Lent - Day Seventeen - Monday

The television show Bones mentioned something disturbing the other day.  Last year, a study in Austria discovered that 80% of holy water tested from over 21 sites showed traces of fecal matter.  Now, on the surface, that seems fairly logical.  People don't wash their hands enough, and they certainly don't think about doing so before they go to church.  The 20% of holy water that did not test positive for fecal matter was from sites that replaced their fonts of holy water more often.

When you probe deeper, these finds raise a lot of questions about faith and miracles.  For over a thousand years people have attributed miracles to dipping their hands in, bathing in, and even drinking from these fonts.  Yet, it was a trail of illnesses that led the researchers to conduct their study.  So, what should I believe?

There is evidence to support both sides of the story.  Numerous cases of miracles have been traced to some of these holy sites and documented by people trained to distinguish faith from fraud.  At the same time, the scientific process has replicated experiments that show demonstrate how unhealthy the water can be.

Both can be true.  I really don't have the evidence or the background in theology to support either one nor to discount them either.  There is only one thing I know for certain: I'm still going to dip my hand in the holy water, but I'm going to wash before I eat.