How to properly illuminate an apartment with holy water. How to properly consecrate your apartment with Epiphany water

11.10.2019

The consecration of a home is a grace-filled rite that must be performed by a believer. This is the most reliable protection from bad and unfavorable energy. The Lord directs His grace, calling a person to take a step towards him.

We consecrate housing

It is customary to consecrate a house or apartment after its construction, after moving, after completion of repairs, or if some unfavorable events occurred, for example, robbery, violence, murder or some other evil.

In the event that a home has been desecrated, invite a priest, and he will carry out the consecration procedure, call on the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord will visit you and your family again.

How to consecrate a home with the help of Father

It is believed that only a servant of the Lord God can perform the ceremony correctly. All priests have undergone the sacrament of Priesthood and are endowed with divine rights, allowing for church ceremonies. But before inviting Father, a believer needs to prepare:

Before starting, the priest paints an image of a cross on each of the four walls. During the sacrament, he reads the Gospel, anoints the crosses with oil and sprinkles the entire room with holy water. At the end, a sermon is read to all those present.

The consecration ritual can be performed on any day, when it is convenient for you and Father, the duration of the rite is 30-60 minutes.

If you want to make a donation in gratitude, you can find out the generally accepted donation amount at the nearest temple or make a contribution according to your capabilities.

The presence of a clergyman in your home is a great blessing!

When he enters the house, ask for a blessing, and at the end of the ceremony, talk in a calm atmosphere on spiritual topics, ask any questions you have, and ask for help in solving internal problems.

After consecration, it is advisable to refuse gambling, smoking, drinking alcohol, scandals and the like. It’s better to pray regularly, light candles, listen to church music and read spiritual literature.

The church also advises regularly sprinkling rooms with holy water and invoking the name of the Lord in order to maintain the purity of the home.

Cleaning an apartment with a church candle and holy water: how to sanctify it yourself

If it is not possible to invite a priest to your house, you can try to perform the ritual of consecration with holy water yourself. For everything to be successful, you need to go to church the day before and receive a blessing. You can perform the ceremony yourself. For the ceremony you will need:

prayer book;
icons;
bowl of holy water.

If you don’t have anything from this list, you need to buy it at the church store.

You need to start from the red corner - this is the corner in the main room, located diagonally from the entrance; according to the rules, the iconostasis should be located there. If there is no iconostasis, place at least one icon there.

The cup of holy water must be taken to left hand, and with the right hand with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen”, sprinkle water on the corner in a cross shape and move on, going around all the rooms clockwise and sprinkling the walls, ceilings and all corners.

Then go around the kitchen and hallway in the same way. In the bathroom, sprinkle only the walls; you cannot do anything in the toilet.

At the same time, the following prayers are read:

Before starting - Prayer for blessing the work, during - “Our Father”, “May God rise again” or Psalm 90, you can also read “May God rise again...”,

After going around all the rooms, read the prayer to the Life-Giving Cross and Prayers of Thanksgiving.

Please note the following:

If all this is present in people’s lives, then it will be easier for them to keep not only their home clean, but also their heart and soul.

Prayers read during consecration

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling sowing holy water, let every evil demonic activity be turned away, amen.”

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times with bows)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen

O God, Creator and Creator of all things, the works of our hands, which we begin for Thy glory, hasten to correct with Thy blessing, and deliver us from all evil, for one is all-powerful and Lover of mankind. Quick to intercede and strong to help, present yourself to the grace of Thy power now, and bless and strengthen, and bring about the good work of Thy servants to fulfill the intention of the good work: for all that thou desirest, for Strong God, you can create. Amen.

Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may all those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish in the face lovers of God and those who sign themselves with the sign of the cross, and in joy say: Rejoice, Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons with the power of our drunken Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled the power of the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Troparion, tone 4

Give thanks to Thy unworthy servants, O Lord, for Thy great blessings upon us; we glorify Thee, bless, thank Thee, sing and magnify Thy compassion, and slavishly cry out to Thee in love: O our Benefactor, glory to Thee.

Kontakion, tone 3

As a servant of indecency, having been honored with Your blessings and gifts, Master, we earnestly flow to You, giving thanks according to our strength, and glorifying You as the Benefactor and Creator, we cry out: Glory to You, All-Bountiful God. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokos

Theotokos, Christian Helper, Your servants, having acquired Your intercession, cry out to You in gratitude: Rejoice, Most Pure Virgin Mother of God, and always deliver us from all our troubles with Your prayers, One who will soon intercede.

If a person has sanctified his place of residence, this does not mean that all problems are solved, he has been freed from sins, and this will last for a long time. No, we are all sinful people and sometimes, without even thinking, we do the wrong things. But in that house where the walls are sprinkled with holy water and cleansed by fire church candle, it’s even easier to breathe, and those living in it get sick less and live more peacefully. After all, after performing such a ritual, you become closer to God and entrust your shelter to him to preserve peace and tranquility in it.

How to consecrate an apartment yourself?

The rite of blessing a home is performed only by an Orthodox priest who is not prohibited from serving.

Housing complete only the true can sanctify Orthodox priest. If one is not available or is absent due to the circumstances of the retreat, then any faithful (active, church-going Orthodox Christian) can consecrate his home and things, incl. , sprinkling with holy Epiphany (Epiphany water). At the same time, to consecrate the house, you can read the prayer “May God rise again...”, Psalm 90 and “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling sowing holy water, let every evil demonic action be put to flight, amen.” If you want a priest to consecrate your apartment with complete consecration, then for this you need to contact the Orthodox church closest to your home (in our case, the Russian Orthodox Church). Very often there is no fixed donation required. People donate to the priest whenever possible, as much as they can, sometimes priests even refuse to take donations from the elderly and poor.

How to properly sprinkle an apartment with holy water?

Many people are now afraid of the evil eye, damage, and witchcraft. Many people stick needles into all the door frames, hang themselves like Christmas trees with amulets, smoke all the corners with candles and forget that church prayer alone can save a person from the violence of the devil. After all, he trembles at the power of God and is unable to harm anyone who abides in God’s love. (read: and).

To protect yourself from dark forces, one must not commit mortal sins, and especially one must not turn for “help” to the servants of Satan: sorcerers, psychics, hypnotists (encoded), various healers, fortune-tellers. It is impossible to simultaneously pray to God for help and at the same time run to fortune tellers and psychics. Often problems appear or worsen after some time just after visiting such “helpers”, since this is a sin and God forbids doing this. If you have already turned to “healers” or sorcerers, then you need to tell the priest about this - he will know how to help in this case.

“You shall not have anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, ...” (Deut. 18:10).

This interesting letter came to a monk at the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery about the consecration of the house:

Hello. My apartment is not completely consecrated, because my parents did not allow their room to be consecrated. 2 weeks passed, and during the next third week, my nephew constantly began to see a person in the room at night and got scared. I myself, upon waking up, heard a sort of mocking, satisfied singing, and non-believing parents say that the “bump” lives under their bed. Mom saw a dog in the room one night. What can I do? The consecration of the apartment was already difficult. Parents are against any priestly visits. The presence of a “bump” in the house does not bother them at all. Maybe you can recommend some special prayers or something else?

08/13/2004 Elena Ukraine, Sevastopol

Dear Elena!

Your entire apartment was consecrated by the prayer of the Church through the priest, and the room can be sprinkled with holy water. So, the apartment is consecrated and, thus, cleansed of all “bumps” and other evil spirits. But if the evil spirits still continue to annoy, then, one must assume, the “big shots” have made a nest for themselves not in the apartment, but in the souls of its residents. Therefore, you need to cleanse your soul from uninvited and annoying “guests”. How to do it? The Holy Gospel says through the mouth of the Savior that “this same generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). So we must keep the fast (especially since now the entire Church has entered into the Dormition Fast until August 28), repent at confession, receive unction and receive communion, and go to church services. And continue to try to live according to the Gospel commandments. Then, for sure, all these “bumps” “like smoke disappears, let them disappear.” And pray more diligently for your relatives.

Lord strengthen you!

Whether you swim in the Epiphany waters or not is not the point. It is important to understand that if you do not live within the fence of the Church, then there is no point in swimming. Bathing in Epiphany water does not instantly heal everyone from any illness and does not wash away sins. Returning to sins...it is not Epiphany water that washes them, but repentance in. No other way. Even if you swim two kilometers back and forth in an ice hole and don’t come to confession, your sins will not decrease.

Thus, the problem may not only be a “bad” apartment. Often the cause of a “bad apartment” is not a bad apartment, but a person’s unrepentant sins, life without God and the Church. If you come to the temple a couple of times a year - in the spring, to bless Easter cakes with eggs, and in the winter, for Epiphany water, then the collected water will be of practically no use to you. This is ordinary paganism, a belief in magic, in the fact that “water is charged.” We must become Orthodox Christian, then the water will be beneficial. And Easter cakes with eggs. And to do this, you need to start going to services (at least to start with the Sunday Liturgy) and resort to the Sacraments, the main of which is Communion. We must begin to rebuild our lives in the Gospel way, learn not just to believe in God, but also to believe in God. Well, and finally drive out from yourself the most terrible demon of our days - “God in the soul”! Help us all in this, Lord!

Each of us, to the best of our ability and ability, tries in everyday life to maintain cleanliness in our homes and neatness in our clothing. And there are some especially clean people who zealously maintain cleanliness and order. And how concerned is such a person if, for some reason, this order and cleanliness is violated.

Likewise, a person who is accustomed to monitoring the purity of his heart and the neatness of his soul cannot live without repentance. Such a person waits and longs for another confession, just as parched earth awaits life-giving moisture. Imagine for a moment a person who has not washed off bodily dirt all his life! So the soul requires washing, and what would happen if it weren’t? When taking care of your home, don’t forget to take care of your soul! The Lord said to His disciples: Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. That is, the unforgiven, unresolved, will appear in another world unforgiven, unresolved, bound in his sin. )

You just need to understand that in Orthodoxy there is no magic and no sacred act without one’s own repentance (that attitude described by the prophet David “a sacrifice to God, a broken spirit, a broken and humble heart, God will not despise”) will not have the benefit for which it is intended. (Editor’s note) .) After church, we must try again not to succumb to passions and vices, to abstain, abandon sin and, with God’s help, overcome. For example, read the Gospel or the lives of saints, pray for the departed, refrain from entertainment and distraction, from empty conversations, TV series or talk shows, and there will be no place for the evil one in your soul or in your home.

Attention: do not confuse the independent sprinkling of a home with holy water with the consecration by a clergyman, when special prayers are read and the walls are anointed with holy oil, and an image of a cross is attached to the walls.

If you are going to sprinkle your home, then before doing this you need to clean the house, wash all the floors, wipe off the dust, and remove all unnecessary items. The rooms should not be cluttered. Do not cover the windows with curtains - the more light there is in the house, the better. It is preferable to sprinkle the home on Sunday. Just don't do cleaning on Sunday. It would be nice to go to church on this day for a service and take a blessing from the priest and perhaps agree on one day when he can come to you to carry out the full consecration of the home. So, how to properly sprinkle with holy water? Wash your hands, pour some holy water into a clean bowl. Never take a bowl that has been touched by animals! Better yet, buy a new bowl and use it only for holy water. Before sprinkling the house, you need to read a prayer to bless the deed.

Prayer for blessing the case:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times with bows)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread;And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors;And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

O God, Creator and Creator of all things, the works of our hands, which we begin for Thy glory, hasten to correct with Thy blessing, and deliver us from all evil, for one is all-powerful and Lover of mankind. Quick to intercede and strong to help, present yourself to the grace of Thy power now, and bless and strengthen, and bring about the good work of Thy servants to accomplish the good work of Thy servants: for all that thou desirest, for the Mighty God is able to do. Amen.

You need to start sprinkling from the red corner. The red corner is the corner in the central room, located diagonally from the entrance. There should be an iconostasis, or at least one icon. Stand in front of this corner, scoop up some holy water with your right hand (sprinkle, brush) and sprinkle the corner in a cross shape with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Go around the room clockwise and sprinkle all the corners, walls, floor and ceiling in the same way. Try not to step on drops of water.

After sprinkling the room, read a prayer to the Life-Giving Cross.

Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross:

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may all those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our drunken Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Sprinkle all the other rooms, the kitchen and the hallway in the same way. In the bathroom, spray only the corners. You cannot sprinkle holy water on the toilet.

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Troparion, tone 4

Kontakion, tone 3

Theotokos

If the water remains, you can sprinkle it the next day.

“If you don’t want sorrows, don’t sin, sincerely repent of your sins and untruths, don’t do evil to your neighbors either in deed, or in word, or even in thought, visit church more often, pray, treat your loved ones and neighbors with mercy, then the Lord will have mercy on you too , and if it is useful, then it will free you from sorrow.”

Abbot Nikon Vorobyov

Confession is usually performed in the church before the start of the service, or at the end of the service in the evening. If this is your first confession, then it is better to tell the priest about it, most likely he will advise you and give you more time.

Letters and answers to questions:

Saint Nicholas of Serbia in response to a letter from one woman who complained that she was being bothered scary dreams wrote: “I’ll say this: the three youths who appear to you are three of your children, killed by you in the womb, before the sun touched their faces with its gentle rays. Start by understanding and realizing this. Do everything in your power , for your murdered children, do deeds of mercy. And the Lord will forgive you - everyone is alive with Him - and give you peace. Go to church and ask what you should do: the priests know.(Read completely)"

And here’s what he wrote to a man who went to psychics, fortune-tellers, healers, healers, etc.:

And I'll ask you something. Why are you making God suffer? Why are you torturing the martyred Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross for you? He endured great suffering to save people from false gods, from false saviors, from all the dark forces working through these false saviors. And yet you passed by Him, the only true one, and went to seek help from His enemies - fortune-tellers and healers.This is what the Apostle of Christ advises: Is any of you sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will forgive him (James 5:14–15)(sacrament of unction)

My mother-in-law, in parallel with the Bible, is looking for the truth of life in Feng Shui, believes in reincarnation and past civilizations. And lately I have become interested in conspiracies and omens, feeding the brownie mushrooms, telling fortunes and teaching my daughter to this heresy. Her life is awry, her children are always sick, she has no money, but she doesn’t give in to any persuasion to stop doing nonsense and turn to a priest: one does not interfere with the other. How to protect yourself and future children? I'm scared... Natalya

Hello, Natalia!

I fully understand and share your fears. The mother-in-law’s behavior can indeed negatively affect not only the spiritual, but also the physical state of those around her. But let's take things in order.

At first, your mother-in-law became interested in Eastern philosophies. In fact, it is a product of pagan cults. It is clear that such beliefs have nothing in common with faith in the Living God. But things went further. Now she is already involved in outright occultism. Conspiracies are not an appeal to God at all, but a calling on evil spirits, although for cover they can be “furnished” with Christian terminology.

Fortune telling is completely prohibited by the Church and is considered a grave sin. And feeding the brownie is a return to ancient Slavic paganism. It is quite logical to assume that soon your mother-in-law will get into black magic and Satanism. And of course, there is nothing surprising in the fact that family troubles reign in the house, the children are getting sick one after another, and she herself is not in the best shape. All these are the consequences of the confusion that reigns in her head. For it is impossible to mix faith in Christ with faith in Buddha or Krishna, Orthodox prayer mix with the conspiracy, and consider yourself an Orthodox Christian, while practicing fortune telling and magic.

Now let's move on to how to protect yourself from negative consequences your mother-in-law's activities. First of all, you need to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible and encourage your spouse and, if possible, those loved ones who have not yet come under the influence of your mother-in-law to do so. If you live separately from her, then be sure to consecrate your home. Try to pray more not only at home, but also visit the temple of God more often to pray. Keep the fasts. In a word, try to do everything that the Orthodox Church calls its faithful children to do. Then you will be under the grace-filled protection of the saving church Sacraments. And, of course, try to explain to your mother-in-law about the sinfulness of her errors and the possible consequences of her activities. If it doesn’t work out, then all that remains is to pray for her and hope for God’s great mercy. God help you.

Letter No. 1

We have been fighting witchcraft for 8 years now. All to no avail. General lectures in Zagorsk from Father Herman and unction did not help. As one clairvoyant said, nothing will help. Too much long term conspiracy. The essence of man has changed. Her life is running out. Besides the fact that she has no path in life, she suddenly began to dislike Russian guys. Makes contact only with the Kyrgyz. Question. Is it possible to organize a personal lecture with Father Germ in Zagorsk? Valentina

Hello, Valentina!

And where did you get such knowledge of occult terminology? Probably from those clairvoyants and psychics whom you listen to with such pleasure. I can tell you only one thing - all this is complete nonsense! And your troubles come precisely from the visits of these “kind” clairvoyants, who dare to say that nothing can help a person. Since when, may I ask, did Orthodox Christians begin to trust so much in people who have nothing in common with God? And moreover, consciously serving the devil. Yes Yes exactly! And nothing else!

“You shall not have anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, ...” (Deut. 18:10).

Fortune tellers, psychics, healers, clairvoyants - all these are ministers of black cults. And no lectures from Fr. will help you. Herman and unction, it will only get worse from them. And all because it is impossible to simultaneously pray to God for help and at the same time run through psychics.

Turning to a clairvoyant is turning to the devil! This is a direct violation of the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:2-3). And for violating this commandment in the Old Testament there was punishment the death penalty. So draw a conclusion why your daughter is melting before your eyes. And if you don’t stop, then everything can end even more sadly, for “I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” "(Exodus 20:5-6).

If you have drawn the appropriate conclusions for yourself, then I will continue further. You need to understand that a person who lives in harmony with God and fulfills His commandments is not afraid of any witchcraft. On this moment you and your daughter urgently need

Perhaps the priest will assign you penance. With humility, accept all the admonitions of your confessor and follow all his instructions. And get out of your head the idea that Fr. Germana is a panacea for all diseases. Your daughter does not suffer from demonic possession, and the rite of reprimand is the direct expulsion of an evil spirit from a person’s body. She needs to confess, receive communion, and, if necessary, receive unction as often as possible. But remember that all this is incompatible with visits to occultists. You can receive all other instructions from the priest in the temple. God help you!

It is worth emphasizing that if a person comes to confession, or to communion, or to baptism not for the sake of union with the Lord Jesus Christ, but for the sake of some completely different goals, especially occult goals, then this is a grave sin. It happens that they say: “Well, we went to the grandmothers, and they said: “You are unbaptized, go get baptized” - or: “Go take communion to church, and then we will tell your fortune, then we will do for you what you want.” " From this, some conclude that they are Orthodox. But the demons do this, because for demons it is more interesting to abuse a baptized Christian than to abuse an unbaptized person. Therefore, I would venture to suggest that in your case this did not bring what you expected, because it was not done for the purpose for which these sacraments were established.

And if your problems are not of a medical nature, but of a spiritual nature, then they must be solved not by a one-time visit to church, but by a full-fledged church life. Make it a rule for yourself to visit church at least once a week, go to confession often, take communion monthly, pray at home in the morning and evening, read spiritual literature and the Gospel daily and your spiritual problems will be resolved.

However, such a lifestyle is necessary for any believer. Perhaps the misfortune that befell you simply reminds you of the need to live as a Christian should.

Even if problems are not resolved instantly by church means, it may be necessary to show patience and constancy in doing good: in fasting and prayer, attending services and participating in the sacraments of the Church? Maybe you need to seriously reconsider your life, work on your soul, remembering that the goal of Christian life is not health, well-being and prosperity, but sanctification, transformation of the soul?It takes time to enlighten, to purify the heart, to become closer to Christ. “...Here the devil and God are fighting, but the battlefield is the hearts of people”...

In addition to God, there are forces that in Christianity are called fallen angels, demons, demons.

These forces, which themselves have long ago made their choice in favor of fighting against God, strive to persuade people to do the same. Those who keep the laws of God, expressed, first of all, in His commandments, are protected by God, but the one who rejects these commandments, first of all, by the way of his life, by the values that form its basis, deprives himself of this protection and becomes an easy prey demons These people reject God's protection, and God, respecting their free will, leaves them alone with their choice. St. John of Damascus writes about demons: “... every vice was invented by them and unclean passions. And they are allowed to attack a person, but they are not able to force anyone, because it depends on us whether to withstand the attack or not.” A person deprived of God's protection, having become the prey of demons who are indifferent to our free will, becomes possessed by demonic forces. The will of such people becomes controlled by demons, and they themselves turn into their puppets. Therefore, one should not be surprised when a certain grandmother “heals” or “predicts”, but understand who the source is and what the consequences may be.

Demons are very cunning and insidious. If they see that you are not listening to them and are shying away from their evil deeds, they will try to influence you through another person who is next to you at that moment (for example, one who does not know anything about demons). They inspire him to suggest, advise you to do such an act (for example, go to your grandmother, bewitch, bewitch, “treat”, have an abortion, kill, etc.), i.e. sin, an act that violates the commandments of God, incline you to sin and further aggravate the sin, thus tearing you away from Christ, depriving you of God’s protection and destroying you. But they cannot force you to do something bad without your decision.

Important: If your problems are not of a medical nature, but of a spiritual nature, then they should be solved not by a one-time visit to church, but by a full-fledged church life, going to services, participating in the sacraments of the church.

– I can’t understand: what is the danger of doing yoga? For example, they help me in life.

– These two questions are like two siblings, the younger and the older: the second was exactly the same as the first just a couple of years ago!...

The saddest thing, however, is something else: some of us, having received “help” from some occult, anti-Christian source, until the end of our lives will not feel either movement downhill, or the onset of darkness, or a sense of retribution. Therefore, the author of the second question has every reason to rejoice - if, of course, he draws the proper conclusions from his current state.

Here is how the remarkable modern thinker, American, Russian Orthodox priest Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) speaks about this:

“Of course, in addition to Christianity, there are other expressions of universal meaning and order... For example, to a follower of traditional Indian or Chinese philosophy the truth is to some extent revealed and inner world, originating from it... He who deviates from this relative truth and partial world loses much, but not everything, as apostate Christian. That is why unprecedented confusion reigns in our hearts, because we have retreated from the law and truth, which were fully revealed to us in Christ Himself” (“Man Inside Out. Philosophy of the Absurd”).

In conclusion, the answer to this serious question is an illustration that will help you understand the meaning of what was said. In some book for children, the action takes place in the summer of 1941. The boys shout: “Tanks are coming, tanks! Let’s run to look!...” The hero is perplexed: the tanks are German... But best friend drags him by the hand: “Hurry! Just think, what a difference!”

But there is a difference, and a considerable one. For German children, it would not be so significant, but many of us, who in childhood ran after other people’s tanks, unnoticed for ourselves crossed the line beyond which lies a slope, darkness and retribution.

There are times when a person, being in his home, feels uncomfortable and unhappy. Sometimes people complain that they feel the presence of some spirits and creatures. In this case, to restore the normal energy background, it is recommended to properly consecrate the house or apartment, since holy water destroys all negativity and scares away evil spirits. To do this, it is not necessary to invite a priest, since the ritual can be performed independently.

How to consecrate an apartment yourself with candles?

“Wonderworker Nicholas, bless me to cleanse the apartment and drive out demonic power from it. Let it be so. Amen".

Buy some candles for home. When you come home, light a candle and walk around the house, approaching all corners. This must be done clockwise. You need to properly consecrate an apartment with prayer, since these words drive out evil spirits and cleanse the space, and it sounds like this:

“I clean the corner, I clean the floor, I clean the ceiling and walls. I drive away demons, I drive away envy. I burn a candle to illness, illness and misfortune. Amen".

It is recommended to cross corners and walls with a candle. If the fire begins to crackle, this is a signal of the presence of negative energy; it is recommended to linger longer in such a coal. Repeat the ritual three Thursdays in a row. It is important these days not to forget to attend church and light candles at the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. In a month you will already notice that the atmosphere in the house has become more comfortable.

How to sanctify an apartment yourself with water?

To carry out the ritual you will need holy water, a new bowl, an icon and a lamp. You can take sacred water from the church or consecrate it yourself. Before this, it is recommended to receive a blessing from the priest. You need to do some general cleaning on Saturday in advance. In the largest room, at least for a day, it is worth placing an icon with a lamp in the corner opposite the entrance. In general, it is recommended to prepare yourself for the ritual in advance, that is, do not drink, do not swear, and pray regularly. Consecration must begin on Sunday. It is important to carry out the ritual in proper form: a woman must wear a skirt below the knees, a formal blouse and a scarf on her head. Don't forget about the cross. It is best if all residents are at home during the ritual. You need to start the ritual only with a pure soul and faith. Having collected water into a new bowl and dipped three fingers folded with a pinch in it, you should start spraying the room, starting from the corner where the icon stands. You need to move clockwise. To consecrate an apartment with holy water yourself, say the following prayer:

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling the holy water, let every evil demonic activity be put to flight, Amen.”

If it was not possible to consecrate the apartment yourself, since there was a feeling of heaviness, then it is best to invite a priest who will conduct the ritual correctly, observing all the traditions.

The consecration of one’s own home is a whole ritual that must be done if a person is a believer. This is the best protection from bad and unfavorable energy, devilish forces, real involvement in the church, true faith in the Lord God. It is popularly accepted that it is necessary to consecrate an apartment or house after moving to this place or if renovations have been completed. In any case, this is a blessed ritual that does not make anything bad, but only internally comforts each person. For those who do not know how to properly bless an apartment with water, you should call Father or, having learned about all the rules, try to walk through the entire house yourself.

How to properly sanctify a house with Epiphany water

This tradition is quite ancient, as it dates back to the moment Christianity was born. Even then, all Orthodox Christians knew that holy water was one of the main protections for the people. Today this ritual is performed by a priest, since he is the one who knows exactly how to bless an apartment with water. You just have to go to any church or chapel to talk with knowledgeable people about what time you can consecrate your home.

They say that only a servant of the Lord can perform the ceremony correctly. Why Father? The fact is that all clergy have undergone the sacrament of the Priesthood, therefore each of them is endowed with divine rights that allow them to conduct this church rite. But the main rules for a believer who wants to sanctify his home still exist. Here's what you need to do before inviting Father into your home:

create perfect order, remove all those things that are in bad shape;
try to throw out everything unnecessary and useless;
the apartment should have an icon and several candles from the church;
the priest will come with his personal belongings, for which it is necessary to make some space.

The time spent consecrating a house with holy water, as a rule, takes Father a little more than an hour. You don’t have to watch his every move, you can just watch from the side. And the most important thing is not to be distracted.

How can you consecrate your apartment with holy water?

If it is not possible to contact a priest, then you can consecrate the apartment with holy water yourself. True, in this case, it is important to visit the church and receive a blessing, because without it the ritual will not work. It is necessary to stock up not only with icons and the necessary candles, but also with a prayer book, which contains all the most important sacred texts that are usually read during the ceremony. Such literature is purchased only in the temple; it is not available in any other store. Detailed preparatory instructions before consecrating each room with holy water:

When reading a prayer, the believer always turns to God, to the Mother of God, who constantly protects man, to all the Guardian Angels and other Saints. You cannot think about anything extraneous during the consecration of the apartment. You need to tune in and clearly say your prayers (you can also silently) and see the true meaning in them.
It is also important that the lifestyle be close to the spiritual. For example, you can't let in negative energy into your house, and also swear in the apartment every day. It is worth attending church at least on weekends every week, and even better, attending Saturday and Sunday morning and evening services.
A person needs to sincerely believe in the Lord God and never wish harm on anyone, even the most sworn enemy and ill-wisher. You should always rejoice for the happiness of those around you, even for those who have done something painful and bad.
Do not defile your thoughts with evil thoughts, do not speak bad words out loud, avoid all bad habits, do not violate the Bible commandments.

If all these four points are present in life and observed, then blessing an apartment with water will be a great blessing. Holy water can be brought from the church absolutely on any day when it is convenient for the believer to perform the ceremony. To do this, on the porch of the temple or in the hall, holy water in bottles is usually prepared for everyone to take away, the price for which is symbolic.

You can also use other water - the one that Father consecrates during a church holiday: you just need to bring a container and wait for the priest to go around, substituting your water. In order to perform the ritual yourself, you need fresh water, just blessed.

You cannot use a stagnant one, as it takes on all the negativity in the apartment. So:

The believer should hold a bowl of holy water in his left hand, and with his right hand sprinkle the drops in front of him on all the walls of the room.
It is customary to start the ritual from the eastern corner, the movement should be clockwise.
It is important to read the “Our Father” prayer, which everyone knows from an early age. If there are prayers such as “May God rise again” or Psalm 90, then they will also need to be read.
It is not necessary to carry out the church ritual of consecrating the apartment on Thursday or Sunday. You can choose any other day convenient for this. But, of course, Friday is best avoided.

Blessing an apartment with holy water - what is it for?

If a believer has consecrated an apartment, this does not mean that now there will be no sins in his life. We are all partly sinful people, and sometimes we don’t even notice that we are not doing the purest and best things. Having consecrated each room, a person becomes a little closer to the Lord, entrusts his home and the roof over his head to the Almighty, and promises to maintain peace and tranquility in his family. Yes, in a place whose walls are sprinkled with water, fewer illnesses occur and swearing is much less common. But everything depends only on the person, since the consecration of an apartment is only a small step towards ensuring that everything will be fine in the future.

There is one remarkable example that happened relatively recently in real life. The family lived in an ordinary apartment, which had not previously been consecrated. There were constantly scandals, squabbles and even assault between the spouses. It seemed that these two people loved each other and respected each other, but for some reason in this particular room everything did not go as usual. In any other place, a real idyll could be seen between the spouses.

Having consecrated the apartment, the husband and wife began to swear less, listen to each other more and respect the opinion of their loved one. The consecration of each room helped the family find peace, harmony and endure all the accumulated devilish negative energy over the threshold family peace. This is the most shining example and the fact why it is still worth consecrating your apartment with holy water.

Which house or apartment is considered unclean?

Firstly, this is a place where they often drank, used illegal substances, swore a lot, hurled dirty words, fought, and engaged in debauchery. Secondly, this is a room where people who do not believe in the Lord God live. It is precisely such dwellings that are usually considered unclean, and they should be illuminated with holy water at the most convenient opportunity.

It is believed that such houses are not only shrouded in negative energy, but also full of demons. It’s true, everyone who is present in an apartment where there is constant scandal becomes the center of conflict. Anyone who lives in such conditions will never feel true happiness, will always face problems and troubles, and there will be no peace in their souls.

Many people moving to a new place do not even know that astrologers, psychics, fortune tellers or sorcerers once lived here. All these groups of people are not from God, there is nothing Holy about them. And the apartments in which people associated with magic once lived and spent their lives must be consecrated immediately. Under no circumstances should children be allowed into a house where Father has not yet been with holy water. Especially if a witch or any other person associated with magic and extrasensory perception once lived in this place long ago.

Even if everything depends on the person - after consecrating the house with holy water, living in a clean room becomes much simpler, easier and more enjoyable. You won’t want to make trouble anymore, you won’t want to resort to bad habits, constant harmony will reign between people. Many believers can confirm that after the ritual of consecration with water, even breathing indoors becomes much easier than before. Let every home have only peace, pleasant thoughts and constant children’s laughter, and let there be as little negative energy as possible. Consecrate your apartment - this is the best decision for everyone, if faith in God is strong and unshakable enough!

Is it possible and how to properly sanctify an apartment with water?

Complete collection and description: prayer for sprinkling the home Epiphany water for the spiritual life of a believer.

If you are going to sprinkle your home, then before doing this you need to clean the house, wash all the floors, wipe off the dust, and remove all unnecessary items. How to properly sprinkle with holy water? The rooms should not be cluttered. Do not cover the windows with curtains - the more light there is in the house, the better. It is preferable to sprinkle the home on Sunday. Just don't do cleaning on Sunday. It would be nice to go to church on this day and take a blessing from the priest. You can sprinkle without blessing; just a blessing and prayer will cleanse your soul, and everything will go as it should.

So, how to properly sprinkle with holy water? Wash your hands, pour some holy water into a clean bowl. Never take a bowl that has been touched by animals! Better yet, buy a new bowl and use it only for holy water. Before sprinkling the house, you need to read a prayer to bless the deed.

Prayer for blessing a business

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls. God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. O God, Creator and Creator of all things, the works of our hands, which we begin for Thy glory, hasten to correct with Thy blessing, and deliver us from all evil, for one is all-powerful and Lover of mankind. Quick to intercede and strong to help, present yourself to the grace of Your power now, and bless and strengthen, and bring about the good work of Your servants to complete the good intentions: for whatever you want, for the Mighty God, you can do. Amen.

You need to start sprinkling from the red corner. The red corner is the corner in the central room, located diagonally from the entrance. There should be an iconostasis, or at least one icon. Stand in front of this corner, scoop up some holy water with your right hand and sprinkle the corner in a cross shape with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Go around the room clockwise and sprinkle all the corners, walls, floor and ceiling in the same way. Try not to step on drops of water that have fallen on the floor: the shrine should not be trampled. It would be best if you take off your shoes and remain barefoot. After sprinkling the room, read a prayer to the Life-Giving Cross.

Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may all those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force on you of our drunken Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Sprinkle all the other rooms, the kitchen and the hallway in the same way. In the bathroom, spray only the corners. You cannot sprinkle holy water on the toilet. After you have sprinkled the entire apartment, read a prayer to the Holy Martyr Blasius, Bishop of Sebaste.

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Blasius, Bishop of Sebastia

You have been adorned with the anointing of sanctification and the torment of blood, O glorious Blasie, you shine everywhere, rejoicing in the Highest and gazing at us, who have come to your temple and in it are constantly calling to you: keep us all. Most blessed and ever-memorable Hieromartyr Blasius, wondrous sufferer and warm representative of ours, after your departure into eternal life those who call upon you holy name help and promise to be heard in all requests! Behold, now to you, the saint of God, as to the true intercessor of salvation, we come and humbly pray: come to our aid, bound by the bonds of sins, move to your all-powerful prayers to God and pray for us sinners: for you, unworthy, call for intercession We dare and wish to receive liberation from all our sins through you. O holy saint of God Blasie! In the contrition and humility of our hearts, we fall before you and pray: shine upon us, darkened by the slander of the enemy, with the light of grace from above, so that walking in it, we will not stumble our feet on a stone. You, as a vessel chosen in honor and filled with the grace of God, we pray: grant us, sinners, the desired acceptance from your fulfillment, and heal our mental and physical ulcers, and ask the Lord for forgiveness of our sin and for our mental and physical health, salvation beneficial We always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession for our souls and bodies, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

How to properly sprinkle your home with Epiphany water?

Which Orthodox website has information about Epiphany water?

I remember frosty Epiphany evenings from my childhood. Mom brought blessed water from church, opened the jar, poured it into a cup, drank it herself and gave it to us all. Then she went around all the rooms, sprinkling them with Epiphany water. Whether she did it right, I don’t know.

We definitely didn’t have a sprinkler kit, I don’t think anyone had one in those years. Water was poured into a clean deep plate. Instead of sprinkling, dry fragrant herbs (mint and others) were used, consecrated in the church on Trinity Saturday or Maccobean. Or willow branches brought from church to Palm Sunday. As a last resort, my mother said (and her mother told her), if there is nothing suitable, you can take a few twigs from a broom. Yes, an ordinary broom, only those that are shorter, they do not reach the floor during cleaning and do not come into contact with debris.

Walking around all the rooms is done against the direction of the sun (counterclockwise). Moving in the opposite direction is “not easy,” as my mother liked to say. By the way, in the church they also take place during the blessing of water, Easter, and honey. We sprinkle holy water in all the corners of the rooms, as well as above the windows and doors. We draw a cross three times with grass soaked in Epiphany water. Each time we say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” This has been done in our family for centuries. The godmother, as far as I know, also sprinkled the house. I once heard the phrase: whatever prayer you know, read it.

There are a great many Orthodox sites on the Internet, and each one contains information about Epiphany water, which is not surprising. You can look at this site or this and here

Not only Orthodox websites report on the features and use of Epiphany water. I once read that sprinkling an apartment can be done by sprinkling holy water from a spray bottle, or even scooping it up with your hand. Is it correct? I'm not to judge.

On January 19, after the service, they bless the water they brought and give a blessing for health. Epiphany water, consecrated in the church, protects the house from troubles and protects against the evil eye. According to the church charter, sprinkling of Epiphany water with a hand or brush is carried out after Epiphany Christmas Eve with prayer.

Epiphany water does not deteriorate throughout the year. If problems start in the house, you can once again sprinkle the home with Epiphany water. Then another prayer is read. But it is correct to carry out the ritual once. To enhance the ritual, an icon is placed in the house and stickers with a cross are used. Before the ceremony, the family needs to undergo cleansing. Prepare the apartment, confess to the priest

According to Orthodox tradition, the home is sprinkled on Epiphany Eve while singing or reading the troparion of the Feast of Epiphany:

All rooms are sprinkled with Epiphany water. At the same time, it is convenient to use a sprinkler kit (sold in church shops).

Prayer when sprinkling a house with holy and baptismal water

In the Jordan I am baptized to You, Lord,

Trinitarian worship revealed:

Your parents' voice bears witness to You,

Naming your beloved Son,

And the Spirit in the form of a dove

Your word is a statement.

Appear, O Christ God,

And the world of enlightenment, glory to You.

But at other times it is also useful to sprinkle your home with holy water. When sprinkling, the following prayer is read to the honorable cross:

May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; just as wax melts in the presence of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon you. the devil, and who gave us His honorable Cross to drive away every adversary. O most honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Sprinkling with holy water for protection

Sprinkling with holy water for protection.

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Says the Lord: Thou art my Protector and my Refuge, my God, and I trust in Him.

For Toy will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from the word of rebellion.

His cloak will cover you, and under His wing you will hope: His truth will surround you with weapons.

Do not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow flying in the days,

From things that pass away in darkness, from clots, and the midday demon.

Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will fall at your right hand, but it will not come near you,

Look before your eyes, and you will see the reward of sinners.

For You, O Lord, are my hope, You have made the Most High your refuge.

No evil will come to you, and no wound will come near your body,

As His Angel commanded you, keep you in all your ways.

They will lift you up in their arms, but not when you dash your foot against a stone,

Tread on the asp and the basilisk, and cross the lion and the serpent.

For I have trusted in Me, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and because I have known My name.

He will call to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in sorrow, I will destroy him, and I will glorify him,

I will fill him with long days, and show him My salvation.

I sing and understand on the way blamelessly; when will you come to me?

I walked in the gentleness of my heart in the midst of my house.

Do not offer before my eyes a thing that is unlawful; those who commit crimes come to hate.

Do not cling to my obstinate heart; I have not known the evil one who turns away from me.

The one who slanderes his sincere secret, I expel him; with a proud eye and an insatiable heart, I don’t eat with this.

My eyes are on the faithful lands, plant them with me; Walk on the path blameless, serving these people.

Do not live in the midst of my house and create pride; Say, the unrighteous does not make amends before my eyes.

In the morning they slaughtered all the sinners of the earth, who consumed all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy. Bless.

“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

This thing is blessed and sanctified (we call it the thing) by sprinkling this sacred water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Consecration of an apartment or house - why do we do this?

Why is the consecration of a house and apartment performed? How to do this correctly? Is it possible to consecrate yourself? Answers to questions about the rite of consecration of a home.

Consecration of the home

If this thing it is not used sinfully, it can be sanctified, but if it is sinful, then it is not necessary.

O. Valentin Mordasov

Church rituals

The Slavic word “rite” itself means “outfit”, “clothing” (you can recall, for example, the verb “to dress”). The beauty, solemnity, and variety of church rituals attract many people. But Orthodox Church, in the words of St. John of Kronstadt, does not occupy anyone and does not engage in idle spectacles. Visible actions have invisible, but completely real and effective content. The Church believes (and this faith is confirmed by two thousand years of experience) that all the rituals it performs have a certain sanctifying, that is, beneficial, renewing and strengthening effect on a person. This is an act of God's grace.

Conventionally, all rituals are divided into three types:

1. Liturgical rites - sacred rites performed during church services: anointing of oil, the great blessing of water, the removal of the holy shroud on Good Friday, and so on. These rituals are part of the temple, liturgical life of the Church.

2. Symbolic rituals express various religious ideas of the Church. These, for example, include the sign of the cross, which we repeatedly perform in remembrance of the sufferings on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and which, at the same time, is a real protection of a person from the influence of evil demonic forces and temptations on him.

3. Rituals that sanctify the everyday needs of Christians: commemoration of the dead, consecration of homes, products, things and various good undertakings: study, fasting, travel, construction, and the like.

What should be our participation in church rituals?

Ritual forms are given their sacred meaning by prayer. Only through prayer does an action become a sacred act, and a number of external processes become a ritual. Not only the priest, but also each of those present must make their contribution to the ceremony - their faith and their prayer.

Grace, help, various gifts are given by God, given solely by His mercy. But “just as the source does not forbid those who wish to draw from it, so the treasure of grace does not forbid anyone from being a partaker of it” (Reverend Ephraim of Syria). We cannot, with the help of some magical actions, “force” God to send down what we need, but we can ask Him with faith. The Holy Scripture says about the necessity of faith for prayer: “Let him ask in faith, without doubting in the least, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, lifted and tossed by the wind. Let such a person not think that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7). When we pray to the Lord, we must believe that the Lord is omnipotent, that He can create or grant what we ask for. To believe that He loves us, that He is merciful and good, that is, He wishes the best for everyone. It is with such faith that we must pray, that is, turn our mind and heart to God. And then, if during the ceremony we not only stand next to the priest, but also pray heartily with faith, then we too will be honored to receive sanctifying grace from the Lord.

What is the meaning of sanctification

Orthodox Christians call sanctification the rites that are introduced by the Church into the temple and personal life of a person, so that through these rites the blessing of God descends on his life, on all his activities and on the entire environment of his life. The basis of the various church prayers is the desire to spiritualize human activity, to perform it with God's help and by His blessing. We ask the Lord to direct our affairs in such a way that they are pleasing to Him and benefit our neighbors, the Church, the Fatherland and ourselves; bless our relationships with people so that peace and love prevail in them, etc. And therefore we ask that our home, the things that belong to us, the vegetables grown in our garden, the water from the well, through the blessing of God that has descended on them, help us in this, protect us, and strengthen our strength. The consecration of a house, apartment, car or any other thing is evidence, first of all, of our trust in God, our faith that nothing happens to us without His holy will.

The Church sanctifies everything necessary for human life with prayer and blessing. The Church sanctifies all nature and all the elements: water, air, fire and earth.

Why are rites of consecration necessary?

The life, health and well-being of people largely depend on the state of their natural and spiritual environment. The destructive consequences of environmental disasters associated with contamination and destruction of the surrounding nature for people have not only visible, external, physical causes, but also invisible, spiritual causes. Among the spiritual reasons underlying all natural phenomena, as well as social and state phenomena, such as revolutions, wars and various types of global restructuring, the Holy Church highlights primarily religiosity folk life. What is the degree of religiosity, what is the morality and behavior of people, such is the state of visible nature and the course of history. People sin, move away from God, perverting their moral order, and, as a result, it deteriorates in the world. This first happened after the fall of our ancestors Adam and Eve, who violated the only commandment of God given to them. Man sinned, and as a result, the entire world created by God for man changed: destruction, illness, sorrow, corruption, and death entered the world. The Lord spoke to Adam and Eve after the Fall: “He said to the woman: I will multiply your sorrow... And to Adam he said: ...cursed is the ground because of you; in sorrow you will eat from it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:16-17).

Righteous John of Kronstadt writes that the rites of consecration “are caused by the extreme need of nature itself or the nature of the elements and the need of the people themselves, who live in the air and have an incessant need for the water element,” fire and earth. “All nature, all the elements are constantly desecrated and corrupted by human sins and dark and crafty spirits living in the air and giving rise to all sorts of pernicious trends and diseases in it. There is an urgent need for church sanctification and healing of these elements.”

Why is it so important to consecrate houses in our time?

According to the teachings of the holy fathers of the Church, the unclean spirit, the devil, the prince of darkness and hell, the spirit of malice, the enemy of the human race, dominates the air until the second coming of Christ. The Slavic word air has several meanings. This is the atmosphere of the earth in which we physically exist; this includes the airwaves, which today are more crowded than ever with radio waves, television, cellular and radio signals; this, finally, is what modern pagans and Jews call the astral plane - the area of spiritual visions and contacts, in which, like nowhere else, the devil resides and dominates with legions of unclean spirits.

Television, press and radio broadcasting, anti-Christian in spirit, corrupting the Russian people today worse than any wine and vodka, have become the main sources of spiritual food for the Russian people. Today, in almost every home, a “blue icon” of the devil is placed in a red corner - a television, in front of which the population of Russia spends hours on end, as if in a narcotic sleep, hypnotized and programmed for self-destruction and extinction.

Through the ether and astral plane, our houses, apartments, cars were filled with countless legions of demons: spirits of aggression, anger, revenge, shameless passion. People are no longer able to understand how their family and life well-being is being destroyed with the help of thoroughly developed technologies of destruction traditional system values, ethics, morality. Few people today are able to connect the disobedience of children, their addiction to alcohol and drugs, the endless divorces of young and elderly married couples with the presence in their home of a real enemy - a television, a radio, a tabloid newspaper, which skillfully undermine the morality of society and the family with the poison of vulgarity and debauchery, and through the implanted cult of pleasure, attracting more and more souls to destruction.

Therefore, today the grace of God, given through the rites of consecration, in particular, through the consecration of our homes, is especially necessary for us to help us protect, consciously protect ourselves from the viruses of sinful temptation and spiritual decay that penetrate our homes.

Will the consecration of the house itself save us?

Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: “All grace coming from God through the holy cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread ('artos, antid'or, prosphora) and others, including the most holy communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, has power only for those who are worthy of this grace through repentance prayers, repentance, humility, service to people, works of mercy and the manifestation of other Christian virtues. But if they are not there, then this grace will not save, it does not act automatically, like a talisman, and is useless for the wicked and imaginary Christians (without virtues).”

The same can be said about the consecration of a home. A house dominated by empty, idle pastime is like a house with luminous windows during a night raid by enemy aircraft. Modern television, press and radio broadcasting, in a completely diabolical way, under the guise of entertainment and pleasure, alienate us from our Heavenly Father, from the One in Whose hand all ours is. earthly life and the life of the next century. Therefore, no sanctification will make sense and will not have a beneficial effect on our lives if, in particular, the demons of television and radio broadcasting reign supreme in the air of our apartments and houses. In moments of misfortune that befall us, in order to appease the district judge and prosecutor, on whom our fate or the fate of our loved ones who have violated the criminal law depends, we are ready to sacrifice our last money and much more, and in breaking the law of God, do we really think that if We will continue to irritate the Lord with our unbelief and amusements with demons, then He will be merciful to us? No. The libertine and blasphemer, by his deviation from God and from His commandments, commits the most terrible judgment on himself - he remains without God alone with the devil and his servants, who only need his soul, or rather, its fall and death.

Let us remember that the consecration of a house is both its protection from all disasters, and a blessing for good deeds and for the protection of our home from everything evil that is contrary to God; blessing so that we do not leave God and try to direct our lives not according to the laws that he introduces into human life enemy of the human race, but according to the Law of God.

Ceremony of consecration of a new house

The entire world created by God lives and moves according to the Law of God. Therefore, without God’s blessing and help, nothing truly valuable, important, good, or useful can be done. The Savior Himself said in the Gospel: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). And the prophet David says: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; If the Lord does not protect the city, the watchman watches in vain” (Ps. 126:1).

Our ancestors knew about this. “Without God there is no way,” says the Russian proverb. They often prayerfully turned to God, calling for blessings on every endeavor. Therefore, from ancient times, the homes of Christians were consecrated with prayer songs and sacred rites.

The Orthodox Church consecrates new houses following the example of the consecration of the temples of God. Even at the beginning of the construction of a house, a cross is laid at its foundation, and holy icons are installed in the house itself as signs (signs) of the gracious presence of the Lord and the saints in the Christian home. In the home of a Christian, the Church allows all types of its worship to be performed with the exception of the Divine Liturgy and the sacrament of the priesthood. She does not forbid bringing into every Christian home, in certain cases, the most holy and all-sanctifying Body and life-giving Blood of Christ.

How to bless the walls of a house with holy water?

Since ancient times, special prayer rites have existed for the blessing and consecration of a Christian home and hearth. At the beginning of the construction of a house, a small consecration of water is performed and prayers “for the foundation of the house” contained in the Trebnik are read. The Trebnik also sets out the rite of consecration of a new house. To this rite, when consecrating a house, prayers “about the church, chilled by evil spirits” and prayer “over the cave” can be added. The first prayer, as the name suggests, is of an incantatory nature; it is used during the consecration of those houses “that suffer the intrigues and misfortunes of evil spirits” (New Tablet). The second prayer is read to consecrate the hearth - the most important part of the Christian home, associated with the preparation of meals.

Before the consecration of a new house, a small blessing of water is performed, or the priest comes to the house, bringing holy water with him. A table covered with a clean tablecloth is supplied to the house in advance; a vessel with holy water and a small vessel with ordinary, unconsecrated oil are placed on it ( vegetable oil), the Gospel and the cross are placed and candles are lit in candlesticks.

On each of the four walls a cross is depicted in advance - to commemorate the cover and firm fencing, deliverance and preservation by the power of the cross from all evil and misfortune, from enemies visible and invisible.

After the exclamation “Blessed is our God...” and the usual initial prayers, the 90th Psalm “Living in the help of the Most High...” is read, in which the Church encourages future residents, saying that they will live in their new home under the shelter of the heavenly God and that under the shadow of the Almighty they will not be afraid of either terrors in the night or arrows flying by day. “No evil will befall you, and no plague will come near your dwelling,” exclaims the prophet (Ps. 91:10).

Then a troparion (a short church hymn) is sung, which says that once the Savior, having entered the house of Zacchaeus, granted salvation to him and all his household. So now, together with the servants of Christ in new house Angels of God enter. The Church asks the Lord to give peace to this house and to graciously bless it, saving and enlightening all who are going to live in it.

Turning to the east, the priest says: “Let us pray to the Lord,” “Lord, have mercy,” they answer him, and he reads a prayer similar in content to the troparion sung before this. He prays to the Savior, who deigned to enter the house of Zacchaeus and granted salvation to his entire house, to bless the newly built dwelling and save those who will live in it from all evil, abundantly giving them all the blessings of the Lord for their benefit.

In the next secret prayer (that is, a prayer read not aloud, but silently), the priest asks the Lord to grant salvation to the house, as He brought it to the house of Zacchaeus, to bless this house, as He once blessed the house of Lav'an by coming to him of Jacob, the house of Pentephrius - by the coming of Joseph into it, Abedd'ar - the ark brought into his house. (These events are narrated in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, chapter 30, verses 25-30; chapter 39, verses 1-5 and in the 2nd book of Kings, chapter 6, verses 10-12.) He prays to the Savior to send blessings down to the future inhabitants of the new house from the heights of His dwelling, to protect them with the fear of God, to protect them “from those who resist” and to multiply “all that is good in this house.” At the end of the prayer, the priest proclaims: “For it is Yours to forgive and save us, O our God, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Those present respond: “Amen.”

At this point in the rite, a prayer “over food” can be added to it. In it, the priest calls for help to protect the home from enemies visible and invisible - Angels, guardians of Christians, and all the saints of God, including the Hieromartyr Cyprian, whom demons once served in the art of magical intrigues and who, having believed in Christ, began to rebel against them and defeat them (New Tablet).

Then the priest crosses the oil three times in the name of the Most Holy Trinity and reads a prayer over the oil, in which he asks God to send the Holy Spirit onto the oil and consecrate it, so that it will be for the consecration of this place and the house built on this place to drive away “all resistant and satanic forces.” slander.”

After reading the prayer, the priest sprinkles the entire house with holy water (sprinkles each room on all four sides), praying: “By sprinkling this holy water, let all the evil demonic action be put to flight.” Then he anoints the 4 main walls of the house in a cross pattern (in those places where the cross was previously inscribed) with holy oil, saying the words: “This house is blessed with the anointing of this holy oil, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.”

Candles are lit in front of each cross inscribed on the walls, giving honor to the honest, life-giving Cross of the Lord, “which is a shield, a weapon against the devil and a sign of victory over him, ... a seal so that the “destroying angel” will not touch us (Ex. 12 , 23) and... the tree of eternal life (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 1844, p. 243).

The stichera, which the choir sings, contains a prayer to the Lord to bless this house, fill it with earthly blessings and save its future inhabitants “from all evil of the situation” and grant them an abundance of heavenly and earthly blessings.

Then the priest reads the Gospel (Luke 19:1-10), which tells about the Savior’s visit to the house of the publican (tax collector) Zacchaeus, who, although he was a sinful man, wanted to see the Lord so much that he climbed a tree . In response to the murmur of those who said that Jesus had entered the house of a sinful man, Christ said about Zacchaeus and about his house: “Now salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Church offers this passage from the Gospel to the residents of a new Christian home, joyfully proclaiming that now salvation has come to their home and that the Lord always comes to the home of those who long to see Him.

Then Psalm 100 is read, which contains instructions on how to behave in a new home. Reflecting on the blameless path, King David says: “I will walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house” (Ps. 100:2).

After the reading of the psalm, a litany is said. In it, in addition to the usual petitions, there are also petitions for the blessing of the house. All those present pray to the Lord of our life to send a Guardian Angel, a guardian of the new home, preserving everyone “who wants to live piously in it” from all evil and instructing them to do virtues, to fulfill the commandments of Christ. They also ask that the Lord save them all from hunger and all deadly wounds and grant them health and long life.

Sprinkling the house with holy water

By church tradition All Orthodox Christians on Epiphany Eve after the great blessing of water sprinkle their homes with Epiphany water while singing or reading the troparion of the holiday:

In the Jordan I am baptized to Thee, O Lord, / Threefold worship appeared: / The voice of the Fathers testified to Thee, / naming Thy beloved Son, / and the Spirit in the form of a dove / Knowing your verbal statement. / Appeared “Hey, O Christ God, / and enlightened peace, glory to Thee.”

But at other times it is also useful to sprinkle your home with holy water. When sprinkling, the following prayer is read to the honorable cross:

May God rise again, and may He be scattered at once, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts in the face of fire, so let them perish on behalf of those who love God and are known by the sign of the cross, and in joy say: Rejoice, most honorable and life-giving of the Cross of the Lord, drive away demons are upon you with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil, and who gave us His honorable Cross to drive away every adversary. O most honorable and life-giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen.

1 He who lives, with the help of the Most High, will be established in the realm of the heavenly God. 2 The Lord says: My God is my protector and my refuge, and I trust in Him. 3 For He will deliver you from the net of l'ovchi, and from the words of rebellion, 4 He will overshadow you with His splash, and under His wing you will hover, or Ego's truth will be eaten up like a snake. 5 Do not fear from the fear of the night, from the arrows that fly in the days, 6 from the things that pass in the darkness, from the cutting and the devil of the day. 7 Thousands of your lands will fall, and the darkness at your right hand will not come close to you, 8 otherwise your eyes will be rejected and rewarded. Behold the sinners' deeds. 9 For You, O Lord, are my hope; The Most High has made you your refuge. 10 Evil will not come to you, and evil will not approach your body, 11 “For His Angel commanded you to keep you in all your ways.” 'their. 12 They will lift you up in their arms, lest you strike your foot with a stone; 13 Thou shalt attack the asp and the basil, and thou shalt trample the lion and the serpent. 14 For in Me is my trust, and I will deliver; covering ‘and because I knew ‘My name’. 15 He will call to Me, and I will hear him, with him seven in the sky, I will destroy him and glorify him 16 I will fulfill him with the length of days and appear yu em'u salvation Mo'e.

The Divine Spirit, through the mouth of the Godfather David, reveals in this psalm the greatness of God’s works. The prophet shows what abundance of benefits lies in trust in God. Those secretly guided by Christ defeat invisible enemies, principalities and powers, the world rulers of the darkness of this age, the spirits of wickedness in high places (see Eph. 6:12), and the most hated Satan (Chrysostom, Athanasius, Theodoret).

1. He who is alive will be established in the realm of the heavenly God with the help of the Most High.

The prophetic spirit pleases a person whose help and assistance is Christ Himself. Do you see what boldness the one who fulfills His commandments has towards the Almighty? (Athanasius, Hesychius).

2. The Lord says: My God is my protector and my refuge, and I trust in Him.

3. For He will deliver you from the network of l’ovchi, and from the words of rebellion,

David from here turns his speech to the believer himself and encourages him: God will deliver you from the snare of trappings (secret machinations of opposing forces) and from rebellious (offensive) words (Theodoret, Athanasius).

Krills refers to the action of God's Providence, using the likeness of birds that cover their chicks with their wings. His truth is Christ God, His weapon is the Cross of Christ. Like chicks under the wing of a k'okosh (mother hen), so the whole world is under the wing of the Lord, He warms everyone and everything - some spiritually, others - with material warmth. And just as the kokosh hears the squeaks and sighs of the chicks under it, so the Lord hears the secret sighs, our prayers, sees all our needs (Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Kronstadt).

5. Do not fear from the fear of the night, from the arrows that fly in the days,

He called an arrow some kind of evil spirit, “the angel of death” (Athanasius).

6. from things that pass in darkness, from cuttings and half-dead creatures.

The thing that passes in darkness is every kind of malice that manifests itself where it is not expected; and a midday meeting is obvious and open harm. Note that the midday demon angered David when he fell into adultery after his midday nap. Other fathers call the midday demon the spirit of laziness and despondency that attacks certain hours, like a fever on a sick soul, and upsetting its strength. Sryasch - there is any unforeseen event, meeting, attack (Chrysostom, Athanasius, Cassian).

7. Thousands of thousands of people will fall from your country, and darkness will be at your right hand, but it will not come close to you,

In the highest sense, the psalm indicates that he who lives in God’s help will be attacked on the left side (from the country) by thousands of evil arrows - rage and lust, and on the right (right hand) - darkness, that is, ten thousand; for many evil forces are directed towards the destruction of what is right in us. The devil, knowing that many do not openly accept their sins, begins to attack them with things that seem good, but then through them he overthrows them into obvious evil. But the Lord does not cease to save those who love Him (Athanasius, Hesychius).

8. In your eyes, you will see and see the reward of sinners.

With your own eyes you will see victory over your enemies and fair retribution to them. You will see the reward for mental sinners in your mind after sober prayer. It is she who frees our mind from any material image of evil thoughts and allows it to recognize the suggestions of mental adversaries and feel the benefits of sobriety (Chrysostom, Hesychius).

The spirit of the man of God and the Spirit of the prophets, responding to each other, show how much benefit there is in trusting in God. God cares so much about the faithful because he has completely surrendered to the will of God and placed all his trust in Him: for You, Lord, are my hope. For this, - the prophet answers the faithful, - you will be honored with providence from Him, since you have made the Most High your refuge (Athanasius, Theodoret).

10. Evil will not come to you, and evil will not approach your body, 11 “for His Angel commanded you to keep you in all ways yours.

The prophet encourages man: not only will disasters not overcome him, but they will not even come close. God, through the Angels, will repel the devil's attacks. More than people, be ashamed of the Angels, of whom there are many with us, and avoid every shameful action. By Angels also mean God-bearing men and priests (priests), who have knowledge of God, protect and guide us in life from temptations, “before the mouth of the priest retains his understanding, and seeks the law from his mouth, like an Angel.” There is the Lord Almighty” (Mal. 2:7) (Chrysostom, Theodoret, Nile).

12. They will lift you up in their arms, lest they strike your foot with a stone;

The devil brought these words to Christ, but the Lord, rebuking him, said in response: it is written: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Deut. 6:16; Matt. 4:7), for God promised help not to the tempter, but to the needy, not vain, or seeking empty glory, but in dire need. Under a stone one can understand every sin and every obstacle to virtue, and under a foot - the soul of a person (Chrysostom, Pelusiot, Athanasius).

13. Attack the asp and basil, and trample the lion and the serpent.

In the highest sense, by attacking poisonous and carnivorous animals, David expressed victory over evil. Whoever tramples anger tramples a lion, because the lion is distinguished by rage, and whoever tramples pleasure and wickedness tramples the asp, the basilisk and the dragon, because carnal pleasure and every worldly evil are rightly compared to the creeping things that creep on the earth. By asp and basilisk, extreme deceit is meant, because the asp emits mortal poison, and the basilisk causes harm with its gaze. Due to its ferocity, the asp resists all spells. The basilisk (spectacled snake) has fiery eyes and contains poison in the eye - as is said about envious people. The dragon (boa constrictor) is the largest serpent that swallows people, bulls and oxen, and, due to its terrible power, portrays itself as the devil (see Apoc. 12, 3, 4). David mentioned these most evil and powerful animals, wanting to show that a person protected by God cannot be harmed by any enemies, visible or invisible. Thousands of those who loved the desert life, by trusting in God, avoided these hostile attacks, living together with the beasts. And the demon is also an asp, a basilisk, a lion and a serpent, because all the harmful actions produced by these animals are within him (Chrysostom, Theodoret, Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great, Athanasius, Cyril, Diodorus).

God is already saying this, showing the fruit of hope - hope in God. Do not flatter yourself, hope in God is preceded by work for God and sweat shed in doing good. Only “the righteous trust like a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). And just as his constant care is dedicated to God, so God rewards him. He who is relaxed and lazy in his work cannot have such hope. Who knows His name? The one who with meekness submitted to Him the will of his mind and who is duly submissive to Him, and not the one who knows Him only by ear (Isaac, Theodoret, Chrysostom, Eusebius).

15. He will call to Me, and I will hear him, with him there are seven in the sky, I will honor him and I will glorify him.

This is what the Lord says to the righteous. Truly, what could be greater than that bliss when we have God as our protector in battle against enemies? For it is then that He most needs to be with us, when sorrows and disasters surround us. He who calls on Him with a strong spiritual voice finds God listening and ready to help. O words full of love! O words that breathe the most living hope into the one who prays. In the most sorrowful, joyless moments, the Lord is with us. But we think that no, that the Lord has left us. A mother cannot completely attract our hearts into her love, but the Lord attracts us with holy mysteries and prayer (Athanasius, Isaac, John of Kronstadt).

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