The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-01-23

| Fields we're prepared for planting by
| being blessed with water. Armies
setting out for war were put under the
protection of the gods by being sprin-
killed. in similar manner Among the
Egyptians the use of holy water was
even more common, the priests being
required to battle in it twice every
day and twice every night, that they
might thereby be sanctified for their
religious duties. The Brahmins and
others of the far Orient, and even the
| Indians Of our own continent, have
always attached great importance to
ceremonial publication by means of
water.
Among the Jews the sprinkling of
the people, the sacrifices, the sacred
vessels, ETC., was enjoined by the regu-
lations laid down by Moses in the
books of Exodus and Levitius: and
it was undoubtedly from these prac-
tees of the Mosaic law that our
4 Church took many of the details of her
ritual in regard to holy water.
The use of holy water in Catholic
churches goes back possibly to Apos-
tolic times. There is tradition that
st. Matthew recommended it in order
thereby to attract converts from Ju-
daism by using a rite with which they
were familiar in their former faith.
However, we have no certainty that he
introduced it, but we know that it can
be traced back nearly to the beginning
of our religion. 1t is mentioned in a
} letter ascribed by some to Pope Alex
ander l., and supposed to have been
written in the year lit; but the gen.
uineness of this letter is very doubt
full. We find detailed account of it's
: use, however, in the "Pontifcal of
Serapion," in the fourth century, and
the formula of. blessing mentioned
} therein has considerable resemblance
to that used at the present day.
The blessing of water before the
High Mass on Sunday and the sprin.
: king of the congregation with it, which
: ceremony is called the "Asperges,
goes back to the time Of Pope Leo ~
in the ninth century, and possibly
} much further The word Asperges is
) the opening word of a verse of Psalm
so, which recited by the priest as
5 follows: Thou shall sprinkle me with
hyssop, o Lord, and l shall be
! cleansed. Thou shall wash me, and
, shall be made winter than snow"
l The custom of placing holy water al
the door of the church for the use Of
+ the faithful is still more ancient
l Among the Jews a ceremony of purifi
: cation was required before entering
D the Temple to assist at the sacrifices
. and this undoubtedly suggested thu
9 Catholic practice of using holy watel
{ at the church door. 1t is said to have
t been in vogue in the second century.
; In the Middle Ages it was customary
to use holy water when entering the
: church but not when leaving-the idea
: being that publication was necessary
: before entering the house of God, but
that after assisting at the Holy Sacri
/ flee it was no longer needed. How
ever, the general practice now is tC
: take it both on entering and depart
: ing, and this is to be commended for
the reason that the Church had at
, tached indulgences to the use of holy
: water, and these may be gained every
Z time it is used.
: Often priest is asked: els Easter
water the same as the other holy
. water?" The answer is that is has the
same use, but is blessed in different
manner and at different time. There
| in, l;ek;, IL, ~
holy water. The first kind is baptis
/ NAL water, which is blessed on Holy
Saturday, and may also be blessed on
the eve of Pentecost. This water re
ceived special and solemn blessing
and the holy oils consecrated by the
bishop on Holy Thursday are poured
t. into it.
The second kind is water of con
secration," or Gregorian water, sc
called because it's use was ordered by
Pope Gregory TX. 1t is used by bish
ops in consecrating churches, and in
its blessing it has wine, ashes and salt
mingled with it,
The third kind is the so-called
!, Easter water, which is distributed tc
the people on Holy Saturday, A part
of this water is used for the filling OF
; the baptismal font, to be blessed as
baptismal water and the remainder is
given to the faithful to be taken tc
their homes.
The fourth and most common kind
is the holy water which is blessed by
the priest for the sprinkling of the
people before Mass, and is placed al
the doors of the church. This also
may be taken home and may be used
in the same manner and for the same
purposes as the Easter water.
Thus the only varieties of holy
r water that directly concern the faith
full are the water blessed on Holy Sat
: urday for them, and that obtainable
r at any time at the church. They have
the same value and the same uses, al
: though the formula of blessing is
r different.
II When holy water is blessed, the
n priest reads several prayers, which in
cIude an exorcism of the salt and OF
: the water. An exorcism is the Danish
ing of evil spirits The Fathers of the
Church teach us that when Satan
caused the fall of our first parents he
| also obtained an influence over in,
II animate things intended for the use OF
! man; and, therefore, when any