Blessed water in the church. Orthodox faith - holy water-alf

Holy water is water that is ordinary in composition and original origin (well, spring, lake, river, tap), miraculously acquiring sanctifying (graceful) and healing properties after performing a special prayer service called water blessing.

All our lives there is a great shrine next to us - holy water (in Greek “agiasma” - “shrine”). We first plunge into it at Baptism, when, upon receiving this Sacrament, we are immersed three times in a font filled with holy water. Holy water in the SacramentBaptism washes away the sinful impurities of a person, renews and revives him in new life in Christ.

Holy water is necessarily present during the consecration of churches and all objects used in worship, during the consecration of residential buildings, buildings, and any household item. We are sprinkled with holy water on religious processions, during prayer services.

Blessing of water or blessing of water, there is a small one performed at any time at the water prayer service, and a great one. The Great Blessing of Water takes place twice a year - on the very day of Epiphany, and also on the eve, on the eve of Epiphany (Epiphany Eve). On Christmas Eve and on the very day of the feast of Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord), the same rite is performed during the blessing of water.

Epiphany water is a shrine that should be in the home of every Orthodox Christian. Holy Epiphany water It is customary to consume on an empty stomach together with prosphora after the morning meal. prayer rule with special reverence as a shrine.
“Consecrated water,” as St. Demetrius of Kherson wrote, “has the power to sanctify the souls and bodies of all who use it.” She, accepted with faith and prayer, heals our bodily illnesses. Venerable Seraphim After confession of pilgrims, Sarovsky always gave them a cup of holy Epiphany water to drink from.

Reverend Seraphim Vyritsky always advised sprinkling food and the food itself with Jordanian (baptismal) water, which, in his words, “itself sanctifies everything.” When someone was very sick, Rev. Seraphim blessed to take a tablespoon of consecrated water every hour. He said that there is no stronger medicine than holy water and blessed oil.

It is important to know that swimming in consecrated reservoirs is only a tradition; it does not bring any cleansing from sins and is not a substitute for the Sacrament of Repentance (Confession). In days church holidays Christians try to participate in divine services and the main Sacrament of the Church - Holy Communion.

There is no need to stock up large containers of holy water: when it runs out, just add regular water to it. clean water, which will be sanctified by the existing Epiphany.

The Great Hagiasma, according to church canons, is considered as a kind of lower degree of Holy Communion: in those cases when, due to sins committed, a member of the Church is subject to penance and a ban on approaching the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the usual canonical reservation is made: “Let him drink the agiasma.”

The claims that holy water acquires its properties thanks to silver ions from a silver cross, which the priest immerses in water during the Rite of Blessing the Water, seem naive. There is even this joke about this:
“How many silver ions are contained in a liter of consecrated Epiphany water, if the consecration was carried out in an ice hole cut out in the ice of the Volga (as was usually the case before the revolution and is practiced today), in a place where the river’s width reaches a kilometer, depth - ten meters, flow speed - 5 km/hour, and the cross with which the village priest blessed the water is wooden?”

The consecration of water in the Sacrament of Baptism is generally performed simply by the hand of the priest. And yet, this water has all the properties that holy water should have.

IN Orthodox Church holy water has the widest application as a source God's grace in the mysterious sanctification of everyone and everything. Thus, newborn babies (or unbaptized adults) through baptism in water are freed from original sin and are united with Christ, becoming a new creation. A person dies, his remains and his final abode - the coffin - are sprinkled with holy water as a farewell to eternity, as is his resting place - the cemetery.

When someone goes on a journey, he is blessed by sprinkling with holy water. Before starting the teaching, the youths are sprinkled with holy water. Both the foundation of the house and the person’s dwelling itself are certainly sanctified with holy water. In the church, everything that has sacred use is necessarily sanctified through sprinkling with holy water, just like the temple itself at its foundation, at the completion of its construction, and constantly on special days and holidays of the year.

Thus, in the temple, everything belonging to the altar and the altar servers is blessed with holy water - the throne, the altar, the antimension, service vessels, crosses, Gospels, altar clothes, clergy vestments, etc. All are also sanctified sacred objects– icons, crosses, banners, reliquaries, bells, etc.

It is difficult to find something that would be so necessary for people in their earthly life and constitute such an urgent need as bread and water. Bread is the simplest and natural food for humans, supporting and strengthening their strength. A person uses water to quench thirst and prepare food, and washes the body and things it uses with it.

These two essential substances for a person in his physical life turn out to be integral elements for him in his spiritual life. Bread, consisting of many grains, personifies the Church - One with the plurality of its members. Bread serves the greatest Sacrament - Holy Communion.

By consecrating water, the Church returns water element primitive purity and holiness, by the power of prayer and the Word of God, brings down the blessing of the Lord onto the water. Blessed water is an image of God's grace: it cleanses believers from spiritual impurities, sanctifies and strengthens them for the feat of salvation in God, extinguishes the flames of passions, and drives away evil spirits.

Therefore, holy water is necessarily present during the consecration of temples and all objects used in worship, during the consecration of residential buildings, buildings, and any household item. Believers are sprinkled with holy water during religious processions and prayer services.

PRAYER FOR ACCEPTING PROSPORA AND HOLY WATER

Lord my God, may Thy holy gift be: prosphora and Thy holy water for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities according to Thy infinite mercy prayers of the Most Pure One Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

ABC of Faith

There are two types of consecration of water - great consecration and small.

When does the great blessing of water occur?

The Great Blessing of Water occurs only twice a year. On the day of Epiphany Christmas Eve (January 18) and on the Epiphany itself (January 19). The Blessing of Water on Christmas Eve takes place in the morning after the end of the liturgy, and the rite of the Great Hagiasma for Epiphany is carried out either on the night of the 19th, or in the morning of the same date, but always after the festive liturgy.

When does a small blessing of water occur?

Small blessings of water occur several times a year. So, on light () Easter water is blessed. It's happening Easter week when the Church celebrates the memory of the Mother of God the Life-Giving Spring.

The Small Blessing of Water is considered obligatory on the Feast of the Holy Cross of the Lord (August 14) and Mid-Pentecost (25 days after Easter)

In some churches, the rite of blessing water can be carried out on patronal holidays or on days of remembrance of revered saints (for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker). There is also the practice of small blessing of water on the day, the solemn consecration of the entire temple.

There is a tradition water blessing prayers at miraculous springs and springs. This happens on the days of remembrance of revered saints and icons of the Mother of God.

On other days, the blessing of water in the temple can also be observed. Believers can

The candidate of theology, teacher of comparative liturgics at St. Petersburg, cleric of St. Nicholas of the Epiphany talks about the theological meaning and history of the origin of the rite of consecration of water. naval cathedral in St. Petersburg, Protodeacon Konstantin MARKOVICH.

Birth of a tradition

The consecration of water is not one of the seven most important church sacraments, but undoubtedly has a mysterious, sacramental character. In other words, during prayer and liturgical action, the sanctifying and transforming grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the water invisibly, but quite realistically. The ancient prayer for the consecration of water (8th century) says: “Lord Almighty, Creator of water, creator of everything, who fills everything and transforms everything, change, transform and sanctify water and make it a force against every enemy attack and honor those who use it for drinking, washing and sprinkling, for the health of soul and body, to remove all suffering and all disease.” The fall of Adam and Eve resulted in damage and distortion of the nature of not only humanity, but also the entire created world (Genesis 3:17). Christ the New Adam restores, heals and revives human nature, and with it the entire universe (see Rom. 8:21). The liturgical rite of water marks the transformation of the world, first of all its main element - water, “by the power, action and influx of the Holy Spirit”, its return to its original state.

In the Orthodox Church there are three rites of consecration of water: 1) consecration of water in the rite of the sacrament of holy baptism; 2) The Great Blessing of Water, which takes place on the feast of the Epiphany (Baptism) of the Lord Jesus Christ; 3) Small consecration of water, performed throughout the year.

A person’s spiritual life begins in the water of holy baptism. Christ, in a conversation with Nicodemus, said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). In the sacrament of holy baptism, through triple immersion in water, a person is cleansed of original sin, of all sins committed personally before baptism, and enters into a new life with Triune God in His Church.

IN liturgical rite The sacrament of baptism includes a special prayer for the consecration of the water in which the sacrament will be performed. Like the waters of the Jordan River, sanctified by the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ in them and the appearance of the Holy Trinity, the water of holy baptism acquires special properties, imparted to her by the Holy Spirit in response to the prayer of the Church - the ability to wash away spiritual impurity and be “the all-destroying demon,” that is, to reflect the actions of the devil.

However, even at the dawn of the history of the Church, a tradition arose of consecrating water for purposes not related to the sacrament of baptism. The most ancient prayers for the consecration of water, which have reached our time, are contained in the “Euchology” of St. Serapion of Tmuite (Egypt, IV century), and the monument of Syrian origin “Testamentum Domini” (V-VI centuries) contains prayers for the consecration of water and oil for the sick, which was committed for Divine Liturgy. The prayer “Great art thou, Lord, and wonderful are thy works,” which is included in the rite of blessing water for Epiphany, performed in our time, and was composed no later than the 8th century. According to legend, the current liturgical rite of the Great Blessing of Water was compiled by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (about 560-638).

Rite of Consecration

Great Blessing of Water church charter performed twice: on the day of eternity ( Epiphany Christmas Eve) and on the day of the holiday itself, in conjunction with the Divine Liturgy. Contrary to popular belief, there is no difference in the “graceful power” between the water blessed on one day or another. Firstly, water is blessed according to the same liturgical rite. Secondly, initially the consecration of water took place precisely on the eve of the holiday, as evidenced by St. John Chrysostom, as well as the Typikon. The double blessing of water became a practice of the Orthodox Church after the 12th century.

After the prayer behind the pulpit, the clergy leaves the altar to the prepared vessels with water or, if the consecration is performed outside the church, with a procession of the cross they go to the reservoir where the consecration will take place. The choir or people sing stichera (special chants) “The voice of the Lord cries on the waters...”. Incense is performed, which symbolizes the universal prayer that the Church lifts up to the throne of God (see Rev. 8: 3). After the end of the singing of the stichera, three paremias (excerpts) from the book of the prophet Isaiah are read, in which the coming of the Lord to earth and the abundance of grace-filled gifts bestowed on man are announced. This is followed by the prokeimenon “The Lord is my Enlightenment and My Savior, whom I will fear”, a reading from the First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (10: 1-4) and a reading from the Gospel of Mark (1: 9-11), which tells about the Baptism Savior.
Next, the deacon reads the Great Litany with special requests about “being sanctified by these waters by the power and action and influx of the Holy Spirit”, about giving the water “the blessing of the Jordan”, about giving it grace “for the healing of mental and physical infirmities”, “for driving away all slander of visible and invisible enemies”, for “sanctification houses and for all benefits." At the end of the litany, the priest publicly reads the prayer “Great art thou, Lord, and wonderful are thy works.” It is significant that both some of the forgiveness from the litany, as well as the text of the prayer itself, up to the words “Thou, O Thou who lovest the King, come now by the influx of Thy Holy Spirit, and sanctify this water,” are identical to the corresponding petitions and prayer from the rite of baptism. This indicates that the sacrament of baptism and the rite of the Epiphany consecration of water have a genetic connection, and the prayer of the Epiphany consecration of water itself is a later processing of the prayer from the rite of the sacrament of baptism. In addition, there is another important similarity between the baptismal consecration of water and the Epiphany consecration, which was emphasized by Protopresbyter I. Meyendorff: “ Byzantine rite Baptism inherited from Christian antiquity a strong primordial emphasis on exorcism. The conscious rejection of Satan, the sacramental expulsion of the forces of evil from the soul of the baptized person implied a transition from slavery under the authority of the “prince of this world” to freedom in Christ. Liturgical exorcisms, however, did not only refer to demonic forces controlling human soul. The “Great Blessing of Water” on the feast of Epiphany cleanses the cosmos from demons, the fundamental principle of which, water, is seen as a refuge for “hidden evil spirits.”

After the end of the prayer, the priest immerses the cross in water three times while singing the troparion “I am baptized in the Jordan, Lord...” and after that sprinkles the people with holy water. At the end of the sprinkling, the choir sings the stichera “Let us sing, O faithful, the majesty of God’s good deeds for us... Let us therefore draw water with joy, brethren: for the grace of the Spirit is invisibly given to those who faithfully draw from Christ God, and the Savior of our souls.”

The minor consecration of water, according to the charter of the Orthodox Church, is performed on the feasts of Mid-Pentecost, Origin (death) honest trees life-giving cross of the Lord (August 1/14 - that’s why sometimes this rite is also called the “August consecration”). The minor consecration of water is also supposed to be done on the days patronal feasts, before the consecration of the temple, as well as at any time when the clergy and church people has a need for holy water.

What are the benefits of holy water? This is the most common and universal method to fight negativity and heal from mental and physical wounds. Believers drink water every day; it helps them think only about good things, displaces unfavorable thoughts, and protects them from fears and other worries. Of course, it’s best to go to church and bless the water there, but what if you want to do this process yourself? The only thing that should always be there during sanctification is unshakable faith in God. This article will be about how to properly bless water at home, and what power it has.

How to sanctify water at home yourself?

The first thing you need is a large jar, preferably a three-liter one. You need to fill it with plain water and let the liquid sit in it for a while. Now, you should read over the filled jar special prayers, holding your hands in the water, and cross it three times.

“Great God, work miracles, they are countless! Come to Your praying servant, Master: eat Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water, and give it the grace of deliverance and the blessing of the Jordan: create a source of incorruptibility, a gift of sanctification, resolution of sin, healing of ailments, destruction by demons, unapproachable to opposing forces, filled with angelic strength : as if everyone who draws from it and receives from it has it for the cleansing of the soul and body, for healing harm, for the change of passions, for the remission of sins, for the driving away of all evil, for the sprinkling and consecration of houses and for all similar benefits. And if there is anything in the house, or in the place of those living faithfully, this water will sprinkle this water, so that all uncleanness will be washed away, and it will deliver from all harm; below there, let a destructive spirit settle down; below, let the harmful air flee; There is a hedgehog, either it envies the health of the living, or peace, by sprinkling this water, let it be reflected. For let your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, be blessed and glorified, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."

Those who are wondering whether it is possible to bless water at home now know the answer and should not be afraid to carry out such a ritual. It is not at all necessary to go to church for Father to do this. If you believe in God, often attend church and read prayers, then you will not have any problems with how to bless the water yourself.

What is the power of holy water?

There is much evidence that God exists. Icons that stream myrrh, crosses that appear in the sky, miraculous healings, holy fire, which you can touch. But another fact is holy water. This is not just a liquid in a vessel, it is water that can be stored for years without getting dirty.

Believers say correctly that this is something inexplicable, because it has properties that are beyond the control of the mind. It can be used to consecrate houses, drive out evil spirits, and perform baptismal rituals. Holy water is a universal remedy that can do everything. Those who perform the consecration ritual on their own for the first time should drink holy water and give it to everyone who lives in the apartment to drink. It will be good if the apartment is blessed with water from the same jar. But for this you need to prepare the apartment:

1. Be sure to do a thorough cleaning of your home.
2. Wash each corner several times.
3. And only then take a rag, moisten it with holy water and wipe the corners with it.

But this is not all the miracles that holy water can perform. It is worth drinking consecrated water as often as possible if you think that damage, the evil eye or a conspiracy are near you. The power is that the sacred liquid can cure, just drink it. It can be the best “pill” if something really hurts.

What is the difference between Epiphany water and holy water?

Epiphany water is blessed on a special day, namely Christmas Eve, January 19. Also, this day is called the Feast of the Great Blessing of Water. People line up for this water, because it is considered the most powerful and healing. But an interesting fact is that even the doctors themselves do not deny the magical properties of Epiphany water - and this is surprising. It turns out that the source, consecrated on January 19 right on Christmas Eve, is literally considered a miracle of the Lord God. You need to wash your face with this water and drink it on an empty stomach. There have been cases when, inexplicably, just a couple of drops brought people out of a deep coma.

How to properly consecrate baptismal water? Most best way do this - come with the whole family to Epiphany bathing to the ice hole and after the words of Father, who dipped grand cross into water, fill several bottles with it. After this, the house should be blessed with the freshest and purest source.

Holy water is a slightly different concept. If you can baptize it yourself, while at home and read a prayer, then you cannot consecrate baptismal water at home. The period of action plays a role here. You can choose any day for holy water, but only January 19 for Epiphany water. Another difference is that during the consecration they read different prayers. So, Epiphany water is much stronger and more powerful than holy water. This is their difference.

The best place to store jars of water is a corner with icons. This area is considered the cleanest. Also, you should always cover filled jars with lids. If blessed water runs out, you can just pour it into it ordinary water, which also becomes a saint.

Real examples of healing

Believers already know that there are many phenomena that are simply impossible to call “coincidence.” Many are amazed at how a seemingly ordinary liquid can treat any disease, remove damage and much more. After these examples that occurred in real life, I want to believe in the Lord God even more.

Example 1

In 1872 a miracle happened. A girl named Maria fell ill with an incomprehensible disease that no one knew about. Her vocal cords failed and she could not speak. And after a while, the girl began to behave like a raging person: she destroyed everything that came to her hand, danced and fought in fits. During her illness, Maria lost a lot of weight and literally looked like a living skeleton. Doctors were poring over her, trying to do everything possible to somehow help the poor girl. Everything was unsuccessful.

Realizing that she needed to somehow fight the demons in Mary’s head, her family took her to the holy spring of Fr. Seraphim. Before bathing, the girl went wild and went on a rampage with such force that many strong men They couldn’t hold her, but as soon as Maria was dipped into the source, she calmed down.

According to Father, who observed the whole situation from beginning to end, this miraculous property of the holy spring had such an effect on her. After all, after some time the girl began to talk, although before that she had been silent for more than six months.

Example 2

There lived one good surgeon in the USSR - Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky. Believers at that time already knew that he was not only a doctor with golden hands, but also an archbishop. During any operation that took place on his table, Valentin Feliksovich always lit a church candle, placed an icon and took iodine in his hands to draw a small cross on the patient’s body.

Usually, all cuts on the body were wiped with hydrogen peroxide so that the blood would coagulate and no longer flow, but the surgeon did this with holy water. Not a single patient whom the archbishop operated on had infections or complications, even though the wounds were not treated medically.

Example 3

This incident occurred during normal modern family quite recently. The couple only had one child; the wife really wanted a second child. The husband was against it and every time the conversation started about the second child, he stopped it. The wife had no choice but to approach the icons and pray. There was no point in leaving the family, because everything is very good, there is love, feelings, harmony. There’s just one thing – my husband doesn’t want another baby. The mother-in-law suggested that the girl drink holy water, which could very well help in this situation. It’s incredible, but after a while the husband changed his mind and said that he really wanted a child.

Proper handling of holy water

If water has healing and wonderful properties this does not mean that you can treat her as you please. Even in everyday life There are special rules for handling holy water that must be strictly followed.

1. It is important to always drink holy water on an empty stomach in the morning and a few minutes before bedtime. Even one small glass is enough to start and end each day with good thoughts.
2. Holy water should be drunk in unlimited quantities if a person feels melancholy, sadness, despondency and other unpleasant emotions.
3. As soon as the glass is empty, it is important to pray to God. This prayer will take no more than a minute, which can easily be given to the Almighty.
4. Any wound or place on the body that is very painful is treated with holy water. All you have to do is dampen a rag with it and apply it.
5. It is important to store water in a place where it will thrive. A corner with icons is the most suitable thing that could be. This is the most sanctified place in the apartment, therefore, as soon as the holy water is brought into the house, it is important to place it next to the images of the Saints.

If a person wants to feel God in his life, his support and strength, it is important to believe in him. Holy water will be useless if you drink it without believing in the Lord. Everyone who touches the consecrated liquid should attend church at least once a week on weekends. Only in this case healing power Holy water can be truly felt.

How to sprinkle your home with holy water

All our lives we have a great shrine next to us - holy water.

Blessed water is an image of God's grace: it cleanses believers from spiritual impurities, sanctifies and strengthens them for the feat of salvation in God.

We first plunge into it in baptism, when, upon receiving this sacrament, we are immersed three times in a font filled with holy water. Holy water in the sacrament of baptism washes away the sinful impurities of a person, renews and revives him into a new life in Christ.

Holy water is necessarily present during the consecration of churches and all objects used in worship, during the consecration of residential buildings, buildings, and any household item.

We are sprinkled with holy water during religious processions and prayer services.

On the day of Epiphany every Orthodox Christian carries home a vessel with holy water, carefully stores it as the greatest shrine, prayerfully communing with holy water in illness and any infirmity.

Epiphany water, like Holy Communion, is taken by believers only on an empty stomach.

"Consecrated water,- as St. Demetrius of Kherson wrote, “has the power to sanctify the souls and bodies of all who use it.” She, accepted with faith and prayer, heals our bodily illnesses.

Holy water extinguishes the flames of passions, drives away evil spirits - that is why they sprinkle holy water on their homes and every thing that is consecrated.

After the confession of the pilgrims, St. Seraphim always gave them to drink from the cup of holy Epiphany water.

The Monk Ambrose sent a bottle of holy water to a terminally ill patient - and to the amazement of the doctors, the incurable disease went away.

Elder Hieroschemamonk Seraphim Vyritsky always advised sprinkling food and the food itself with Jordanian (Epiphany) water, which, in his words, “itself sanctifies everything.”

When someone was very sick, Elder Seraphim gave his blessing to take a tablespoon of consecrated water every hour. The elder said that there is no stronger medicine than holy water and blessed oil.

How was water blessed for the first time?

The consecration of water was accepted by the Church from the apostles and their successors. But the first example was set by the Lord Himself, when He plunged into the Jordan and sanctified the entire nature of the water.

Water did not always need to be blessed. There were times when everything on earth was pure and holy.

“And God saw everything that He had made,- says the book of Genesis - very good"(Genesis 1:31). Then, before the fall of man, everything was created by the Word of God, everything was enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who hovered over the water. Everything on earth was sealed with the all-sanctifying blessing of God, and therefore everything earthly elements served for the benefit of man: they supported life, protected the body from destruction. Living in this harmonious, paradisiacal environment, man, according to the promise of God, was supposed to be immortal, for “God did not create death”(Wis. 1, 13).

But man himself, through communication with an unclean spirit, accepted the seed of uncleanness into his soul. And then the Spirit of God retreated from the unclean creature: “And the Lord [God] said: My Spirit will not forever be despised by men [these], for they are flesh.”(Gen. 6:3).

Now everything that the hands of sinners touched became unclean, everything became an instrument of sin, and therefore was deprived of the blessing of God and was subject to a curse. The elements that previously served man have changed. The earth now brings thorns and thistles, the air saturated with decay becomes dangerous and sometimes deadly. Water, having become a drain of sewage, became contagious, dangerous, and now in the hands of God’s Justice it began to act as an instrument of punishment for the wicked.

But this does not mean that humanity was deprived of holy water. The source of streams brought forth by Moses from the rock, of course, was not plain water, but special water. The water in the source of the Samaritan, dug by the forefather Jacob and later sanctified by the Savior’s conversation at this source, was not simple.

The concept of holy water is found in the Old Testament: “and the priest will take holy water into an earthen vessel”(Num. 5:17).

But very special water flows in the Jordan River. Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared on the Jordan to sanctify the watery nature and make it a source of sanctification for man.

That is why, at the Baptism of the Lord on the Jordan, the miracle of creation seemed to be repeated: the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended and the voice of the Heavenly Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”(Matt. 3:17).

Thus, after the Fall of man, for the first time, blessing of water.

Why does the Church bless water?

Why does the Church sanctify water again and again when it has already been sanctified by the Baptism of the Son of God Himself?

We, fallen people, although renewed by the grace of God, always, until death, carry within us the seed of ancient sinful impurity, and therefore we can always sin, and thereby again and again introduce impurity and corruption into the world around us. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, having ascended into heaven, left us His living and life-giving word, granted believers the right by the power of faith and prayer to bring down to earth the blessing of the Heavenly Father, sent down the Comforter of the Spirit of truth, Who always abides in the Church of Christ, so that the Church, despite the inexhaustible the human heart, the seed of sin and impurity, has always had an inexhaustible source of sanctification and life.

Keeping this commandment of the Lord, the Holy Church, with the Word of God, the sacraments and prayer, always sanctifies not only the person himself, but also everything that he uses in the world. By this, the Church puts a limit to the spread of sinful impurities and prevents the multiplication of the disastrous consequences of our sins.

Church sanctifies the ground, asking her for the blessing of fertility from God, sanctifies the bread, which serves us as food, and water quenching our thirst.

Without blessing, without sanctification, could this perishable food and drink sustain our life? “It is not the birth of fruits that nourishes a man, but Your word preserves those who believe in You"(Wis. 16:26).

This already gives rise to the answer to the question why the Church sanctifies water.

By the consecration of water, the Church returns to the water element its primitive purity and holiness, and brings down to the water, by the power of prayer and the Word of God, the blessing of the Lord and the grace of the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit.

Why is water blessed in special vessels?

Like everything in the Church, the vessel in which the consecration of water is performed carries great symbolic meaning. Externally, the holy water vessel resembles a communion chalice. The vessel for the blessing of water is a large bowl on a low stand with a round base for placing it on the table. WITH east side The bowls have cells where, at the beginning of the blessing of water, three candles are placed - in the image of the Holy Trinity, sanctifying and enlightening people with Divine grace. As a vessel and receptacle of God's grace, the holy cup of water approaches in its symbolic meaning the Eucharistic cup - the chalice (translated from Greek - drinking vessel) and just like the chalice, it symbolizes the Most Holy Theotokos and the Ever-Virgin Mary, in whose womb the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ was formed. The round base of the bowl for the blessing of water is a sign of the circle of the earthly Church; the round bowl itself into which water is poured signifies the Church heavenly, and everything is together symbol of Our Lady, as the purest vessel of God's grace.

The same basic symbolic meanings It also has a baptismal font. This vessel is also made in the form of a bowl, only much larger in size than the holy one, and on a high stand.

How does the rite of the Great Blessing of Water take place?

The rite of blessing of water, which is performed on the feast of Epiphany, is called great due to the special solemnity of the rite, imbued with the remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, in which the Church sees not only the prototype of the mysterious washing of sins, but also the actual sanctification of the very nature of water, through the immersion of God in the flesh.

The Great Blessing of Water is sometimes performed at the end of the liturgy, after the prayer behind the pulpit, and sometimes at the end of Vespers, after the litanies: “We will fulfill evening prayer our...".

It is celebrated at the Liturgy on the very day of Epiphany, as well as on the eve of Epiphany, when this eve occurs on any day of the week, except Saturday and Sunday. If the evening of Epiphany is on Saturday or Sunday, then the great blessing of water takes place at the end of Vespers.

How water is blessed at a prayer service ordered by believers

In addition to Epiphany water, Orthodox Christians often use water blessed at prayer services.

Prayer singing, or prayer service, is a special service in which the Lord is asked to Mother of God and saints about sending mercy or thanking God for receiving benefits.

Prayer services are held in the temple or private homes.

In the church, prayer services are performed after the liturgy and are performed according to the requests and needs of believers. Such prayer chants include prayer rites performed during blessing various items, about healing the sick, about those heading on a long journey, about warriors, etc. At prayer services, the rite of minor consecration of water usually takes place.

The Lesser Blessing of Water is also performed by the Church on the day of the Origin (removal) of the venerable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and on the day of Midwifery, when the words of the Savior, full of the deepest mystery, spoken by Him to the Samaritan woman are remembered: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life"(John 4:14).

For the small blessing of water, a covered table is placed in the middle of the church, on which a bowl of water is placed and the Cross and the Gospel are placed. Candles are lit in front of the bowl. After the priest’s exclamation, Psalm 142 is read: “Lord, hear my prayer...”. Then they sing: "God is Lord" and troparia: “We are now diligently praying to the Mother of God...”, “Let us never be silent, Mother of God...”. At the same time, the priest censes water in a cross shape.

After reading Psalm 50: "Have mercy on me, O God...", troparions and litanies, incense is performed at a temple or home.

At the end, the prokeimenon is pronounced and the Apostle is read (Heb. 2:14-18), in which St. Paul says about Christ:

“And just as children share in flesh and blood, He also received them, in order by death to deprive him of the power of the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver those who were subject to slavery through the fear of death throughout their lives. For He does not receive angels, but He receives the seed of Abraham. Therefore, He had to become like the brethren in everything, in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For just as He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.”.

“There is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, which had five covered passages. In them lay a great multitude of the sick, the blind, the lame, the withered, waiting for the movement of the water, for the Angel of the Lord from time to time went into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever first entered it after the disturbance of the water recovered, no matter what disease he was possessed by.”.

The litany is pronounced: “Let us pray to the Lord in peace”, in which petitions are offered for the blessing of water. Usually this involves censing water. Then the priest reads a prayer for the blessing of water.

Sometimes a special prayer is also read: “ Great God, work miracles that are countless! Come now to Your servants who pray to You, O Master, and eat of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water: and grant to those who drink from it, and to Your servants who receive and sprinkle themselves with it, change from passions, remission of sins, healing from illness, and liberation from all evil, and strengthening and sanctification of the house and cleansing of all filth, and driving away the slander of the devil: for the most honorable and magnificent has been blessed and glorified Your name, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen".

After reading the prayers, the priest, taking honest cross With the crucifix towards himself, the lower part of it makes a cross-shaped movement on the surface of the water, then immerses the entire Cross in the water. At the same time the troparia are sung: “Save, O Lord, Thy people...”(three times) and "Your gifts...".

Then the priest kisses the Cross taken out of the water and sprinkles it on everyone present and the entire church. Those present venerate the Cross, and the priest sprinkles each one.

After the blessing of water, everyone who ordered a prayer service can receive holy water.

Why does the Church pray for water sources?

“The most important of all the needs for human life are water, fire, iron, salt, wheat flour, honey, milk, grape juice, oil and clothing: all this serves to benefit the pious, but can be harmful to sinners.”(Sir. 39, 32-33).

“...What gift is so necessary for us, like water?- says Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome. - With water everything is washed, nourished, cleansed, and irrigated. Water nourishes the earth, produces dew, fattens the grapes, brings the ears of corn to maturity... But why talk a lot? Without water, nothing that we see can exist: water is so necessary that when other elements have a home under the vaults of heaven, it has received a container for itself above the heavens. The Prophet himself testifies to this, crying out; “Praise Him, you heavens of heavens and waters that are above the heavens.”(Ps. 149.4).

And the Church, with fiery prayer, calls on the Lord to call forth sweet and abundant water from the bowels of the earth.

In the well, the digging of which is carried out according to the special prayers of the priest, there is no ordinary water: the “digging of the well” is already sanctified by a special rite.

“Give us water in this place, something sweet and tasty, sufficient for consumption, but not harmful for consumption...” the priest prays and is the first to begin digging a well.

A special prayer is again made over the dug well: “To the Creator of the waters and the Creator of all... You Yourself sanctify this water: eat your holy power for every resistant action, and give to all who receive from it, for drinking or for washing, health of soul and body, to change every passion and every ailment: for there will be healing of water and peace to all who touch it and accept it...”

Ordinary well water becomes an object of cult and, moreover, a miraculous object - "water of healing and peace".

There are many known sources, wells, springs, where water flows out through the prayers of saints, having a greater blessing than the waters of Bethesda in Jerusalem. Not only drinking this water, but even plunging into the waters of these springs brings many healings and miracles.

The Church has always performed and continues to perform the consecration of waters public sources, rivers, lakes. This water ends up in reservoirs, and then in water pipes and in our apartments.

It can be argued that there is not a single stream of water in the world, not a single drop that has not been sanctified, spiritually fertilized by prayer, blessed and, consequently, which would not be life-giving and saving for people, animals, birds and the earth itself.

If we always acted as the Church and the Word of God teach us, then the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit would constantly pour out on us, then every source would be for us a source of healing from physical and mental ailments, every cup of water would serve as purification and enlightenment, "water of healing and peace", holy water.

But that doesn't happen. Water makes people sick, water becomes a dangerous, deadly and destructive element. Well, what about tap water - and holy water doesn’t help us!

Are the prayers of the Church powerless?

When God was about to punish the first world with water, He then said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with evildoings from them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth... I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life under the heavens; everything on earth will lose life."(Gen. 6, 13. 17). These words can be applied to our days. You shouldn’t be surprised that water doesn’t heal or bring benefits. What's so surprising when the most important sacrament- The Eucharist, the reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord, serves many not for salvation, but for condemnation...

“Whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment upon himself, not considering the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:29).

Miracles and healings still occur today. But only those who accept it with living faith in the promises of God and the power of prayer of the Holy Church, those who have a pure and sincere desire to change their lives, repentance, and salvation, are rewarded with the miraculous effects of holy water. God does not create miracles where people want to see them only out of curiosity, without a sincere intention to use them for their salvation. An evil and adulterous generation, - the Savior said about his unbelieving contemporaries, - looking for signs; and no sign will be given to him.

In order for holy water to be beneficial, we will take care of the purity of the soul, the lightness of thoughts and deeds. And every time we touch holy water, we will offer this prayer in our minds and hearts.

Prayer for accepting prosphora and holy water

Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities, according to Your infinite mercy through the prayers of the Holy One Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

Sretensky Monastery
"New Book" - 1997