Holy Water

[Akathist]

Could someone tell me more about Holy Water?

What is its use and benefits?

How does one obtain it?

What can catachumen's do with Holy Water (if anything.)

 

[ExOrienteLux]

I've been wondering some of these same things, Thorny. I'll be eagerly awaiting an answer...

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

Drink, clean, bless, annoint. Get it from priest.

 

[Akathist]

Drink, clean, bless, annoint. Get it from priest.

Ok, drink it with my morning orange juice? Add vinegar to it and wash my windows?

I think you might want to elaborate on this.

(I seriously doubt that you do any of the two things I listed above with Holy Water. But when someone asks a question, it would be nice to get an answer that really answers the question instead of something so cryptic.)

 

[Rilian]

Here's an article thorny. Holy Water. I think normally holy water is blessed during the Feast of the Theophany and people will bring bottles to church to take home for use during the year. I believe the same water is used for house blessings. Father also sprinkled holy water on our flowers and herbs during the Feast of the Dormition last week.

I just finished a small book about St. Herman of Alaska last night and it says there is a spring on Spruce Island where he lived that is considered holy.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

Drink It in the morning after prayers before breakfast, Clean Icons, Clean wounds, Annoint sick, & babies. There is usually a stash of holy water at the Church just ask if you may get some.

 

[ExOrienteLux]

Is there usually a problem with catechumens or soon-to-be-catechumens wanting some?

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

Is there usually a problem with catechumens or soon-to-be-catechumens wanting some?

Not that I know of.

 

[Hunter3000]

Something to add, it never goes bad either (in the same way our bodies have our souls in them, Holy Water has the Holy Spirit )... I have Holy Water at home that I have had for over like over 20 years or so... in regular water, distilled water after longer periods, bacteria starts to grow but never in Holy Water. Try it leave a bottle of (Orthodox) Holy Water in a corner of a cupboard for 40, 50 years and come back and take a peek. I know such people that have done this.

 

[vanshan]

A friend of mine said that he heard it is okay to add your own water to a bottle of holy water as long as some of the blessed water remains to mix with what is added. Has anyone else ever heard this?

Basil

 

[Matrona]

A friend of mine said that he heard it is okay to add your own water to a bottle of holy water as long as some of the blessed water remains to mix with what is added. Has anyone else ever heard this?

Basil

Yep.

My holy water gets dust in it sometimes. I wonder if this is normal or a problem with the container I use?

 

[prodromos]

Something to add, it never goes bad either

The same with antidoron, the bread that is blessed by the priest but not used for the Eucharist. It dries out and goes hard as a rock over time but it never goes mouldy.

The blessing of the water happens on the 1st of every month, but in parishes where they do not have regular weekday services, it may be on the first Sunday of each month.

When you collect your antidoron from the priest at the end of Divine Liturgy, take it home and cut it into small cubes so that every morning the first thing that enters your mouth is a sip of Holy water and a piece of blessed bread.

John.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

^ I have seen green rock hard antidoron.

 

[prodromos]

^ I have seen green rock hard antidoron.

Are you sure it wasn't just Prosphora, the bread before it has been blessed? If too much bread is brought, they don't always bless all of it but only as much as is needed. The excess unblessed prosphora is usually given away to whoever wants it. I've seen prosphora go green (and hairy) after just a few days, but I've never seen green antidoron.

John.

 

[Hunter3000]

“I have seen green rock hard antidoron”

Anything goes vile, with out Love, Faith in and Fear of the Lord God. This applies to us as well as Holy Water and Antidoro…

As I wrote, this applies to us: if we go to receive Holy Communion without a broken, humbled heart and spirit we condemn ourselves…

Forgive me, a sinner, for bragging about my faith earlier (my faith is weak, pray for me all of you who have more Faith than I). I bragged that I had Holy Water from over 20 years. I am not denying my previous words but I am asking you all for the forgiveness of my sin of pride.

In Christ’s Love and forgiveness,
George

 

[Matrona]

Are you sure it wasn't just Prosphora, the bread before it has been blessed? If too much bread is brought, they don't always bless all of it but only as much as is needed. The excess unblessed prosphora is usually given away to whoever wants it. I've seen prosphora go green (and hairy) after just a few days, but I've never seen green antidoron.

I've seen green and hairy antidoron... and yes, it was definitely blessed, the parish it came from uses one loaf of prosphora per liturgy.

Heck, I have a friend who says he once looked in a tabernacle and the Eucharist inside was moldy.

 

[Stone_Lock_Comanche]

It might have been prosphora, I am not certain.

 

[Father Rick]

Heck, I have a friend who says he once looked in a tabernacle and the Eucharist inside was moldy.

YUCK!!

Why would the priest leave it there that long? I am assuming the EO's are like the OC's in that we deliberately bless enough to have some reserve for hospital visits, etc. so I fully understand having some in the tabernacle, but why would the priest not ensure that it was used before that long? Had it been there a couple of weeks?


Sorry for the intrusion guys... I guess the thought of a moldy tabernacle just got to me...

 

[Matrona]

YUCK!!

Why would the priest leave it there that long?

The Orthodox have a special liturgy on the morning of Holy Thursday where most of the Eucharist consecrated that day is placed in the tabernacle (the rest is distributed among the faithful as usual). The reserve sacrament stays there all year until the next Holy Wednesday when the priest consumes whatever is left. Then the next morning, special liturgy again to consecrate more.

 

[Father Rick]

The Orthodox have a special liturgy on the morning of Holy Thursday where most of the Eucharist consecrated that day is placed in the tabernacle (the rest is distributed among the faithful as usual). The reserve sacrament stays there all year until the next Holy Wednesday when the priest consumes whatever is left. Then the next morning, special liturgy again to consecrate more.

So you are using the same reserve for the entire year then? Well that does make a little more sense as to it getting moldy.

I guess the priest just gets a good dose of penicillin every year during Holy Week .