Humanities

What is holy water? »Its definition and meaning

Anonim

For the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church and other churches, holy water is that which has been blessed by the priest and which is found in the baptismal font. This water is special since it symbolizes purity, it is used frequently during the baptisms of babies, as a sign of welcome to the family of the Catholic Church. When people enter the temples, they wet their fingers with holy water and make the sign of the cross.

For the Catholic Church, water represents one of the most sublime liturgical elements, not only because of its natural characteristics, but also because of its important role in the history of man. The water is transformed into a sacramental when it receives a special blessing. In this way it becomes holy water, acquiring the virtue of warding off the devil, healing the sick and purifying.

When Catholics make the sign of the cross with their fingers dipped in holy water, they are remembering that they have been purified through baptism.

Besides this, the holy water represents the holy spirit; hence the church uses it in most ecclesiastical functions.

Holy water is used with specific expressions, to bless houses, images, scapulars, etc. During the liturgy, a few drops of water are placed in the wine, which will then be transformed into the blood of Christ and evokes that it came out of the side of Jesus wounded with a spear, representing the union of the blessed nature in the person of the verb and integration of all believers in the spiritual body of Christ.

Holy water is said to be a sacramental because it is a sacred sign by which effects, usually spiritual, are manifested, achieved through the intercession of the church. That is to say, with the use of a sacramental, such as holy water or the blessing of a person; The Christian takes advantage of the spiritual goods that the church protects as a treasure that God has given them to be administered to all men.