Holy Water
Water, which has been blessed, by a bishop or priest features in several religious rituals. This holy water, as it’s known, is most closely associated with baptism. The tradition grew from the passage in the bible, which describes John, the Baptist baptizing Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. Christ is considered to be free from sin, making the water have special significance.
Fonts are very often located where people enter a church, in both Catholic and Anglican churches. Church goers place their hand in the holy water and make the sign of the cross. Roman Catholics also make use of the water in the sacraments and the Easter Rite of Blessing. The Liturgy often begins with the Aspersion. This is a very old ritual, which involves sprinkling the assembly with holy water. Some clergy add salt to the water. Both Catholics and Anglicans perform baptisms with the water. Anglicans also use the water to commemorate Saints and to aid them in performing exorcisms. The water is also used sometimes to bless religious statues and crucifixes.
Although not blessed by a priest, Roman Catholics revere sites of shrines and wells and the water they contain. The most famous of these is found at Lourdes in France. Thousands of pilgrims make their way to Lourdes every year. The water is considered to have special, healing powers and many ill and infirm people go in the hope of being cured. The Eastern Orthodox Church shares a reverence for holy water and uses it in blessings, exorcisms and baptisms.
This water forms part of our culture, whether we are believers or not. It is often used in vampire stories. The water is a potent symbol, being blessed by representatives of Christ himself. Vampires are the opposite of all that is good and pure. Holy water is used as a weapon to defeat them and the smallest drop of it can reduce the undead to gibbering wreaks. Some people look on this as mere superstition. Others don’t make the connection between the River Jordan and a body of water lying in a font miles away. For people of deep, religious conviction, it’s a comforting ritual that represents a moment in Christ’s life that is very significant for them. It’s especially important as part of the baptism ceremony when the infant is given the mark of the cross. It stands for continuity and the washing away of sin.
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