The Season of House Blessings
Blessing of homes of Orthodox Christians is done each year on or after the feast of Theophany. This act is the central sign of God's sanctification of all things through Christ's baptism in the river Jordan and his epiphany to the world. The family is considered, by the Orthodox faith, to be a small church. The family table is the home altar where the members gather each day to receive their daily bread from God with thanksgiving in the name of Christ.
Sanctification of the home
The sanctification of the home takes place with prayer and the sprinkling of holy water. The priest, at this annual visit, asks God to have mercy on the house, to rid it of every evil and to fill if with every blessing. Everyone of the house, prays together for the living and the dead of the family, and all who live and have lived in the house. They all sing the hymn of salvation and process from room to room while the priest blesses the house.
Preparation
- A candle with an icon of Christ and some holy water should be placed in a suitable place, such as kitchen or dining room table, or at the home altar.
- If available, a censor with charcoal and incense.
- A list of first names for whom prayers are to be offered, including members of the family and all those living in the house. The list should have a clear distinction between the living and the dead.
- A medium sized bowl of clean water
The Ceremony
When the priest arrives, all who are present in the house should gather around the icon with the candle. They should, if they are able to join in, say the Trisagion Prayers and sing of the Troparion of the Feast of Epiphany. Then a family member leads the priest through the house with the candle and the censer. As he goes, the priest sprinkles holy water, and prays for a blessing upon each room and the repelling of evil. When they have gone through the entire house, the family gathers again around the table for concluding prayers and the priest blesses each person with holy water as they venerate the Holy Cross.
The leftover holy water in the bowl is saved by the family in a special container. Members of the family can drink the holy water with a piece of antidoron prayerfully on a daily basis and or in times of illness.
|
|
