by Phyllis Mishel Onesh

Begin Everything with Prayer

Since we are reminded in Scripture to begin whatever we do with prayer, it has been the practice of Orthodox Christians for centuries to have new dwellings blessed either before or just after settling in. This has been extended to one’s business or office, and even college dorm rooms. “The service performed by the priest to bless the new dwelling is somewhat similar to the consecration of a church [in the Russian practice] in that holy water, holy oil, and incense are used and a lesson from the holy Gospel is read. All the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water and each of the four outer walls are anointed with the sign of the Cross with holy oil, a candle placed before them, and after the censing of the house, the lesson from the Holy Gospel is read [in Greek practice the service of the Small Blessing of Waters is generally done]. At the conclusion of the blessing, the inhabitants are blessed with holy water: the husband first, followed by the wife and then the children — the oldest first. Relatives and friends present are then blessed.” (Marriage and the Christian Home, by Rev. Michael B. Henning, p.24.)

Back to “The Fall”

From Scripture we know that whatever God created was good; but with “the Fall”, evil entered the world, corrupting the creation. God the Father sent His Son Jesus to save it by effecting a “new creation”. This is celebrated at Theophany, specifically with the Great Blessing of Water. “The consecration of the waters on this feast places the entire world — through its ‘prime element’ of water — in the perspective of the cosmic creation, sanctification, and glorification of the Kingdom of God in Christ and the Spirit.” (The Orthodox Faith, Vol. II, Worship, by Fr. Thomas Hopko, p. 127.) All the readings, hymns, prayers, and actions of the day speak of God’s presence in our entire world and universe, 1-Is creation.

Through water all of the creation is once again sanctified by God, becoming good again, the way God had intended.

The Feast Of Theophany

The Feast of Theophany (or Epiphany) commemorates the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. We know from the troparion of the day that “the Trinity was made manifest” to us. But there’s more to it than this. “When Jesus descends into the depths of the river, there occurs a profound upheaval. it is not the one baptized who is purified, for he is spotless; but it is the water that is transfigured and illumined. This water, which was believed to be transparent and purifying, is in fact polluted, inhabited by evil spirits, servants of the old gods. By purifying the elements, by sanctifying matter, Jesus frees the cosmos from the powers of evil.” (The Incarnate God, Vol. I, Catherine Aslanoff, French edition editor, translated by Paul Meyendorff, p.163.)

The Great Blessing of Water and the Home

The Great Blessing of Water takes place at the end of that day’s Liturgy. Since our homes cannot be brought to the Church, the Church through the priest and cantor go to the homes. There the service of blessing, which began in the church, is finished with the sprinkling of water in the home. Traditionally, in most Orthodox parishes, the priest personally visits all his parishioners each year to pray with them in the place where they live, and to bless their surroundings with the newly sanctified water of Theophany (January 6/13). By sanctifying our living quarters, our private place, we extend the grace of God to our individual dwellings. (In very large parishes a yearly visit may not be possible. In areas of the country where the winter is harsh, I know of at least one parish where houses are blessed at the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in September.)

We also bring the blessed water to our homes to use throughout the year to bless our homes and to drink whether we are ill or as part of our daily prayer life. "There are many occasions in family life when a sip of holy water can help to remind us of the blessing that was given ‘to bestow sanctification’, ‘unto healing of soul and body’, ‘to be a fountain welling forth unto life eternal’, as the priest prayed in the litany of Epiphany day." (Little Falcons: Water, Vol. 5, No. 2, 1998, p.33.)

Weaving Christ into Our Lives

“The blessing of homes by these holy waters maintains the spiritual association between the ‘family church’ and the parish, as well as again providing for the sharing of God’s spiritual … This annual blessing is not as elaborate as the blessing of the new dwelling, but because of this it should not be overlooked, for it is in this way that the grace of God. is extended to individual dwellings.” (Marriage and the Christian Home, p. 25.)

If the priest comes to bless the home when the children are pre sent, they have the opportunity to see the parish priest in a different and personal situation. If the priest permits, they can lead the way through the house, or hold a candle. They can show him their rooms or pets or favorite toys. They receive a blessing with water. For children, the house blessing shows the connection of the Church to the home.

In Summary

What does it mean to ask God to bless something? All things in the world have been spoiled right along with us. God must bless His world again in order for it to be the way that He wants it to be. For this reason God sent His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the world: to bless everyone and everything that He made, to make all things good again. When the priest comes to bless our homes, he asks God to have mercy on the house, to rid it of every evil and to fill it with every blessing. What a wonderful way to begin the New Year!

Getting Ready for Home Blessing

Christ, by entering the Jordan, sanctified it, and with it all creation. Material creation once again became "very good" as it was in the beginning.

The central sign of God’s sanctification of all things through the feast of Theophany is the act of blessing the homes of faithful Christians. The priest visits all members of the Church to pray with them in the place where they live, and to bless their surroundings with Holy Water. He asks God to have mercy on the house, to rid it of every evil and to fill it with every blessing.

Thus the house itself, together with the living persons of the family, is "filled with all the fullness of God".

To prepare for the priest’s visit to bless your home:

1. Make a list of the first names of those family members you wish to pray for when the priest arrives, with the living and the deceased in separate columns.
2. On your dining room table or family altar, place a lighted candle, a Theophany icon or icon of Christ, and a wide bowl (to hold the holy water the priest will bring). Be sure your prayer list is there, too!
3. Turn on a light in each room, so the priest can see where he is going
4. Turn off all TVs, stereos, and computers.
5. Secure any pets that might jump up on the priest or family, or "get underfoot" as you move from room to room. (Pets may be blessed, too!)

Everyone in the house when the priest arrives should gather around the table/family altar and join in the singing of the litany responses and troparion.

The children may lead the priest around the house with a lit candle, if he permits.

From Orthodox Family Life
Winter 1998-1999