Why Do We Have Our Homes Blessed?, 1

By Phyllis Meshel Onest, M.Div.  

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, His 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.)