Why is Holy Water Significant?

A Powerful Sacramental

Holy Water is a Sacramental or a thing made sacred by rites of the Church. Sacramentals differ from Sacraments. Sacraments were given to us by God, where Sacramentals are given to us by the Church through the authority that God gave her. Sacraments grant grace, sacramentals obtain grace, in the same way that prayer does. If the user is properly disposed, sacramentals can remit venial sins and cause the remission of the temporal punishments due to sin.

Any rite or item used in administrating the sacraments is a sacramental. Examples include the sign of the cross, holy oils, and blessed salt. Some sacraments are necessary for salvation, but this is not the case for sacramentals. Holy water, like other sacramentals, is not necessary for salvation but is a great help in keeping a person on the “right track.” It doesn't give a believer sanctifying grace, but it does confer actual grace. Actual grace is when the Holy Spirit assists us by inspiring our minds and our will to do good and avoid evil.

How to Get Holy Water and How to Use it

Most local parishes provide a large container for the faithful to obtain this sacramental from. Bring a clean vessel and fill it up at your local church. Holy Water by Rev Henry Theiler offers the following ideas for how to use this sacramental in everyday life: