Holy Water?  Why Even Bother!

This Lenten season many across the United States are baffled and shocked once again, upon entering our Churches to dip our finger into the holy water font, only to find it is full of sand or dry as a bone…  perhaps we dip it again in disillusionment, running our fingers through soft, big-box hardware store-purchased beach sand or over the dry, cool marble in agitation to calm our indignation.  The Saint or angel statue that may be holding the font seemingly stares down at us, as if to acknowledge our disillusionment. Good grief, even though the following is essentially out of context, Jesus said, “even the very stones will cry out! “( Luke 19:40).   Not having holy water in the fonts weakens our spiritual journey during the great difficulties and temptations during Lent.

There is a major grace period we miss out on as holy water not only remits venial sin, preparing us mentally and spiritually before Mass, but it provides a sort of preliminary soak before we have another remission of all venial sin at the confiteor at the beginning of Mass.  No, Mass and confession are not carwashes, but you can see the point. Ironically, the agitation one may acquire by not having the holy water sabotages the whole mindset of being calm while about to enter into prayer – to prepare for Mass or confession.

Not surprisingly, many church foyers sanitizing stations are still in full effect, while the holy water fonts aren’t even on the playbook roster by Team God here on earth.  When worrying about catching or giving a cold is more troubling to us than spreading the disease of bad example as Catholics, we are in big trouble.

Obviously, if we’re sick on a Sunday morning, stay home.  No one wants to get sick, and in the words of a good friend that is a devout Catholic, “Going to church when you’re sick is mean!”, said especially in light of the elderly.  The point here is that a cold heart and a dirty soul should scare us more than colds and dirty hands.

I recall a few different parishes, after they re-opened during the coronavirus (while many chain stores and liquor shops were open, but the house of God was locked tight) that had holy water instead of alcohol spray, in these motion-detection, refillable sanitizer sprayers.  You could simply put your hand under the sensor, and viola, you had holy water without the fear of contamination.  Some parishes would put a printout of a cross or the like on these units -faith and reason in action.  So, if that is the concern this Lent, of someone getting sick via a dip in the font, well these gadgets are about 1/20^th the cost of a tax preparation fee.  For the affluent side of town, there are models specifically designed for holy water, quite expensive though, with crystal and brass features.

Yep, we’re in an age where the evening news has us biting our fingernails over churchgoing the following day, with horrific stories of people dying from flu-like symptoms and car crashes in snowstorms, these events supersede biting our nails over whether we are ill in God’s eyes spiritually, or may be off on the shoulder in the mud on the straight and narrow path that leads us to Heaven!

Leaving the fonts empty, cloaked, or filled with sand is nothing other than modern art, let’s face it, nothing more than symbolism at the expense of our sanctity.  Of course, we can always find good in something, such as in modern art. We can always make some evil  seem good.  I can find Jesus’ disposition of His deity or royalty as the Son of God in some new-age, thrown together stained glass, where displays of massive brush strokes and unharmonious patterns outdid conveying the dignity of Christ as Lord.  We are guilt-tripped into being insensitive or the like if we aren’t on the same bandwagon as an overly eccentric artist, and those who clan with that artist’s mentality, laity, religious and clergy alike.  We are permitted to be provoked, but shamed if we get upset.

So go ahead, this lent dip your finger in the sandy holy water font in your church, and acquiesce those people behind such ideas, at the expense of our sanctity, while the enemy laughs as we walk into the thick Lenten battle with less spiritual armor.  St Don Bosco told a story of a giant demon cat, pulling some of his students into hell on giant strings by the demon-cat’s paw.  The strings represented different sins the enemy used to bait the poor souls (not to be confused with the poor souls in purgatory) and he staved off the demon, which was massive, and looked somewhat human like, with holy water. (cf. The Forty Dreams of St John Bosco).  One can almost hear the battle of St John Bosco with this demon taking place, and that same evil spirit would say just the same today, “Holy water? Why even bother!”  Saints John Bosco and John the Baptizer, please watch over us this Lenten season!