I want to ask humbly about the blessing of inanimate objects with holy water. I have learned in what I read that it is God who sanctifies the water and that it in turn blesses through the Holy Spirit. I wish to hear what God's word in the Scriptures says about this. Thank you. To God be the glory!

Thank you for your question. We use blessings in many different situations, eg, Grace Before and After Meals. The food is inanimate but we are thanking God the Creator for giving us life and the food to sustain it. We can also thank God for the many persons who have put the food on the table, eg, farmers, fishermen, the people who transported it, the persons who sold it and the cook(s).

When we bless things such as buildings, vehicles, etc, we are very deliberately acknowledging that everything is related to God. We are invoking God's blessing on the object and making a commitment to use it properly, for his glory and in the service of others. Holy water reminds us of the water of our baptism, of God as the source of the eternal life He offers us, won by the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, No 1078, says, 'Blessing is a divine and life-giving action, the source of which is the Father; his blessing is both word and gift. When applied to man, the word "blessing" means adoration and surrender to his Creator in thanksgiving'.

Ideally, a rite of blessing, especially a more formal one, should include a reading from the Bible. At the beginning of Mass the priest may bless water and then sprinkle the people with it, reminding them of their blessing. This replaces the Penitential Rite because it reminds us that in baptism we were cleansed of original sin. (Those baptized when they have reached the age of reason have all their personal sins absolved).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, No 2626, says, 'Blessing expresses the basic movement of Christian prayer: it is an encounter between God and man. In blessing, God's gift and man's acceptance of it are united in dialogue with each other. The prayer of blessing is man's response to God's gifts: because God blesses, the human heart can in return bless the One who is the source of every blessing'.

We find a reflection of this in the mano po. Here in the Visayas children often say 'Bless' when asking for it. They are asking for a blessing, but they are also giving a blessing to the person to whom they show this sign of respect.

When I was growing up in Ireland we always holy water by the front door of the house and would dip our hands in it when going out and coming in, making the Sign of the Cross. another reminder of our living relationship with God. I hope that this is helpful.