Prayer for accepting holy water - history, meaning, text

Throughout our lives, one of the main shrines is next to us - living holy water. Prayer before drinking holy water, is it necessary to read it? And how to do it correctly? Such water helps to cleanse yourself from the inside and strengthen you in the faith of God.

Holy water is special water. Not every person knows that before drinking holy water you can read a prayer

Use of Water in the Old Testament

The prayer for accepting holy water is associated with religious rituals dating back to ancient Judaism. During Old Testament times, rituals of cleansing with water were established. Josephus (37-100) testified that every day before the daily meal a purifying bath (complete immersion in water) was performed. For this, ordinary water was used, the main thing was that it was not cloudy. Also, a cleansing bath was performed as a sign of conversion and repentance. However, the water did not bring perfect purity and ablutions had to be repeated regularly.

Holy water

How is water blessed at a prayer service ordered by believers?

Rituals are performed much more often than on the day of Epiphany. Thus, at prayer services a small blessing of water takes place. It can also be performed at home, not only in the temple. In church, the blessing of water occurs at the end of the reading of the liturgy. The liquid acquires special properties when blessing people, objects, and healing from diseases. To carry out the ceremony, a container of water is placed on the table, a cross and a Gospel are prepared. It is necessary to light candles, after which troparia begin and psalms are read. The final stage in this case is the recitation of the prokeimenon; it is also necessary to read the Apostle (Heb. 2, 14-18).

What is Holy Water

Initially, ordinary clean running water becomes sanctified (holy) after reading special prayers. Water can be spring, well, tap. According to the “Teaching of the 12 Apostles” (“Didache”), this water should be “living” (flowing and cold). After a prayer service is performed over it, the water acquires special properties under the influence of God’s grace.

According to St. John Chrysostom (347-407), with holy water “a clear sign occurs: the quality of this water does not deteriorate over time; on the contrary, the scooped water remains unspoiled and fresh for a whole year.”

Such water changes its characteristics and becomes beneficial itself. She can heal the sick and sanctify objects. Holy water is also called water from Holy springs. In Orthodoxy, Saints are considered to be springs that arose or acquired healing properties after the actions of some saint or obvious miracle.

The tradition of using holy water began with the gospel story of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

“The beginning of the world is water, and the beginning of the Gospel is Jordan. A sensual light shone from the water, for the Spirit of God rushed over the top of the water and commanded the light to shine out of the darkness. From the Jordan the light of the Holy Gospel shone, for, as the holy evangelist writes, “from that time,” that is, from the time of Baptism, Jesus began to preach and say: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Gospel of Matthew, 4:17).” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-386).

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

According to Orthodox canons, you need to read prayers and conduct an evening service on the eve of the day of Epiphany (January 19) or directly on this day (then the ritual is performed after the liturgy). Another option is possible - the consecration of water is carried out at the end of Vespers, after the litanies.

An important action in this case is the religious procession. At the same time, it is necessary to sign a cross over containers of water. This is preceded by walking around them with a censer and a candle. The rite of baptism itself begins with the singing of troparions. Then they read the letter of the Apostle Paul and the Gospel of Mark.

At the same time, do not stop performing periodic censing over water,
blessings are given over illuminated containers.

When is Holy Water Used?

Holy water is a mandatory attribute in the Sacrament of Baptism. The person being baptized is immersed three times in a font of holy water. This is done as a sign of washing from original sin, renewal into new life in Christ.

“What happens in the sacrament of Baptism? The death of the old, sinful man occurs in him. Therefore, if a person in adulthood accepts the sacrament of Baptism with faith and repentance, then both his original sin and his own sins are forgiven. A man emerges from the font as an Angel of God... He who has received the sacrament of Baptism is reborn by the Holy Spirit, clothed with the Lord Himself, for the Lord enters inside his heart” (Hegumen Nikon Vorobyov, 1894-1963).

Temples and all liturgical objects, residential buildings and buildings are blessed with holy water. At water-blessing prayers, believers are sprinkled with holy water.

There are two rites of consecration of water: small and great. The minor consecration of water occurs during water-blessing prayers, which the priest can perform at any time. The great consecration of water takes place on the feast of the Epiphany and the day before, on Epiphany Eve. Believers preserve water blessed on these days throughout the year and use it during illness.

According to church canons, the Great Agiasma (in Greek “shrine”) is equated to the lowest degree of Holy Communion. During penance (from Greek - “punishment”), a Christian is forbidden to partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ for a certain period of time. However, as a consolation, he is allowed to drink holy water.

To store holy water, not only special vessels are used, but also ordinary glass jars. Appropriate inscriptions must be made on them so as not to confuse it with ordinary water. Epiphany water may not spoil for several years.

Christian believers drink Holy water along with prosphora every day on an empty stomach after reading the morning prayer rule. Each prayer book contains a prayer for receiving holy water and prosphora. Reception of prosphora and holy water must be done with special reverence (as a shrine). Holy water can also be consumed throughout the day.

Why does the Church sanctify water?

In Orthodoxy, one of the obligatory rites is the blessing of water. The need for this is determined by the sinfulness of human nature. This tendency comes from Adam and Eve, and therefore is ineradicable. Accordingly, it is necessary to periodically sanctify not only people, but also everything they use, including water. This makes it possible to stop the spread of impurities, the processes of decay, and slow down the multiplication of the consequences of sin. Moreover, it is necessary to constantly carry out the rite of consecration.

Why do they drink Holy water?

God's grace through holy water has a beneficial effect not according to the list of human merits. It requires the sincere faith of the person receiving it. Holy water does not have magical chemical properties that change a person’s life just by taking the liquid. For “imaginary” Christians who do not have faith and good deeds in the name of Christ, this water is useless.

“Miracles of healing still occur today, and they are countless. 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 they want to see them only out of curiosity, without a sincere intention to use them for their salvation” (Archimandrite Ambrosy Ermakov, born 1970).

“Let it be known to everyone about holy water: those who separate themselves from holy water for the reason that they have already tasted food are not doing good, for the grace of God is given for the sanctification of the world and all creation. We also sprinkle it everywhere, in all unclean places, and even under our feet. And where is the intelligence of those who do not drink it because they eat food” (Typikon, Chapter 48 - Monthly Book, January 6, 1st “see”).

If a Christian believer prays while receiving holy water with firm faith in God’s help, then he can receive healing from physical and mental illnesses. Thus, the Monk Seraphim Vyritsky (1866-1949) advised sick Christians to take a tablespoon of holy water every hour. He reminded everyone that there was no stronger medicine along with consecrated oil. And Saint Luke of Crimea (1877-1961), as a doctor, recommended drinking Holy water as often as possible. He said that this is the best and most effective medicine.

Chapter 3. The Christian's Path to Healing

Finally, mention should be made of exorcism, which occupies a special, but nevertheless important place among religious means of healing.

As we said above, according to the statements of the holy fathers, the devil and demons laid the foundation for many diseases. Their interference is often indirect, but in some cases it takes the form of obsession. Then one or even several demons besiege the body and soul of a person, make them their abode, destroy and ruin their health363, “subject the body to painful illnesses and accidents, and the soul to unexpected and cruel sorrows”364. Evangelists365, holy fathers and authors of the lives of saints describe many similar examples.

For many of our contemporaries, there is a temptation to see in the description of obsession an archaic way of perceiving those phenomena that modern medicine is trying to explain from a scientific point of view and boldly places in the general classification of diseases. However, the experience of spiritual mentors, and even a simple analysis of biblical and hagiographical texts, refutes this vision of these phenomena and reveals their much more complex nature. Thus, based on the texts of the Gospel, we can conclude that possession, on the one hand, and illnesses and infirmities, on the other, are phenomena of a different order, having their own characteristic features and not always interconnected with each other. First of all, in numerous passages from the texts of Scripture, a significant distinction is made between possession and illnesses and infirmities,366 which no longer allows them to be reduced to one concept. Secondly, most of the diseases and illnesses mentioned in connection with the miraculous healings performed by the Savior are in no way connected with possession. Thirdly, in some cases, the same person may suffer from obsession and some illness (or illness) that are in no way related to each other. Thus, Saint Matthew says: they brought many demoniacs to Him, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick (Matthew 8:16). Here we see that Christ performs two successive actions: casting out demons and healing; however, the first one would already be enough if the disease were identified with obsession or was caused by it. These arguments force us to recognize that diseases represent a certain autonomous field and in most cases have their own etiology of natural origin. And this is not true only for a special category of diseases; after all, even those diseases that in some cases are considered to be the result of possession, in other cases are obviously considered to have a natural (physical) origin. Thus, the Gospel mentions the dumb, the deaf and the blind, who are not considered possessed,368 while others suffering from the same ailments appear to be exactly that369. Likewise, some paralytic people are considered to be sick due to possession,370 while others are not.371 A similar distinction is made with regard to epileptics: some of them are called possessed,372 while others are clearly distinguished from the “possessed”373. Consequently, we can conclude from this that the attempt to determine the demonic etiology of diseases has nothing to do with the impossibility of explaining their origin in any other way and only confirms that their natural causation is far from the only one. In addition, the symptoms of a particular disease or illness are not the defining signs by which such a disease or illness can be attributed to phenomena of natural or demonic origin, since they are often outwardly similar, and only a spiritual gaze filled with the gift of insight (see: 1 Cor. 12:10), is able to distinguish them.

In these observations we guess the complexity of such phenomena and the difference that exists between the clinical perception of medical science, which judges things by their phenomenality, that is, by external material signs that determine its criteria, and a spiritual view that penetrates into the essence of things, surpassing the superficial “science” by comprehending what lies at its basis. So, recognition of the fact that the same disease or infirmity in some cases is caused exclusively by natural causes, in others it comes from demonic possession, logically leads to the use of exorcism.

Christ's casting out of demons is one of the signs of salvation that He brought to people: But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then of course the Kingdom of God has come to you (Matthew 12:28). For this reason the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the devil, says Saint John (1 John 3:8). Because of Adam's sin, the power of the devil and demons was released and spread throughout the world to do evil deeds in it. By the work of Christ, the New Adam, she is bound and again subjected to the power of the Spirit. Humanity, reunited with God through the Incarnate Word, rediscovers the benefits of its original state and destiny. This is what the Savior demonstrates when he transfers first to the twelve apostles, and then to the seventy-two disciples, dominion and power over demons, and at the same time the power to cast them out (see: Luke 9:1; Matthew 10:1; Mark 3: 15) and trample underfoot any “opposite forces”. With just one invocation of the name of Christ, Satan lost his kingdom, falling from heaven like lightning (cf. Luke 10:17–18), and the nations turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). Through Holy Baptism, the power of man's enslavement by Satan is reduced to the power of suggestion, and every Christian receives the ability to resist him and drive him away (see: James 4:7)374. Some are even, like the apostles, given the power to cast out demons from people possessed by them, as well as to heal the diseases that such possession accompanies or gives rise to.

The gift of exorcism was extremely widespread in the first centuries of Christianity, and in subsequent eras it was mentioned as a common practice375. “There are still echoes of this Holy Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove, in today’s Christians; they drive out demons and heal many diseases,” writes Origen376. Also martyr Justin o377.

As a sign that Christ has come to restore to men the Kingdom which they have lost, and to restore to them the power which they have ceded to Satan, exorcism is carried out in the name of the King of Powers378. Because in the name of Jesus Christ demons are pacified and cast out379. “All the power and dominion we have over them receives its strength when we pronounce the name of Christ,” writes Tertullian380. And Saint Justin adds: “Any demon conjured in the name of the Son of God. becomes defeated and subjugated"381. For them, His name is unbearable382: they fear it most of all, since it means their defeat and punishment383.

However, invoking the name of Christ, necessary in such cases, is not sufficient: the Lord imparts His victorious power only to those who are worthy of it; He bestows this power upon the one who calls upon Him in accordance with the strength of his faith and the purity of his heart. Let us recall the passage from the Gospel that tells how the disciples were unable to free a man with seizures from the demon that possessed him. After Christ cast out the demon, the disciples asked Him: “Why couldn’t we cast him out?” - Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:19-20). And to make us comprehend the necessity of unconditional faith and unbreakable commitment, Christ adds: no one who has done a miracle in My name can quickly speak evil of Me (Mark 9:39). “Abba Pitirion, a student of Abba Anthony, said: “Whoever wants to cast out demons must first tame the passions [that are in him]””384. If the one who wants to engage in exorcism has not fully united with Christ through cleansing from passions and practicing virtues, demonic power can turn against him, as evidenced by the example of the Jewish exorcists given in the Book of Acts (Acts 19:13-17): they began to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying: “We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches” <...> But the evil spirit answered: “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” And the man in whom there was an evil spirit rushed at them, and, overpowering them, took such power over them that they ran out of that house, naked and beaten (Acts 19:1,15-16). In fact, St. Paul, the apostles and saints, by virtue of their holiness, invest the necessary strength in invoking the name of Christ; only through her can His power spread through them. Besides purity, humility is the virtue that the exorcist must first of all possess and without which he can do nothing385; because only when a person recognizes his own helplessness and renounces himself, Christ can make him His container and invest him, in the name of God the Father and the Holy Spirit, with Divine power. Finally, the exorcist must be deeply imbued with love for his neighbor and act not with any self-interest, but out of pure compassion.

Therefore, contrary to what one might assume at first glance, exorcism is not a technique; it does not work, like magic, by the power of the spell alone. Its effectiveness primarily depends on the spiritual state of the one who practices it. As Harnack emphasizes, “it is not prayer that heals, but the one who prays; not words, but Spirit; not an exorcism, but an exorcist”386.

The numerous examples of exorcisms in early Christianity, as well as cases of miraculous healings, also become increasingly rare over time, partly for the same reasons that were mentioned regarding healings - since they, in addition to their main purpose, also had a “symbolic” meaning; partly and mainly because with the spread of Christianity, the demonic influence, without losing strength, changed its form and was expressed in a different way: it softened, became more subtle, less noticeable and barely perceptible. Thus, Saint John Cassian offers two explanations for this phenomenon: “...or the power of the Cross, penetrating to the very core of space, and His grace shining everywhere, suppressed the demonic machinations; or. stopping their attacks, which were carried out clearly, allows them to deceive us and inflict more severe defeats on us.”387 According to the second explanation, demons, having taken up arms mainly against the carriers of the Spirit in order to deceive their vigilance, take forms and use means less noticeable for spiritual insight.

Soon enough, having ceased to be a common healing practice, exorcism would nevertheless continue to be used in individual cases and demonstrate its ability to deliver large numbers of people from their illnesses and infirmities.

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 Your prayers Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

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What is prosphora? Why is it used? With what prayer should one eat prosphora?

Prosphora is liturgical bread; it is baked in diocesan bakeries specifically for holding services (liturgical) in the mornings or evenings. It is intended for use by parishioners. But eating should be done on an empty stomach, and you also need to drink consecrated water. This is a symbol of the unity of the Divine and Human (the prosphora consists of two parts).

This product should not be used while reading a prayer,
and upon completion.

Expert opinion

Father Innocent

“The main components: water blessed by prayer, salt, yeast and wheat flour. Separate parts of the prosphora are prepared, and then combined in two.”