Water

Dear Catholic Exchange:

Ms. Solano

Dear Ms. Solano,

The Scriptural imagery demonstrates an appreciation for the symbolism of water. The fact that Palestine is a dry and arid land made water a rare and especially valued resource. The Bible makes frequent mention of pools and cisterns, reservoirs for collecting and storing water. It was a source of contention as well as a source of refreshment — it was customary to always offer water to the traveler.

There are numerous images involving water throughout the Scriptures. Water is used to symbolize purification: it was used in religious ablutions of the Jews and became the symbolism of baptism. It is the symbol of life and salvation: four rivers flow out of the garden of Eden; Yahweh provides the Israelites with water in the desert; those who feel separated from Yahweh describe the experience as like an arid desert; whereas the one who allows Yahweh to guide him experiences still and living water; both the Old and New Testament speak of God as the source of Living Water; etc. God’s saving action is frequently compared with water, as well as his compassionate care. It is recognized as a powerful and destructive force, as well as a source of regeneration; it symbolizes personal distress, accompanied by God’s deliverance (cf. McKenzie, John L., S.J., Dictionary of the Bible, “Water,” New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1965, p. 921-22).

You specifically inquired about the symbolism of water as it appears in Luke 7:37-50. In this passage we find the sinful woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and anointing them with oil. Water, as it appears in this passage in the form of tears, represents the woman’s repentance, as well as the expression of her love in response to having experienced Jesus’ forgiveness and love (cf. Catechism, no. 1441, 2616, 2712). A commentary on Scripture says of the woman in this scene that:

“She comes in to seek Jesus and render him this act of reverence and affection. Why? Presumably,…because she is one of those who have ‘justified God’ in recognizing Jesus as God’s minister for her salvation. She manifests the penance to which he calls sinners; cf. 5:32…. The application of the parable is certainly that love is consequent on forgiveness…. Note what is claimed here in a veiled manner: she was a sinner, Jesus declares her sins have been forgiven, the love she feels in return is shown to Jesus” [Orchard, Dom Bernard, M.A. (Ed.), A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1953, p.950].

The rich symbolism associated with water translates easily into the Liturgy. Please refer to our Faith Fact on Signs and Symbols, which contains a paragraph on the sign of holy water. Water is a commonly used symbol in the Catholic Church. From the Book of Blessings, we find a brief summation of the sign and efficacy of holy water:

“On the basis of age-old custom, water is one of the signs that the Church often uses in blessing the faithful. Holy water reminds the faithful of Christ, who is given to us as the supreme divine blessing, who called himself the living water, and who in water established baptism for our sake as the sacramental sign of the blessing that brings salvation” (Book of Blessings, International Commission on English in the Liturgy, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1989, 519).

Christians, deeply aware that water was life-giving for the natural world, adopted this sign for use in sacramental rites and in Baptism. The ceremonial blessing of water began in the eight century in the Carolinian Empire. Its purpose was to remind the faithful of their Baptism and the special relation their Baptism had with the weekly celebration of the Resurrection (Sunday). Later, in the ninth century, many bishops began to use holy water to sprinkle on the faithful before Mass, to remind them of their Baptism. Within a century, Rome accepted the practice for the universal Church. Eventually the sign of sprinkling water, became a blessing with holy water, whereby the recipient of this blessing was believed to be preserved from harm and evil. The faithful were permitted to take this water home with them to keep themselves blessed and protected.

Today, holy water is still used in Baptism, in the fonts of the vestibule, and in various blessings on persons and objects, with a similar signification it had when it first came into use.

In addition to its natural efficacy, water also served as a reminder of Christ and of the unity of His two natures. It came to be used for the consecration within the Mass, mingled with wine, in continuation of the Jewish custom where water was taken with wine. The mixture of the water and the blood at Mass, reminds the faithful of the water and blood that came from Christ’s side on the Cross.

As a symbol of the two natures of Christ, the water symbolizes His human nature while the wine symbolizes His divine nature. Their being mixed represents Christ’s taking on a human nature at the Incarnation (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 461-63). In the order of the Mass section of the Sacramentary (also known as The Roman Missal), the Church provides:

“The deacon (or the priest) pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying inaudibly: By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

The prayer conveys that we are divinized, i.e., partake of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), when we receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is made present on the altar through the transubstantiation of the bread and wine used at Mass (cf. Catechism, no. 1376). Our first partaking of the divine nature, of course, takes place at Baptism.

For more information on the symbolic use of water, you may wish to read numbers 694, 1214, and 1217 of the Catechism. The Catholic Encyclopedia also provides two articles on “Holy Water” and the “Liturgical Use of Water” which you may find helpful.

United in the Faith,

Kathleen Rohan

Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

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Steubenville, OH 43952

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