From the beginning, the Church has forbidden the sale of spiritual goods such as sacraments and blessings.
Such selling is called “simony” after a converted magician who wanted to “buy” the power of the Holy Spirit from the Apostles:
[W]hen Simon saw, that by the imposition of the hands of the apostles, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying: Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I shall lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said to him: Keep thy money to thyself, to perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
—Acts 8:18-20
Spiritual goods are a gift from God. They aren’t commodities.
Furthermore, to try and sell spiritual realities is to profane something that is sacred.
The Catechism sheds clear light on the matter:
To Simon the magician…St. Peter responded: “Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!” Peter thus held to the words of Jesus: “You received without pay, give without pay.” It is impossible to appropriate to oneself spiritual goods and behave toward them as their owner or master, for they have their source in God. One can receive them only from Him, without payment.
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2121
Simony is not just the sale of a gift—it is a lie that says, “This is mine, it belongs only to me,” stealing from God what is rightfully His. It profanes a sacred thing we should treat with reverence, reducing it to a common object. These are the reasons why Holy Water and other blessed items must never be sold.
It’s alright to design and make and sell a container that can be used to hold Holy Water—that’s not the same thing as selling Holy Water. (And the container isn’t blessed when it’s sold.)
It’s easy to obtain Holy Water freely from your parish—and a Della Robbia Madonna & Child Holy Water Font is the perfect place to keep it. Crafted in Della Robbia’s iconic carved-relief style and painted in lovely Marian colors, this font depicts the Blessed Mother and her Son, surrounded by the Father and His angels. Best hung by your busiest doorway so that you can bless yourself as you come and go. Available today at The Catholic Company!
