​“From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.” – St. Teresa of Avila
 Teresa_of_Avila

When we read this quote from St. Teresa of Avila, we should be reminded of the importance of holy water. As a recalling of our baptism and our baptismal promises, Catholics dip their fingers in the holy water and make the Sign of the Cross when entering the church.

Our baptismal promises included renouncing Satan and disdaining sin. However, we probably rarely bring this to mind and take holy water for granted most of the time.  Because we use it so regularly, it’s any easy thing to do.

We must remember that this water, through the priest, is blessed by God in virtue of Christ’s baptism.  The  Catholic  Church  possesses  enormous  power  of  imparting sacramental grace, and holy water as a sacramental receives its power through the prayer and authority of the Church.

The rite of blessing said over water by the priest to make it holy contains prayers of exorcism.  It can banish demons, heal the sick, and send unwarranted grace upon us, and yet most of the time we cross ourselves with this water without even thinking about how holy it really is.

Read the priest’s profound prayers of blessing over holy water here and find a downloadable PDF here.

The fact of the matter is that holy water is a powerful sacramental and we ought to use it daily.  To prevent us from using it without thinking, we should consciously find ways to use it more.  Holy water can be used to bless people, places, and things that are used by humans in their goal of glorifying God with their lives.

Here is a list of eight ways to use holy water in your everyday life:

1. Bless yourself –  This suggestion is obvious, but if we are only blessing ourselves with holy water on Sunday, then aren’t we missing out on the rest of the week?  You can never have too much grace or blessing in your life.  Use holy water daily.  Keeping a holy water font in the home is a great idea so that you, your family, and guests can be blessed in the comings and goings from your home.  Keep the font right by the front door to ensure you never leave home without it.

2. Bless your house –  If you haven’t taken the time to bless your house with holy water, then no time is better than the present.  Your home is the domestic Church and is in need of spiritual protection.  You can sprinkle holy water in your home yourself, or have a priest formally bless your home using holy water as part of the house blessing ceremony.

3. Bless your family – Use holy water to pray and make the Sign of the Cross over your spouse and children before they go to sleep at night. Bonding the family to each other and to God in this way is a great family tradition to adopt. Keep a holy water bottle by the bedside for this purpose.

4. Bless your work space – If you work outside of the home, sprinkling your work space with holy water is a great idea, not only for spiritual protection on the work front, but also as to sanctify your daily work for the glory of God.

5. Bless your car – The car is probably the most dangerous place where you spend a significant amount of time each day. Never underestimate the power of holy water applied to your vehicle to keep you safe from harm’s way, when used in faith and trust in God. In fact, you can also have a priest bless your car with holy water.

6. Bless your vegetable garden – It was a common practice in the Middle Ages for people to sprinkle their vegetable gardens with holy water.  In times when people were very dependent on crops for their livelihood, lack of rain or early frosts could be devastating. Using holy water to bless and sanctify the plants that would be used for the family’s sustenance showed their reliance on God’s grace.

7. Bless the sick –  If you know of any sick friends or family, then blessing them with holy water probably counts as a corporeal and a spiritual work of mercy.  If you visit the sick in a hospital or nursing home, bless their living space with holy water and leave a holy water bottle with them as a comfort in their time of need.

8. Bless your pets – Many parishes on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi have a rite of blessing for pets. Pets are loved companions for individuals and families and often provide a great service to them, and even these can be blessed with holy water because all creation has the end of giving glory to God. This also applies to livestock and farm animals that provide labor, livelihood, and nourishment to humans.

 Here is a simple prayer to say when using holy water:
“By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord. Amen.”

There is no specific prayer to pray when using holy water, other than the Sign of the Cross, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” You can also pray an Our Father or even the St. Michael the Archangel prayer when using holy water. Keep in mind that the holy water has already been blessed by the prayers of the priest.

 

How do you use holy water?
Holy water is one of those beautiful gifts (and weapons) from God to keep us sanctified and holy in our daily lives, and to keep the things we regularly use sanctified and holy. Hopefully if we stop and think of what a generous gift holy water is for us, we will use it more frequently, thoughtfully, and gratefully! Some parents even use holy water to bless things their children regularly use, such as bicycles and school books.

If you have other creative and faithful ways you use holy water to sanctify your everyday life, please comment below.

You can buy your own Holy Water Infused with Himalayan Salt Rock from the BodaciousBetty Store

Mystics say the Native American practice of smudging, or purifying a room with the smoke of sacred herbs, can help clear negative energy from a space. And the apparent benefits are steeped in science—when burned, sage and other herbs release negative ions, which research has linked to a more positive mood.

To practice smudging at home, it’s important to be respectful and learn how to handle the herbs according to traditional protocols, says Cat Criger, aboriginal elder-in-residence at the University of Toronto. When done properly, smudging can be a way to connect with Native American culture, he notes.

“To understand the protocol means you have to learn something about aboriginal people. So in a sense the medicines are working in a kind way, saying ‘learn about me and we can respect each other and we can walk together,’ ” he says. Native American medicines must be treated with reverence, so once you’ve acquired the herbs, clear out a bookshelf or an honored place in your home that is above waist height to store them. You may want to find birch baskets to keep them in.

Before you begin, open a window or door. Place the herbs in an abalone shell, or a clay bowl, and light them with a wooden match. Then gently blow out the flame, letting the material continue to smolder.

“Take that smoke and metaphorically wash your hands in the smoke, take some over your eyes, your ears, your heart, and your brain,” Criger says. “Breathe a little bit in, and waft a little bit over your body.”

Once finished, you can leave the bowl in a safe place and let it burn, filling the room with fragrant smoke. Treat any leftover ashes with intention. A proper way to dispose of them is to take them outdoors and leave them on the earth, says Criger.

“We are not supposed to carry or keep those ashes,” he says. “It’s what’s left over from that ceremony of cleansing yourself. Some of our spiritual beliefs are that what you clean off goes somewhere and it’s contained in those ashes and it should be put out.”

If you have moved into a new place, or have had an argument in your home, you might want to give it a smudge to cleanse the air. To prepare the room, cover mirrors, close windows, open doors (including cupboards), and turn off all electronics.

If burning sage, separate the stems, leaves, and buds, then crush the leaves into a tight ball. Light it with a match, then blow it out, and waft the smoke through the room.

“You start on the left side of the door and you stay to the left all the way through the house or apartment, while praying the whole time. With the smoke you ask for the good spirits to stay and the negative spirits to go away,” says Eddy Robinson, Ojibwa cultural educator and founder of Morningstar River, which provides aboriginal culture education. “When you get to the front, you shoot the smoke out the front door and then you wait a minute or two. Then you go outside and you put the ashes of the sage on the doorstep, and that is to protect the entrance. And then after that you put on a feast for the house.” 

You can purchase your own white sage on the BodaciousBetty products page