Fr. Aric Aamodt
I always enjoy watching little kids come to the Baptismal font as they come into the Church, splash their hands in the holy water, and then clumsily try to make the Sign of the Cross on themselves, and then Mom or Dad has to come and help them finish it. But why do they, and all of us, do this as we come into and go out of the Church?
We have the Baptismal font at the entrance of the Church space because Baptism is our source of entry into the Church of God. Passing through the waters of Baptism, we enter into the life of God in Christ, which we will receive and celebrate more deeply in what we are about to do at Mass. As we bless ourselves with holy water coming into the Church, we remind ourselves of the gift of our Baptism. We received new life in Christ through these holy waters, and we are refreshed in that life as we touch those few drops of holy water onto ourselves. Holy water even has the power to wash us from our venial (non-mortal) sins, if we bless ourselves with contrite hearts and ask for God’s mercy. Just as the holy water purified us from the state of original sin and any personal sins, so that power remains to refresh us and make us new in the life of the Spirit.
The power of blessing with holy water goes even farther. In the prayers to make the ordinary water in the font into holy water, I pray, “Let this creature [water] serve Thee in expelling demons and curing diseases. Whatsoever it sprinkles in the homes of the faithful, be it cleansed and delivered from harm…. Wherever it is sprinkled in Thy name, may devilish infection cease, venomous terror be driven afar. But let the presence of the Holy Spirit be ever with us as we implore Thy mercy.” The holy water in the Baptismal font is at your disposal to fill holy water bottles and take home to sprinkle around your homes. I also think of St. Paul’s teaching that our bodies are the dwelling-places of the Holy Spirit – we ourselves are the home of God. When we bless ourselves with holy water, the power of this prayer is with us. We are cleansed and delivered from that which tries to take us away from God, and the mercy of God comes to be with us and refresh us.
In the heat of the summer, water refreshes us. As we experience the difficulties of our lives like that heat, holy water is ready for us as we enter the Church to refresh us, and ready for us as we leave Church to keep us refreshed as we go to live the new life we have received in Christ.