Healing power of holy water, blessed salt and Holy oil.

By: Shaila Touchton | April 12, 2017 Blessed oil and salt are sacramentals of the Catholic Church for use by lay people as they minister to others through prayer. Lay people bless with oil; priests and only priests, anoint with oil. The power in the oil and salt comes from the redemptive acts of Jesus through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. That power is elicited by prayers of intercession, and is then directed through the external signs of oil and salt. Neither sacramental should be used superstitiously as having self-contained power, but in combination with prayer. The sacramentals are focus points, funneling one's faith toward Jesus, like a flag is a focus for patriotism. A priest may use the official prayer from the Roman Ritual to bless oil and salt for lay people. How to use blessed oil Blessed oil may be used when praying over people for healing; to bless family members, homes, or objects. The prayer doesn't need to be complicated or fancy. Just ask the person what they would like prayers for, use the oil to make the sign of the cross on their forehead, and pray for God to honor the request. If the person doesn't wish to confide the intention, that's fine; God knows what is in their hearts. Don't worry about what to say or how to say it; the Lord wil guide you. You can pray in tongues, English or you can say an Our Father or Hail Mary; simply speak what is in your heart, the Holy Spirit will lead. You can end your prayer with an Amen, a Glory Be, or however the Lord inspiries you to close. It is possible to pray with someone who doesn't even believe in God, let alone His ability or willingness to heal, and see miraculous results. All prayers are subject to God's will; when we intercede for others our will is united with His. Oil symbolizes God's mercy and when used in anointing it is a visible embodiment of the grace of healing. Christians, therefore, often keep small bottles of holy oil in their icon corner and anoint themselves and others of their family with the sign of the Cross in holy oil. This anointing is usually done on the individual's forehead and is used for the same reasons for which holy water is used. Oil taken from oil lamps burning in holy places, where saints and holy persons are buried, and in front of miraculous icons is considered to be blessed by God and is used often by Orthodox Christians in the same manner as oil which has been blessed in a formal manner in church. Holy water and holy oil are both restorative and protective when they are used with faith and belief in the grace of the Holy Spirit that sanctified them. Guidelines Be sure anyone you pray with understands you are not offering or providing them the Sacrament of the Sick; the Sacrament can only be administered by a priest. Only pray over people who have asked for prayers, either directly or through firends or family members, and keep all names and information shared confidential. Don't act as a counselor, try to solve anyone's problems or dispense advice. Your ministry is to remain open to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and respond in obedience by sharing what He offers the person seeking healing. Please use the blessed oil, often, don't save it just for times of illness. Parents, grandparents or other primary care providers can bless the children in their lives daily; spouses can bless one another at any time, for any need. Use it on your homes, cars, pets, tools, anything you want the Lord to protect and bless. How to use blessed salt Blessed salt can be sprinkled in one's home, across thresholds and windowsills, around property lines, in cars, school lockers or work sites. It can be used on food and while cooking. As you spread the salt pray for the Lord's blessing and protection. The faith of the person using the salt must be Jesus-centered, like the faith of the blind man in John 9; his faith was in Jesus, not in the mud and spittle Jesus used to heal him. Blessed salt is not a new sacramental, but there is a new interest in it as an instrument of grace and healing. "The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26 Holy Water:THE DEVIL HATES IT Holy Water is a powerful spiritual armor in times of temptations. St. Teresa of Avila, whose temptations were as terrible as anyone’s, has left us these wise words of counsel: “I have found by experience that there is nothing from which the devils fly more quickly than from Holy Water. They also fly from the Cross, but they return almost immediately. Certainly, the power of Holy Water must be great; for my part, my soul feels particular comfort in taking it, and very generally a refreshment and interior delight which I cannot express.” Long before St. Teresa of Avila, Holy Water was a sacramental in the Catholic Church. Water, which as a symbol of purification held a high place in biblical times, has retained its rich symbolism. EARLY USE According to the Apostolic Constitutions, a document dating back well over 15 centuries, the use of Holy Water is attributed to a recommendation issued by St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. The lives of the saints are packed with instances of heavenly protection and blessing secured through the reverent use of Holy Water. KNEW IT FOR A GOOD THING The saints knew, as we know by faith, that Holy Water is sanctified by the blessing of the Church, that it benefits the faithful by obtaining actual grace and the remission of temporal punishment; that it is a most effective aid in all conflicts with the powers of Hell. A calm and reverent tracing of the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water upon oneself will often prove most helpful in subduing a temptation. IN THE HOME Take an empty bottle to the parish church, fill it with Holy Water and bring it back home for the spiritual and temporal protection of the family. It should not be tucked away in a remote corner but be made available to all. Holy Water is a sacramental that helps us to be sorry for our sin. Because of the blessing attached to it, the Holy Church strongly urges its use upon Her children; especially when dangers threaten such as fire, storms, sickness and other calamities. Every home should always have a supply of Holy Water in it. Holy Water has its great power and efficacy from the prayers of the Church which its Divine Founder always accepts with readiness. THESE ARE SOME OF THE PETITIONS THE PRIEST MAKES TO GOD WHEN HE BLESSES WATER May this, your creature, become an agent of divine grace in the service of your mysteries, to drive away evil spirits and dispel sickness, so that everything in the homes and other places where your faithful gather that are sprinkled with this water may be freed of all uncleanness and delivered from every harm (Let no breath of infection, no disease bearing air remain in these places). May the wiles of the lurking enemy prove of no avail. Let whatever might menace the safety and peace of those who live here be put to flight by the sprinkling of this water so that the health obtained by calling on your Holy Name may be made secure against all attack. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. DISPOSES US TO BE SORRY FOR OUR SINS Because Holy Water is one of the Church’s sacramentals, it disposes us to be sorry for our sin. Keep your soul beautifully pure in God’ sight by making the Sign of the Cross reverently while saying: “By this Holy Water and by Thy Precious Blood wash away all my sins, O Lord.” DISPELS THE DEVIL 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. In case after case of possession, both exorcist and onlookers are in complete agreement on this particular point: it is impossible to sprinkle Holy Water on any man or woman in a state of possession without deadly effect on the possessing spirit. “You are burning me, you are burning me!” he cries. There is thus an active power in the Holy Water which cancels out hidden demonic activities. DO YOUR DEAR ONES LIVE AT A DISTANCE? Holy Water, sprinkled with faith and piety, can move the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to bless your loved ones and protect them from all harm of soul and body. When worry and fear take possession of your heart, hasten to your Holy Water font, and give your dear ones the benefit of the Church’s prayers. THE HOLY SOULS LONG FOR IT Only in Purgatory can one understand ardently the poor souls longing for Holy Water. If we desire to make a host of intercessors for ourselves, let us try to realize now some of their yearnings, and never forget them at the Holy Water font. When sprinkling Holy Water for your loved ones, your friends, etc., do not forget the priests, especially those of your own parish, who have served the sacraments and holy masses. In gratitude, you should give them sprinkling of Holy Water several times daily and have Masses offered up for the repose of their souls. Sprinkle a few drops of Holy Water and pray fervently: “O God, in Your Mercy multiply these drops into as many drops of Holy Water as there are souls in Purgatory, and allow them not to fear the pains of Purgatory, as long as the moisture of Holy Water is present.” WHAT SOME PARENTS DO Some parents make it a regular routine to sprinkle their sleeping children with Holy Water. Others install Holy Water fonts in all the bedrooms and encourage all the members of the family to bless themselves, morning and night and during the day. Whenever the faithful make the Sign of the Cross devoutly with Holy Water and pray: “ In the Name of the Father, etc.” they gain a partial indulgence. Category: Healing and Deliverance Tags: Healing power of holy water, blessed salt and Holy oil