In Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopal, Orthodox, Lutheran and increasingly other mainline Protestant churches, one of the first things encountered at the entrance of the sanctuary is a holy water or baptismal font.
Water is a basic symbol of life as well as a means of cleansing, or purification, and is of particular importance in the Old Testament. It was created on the first day and and is the major symbol of regeneration and incorporation into the family of God through baptism. As the author of the fourth century, Exposito Fidei (Exposition of Faith; probably St. Athanasius) says:
Water, then, is the most beautiful element and rich in usefulness, and purifies from all filth, and not only of the body but from that of the soul, if it should have received the grace of the Spirit (23:58-60)From the beginning of the Bible to the end water, which is mentioned 722 times, flows through the pages of scripture. Scripture is full of passages that link water to Gods creating, blessing and saving work. This alone shows the importance of water in our spiritual lives. As the sacrament of baptism is a first step of a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship, water reminds us of our continuing commitment to conversion.
The encounter with water as we we enter the Church for worship and reception of then holy Eucharist presents a perfect opportunity for an examination of conscience, a prayer for forgiveness of any conscious sin and for a renewal of our baptismal promises, rejecting and renouncing anything and everything that impedes the flow of God's grace in our lives and embracing the commandments to love God and others above all else.
When we cross ourselves with blessed water we are affirming something as surely as we do when we say Amen at the end of a prayer. We affirm that we belong, body, mind and spirit to God and we re-consecrate ourselves to God in an intentional way as we prepare to receive him in the Holy Eucharist.
We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water.
Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.
Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage
in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus
received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy
Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death
and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life.
We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are
buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his
resurrection and through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.
Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage
in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus
received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy
Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death
and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life.
We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are
buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his
resurrection and through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.
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