Is a portion of Holy-water (10 oz) diluted to 1 lr of plain unblessed water still be consider as Holy-Water?

-- james (james@intacon.com.my), August 17, 2004

Answers

I don't see why not. Our parish priest made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land several years ago and brought back a bottle of water from the Jordan River. Ever since, he has mixed a few drops of it with the water for each baptism he does, to show that the baptised person shares in the baptism Jesus made in the Jordan.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), August 17, 2004.

I could be wrong. From what I know, the baptism Jesus had was not a christian baptism. It was just a "meta-noia" - conversion call by John the Baptist to the people of God to repent and change their mind into accepting God's Love for them.

-- Anthony Yong (anthony.yong@gtech.com), August 18, 2004.

No.

-- tony c (casimir25@lycos.com), August 18, 2004.

I think Anthony may be right:

CCC 720 Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of "the divine likeness," prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth.

I read this that Christian baptism is a "new birth" and that John's baptism was a prefigure of this with the baptism for "repentance" only. Correct me if I'm wrong.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), August 18, 2004.

Yes, John was baptizing before Christ began His public ministry, and therefore before Christ had instituted any of the sacraments of His Church, including sacramental baptism.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), August 18, 2004.

Tony C, would you care to give any reason for your answer?

If John’s baptism was for repentance, why did Jesus undergo it? He didn’t have any sin to repent.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), August 18, 2004.

looking at My ''BUMP'

If John’s baptism was for repentance, why did Jesus undergo it? He didn’t have any sin to repent.

-- james (james_how1@YAHOO.com), August 31, 2004.

He did it for the same reason He washed the disciples' feet - to give us an example of what we need to do. Jesus wasn't one of those teachers who "Lords it over them" and commands them to "do as I say, not as I do". Rather, He was one "who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:6-7)

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), August 31, 2004.