Holy Water and St. Teresa of Avila

On entering an Anglican Church in Hampshire recently, I saw a place by the door where Christians would pray and cross themselves with Holy Water, for protection against evil. I thought to myself, Yes, the Anglican and Catholic Churches knew the power in this simple , yet powerful practice, which frightens the devil and his demons.

Christians in the early Church were told about this power to rid evil from their houses and Churches.

In these early days some believed that this secret of using Holy Water which was blessed during Communion by Christians , was suppressed by the established Church of that day, So that the Pastors and Priests could yield power over their congregations if the people were ignorant to the fact that all Christians were able to bless the Water themselves without a Priest or Pastor.

Now this knowledge is known by many Christians and they are beginning to use Holy water which they themselves are praying over when they partake of the bread and the wine in their own homes with their own families, not relying on a Pastor or a Priest, for they know the scripture in the Bible that tells them that they are a royal priesthood a Holy nation.

When dangers threaten. The devil hates holy water because of its power over him. He cannot long abide in a place or near a person that is often sprinkled with this blessed water.

St. Teresa of Avila wrote: “From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again.

They also flee from the cross, but return; so holy water must have great value. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.

In fact, it is quite usual for me to be conscious of a refreshment which I cannot possibly describe, resembling an inward joy which comforts my whole soul.

This is not fancy, or something which has happened to me only once it has happened again and again and I have observed it attentively. It is let us say, as if someone very hot and thirsty were to drink from a jug of cold water: he would feel the refreshment throughout his body.

I often reflect on the great importance of everything ordained by the Church and it makes me very happy to find that those words of the Church are so powerful that they impart their power to the water and make it so very different from water which has not been blessed.”

“One night, too, about this time, I thought the devils were stifling me; and when the nuns had sprinkled a great deal of holy water about I saw a huge crowd of them running away as quickly as though they were about to fling themselves down a steep place.”

“I will only describe something that happened to me one night of All Souls. I was in an oratory: I had said one nocturn and was repeating some very devotional prayers which follow it — they are extremely devotional:

we have them in our office-book — when actually the devil himself alighted on the book, to prevent me from finishing the prayer. I made the sign of the Cross and he went away.

I then began again and he came back. I think I began that prayer three times and not until I had sprinkled some holy water on him could I finish it.

Keep your soul beautifully pure in God’s sight by making the Sign of the Cross carefully while saying, “By this holy water and by Thy Precious Blood wash away all my sins, O Lord.”