He who lives with the help of the Almighty will find his home under the roof of the heavenly God. He will say to the Lord: “You are my protector and my refuge, my God, and I trust in Him.” For He will deliver you from the snare of fishers and from the disturbing news. He will hide you behind His shoulders, and under His wings you will hope; His truth will surround you like a weapon. You will not be afraid from the fear of the night, from an arrow flying during the day; from danger wandering in the darkness, from misfortune and the demon of the midday. A thousand will fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but they will not come close to you. Only with your eyes will you look and see the reward of sinners. For You, Lord, are my hope! You have made the Most High your refuge. Evil will not approach you, and the scourge will not come close to your tent, for He will command His angels for you, to keep you in all your ways; they will carry you in their hands, so that you do not stumble on a stone with your foot. You will tread on the asp and the basilisk, and you will trample the lion and the dragon. “For he trusted in Me, and I will deliver him, I will cover him, for he has known My name. He will call on Me, and I will hear him, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and glorify him, I will fill him with long life and show him My salvation.”
6: As soon as the ninetieth psalm has been read, say the Troparion: We recommend that you read,
Just as salvation came to Thy house of Zacchaeus, O Christ, through the entrance, so now through the entrance of Thy sacred servants and with them Thy holy Angels, give Thy peace to this house, and graciously bless it, saving and enlightening all who want to live in it.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 7: After reciting the Troparion, to continue the consecration of the apartment with the help of holy water, the following prayer is said:
Lord Jesus Christ Our God, who deigned to enter under the roof of Zacchaeus the publican, and became the salvation of him and his entire household! Even now, those who wish to live here, and through us who are unworthy, bring prayers and prayers to You, preserve them unharmed from all evil, blessing them and this dwelling, and always preserve their lives in safety, abundantly giving them all Your blessings for their benefit. For due to You is all glory, honor and worship with Your Originless Father, and Your Most Holy, and Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 8: You should cross yourself and continue reading the prayer: We recommend that you read,
Sovereign Lord, our God, who lives on the heights and looks down upon the earth, who commanded people to build houses and blessed them to live in them, and who granted salvation to the house of Zacchaeus! Thyself, bless this house, and protect those who wish to live in it with Thy fear, and preserve them unharmed from enemies, and send down Thy blessing from the heights of Thy dwelling upon them, and bless and increase all the blessings in this house. For You have mercy and save us, our God, and we send up glory to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 9: Immediately after completing the pronunciation of this prayer, it is necessary to baptize the Oil three times while simultaneously pronouncing the words:
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 10: To continue the consecration of a home or apartment, a prayer is read over the oil:
Lord our God, now mercifully look upon the prayer of me, Thy humble and unworthy servant, and send down the grace of Thy Most Holy Spirit on this oil and sanctify it, so that it may be for the sanctification of this place and the house built on it, and for the expulsion of all hostile power and satanic wiles. For You bless and sanctify everything, Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father, and Your All-Holy, and Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 11: As soon as the prayer over the oil is said, you need to pick up a container with holy water and with a brush sprinkle all the walls of the room that you are consecrating while simultaneously saying the following words: We recommend that you read,
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling this sacred water, may all evil demonic action be put to flight. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 12: As soon as all the walls of the apartment or room have been sprinkled with holy water, you need to pick up the illuminated Oil and begin anointing the walls with it, starting from the easternmost wall of the apartment and continuing in the form of a cross, that is, west, east, north and south. It turns out that anointing is carried out in each room in the form of a cross, and at the moment of each anointing the following words are pronounced:
This house is blessed by the anointing of this holy oil, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 13: The next step to consecrate the apartment with the help of holy water and Oil will be to light a Church candle at each wall, but given that this is not always possible, it is enough to light one candle and light the censer, with which you will incense the room being consecrated. read the following prayer.
Wisdom! Let us become reverent. We'll hear holy gospel. Peace to all. And to your spirit. At that time Jesus entered Jericho. And there was a man named Zacchaeus, and he was a senior publican, and he was rich. And he tried to see Jesus, who He was, but could not because of the crowd, because he was small in stature. And running ahead, he climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since He was supposed to pass that way. And coming to this place, Jesus looked up and said to him: Zacchaeus, hasten to get down; for today I must be in your house. And he got down hastily and received Him with joy. And when they saw it, everyone began to murmur and said: He stayed with a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Behold, half of what I have, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have unjustly forced anything from anyone, I will repay him fourfold. And Jesus said to him, “Today 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. Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 14: And immediately to consecrate the apartment they read Psalm 100. We recommend that you read,
I will sing to You of mercy and judgment, O Lord. I will sing and listen on the blameless path: when will You come to me? I walked in goodness of heart in the midst of my house. He did not allow the deeds of lawbreakers to appear before my eyes; he hated those who committed crimes; the obstinate heart did not stick to me, I did not notice the evil one avoiding me; secretly slandering his neighbor - he drove him out, with a proud eye and an insatiable heart - he did not eat with him. My eyes are on the faithful of the earth, so that they may sit next to me, walking on the blameless path, he served me. He who walks arrogantly shall not dwell in the midst of my house, nor he who speaks lies prosper in my sight. In the mornings I put to death all the sinners of the earth, to destroy from the city of the Lord all the workers of iniquity.
Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.
HOW TO DESIGNATE AN APARTMENT 15: Once everything has been read, the apartment has been sprinkled with holy water and anointed with Oil, you can put out the candle, the censer and complete the ritual of consecrating the home, since from this moment the living space is considered consecrated and all demons are expelled from it.
When a person feels uncomfortable in his own home and feels an otherworldly presence, it is urgent to carry out a cleansing ritual that will help get rid of negativity and scare away evil entities. If you know how to consecrate an apartment yourself, you don’t have to call a priest, but perform the steps yourself.
Before wondering how to consecrate an apartment yourself, you need to figure out whether it’s worth performing the ritual at all.
Each person must make a decision independently, based on their own spiritual desire. How the consecration of an apartment will take place largely depends on the person’s initial mood.
As practice shows, many people illuminate their apartments, hoping to solve their everyday problems: difficulties in relationships, troubles at work. But the clergy warn that cleaning the home will not help get rid of problems, but will only direct a person on the right path.
If a person begins to live according to Christian commandments and adheres to God's laws, he can get rid of negative energy, including clearing the home itself of it. Such changes will have a positive impact on life, and the right attitude will help get rid of many problems.
Whether it is necessary to illuminate the house and how many times to perform the ceremony, everyone decides for themselves. The priests strongly recommend cleaning only in one case - when buying a new home.
If the previous owners did not adhere to spiritual rules and led an incorrect lifestyle, some of the negative energy will certainly remain in the house and will spoil the life of the new owners.
The following signs may indicate the need for cleaning:
- Something is constantly falling in the house;
- family members often quarrel for no apparent reason;
- pets get sick;
- extraneous noises and sounds are periodically heard;
- It is impossible to concentrate in any room.
When to carry out
One of the main questions that concerns religious people is when to cover. Experts assure that the ceremony can be performed at any time when it is convenient for the owners and the priest. Since ancient times, there has been a belief that it is forbidden to clean the apartment during fasting and during menstruation. This is wrong.
During critical days girls are only prohibited from receiving anointing and being baptized. As for other rituals, there are practically no restrictions. Today the church allows rituals to be held at any time, including during Lent. When is the best time to light an apartment, the priest will tell you in more detail.
Important! Often, when asked whether it is possible to consecrate a house during Lent and whether it is possible to consecrate an apartment during menstruation, priests answer positively.
Any dwelling or house can be consecrated only once. If in the old days in Rus' there was a tradition of consecrating an apartment on great holidays, today this custom has not been preserved. However, nowadays you can also find Christians who honor this tradition and continue to clean the apartment on Easter, Christmas, and Epiphany. If a person wants to play it safe, it is better to clean the home at regular intervals with holy water and burning candles.
Important! Purification is done only once; subsequent rituals will not have the original power and will be practically meaningless.
What you need
What attributes will be required when consecrating an apartment depends on the chosen method. Today you can clean your home in different ways. It is advisable to choose a method based on your own intuition.
Inner instinct will certainly tell a person which method will be more suitable in a particular case. It is necessary to remember that housing can only be consecrated after cleaning. If the house is a mess or unfinished repairs, the ceremony will not help get rid of negative energy; there will be practically no effect from the ritual.
When consecrating an apartment, the first thing you need to do is not only fully understand how the ceremony takes place, but also choose a place in advance. It is better to store purchased attributes in a specially designated place. This could be a table, cabinet or shelf. What is needed to consecrate an apartment.
The classical ceremony is carried out using the following items:
- holy water;
- ceramic or glass container;
- Bible;
- church candles;
- lamp with vegetable oil.
Before you begin to perform the sacrament, you need to make sure that everything you need to consecrate the apartment is at hand.
Method 1
Many believers are interested in the question of whether it is possible to consecrate an apartment with one’s own hands, and whether such a ritual will really work. The clergy assure that a true believer also has certain powers, so the ritual will help get rid of negativity and protect the home. It is recommended to perform the ceremony this coming Thursday.
To consecrate your home, you will need to purchase in advance:
- Icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (3 pieces).
- Two church candles.
You can bless an apartment when it is convenient for a person. Most experts advise performing the sacrament in the first half of the day. Purchased candles must be placed in the church in front of the icon, cross yourself and say a prayer: “Nicholas the Wonderworker, bless me to cleanse my house and help me expel evil spirits. So be it. Amen".
Upon arrival home, you need to light one candle, take it to right hand and go around all the corners, saying out loud: “I clean the corner, floor, walls and ceiling. I drive out demons and envy. Let the candle burn away troubles, misfortunes and illnesses.”
While reading the prayer, it is required to apply the sign of the cross to all corners of the room. Perform similar actions in each room. Cleansing is carried out over 3 Thursdays. At the same time, a person must remember to go to church first in order to receive approval to perform the sacrament.
Method 2
A church candle is taken in your right hand, after which you need to go to the right doorpost in the room, this corner will be considered the starting corner.
If in some place the candle begins to crack and smoke, this indicates that a large accumulation of negative energy is concentrated in this place. To clean such an area, you need to read prayers until the candle calms down. After the room is cleaned, place the candle on the doorframe from which the cleansing began and leave it to burn out.
Method 3
The ritual using holy water is very popular.
To perform the ceremony you will need the following items:
- holy water (it is recommended to take it from church);
- glass bowl (necessarily new);
- icon;
- lamp.
Before performing the ritual, you must obtain approval and blessing from the priest. After this, next Saturday, spend general cleaning and get rid of everything unnecessary.
When the house is tidied, you need to place an icon with a lamp in the hall (opposite the entrance) and leave it for at least a day. In order for the ceremony to be as effective as possible, priests also advise preparing yourself for the sacrament in advance.
A few days before the ceremony you are required to stop consuming alcoholic products, limit yourself in food and constantly pray. Also during this period, it is strictly forbidden to swear, since foul language summons evil spirits. If cleansing is carried out by a woman, it is necessary to tie a scarf on her head and be sure to wear a skirt below the knees. The most important criterion is the presence of a pectoral cross.
It is advisable that all family members be at home during the sacrament. Holy water must be poured into a new cup. After this, dip 3 fingers folded with a pinch in it. The ritual begins to be performed from the corner where the icon stood. Walking around the room is done clockwise. While moving, it is necessary to sprinkle the walls, floor, ceiling, furniture with holy water and at the same time read the prayer: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling sowing sacred water, let every evil demonic action be put to flight. Amen".
When a sacrament is performed by clergy, many of them bring stickers with them in advance for consecration. When performing a ceremony, this attribute is optional.
Such stickers were originally intended to support the ritual and additionally protect the home from evil spirits. Usually they are glued in the room on all 4 walls.
Whether it is necessary to buy such stickers, everyone must decide for themselves. Most clergy do not use the attribute, but draw a cross on the walls themselves.
Do I need to follow any rules after doing a cleanse? Every believing home owner must change his lifestyle and adhere to God's commandments and laws. In order not to spoil the home energy, it is forbidden to swear, quarrel and swear in the house. It is necessary to remember that you can only consecrate an apartment once. No matter how many times the ritual is performed later, only the first ritual will have power.
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Let's sum it up
Despite the fact that it is quite simple to consecrate a home on your own, not every believer is able to do everything properly. If, a few days after the ritual, the situation in the room has not changed and it remains difficult to be in it, it is recommended to call a priest.
13.10.2014
Orthodoxy is rich in traditions. The consecration of a home is one of the most important and obligatory rites. This ritual protects against dark forces and is a symbol of the Lord's blessing and involvement in the church. Moving or completing renovations is often associated with the tradition of consecrating a home. The priest may advise performing this ritual if people are plagued by serious illnesses, family problems, or if there are small children living in the apartment.
What you need to light your home
According to Orthodox tradition, the rite of consecration of a home must be performed exclusively by a priest. Therefore, if you need to bless your apartment, invite the priest from the temple to do this. Usually for this rite the priest has with him censer, oil and holy water. But to avoid problems with their absence, it is better to purchase everything you need in advance. Candles can be bought at any church store. The water is blessed once a year, on the day of the Epiphany. You can take it from any source. Most often, water is drawn from an ice hole for lighting. Usually holy water is available to people who observe Orthodox traditions, so if it is missing, contact them.
Stages of the ritual
When doing it yourself you need to:
have a blessing for the ceremony;
clean the home;
prepare a red corner with an icon and a lamp.
If it is not possible to invite the priest to the lighting ceremony, you can do it yourself; the church allows this for a layman. But before that, it is advisable to receive a blessing from a spiritual mentor. If there is no mentor, the priest in the church can bless you for lighting your house. Before the ceremony, the home must be properly cleaned, the floors washed, and ventilated. If your apartment does not have a red corner, which represents the location of the icon or iconostasis opposite the entrance, then at least for the duration of the lighting, place the icon and lamp there. The lighting ceremony is traditionally held on Sunday.
To do this, dip three fingers into the bowl, which should preferably be new. The fingers should be folded into three fingers, as if you want to cross yourself. The room is sprinkled with holy water. This is done clockwise, starting from the red corner. The prayer “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” is read. Also during the ceremony you can read the ninetieth psalm. After finishing the ceremony in each room, it is necessary to end it with the Sign of the Cross at the front door.
Wedding is a sacred sacrament, and can only be performed by people who are sincere both with their partner and with themselves. You cannot perform this ritual only for the sake of preserving traditions or paying tribute to fashion. ...
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 a given thing is used not sinfully, it can be sanctified, but if it is used sinfully, then it is not necessary.
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 with oil, the great consecration of water, the removal of the holy shroud to 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 the Syrian). We cannot with the help of some magical actions“force” God to send down what we need, but we can ask Him in faith. Scripture about the need for faith for prayer he says: “Let him ask with faith, without doubting at all, 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 rituals that are introduced by the Church into the temple and personal life of a person, so that through these rituals 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 kinds of global restructuring, the Holy Church highlights, first of all, the religiosity of people's 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 whole world created by God for man changed: destruction, illness, sorrow, corruption, 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 for your sake; 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 for destroying the traditional system of values, ethics, and morality. Few people today are able to connect the disobedience of children, their addiction to alcohol and drugs, the endless divorces of young and middle-aged 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, the family, through the implanted poison of vulgarity and debauchery. The cult of pleasure attracts 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 holy communion The Body and Blood of Christ has power only for those who are worthy of this grace through prayers of repentance, 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 is our entire 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 doomsday- 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 Divine Liturgy and priesthood ordinances. 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 provided in advance in the house, a vessel with holy water and a small vessel with ordinary, unconsecrated oil (vegetable oil) are placed on it, the Gospel, a 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 home 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 for protection hearth and home from enemies visible and invisible - Angels, guardians of Christians, and all the saints of God, including the holy martyr 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” does 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
According to 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.
Psalm 90
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 who are secretly guided by Christ defeat invisible enemies, principalities and powers, the world rulers of the darkness of this world, 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).
4. The splash of His will fall upon you, and under the wing of His wings, His truth will surround you like a weapon.
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. Notice 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, attacking at certain hours, like a fever on a sick soul, and destroying 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 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).
9. For You, O Lord, are my hope; The Most High has made you your refuge.
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, but never 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).
14. For in Me is my trust, and I will deliver; covering ‘and because I knew ‘My name’.
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.
16. With long days I will fulfill him and show him My salvation.
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).
How to consecrate an apartment
Orthodox Christians and those who live righteously believe in the evil intentions of their ill-wishers.
As practice shows, not everyone understands that negative information can be concentrated inside the confined space of their own apartment.
If you feel unwell and sick, then try to bless your home yourself with holy water and candles.
Of course, you can invite Father, who, for an appropriate fee, will consecrate the apartment, reading the necessary prayers without hindrance.
But you have to pay for it, and the clergy these days... are very busy.
In order to consecrate your apartment yourself, you will have to strictly follow the following instructions:
1). Go to the church shop and buy candles. To begin with, I recommend putting 3 candles to the icon of Jesus Christ, exactly the same number to the Image of the Mother of God and the Blessed Eldress Matrona. You will take three more candles home.
2). Take holy water into a pre-prepared container.
3). Come home and take off your clothes.
4). If You are a woman, do not take off your hat.
5). You should not begin to consecrate your apartment on your own immediately, but after repeatedly reading the following Prayers from Scripture:
A). Lord's Prayer “Our Father”,
b). Psalm 90.
6). Using matches, light a candle and walk with it to all corners of your cozy apartment.
7). Observe how intensely the bright flame burns and how loudly the church candles crackle. In places where there is a particular accumulation of negative energy, the candles will be “outraged.”
8). When blessing an apartment, hold a candle in one hand, and in the other a narrow vessel with holy water, with which you need to sprinkle the hidden corners.
9). Bringing the candle to the apartment corners, cross them with a hot flame.
10). After all the corners of the apartment have been consecrated, read the prayers suggested above again, drinking holy water in small sips.
11). Walk the burning candle around the corners again to make sure that the intensity of the evil energy has noticeably decreased. If, after consecrating the apartment once, the candles become “outraged,” repeat the procedure again in the coming days.
12). Give the remaining holy water after consecration to the rest of the family to drink.
Now you know how to bless your apartment yourself with candles and holy water.
Peace and grace to your home!
The material was prepared by me, Edwin Vostryakovsky.
