Michael O’Brien, writing for the Salt Lake Tribune [1], recently published an article that begins with reminiscing about his childhood as a Roman Catholic kid in the time of the cultural phenomenon created by the release of the motion picture The Exorcist.
O’Brien writes:
Have you ever heard the phrase “there must be something in the water”? I probably first started to understand this notion 50 years ago, as a Catholic kid growing up during “The Exorcist” cultural phenomenon. Holy Water was one of the heroes (or so I heard, again and again) of the movie. The cinematic version of the sacred H2O helped control or repel the demonic beast within the poor young girl’s body.
For Catholics, Holy Water becomes an important tool—so to speak—in protecting the individual or his home from evil. O’Brien recalls how the monks from a Trappist monastery gave his mother a little plastic bottle filled with holy water for prescriptive use at home as needed.
Indeed, for those of us outside of Roman Catholicism, it would seem that every “good” Catholic home had a bottle of Holy Water, a font near a door where one could dip their fingers and cross themselves, or other means for retaining a bit of water obtained from the local parish church in case of emergencies.
O’Brien’s article, one filled with both humorous remembrances as well as subtle inferences about the mysterious nature of Holy Water, might be considered a sort of introduction—a Holy Water 101—a preface to a more serious discussion of the importance and symbolism of water blessed for use against evil.
O’Brien recalls his own interest in Holy Water as well as that of his childhood peers after watching it being used in the The Exorcist:
Our parish priest and school religion teacher, Father John LaBranche, watched all this hubbub with great interest. He was a faithful but practical man, one who could teach theology one minute and drive the school bus the next.
He understood that our youthful tendency to perceive things so literally was both our greatest strength and our most glaring weakness. He also recognized a good teaching moment when he saw one.
One day in class, he asked, “How do you make holy water anyway?” We were stumped, but interested.
Father LaBranche smiled mischievously and told us, “Take a gallon of water, put it on the stovetop, and boil the hell out of it.”
Of course, the old priest was being factitious, using humor to garner the attention of pre-teenaged boys, but in reality, he wasn’t too far off base.
Holy Water is prepared in a sacramental rite in which a basic exorcism is performed, exorcising any elemental demons from the water as well as the salt that is sprinkled into the water during a prayer in which God is asked to bless the salt, recalling the blessed salt “scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha” and invoking the protective powers of salt and water, that they may “drive away the power of evil.”
The charge persists that holy water is not found in Sacred Scripture and is an invention of the Church. This is not the case, as there are a handful of biblical references to blessed water and its effects.
The first is actually in the beginning of the Bible: “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). Emerging from the void, God’s first act was to move across the waters of the earth he was prepared to form, first being sure to bless the waters for the goodness of his creation and the coming forth of all other matter. The Catechism acknowledges this: “Since the beginning of the world, water, so humble and wonderful a creature, has been the source of life and fruitfulness” (1218).
We even have a recipe for holy water in the Old Testament, not distant from that found in today’s rituals: “The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water” (Num. 5:17). Later in this same book, we find instructions pertaining to one defiled by touching a corpse: “He who touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days; he shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean” (19:11-12).
For some time, Christian pilgrims have journeyed to the Jordan River to immerse themselves in the water made holy when Jesus was baptized. Most Protestants believe in only one baptism for the remission of sins, but none the less, some want a second, largely symbolic, baptism in Jordan.
Likewise, it could be said that Catholics “renew” their baptism through the frequent use of Holy Water. As Protestants, we could argue that this might be an unnecessary act, but I have to ask why not use Holy Water—not as a means of obtaining salvation—but as an additional part of the armor of God Paul spoke of. (Ephesians 6:11)
Religious symbolism is effective when it appeals to both the intellect and the emotions. Christian symbolism invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. Elemental symbols were widely used by the early Church. Water has a specific symbolic significance for Christians. Outside of baptism, water may represent cleansing or purity.
It is this symbolism that drives demons away. Holy Water, water blessed for service in the name of Christ, becomes to the entities of the demonic realm a sort of caustic solution that threatens to wash away the negative energy that sustains them. It is not so much the water per se, but rather the inclusion of Christ in the preparation and usage of the solution, that becomes offensive to demons.
Catholics believe that only a priest can bless Holy Water by virtue of the mystery of Apostolic Succession, while Protestants believe that any born-again Christian has the same abilities. The subject of who is right and who is wrong regarding this point of contention is not open for debate in this discussion. But rather, the fact that Holy Water can be an effective tool in the battle against evil is the point that we are here to underscore today.
Catholics need no urging to use Holy Water as a preventive or prophylaxis, just as doctors inoculate patients to prevent disease. To my Protestant brothers and sisters, I would ask, “As long as we use the correct frame of mind, in keeping with reformation doctrine, what is it going to hurt?” Holy Water will not hurt the individual, but it will help keep demons at bay.
[1] The Salt Lake Tribune, By Michael Patrick O’Brien | Feb. 18, 2024
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/02/18/michael-obrien-what-i-started/
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