Uses of Holy Water

  • Thread starter Thread starter Holly3278
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Holly3278

Guest
What are the many uses of Holy Water besides using it to bless yourself? :confused:
 
Holy water is a sacremental.

You can take it for the souls in Purgatory. They really thirst for it and it may help them get to heaven. They will be very grateful to you.You should ALWAYS take holy water for the souls in purgatory-they really, really long for it!

Also, it can be used to remit veniel sins (but you should not take advantage of that.Use it more often for those in Purgatory, and only for yourself when you REALLY need it.)
 
Teeliumtrozzle said:
You can take it for the souls in Purgatory. They really thirst for it and it may help them get to heaven. They will be very grateful to you.You should ALWAYS take holy water for the souls in purgatory-they really, really long for it!

Also, it can be used to remit veniel sins (but you should not take advantage of that.Use it more often for those in Purgatory, and only for yourself when you REALLY need it.)
Click to expand...
I agree with the first paragraph and disagree with the second paragraph.

When travelling on an airplane, passengers are given brief safety instructions at the beginning of each flight. If cabin pressure is lost, put the oxygen mask on yourself before putting it on those in your care (children, etc.).

Thinking like that, I use the Holy Water on myself first. Otherwise, the effectiveness of my prayers may be greatly reduced and that does nobody any good. And then if I remember to (and if I have the time) I may bless myself with Holy Water with the intent of applying the blessing to souls in purgatory. This is generally when I visit our Eucharistic Adoration chapel, where there are usually not many people around and where nobody is waiting to use the holy water after me.

Sometimes, I ask specifically to bless:
  • The one closest to heaven
  • The one most forgotten about
  • One who was Black
  • One who died very young
  • One who was very old
  • The one Mary wants to bless right now
  • etc, etc.
    And I have also sometimes tried to bless myself with Holy Water with the intent of benefiting my wife and each of my children. I can’t say that it works for sure, but I also cannot say that it doesn’t work. And anything that will help is worthwhile.
We always really need Holy Water. At least that is the impression I get from reading about those souls in purgatory. They likely regret not taking advantage of Holy Water more. So don’t neglect to use it on yourself often.

jmm08
 
I thoroughly washed out a pickle jar and soaked off the label. And I use that jar with its water-tight lid to keep a supply of Holy Water in my home. The jar is labelled:

❤️ Holy Water ❤️

Additional uses for Holy Water:

Bless your home. Sprinkle some Holy Water in each of the corners of each room in your home.

In my opinion, you can freshen-up some of your already blessed sacramentals by sprinkling (or dipping them) in Holy Water. Such as Rosaries, medals, etc.

Evangelism (again this is my opinion). If you can somehow get somebody (non-Catholic or non-Christian) to bless themselves with Holy Water – and they do have the intent to bless themselves – then I think it is a big step. And God will continue to work with them.

Bless your Christmas tree.

jmm08

Merry Christmas everyone
 
When I went on a cross country trip a few years ago, we took 2 bottles of Holy Water and everytime we stopped I sprinkled the car.
Kathy
 
Saint_Gemma: Hope you aren’t offended.

My family is Black (according to our school district).

Those are only a few examples. There are so many specific people who can be prayed for (souls in purgatory).

jmm08
 
jmm08 said:
Saint_Gemma: Hope you aren’t offended.

My family is Black (according to our school district).

Those are only a few examples. There are so many specific people who can be prayed for (souls in purgatory).

jmm08
Click to expand...
To be honest, I have no problem with it. It just seemed a little odd to me. 🤷
 
Saint_Gemma said:
To be honest, I have no problem with it. It just seemed a little odd to me. 🤷
Click to expand...
Like snowflakes, we are each of us unique. Each of us thinks of different things. Each of us has a unique background and history. And I definitely have my faults. But as you know our Mother Mary loves to gather our prayers – especially prayers for the souls in purgatory.

When we pray, our own thoughts come through. My mind sometimes considers the injustices that have faced Blacks over the years. And yet we are not alone. I worked with a woman who had survived the killing fields in Cambodia as a child – seeing her uncle shot right in front of her. In recent news, there are road-side bombs, assassinations, abortions, people who die without appropriate medical care.

So when it comes to praying for souls in purgatory, there is much room to be very specific. Sometimes I think very specific prayers are appreciated a lot.

So lets all go ahead sometime soon and pray for some souls.
  • For somebody who died from a road-side bomb.
  • For somebody who was shot during political turmoil
  • For a young man who was killed because of his ethnicity
  • For a young woman who died in childbirth
  • For a person who was killed in a head-on car crash
    = = = = =
    Other uses for Holy Water:
  • Consider the blessings we get from Holy Water and meditate on Mary’s sorrows and on Christ’s death on the cross. Be thankful in prayer for Holy Water.
I guess it is time for me to get to bed.

jmm08
 
I’m not Catholic (yet), but I do believe in the uses of Holy Water. How does a non-Catholic go about obtaining some? And is that even appropriate? I don’t want offend a priest by asking for some when I’m not even Catholic. I guess I’m just not sure on the “proper etiquette.”

Thanks for your help 🙂
 
Buy a clean small bottle suited for the task of carrying holy water…usually sells for about $2 or $3. Or if you have a small clean bottle that will work to. I used a 5 Gallon Water bottle a year ago. I was so stoked of my family becoming catholic and they were equally excited…we ceized the moment and when to th e parish baptistry and sunk it to fill it…yes…one of those 1 foot deep ones. Irony is that we didn’t use quite as much as I anticipated. But I guess we’ll have to start watering plants with it. Bless you doors at night, particularly the outside doors. We had a priest bless our home…he went in every room and splattered holy water everywhere. I do the same from time to time. We keep it at the entrance to our living area.

Oh…every parish will have a large container ready for people to fill their bottles…usually every parish…worse come to worse…just tilt the small bottle in one of the holy water dishes at the entrance. Take as much as you need.
 
phoenixbird said:
I’m not Catholic (yet), but I do believe in the uses of Holy Water. How does a non-Catholic go about obtaining some? And is that even appropriate? I don’t want offend a priest by asking for some when I’m not even Catholic. I guess I’m just not sure on the “proper etiquette.”

Thanks for your help 🙂
Click to expand...
This is a most excellent use of Holy Water. Don’t be afraid.

When I first started going to my Catholic Church a few years ago, I only noticed the big metal thing with a spigot (where you refill your bottle of Holy Water for home). I incorrectly thought that that was the Holy Water to use to bless myself. It wasn’t easy to push the spigot to get only a little bit of water and I wound up going into church looking like I’d been swimming.

Later I found out that there were little dishes of water mounted on the wall near each door. And that this was where you get a little bit of Holy Water to bless yourself.

You can buy a small bottle meant to hold Holy Water at a Catholic bookstore. Or you can do as I did – simply wash out and clean an empty glass jar (such as a pickle jar). After soaking off the original food label, relabel the jar “HOLY WATER”. I find my pickle jar works good because the lid is air tight. And it is a bit bigger than the containers typically sold in bookstores – so it lasts longer.

phoenixbird: use Holy Water on yourself just before and after you attend Mass. And at any other time you want it. Buy a nice Holy Water font for your home. And put it up inside your home somewhere near your front door. So you can bless yourself as you leave and return from your home. And your family too can bless themselves. The one I got has a small statue of Mary. Holy Water fonts aren’t very expensive. But be sure to get one that is finished (sealed). Some plaster ones aren’t painted or sealed yet and those may not be waterproof – the water will disappear quicker. Some Holy Water fonts are plastic. Get one that you like, and you will use it more than if you didn’t really like it.

jmm08
 
Thank you for the replies, and I actually have a bottle ready to use, but I wasn’t sure on how to go about obtaining that amount. The small holy water fonts for blessing yourself in the church only contain a very small amount, and I also didn’t want to look like I was “hogging” it all. 🙂 This particular parish doesn’t have a large baptismal area like others I’ve seen, and even with those I’ve never seen anyone take holy water other than to bless themselves so I wasn’t quite sure on the protocol.

I’ve heard about the spigots, but where are they usually located? I haven’t noticed anything in this particular parish, but again I don’t even know where to look other than in the narthex.
 
Ask an usher or sacristan. They will know where the Holy Water is. Ask anyone you know who is Catholic and goes to that church.

jmm08
 
When using holy water for the poor souls in purgatory, do you make the sign of the cross keeping them in mind or do you flick the water in the air with them in mind. I flick it into the air as I think I heard that somewhere but it also looks rather disrespectful to someone observing who doesnt know my intentions.
 
stove said:
When using holy water for the poor souls in purgatory, do you make the sign of the cross keeping them in mind or do you flick the water in the air with them in mind. I flick it into the air as I think I heard that somewhere but it also looks rather disrespectful to someone observing who doesnt know my intentions.
Click to expand...
Obviously I am not an expert. What I do is to simply bless myself as usual with Holy Water but in my mind I have the intention of blessing somebody in Purgatory. And I am fairly sure that this as all prayer involves angels who will take our prayers to Mary and the Holy Spirit – same as all other prayer.

I hope that others will also respond to your question. I suppose that your way also works because it you have the intent in your mind. But as you say it has a funny appearance – but me blessing myself with Holy Water over and over must look funny too. I only do it when I think nobody else is watching.

jmm08
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top