From Roman Catholicism's own Catholic Encyclopedia:
Some was permanently retained at the entrance to Christian churches where a clerk sprinkled the faithful as they came in and, for this reason, was called hydrokometes or "introducer by water", an appellation that appears in the superscription of a letter of Synesius in which allusion is made to "lustral water placed in the vestibule of the temple". This water was perhaps blessed in proportion as it was needed, and the custom of the Church may have varied on this point. Balsamon tells us that, in the Greek Church, they "made" holy water at the beginning of each lunar month.
It is quite possible that, according to canon 65 of the Council of Constantinople held in 691, this rite was established for the purpose of definitively supplanting the pagan feast of the new moon and causing it to pass into oblivion.
In the West Dom Martène declares that nothing was found prior to the ninth century concerning the blessing and aspersion of water that takes place every Sunday at Mass.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07432a.htm
This is yet another "tradition" not handed down from the Apostles.
SCRIPTURE DOES NOT CHANGE.....Roman Catholic "tradition" has, does and will change.
Use of Holy Water has been a God-honoring and God-honored practice of the entire Church, East and West, for over 20 centuries.
God-honoring because it is accompanied by ceaseless prayer and acts of faith in God's healing and purifying power.
God-honored because of its many, many miraculous manifestations which are still happening and have never ceased.
If you only knew!
In Catholicism, holy water isn’t “required” for salvation, other than its use in Baptism. Only the things backed up by Scripture are. (Please don’t bother arguing about what else is or isn’t covered by Scripture...)
The water is a way to symbolize your humility and your praise to God. That humility and praise is what may bring on the healing and other graces.
Not a Scriptural practice itself, but a reminder of the Scriptural practice of Baptism
No Holy Water for you!
But if you come near me, I may sprinkle you with hyssop...
:o)
I already regret typing this post, because I know it’s a waste of time but guess what: I have a few minutes to kill where I have absolutely nothing better to do so here we go (besides I’m sure your guaranteed, must-get-the-last-word-in-instead-of-actually-thinking reply will be worth at least a chuckle):
First, let’s say for a moment that what you’re clearly implying is true, that the practice of using the sacramental known as “holy water” suddenly, with perhaps even a *poof* of Holy smoke to accompany its entry into the realm of time, appeared for no reason at all in the 9th century. Let’s do some quick math, (carry the ten, count both hands blah blah) that’s about 1,200 years by my abacus. Tell me, even given the caveats above, doesn’t that surpise you in the slightest? That Christians born over a thousand years before you were born were doing something you personally regard as “unbiblical”? Where were the egleone’s of the 9th century decrying such heresy? Burned at some lonely stake perhaps? If so, got any evidence of such cruel persecution (over a matter of Holy water mind you). Cuz if not seems to me that the simplest explaination is probably the truth: that yeah, real Christians have indeed been using holy water for ages, at least 1,200 years, and saw nothing wrong with it. Kinda makes the truly humble wonder “hmm, maybe they knew something about Christian faith I didn’t”.
Another thing, you apparently didn’t read both what you quoted and the entire article very well. First what you quoted puts a particular practice using holy water (its use during the Mass) as starting at the 9th century. But in case you aren’t aware or unable to understand, that statement doesn’t necessarily mean holy water wasn’t used for some other purpose before the 9th century. Indeed another part of what you quoted stated “...is quite possible that, according to canon 65 of the Council of Constantinople held in 691, this rite was established for the purpose of definitively supplanting the pagan feast of the new moon and causing it to pass into oblivion...”
So now we have evidence that holy water was used (granted for some other purpose than as part of a Mass but still) used almost 200 years before the 9th century! So now I guess you’ll suggest there were even more proto-egleone’s burned at the stake for decrying such heresy (again without any proof). For 1400 years instead of 1200. See, I knew this would be worth at least a chuckle for the both of us.
Then also, you conveniently omittted the portion of the encyclopedia article that clearly demonstrates it (the use of holy water) can be traced all the way back to the 5th century and maybe even before! But at least the 5th century. So let’s break out the abacus again, that’s now sixteen hundred years! That can be definitively known. Gee, getting pretty close to the time of Christ and His Apostles. Sure, 400 years to go, a long time to be sure, but a lot *less* time than you falsely implied and really, how many proto-egleones do we need to imagine before we simply give up to Occam and say, “hmm seems like pretty much the entire history of Christianity has this holy water stuff. Maybe there’s something to it more than my small imagination has informed me”.
Nah, it’s more comfortable to just believe what you want; also more fun to believe there were a ton of proto-egleones burned at the stake (for which again no historical evidence exists) all because they dared decry the use of holy water for 1600 years straight! Who knew holy water was so controversial? Not the Church fathers to be sure never see them battling it’s use anywhere in any writing ever. But let’s not let that fact get in our way; after all, egleone is here *now* to tell us what Christianity is all about, and what the Bible really says and doesn’t say.
We should all be thankful. And not burn him at the stake *this* time.