Holy Water SHOULD REMAIN During Lent - Defending the Faith During Lent (DFDL)

As lent approaches we will come under SERIOUS attack... and when I mean serious, I mean serious. And it wont be from the Devil... well it will, but we will also face attacks from...

...wait for it...



...INSIDE THE CATHOLIC FAITH! Now... before you call me a blasphemer, let me explain:

During lent, there are all sorts of ridiculous practices that churches have conjured up over the last 40 years. [That is not a random number :) - think about it.] Everything from removing the Holy water from the church, to puppet show passion plays, to washing the feet of women. I will try and write about these BEFORE they come up, so that you can do the proper thing to prevent/fix/educated those in charge.

Now my disclaimer is this: DO NOT WRITE PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE EMAILS TO YOUR PRIEST! Also be charitable, loving, and kind. We should always attempt to be part of the solution and not the problem. So before you go sending an email (or other time of communication), pray. Then write your email, don't send it, save it - now pray again. Then, re-read your email - and pray. Then... and only then if you think it is the correct thing to send such a correspondence is it then OK to send.

Now as for the Holy water question. Father Z. writes about it over at WDTPRS. You can read his take here: Holy Water During Lent - WDTPRS?

This is a letter from the Vatican that Fr. Z. posted:

Any way… This is a response from the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments about this question. Enjoy. 
The emphases are Fr. Z's: 
Prot. N. 569/00/L
March 14, 2000

Dear Father:

This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter sent by fax in which you ask whether it is in accord with liturgical law to remove the Holy Water from the fonts for the duration of the season of Lent.
This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being praeter legem is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.

2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the [sic] of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church. The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

Hoping that this resolves the question and with every good wish and kind regard, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

[signed]

Mons. Mario Marini [Later the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, now sadly deceased.]

Undersecretary

So you see... we are not supposed to do it. Father Z. sums it up as only he can:

Holy Water is a power weapon of the spiritual life against the attacks of the devil. 

You do believe in the existence of the Enemy, ... right? 

You know you are a soldier and pilgrim in a dangerous world, ... right? 

So why… why… why would these liturgists and priests REMOVE a tool of spiritual warfare precisely during the season of LENT when we need it the most?? 

Holy water is a sacramental. 

It is for our benefit. 

It is not a toy, or something to be abstained from, like chocolate or television.

So remember to use Holy water always....ALWAYS!

Posted by: Joe