4Real Forums: question about holy water

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mary theresa
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Posted: March 16 2007 at 7:22pm \| IP Logged

My 1 year old spilled some Lourdes water. I wiped it up with a paper towel and went to throw it away . . . and then I wonder: CAN I do that?? Do I have to burn or bury it like with blessed rosaries and such? I'm not sure the rules for holy water!

I hope this isn't a silly question!

Thanks everyone!

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Mary Theresa
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JennGM
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Posted: March 17 2007 at 7:35pm \| IP Logged

It's not a silly question. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but since holy water will evaporate, it should be okay to throw away the paper towel. The paper towel (or whatever you use to clean up the water) doesn't become "blessed" because it's touched water. If you're uncomfortable, you could put the towel somewhere until it dries out, and then throw it away.

The difference being the rosaries and other articles do not evaporate or break down on their own, so require burning or burying.

I do have a question that perhaps someone else can answer. From what I understand, the water from Lourdes is water from the miraculous spring that Our Lady told Bernadette to find. It's through that water and Our Lady's intercession that many miracles of healing have occurred. BUT...Lourdes water isn't the same as blessed holy water from a priest. BUT...and here's my question...do priests bless the Lourdes water so it's distributed as Blessed Lourdes Holy Water? Does that make any sense?

The reason I ask is that was at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes which has a spigot from the spring, but in the chapel there is a container for blessed holy water from the spring.

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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM
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Posted: March 17 2007 at 7:57pm \| IP Logged

JennGM wrote:

I do have a question that perhaps someone else can answer. From what I understand, the water from Lourdes is water from the miraculous spring that Our Lady told Bernadette to find. It's through that water and Our Lady's intercession that many miracles of healing have occurred. BUT...Lourdes water isn't the same as blessed holy water from a priest. BUT...and here's my question...do priests bless the Lourdes water so it's distributed as Blessed Lourdes Holy Water? Does that make any sense?

The reason I ask is that was at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes which has a spigot from the spring, but in the chapel there is a container for blessed holy water from the spring.

I don't know if this will answer your question but hopefully does provide what you are looking for. Just a few weeks ago we visited the Lourdes Marian Center here in Denver. It is one of only two distribution centers of the Lourdes water in the US. Our tour guide specifically said that this is healing water and not holy water - it is not blessed by a priest for distribution. So any Lourdes water you get bottled would not have been blessed or be Holy water. Here is a link that somewhat addresses this question.

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JennGM
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Posted: March 17 2007 at 8:14pm \| IP Logged

MaryM wrote:

That's what I thought. So, to go back to the original question Mary Theresa, your Lourdes water isn't even Holy water, so it's definitel okay to throw the paper towel away.

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msclavel
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Posted: March 18 2007 at 7:48am \| IP Logged

When I was a kid I had a friend whose family had a big store of Lourdes water and when anyone got very sick in the house they would be given a sip. Don't know if that's good or bad.

mary theresa
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Posted: March 18 2007 at 8:20pm \| IP Logged

Thanks Jenn! I had saved the paper towel just in case, so it is totally dry now.

It's all dirty from my not-so-clean floor, so I am glad I don't have to keep it.

Maria,
I've heard of that too. Actually when I was a kid we would just get blessed with it when we were sick.

When I was in college I visited Lourdes. I drank from the spigots and washed my face in it. I even went into the bath houses where you strip naked and get to go into the pools up to your neck or even all the way if you want. I did momentarily wonder how sanitary that was, but mostly I was so moved and awed by the symbolism of bathing and touching and taking into your body this wonderful icy cleansing water -- and to me, no water has ever tasted so pure and crisp and clean. (Though it does get sediment in it when bottled sometimes -- at least what i brought back did.)
From what I saw in Lourdes -- hundreds of people who could not get enough of touching this water -- I imagine that drinking it when sick is a sign of faith in the miraculous and holy quality of the water and kind of a substitute for bathing in it.

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Mary Theresa
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