Holy Water from Jordan River

[Ori_Kasha]

Hi,

I know that holy water should be made from blessed water and blessed salt, which they all blessed by a priest only, but I see in souvenirs stores in my country (I live in the Land of Israel) a lot of bottles of “holy water from Jordan River” - do they consider as real holy water? I attach here a link of one of these holy water’s distributors so you can see what I talk about.
Yardenit Holy Water

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Unless it’s somehow blessed by a Catholic priest, Catholics don’t consider water to be “holy water” just because it came out of the Jordan River.

I know there are some Protestants as well as Catholics who like to get bottles of Jordan water and they might consider the water to be a reminder of Christ’s baptism, but “holy water” in the Catholic sense of the word means that a priest blessed it, not that it came out of a special spring or well or river.

As an example, water from the spring at Lourdes is called “Lourdes Water”, not “Holy Water”.
A Catholic would call Jordan River water “Jordan River Water”, not “Holy Water”.

 

[BartholomewB]

Similarly, in Israel – probably in the same stores that sell “holy” water from the Jordan – they sell crucifixes and rosaries made from Israeli olive wood. In both cases, the appeal to a Christian pilgrim is obvious, and entirely legitimate, but in the eyes of the Church the Israeli-made crucifix is no “holier” than any other crucifix.

 

[Gorgias]

“holy water” in the Catholic sense of the word means that a priest blessed it, not that it came out of a special spring or well or river.

And, moreover, you can’t buy a blessed object, as such. The way I understand it, the blessing can’t be bought or sold. So, the practical upshot is that the “blessing” no longer exists when it’s sold.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

This is true, however, some companies will allow you to pay for the item and then will have a priest, or the Pope, bless all the purchased items for free before sending them to you. There are shops that provide a regular supply of Pope-blessed rosaries in this manner. You must buy the item before they have it blessed, so you aren’t paying for the blessing, then sign up for their “Free Blessing Service”.

 

[Ori_Kasha]

I read in some sources that although there are stores that offer “products which blessed by His Holiness the Pope”, the Pope himself does not bless a big amount of products although he bless one or two things that people asked to - for example, someone is in Vatican and meet the Pope, and request him to bless his rosary and crucifix, His Holiness will do it gladly, but if a big store is in Vatican and give the Pope its all inventory of crucifixes and rosaries, he will not bless it from some reason. I will find these sources and attach it, if I will have the time to do it.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

The Pope blesses everybody’s rosaries and sacramentals at his general audiences, at the end. He does regular general audiences.

The stores that offer the Papal blessed items have you buy the item, then they have their shop clerk take the items over to the general audience and the items get blessed when the Pope blesses everyone’s items. The blessed items are then shipped to the people who already bought them, or if you’re in Rome the shops will deliver your items to your hotel.