Does Holy Water help Protestants?

SummitJim · #1 Aug 2, '10, 10:00 pm

Yesterday I learned the technicality of how holy water works, ie, a priest blessed the water and wherever it goes, the water passes on the blessing. In this way it can be an impediment to Satan. My Presbyterian wife found this interesting and accepts it. My question is this: would holy water have the same beneficial effect for/on her as a non-Catholic that it does for me? I cannot see any reason why it would not. Any thoughts?

Jim

Monica4316 · #2 Aug 3, '10, 12:33 am

I think it can help Protestants too

it's not a Sacrament, but a sacramental, so not only Catholics can use it

Apollos · #3 Aug 3, '10, 2:31 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SummitJim

Yesterday I learned the technicality of how holy water works, ie, a priest blessed the water and wherever it goes, the water passes on the blessing. In this way it can be an impediment to Satan. My Presbyterian wife found this interesting and accepts it. My question is this: would holy water have the same beneficial effect for/on her as a non-Catholic that it does for me? I cannot see any reason why it would not. Any thoughts?

Jim

Demons hate the holy, no matter who throws it around.

alpharomeo3 · #4 Aug 3, '10, 8:12 pm

It represents baptism not some hokey vampire repellent so yes it should help Protestants as representation of their baptism.

Mintaka · #5 Aug 3, '10, 9:31 pm

Holy water is not _only_ a symbol of baptism. It is a sacramental, a thing specially blessed to _do_ things. One of those things is to be "a means of health for those who believe, a medicine for body and soul for all who make use" of it, and "a purified water, empowered to drive far away all power of the Enemy", "to root out and banish the Enemy himself, along with his fallen angels." It is also meant to destroy contagion and anything else harmful to our peace and safety -- though of course God may want to allow us to suffer certain things, so holy water doesn't always "work" the same way in every situation.

Also, it reminds us of our Baptism, which of course is pretty spectacular, and thus it is powerful just to be reminded that we have become siblings and co-heirs with Jesus, and children of God. To be "reminded" in Christianity is generally to make something past somehow part of the present. It's not pigs' feet. So this is probably how it is that holy water remits venial sin. (Doesn't let you off making reparations; but it's good to clean off the venial sins.)

All in all, holy water is a big spiritual deal; and yet it's just a sacramental, not a Sacrament. Don't minimize it; maximize your appreciation for the Sacraments instead.

And I'm sure holy water is good for Protestants to use, if they respect it. You don't have to fully understand a gift of God (who does fully understand?) to get good out of it.

budgie2 · #6 Aug 4, '10, 3:08 am

Holy water can help anybody. I'm married to a Protestant and I always bless him privately with holy water as he goes into the Church. My friend had a cat who was poorly. The cat wouldn't drink anything but the cat drank Holy Water from Lourdes and felt better. Normally you wouldn't give it to animal but it was a nice story.