Exorcism

If you thought only the Vatican did exorcisms, think again.

Last week, our after-school routine slowly imploded.  By Thursday the wheels had come off and no one was being nice to one another.  I knew it was particularly bad when I heard Will come running downstairs and then saw him wiping water from his head.  “That’s weird,” I thought.

That’s when Anna-Laura rounded the corner with a half-empty bottle of Holy Water.

Her defense?  “Will was being so mean so I threw this water on him.”

Instead of busting out laughing (which I really wanted to do by the way), I used it as a catechetical moment and shared with Anna-Laura that no matter how well intentioned you are about pouring Holy Water on a sibling, that’s not an appropriate use.  We should dispose of the water in a living thing, like a plant or the grass.  The water is a reminder of our baptism and should not to be used as a tool for an exorcism.

I’m hoping that God got a good chuckle, too.  As Steve Martin says, “Funny, but wrong.”