more from drinking it than if you apply it externally.
 
Bob_Aliano said:
Holy Water usually contains some salt and is kept under considerably less than food-safe conditions. Why do it anyway? You get no grace more from drinking it than if you apply it externally.
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The question of “why do it?” is not the same as “may it be done?”

Just for example, some of my own parishioners come from India and far east Asia. They often bring special bottles with fresh water to be blessed that they later drink. Nothing wrong with this.
 
I see nothing wrong Sacramentally drinking Holy Water with proper intentions.

My only caution would be to make sure the reliable source your getting your Holy Water from is clean and OKed for consumption.

I wouldn’t want to drink Holy Water from a Font where all the Faithful congregation are constantly dipping their dirty hands in to Bless themselves.

Not all parishes have separate self-serve Holy Water filling fonts for filling bottles and the sort.
 
Eastern Rite/Byzantine Catholics do this - it’s just the way they use holy water, typically, in their tradition.

Like others said, there is nothing wrong with drinking it, when done reverently, with a proper understanding of what it is.

Just be careful, again, that it is clean enough to drink!
 
It’s fine to do. I believe in some of the Eastern Churches everyone gets a bottle and drinks some after the Feast of the Theophany. The one prayer during the blessing of that water even mentions something like “That it may be for the purification of the souls and bodies of all those who, with faith, shall draw and partake of it, let us pray to the Lord.” The Eastern Christians will even sometimes use a little in their meals when cooking. I drink some periodically, and especially when I have a sore throat.
 
domandcarols said:
Of course! Just make sure it’s fresh water that you have your priest bless… Not like… from a font or something. 😛
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Second this. Having looked inside our parish reservoir where people may fill their own holy water bottles, you would not want to drink that either (let alone from one of the fonts). You should have your priest / deacon bless a supply that you bring from home.
 
Leon_Bloy said:
Eastern Rite/Byzantine Catholics do this - it’s just the way they use holy water, typically, in their tradition.

Like others said, there is nothing wrong with drinking it, when done reverently, with a proper understanding of what it is.

Just be careful, again, that it is clean enough to drink!
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Absolutely true. Drinking is the primary use of holy water in the East, and also for blessing things (and people). Of course, our holy water is kept in a closed container, both in the church and the home, instead of out in small bowls to cross yourself with as you do in the West. Though we will do this if there was a recent baptism and the font is still set out, as we still preform our baptisms in the narthex.

We also don’t add salt.
 
Really? It can be imbibed? And used in cooking?

Um, okay, then… can it be used as a mixer?

No, seriously!
 
An interesting point, priests who do exorcisms often prescribe drinking holy water to the possessed. Exorcisms often happen over months or even years (it isn’t just a one-time visit, but it happens over the accumulation of prayers over time).

During each session, exorcists will bless a case of water bottles for the person to take home and consume till the next session. They also do bless oil and salt, and recommend cooking with them.

Check out the book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist. Good read. It’s a true story about a journalist who wasn’t a practising Catholic. He learnt about a Catholic university offering a course on it and he followed a priest who was training for it. It got him to take his faith more seriously. The book is also fairly cheap, like less than ten bucks. I got it on audiobook which costs more but wasn’t a bad buy.

(Yes, this is the book they made into the movie, but the movie doesn’t resemble what happened in the book.)

If the possessed can drink it and would benefit from it, why wouldn’t we? Just as long as you do it prayerfully and don’t expect it to work like a drug than turns you into superman or something (have faith, not superstition), then go right ahead.

The Roman exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth wrote about him not being able to find water to bless for an exorcism once, so he blessed lemonade. It didn’t have as good of an effect as water made, and the demon said that it’s because it doesn’t have the same symbolism that water does so it had less effect. Funny how things work.
 
I have heard of some folks putting holy water on the skin (other than Sign of the Cross) with injuries and diseases. And yes, there are those who drink holy water as well.

The concern is the safety of the water being used in holy water. One question is where is the source of the water used as holy water. Is it taken from the water company, a water purifying shop, etc?

Old stocks of holy water can pose certain problems, whether it is applied to the skin or the person drinks the water.

This is also true in holy water stoup, or containers where some have angels holding shells with holy water. These are open to dust and many people dip their fingers, not knowing what they have touched (money, dust, etc.). That is why holy water is replaced in these areas.

The safest form of drinking holy water is by bringing your own clean water and have it blessed to a priest. You have to state first that the water you want to make holy is for drinking purposes (that is, physical and spiritual healing).

I believe that another way of blessing holy water by a priest is by his blessing (prayer: silent or spoken and Sign of the Cross).

This formula made by my priest was a personal experience. I presented him an unopened bottled water for him to bless. Silently, he blessed the bottle of water with the Sign of the Cross. I asked, “that’s it?” He said, “yes.”

Now I realized why. The most important thing, is that, being Catholic, I must believe and have faith that the bottled water is now holy water, since the priest is an anointed (or ordained) minister.

The priest’s hands that were anointed by the bishop, using the sacred chrism oil, is also the sacred hands that consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ!

Anyway, back to the bottled water to become holy water. Here are my reasons why a priest can use the formula I stated earlier:
  1. If a bottle of holy water is not available to bless the contents of your water, or
  2. If you have concern on the holy water blessing your water (that’s why you have to inform the priest earlier… if not, you have to say politely about your concern).
 
prbarrera said:
I have heard of some folks putting holy water on the skin (other than Sign of the Cross) with injuries and diseases. And yes, there are those who drink holy water as well.

The concern is the safety of the water being used in holy water. One question is where is the source of the water used as holy water. Is it taken from the water company, a water purifying shop, etc?

Old stocks of holy water can pose certain problems, whether it is applied to the skin or the person drinks the water.

This is also true in holy water stoup, or containers where some have angels holding shells with holy water. These are open to dust and many people dip their fingers, not knowing what they have touched (money, dust, etc.). That is why holy water is replaced in these areas.

The safest form of drinking holy water is by bringing your own clean water and have it blessed to a priest. You have to state first that the water you want to make holy is for drinking purposes (that is, physical and spiritual healing).

I believe that another way of blessing holy water by a priest is by his blessing (prayer: silent or spoken and Sign of the Cross).

This formula made by my priest was a personal experience. I presented him an unopened bottled water for him to bless. Silently, he blessed the bottle of water with the Sign of the Cross. I asked, “that’s it?” He said, “yes.”

Now I realized why. The most important thing, is that, being Catholic, I must believe and have faith that the bottled water is now holy water, since the priest is an anointed (or ordained) minister.

The priest’s hands that were anointed by the bishop, using the sacred chrism oil, is also the sacred hands that consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ!

Anyway, back to the bottled water to become holy water. Here are my reasons why a priest can use the formula I stated earlier:
  1. If a bottle of holy water is not available to bless the contents of your water, or
  2. If you have concern on the holy water blessing your water (that’s why you have to inform the priest earlier… if not, you have to say politely about your concern).
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glad to know that

on a different note, is the holy water from different churches from different parts of the world means something? or is it all the same?
 
svid2 said:
Really? It can be imbibed? And used in cooking?

Um, okay, then… can it be used as a mixer?

No, seriously!
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I disappeared for a bit, just now saw this.

I would not place holy water in an alcoholic drink, just as a personal piety.

That said, I know Greek Orthodox tend to cook with it, keeping a small bottle near the stove, they will place a few drops into a pot or pan, as well as drink it straight in water with a meal. I think this is more the regular practice in America.

The Russian Orthodox tend to be, as they are about most things, stricter in this piety, and will only consume holy water on an empty stomach. For example, it is a Russian piety to keep holy water and antidoron in one’s home throughout the week, and partake of a bit of it each morning after morning prayers, before breakfast.
 
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