Holy water... Epiphany Magic: conspiracies, love spells, divination
EPIPHANY. EPIPHANY.
"The Baptism of the Lord" (icon, 16th century)
The Baptism of the Lord is an event in the gospel story, the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and also this and Christian holiday established in honor of this event. During Baptism, according to all four Gospels, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. At the same time, a Voice from Heaven proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In all historical churches, this holiday is tied to ancient date Feast of the Epiphany, that is, January 6th. However, while doing so:
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord proper is timed to coincide with the giving of Theophany (that is, a week later, on January 13, according to the pre-reform rite, and after the Second Vatican Council, on the nearest Sunday after Theophany). The same tradition may be followed in a number of Protestant denominations;
part of the Orthodox churches, including the Russian one, adheres to julian calendar, respectively, January 6 of the liturgical year for these churches in the XXI century falls on January 19 Gregorian calendar;
in ancient Eastern churches, this day is still dedicated to the remembrance of not only Baptism, but also the Nativity of Christ.
P.S.
"Once on Epiphany evening, the girls wondered ....."
Epiphany water will be consecrated from space
WE ARE TREATED WITH BAPTIC WATER
So ends Christmas time - festivities. But they end for a reason, and we receive holy baptismal water as a result of the great purification of water on Earth.
Baptism - "immersion in water" (from Greek Βάπτισμα) is one of the important Christian sacraments. From January 18 to 19, on Epiphany night, the greatest miracle happens in the world - the Spirit of God descends on all the water on Earth and it becomes healing, bringing harmony.
We are treated Epiphany water right!!!
The healing properties of Epiphany water are not even denied by doctors. It normalizes the immune, endocrine and nervous system. Heals the brain area and respiratory system. It improves the distribution of energy in all organs and systems of the body, improves the balance between the right and left sides of the body.
There are cases when a few drops of it, poured into the mouth of an unconscious patient, brought him to consciousness and dramatically changed the course of the disease for improvement. Therefore, the healing power of baptismal water can be used for the benefit of your priceless health.
To do this, as a preventive measure, take it inside the throat on an empty stomach from all diseases, most often with a piece of prosphora. V in large numbers drinking it every day is not recommended as Epiphany water- strong energy water.
In the morning you need to get up, cross yourself, ask for a blessing from the Lord for the day that has begun, then wash, pray and take a sip of great hagiasma. If the use of medicines on an empty stomach is prescribed, then they first drink holy water, and then medicines. There is no need to add holy water to medicines, it is better to take medicines with prayer. In fact, it is advisable to start every morning with water to activate the body after sleep. Women wash themselves with baptismal water, wipe their whole body in order to be young and attractive.
Priests recommend sprinkling food with it, and during illness, use it as a medicine, taking a tablespoon every hour. It is necessary to use holy water with the prayer "so that we may receive power that strengthens health, heals diseases, drives away demons and turns away all enemy slander": "Lord, my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the remission of my sins , in the enlightenment of my mind, in the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, in the health of my soul and body, in the subjugation of my passions and infirmities through Thy boundless mercy through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen".
With insomnia, holy baptismal water is recommended to be drunk for nine days. To relieve headaches or other pains, a compress dipped in holy water must be applied to the sore spot. It is useful to rinse your mouth with Epiphany water, sprinkle your eyes, face, and whole body.
It is very effective to drink a glass on an empty stomach in the morning, chilled to room temperature boiled water, to which a tablespoon of baptismal water is added. This procedure is a useful prophylactic and helps to remove toxins from the body.
With conjunctivitis, rinse your eyes with baptismal water and everything will pass. Epiphany water is a very good psychotherapeutic agent for relieving irritability and increased anxiety. After a nervous, hard day, drink 0.5 cups of holy water, making a mental setting: "My irritability, tension and anxiety go away. I am calm," and you will feel how tension and irritability go away, peace and peace come.
With the help of baptismal water, demons, demons, evil spirits are cast out, sprinkling people, dwellings, furniture, and every thing with it. If you put a bucket of this water on the negative zone, it will become neutral. But baptismal water heals only when we drink it with prayer and trying to live according to God's commandments.
True, women take baptismal water in critical days not desirable. But if a woman is very ill, then this circumstance does not play a big role. May the water of the Epiphany help her!
We are treated with baptismal water. Epiphany snow was collected at Epiphany.
According to legend, lowered into the well, he could keep water in it all year, even in the driest time.
Also, various ailments were treated with this snow: dizziness, convulsions, numbness, etc., girls whitened their faces for beauty, and women underwear. And in order to see the Baptism of the Lord in reality, they put a bowl of water on the table and said: “at night the water itself sways” - this was a kind of sign. And if at midnight the water really swayed in the bowl, everyone ran to look at the “open skies” and make a wish. So, what will you pray for at this time open sky, then it will come true. Also, everyone believed that on the night of Epiphany, the water itself is sanctified in all sources, regardless of church rites, since Christ Himself plunges into it again on this night.
Epiphany water is sacred!
Attention!!! It must be remembered that baptismal water is a shrine that has been touched by the grace of God, and therefore a reverent attitude is necessary for it. Only with this attitude, she remains for a long time fresh, good tasting. It is desirable to store it in a dark place, and most correctly under the home iconostasis. You can pour holy water only in a certain place that is not trampled under foot. Therefore, it is not recommended to pour water into an infant font. It is better to let your child drink holy water, and take communion regularly. You should not dilute the water in the bathing bath with holy water, because after that it drains into the sewer, and this is simply unacceptable. Also, do not water the plants with holy water. Some of them just dry up.
Hundreds of people decide to take in Baptism a cleansing ice font: after all, the sins made by a person for a whole year are washed away with baptismal water. It is simply impossible to get sick at Epiphany.
We are treated with baptismal water. How to cleanse with baptismal water at home ?!
But who is afraid of an ice font, douse yourself with baptismal water three times or take a bath. To do this, at 00.10 minutes and up to 1.30 minutes you can fill the bath from the tap cold water. Then, having crossed the water and yourself three times, read the prayer. Then hit your chest with your fist right hand three times, causing the body to vibrate in harmony with the vibrations of the water.
Without noise and screams, sit in the bath and plunge headlong three times, not forgetting to hit your chest each time. If during bathing the water begins to “boil” or bubbles form, the process of purification is in progress, negative energy, the evil eye is removed. Then silently exit the bath. Do not dry off immediately, let the water soak into the skin. While doing this, massage your body or tap your fingers vigorously from head to toe. Then put on linen, a warm bathrobe, socks, preferably everything new, but it can be washed and ironed. Relax, drink herbal tea with honey.
If one of your loved ones wants to bathe in baptismal water, fill the tub with fresh water. And if you are terribly afraid cold water? Then dilute the baptismal water with hot water. The bath can be taken during the day, but water must be drawn into it at night from 12.10 to half past two. Do not take Epiphany water in buckets or bottles. You can use a small amount of it until the new Baptism. After all, it, added to ordinary water, gives it the same beneficial properties. Therefore, if you do not have enough holy water, add it to a simple one - "a drop of holy water sanctifies the sea."
Do not be upset if you did not collect holy water at Baptism. It is always present in every Temple. If your baptismal water has deteriorated, then you have sinned greatly. Pour it into running water: into a stream, a river. It is strictly forbidden to swear, quarrel, commit impious deeds, and allow bad thoughts when collecting holy water. At the same time, holy water loses its holiness, and most often it simply pours out. Therefore, do good to the water of the Epiphany, and let it bring you healing.
With the use of materials from the sites of the Saratov diocese, Tatyana's Day, Pravoslavie.ru
Why bless water?
Water plays an important role in our Everyday life. However, it also has a higher meaning: it is characterized by healing power which is repeatedly mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.
In the New Testament time, water serves the spiritual rebirth of a person into a new, grace-filled life, cleansing from sins. In a conversation with Nicodemus, Christ the Savior says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Christ Himself at the beginning of His ministry received Baptism from the prophet John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. In the hymns of the service for this holiday it is said that the Lord "grants cleansing with water to the human race"; “You sanctified the jets of Jordan, you crushed the power of sin, Christ our God ...”.
How is water blessed?
The consecration of water can be small and large: the small is performed repeatedly during the year (during prayers, the performance of the Sacrament of Baptism), and the great - only on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany). Blessing of water is called great because of the special solemnity of the rite, imbued with the memory of the gospel event, which became not only the prototype of the mysterious washing away of sins, but also the actual sanctification of the very nature of water through the immersion of God in the flesh into it.
The Great Blessing of Water is performed according to the Rule at the end of the Liturgy, after the prayer behind the ambo, on the very day of Theophany (January 6/19), and also on the eve of Theophany (January 5/18). On the very day of the Epiphany, the consecration of water is performed with a solemn ceremony. procession to the springs of water, known as the "way to the Jordan".
Will unusual weather conditions in Russia affect the course of the Epiphany and the blessing of waters?
In any church holiday it is necessary to distinguish between its meaning and the traditions that have developed around it. In the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the main thing is the Epiphany, this is the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, the voice of God the Father from heaven “This is my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descending on Christ. The main thing for a Christian on this day is the presence on church service, confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communion of baptismal water.
The established traditions of swimming in cold ice holes do not have direct relationship to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord itself, are not mandatory and, most importantly, do not cleanse a person from sins, which, unfortunately, is much talked about in the media.
Such traditions should not be treated as magical rites- The feast of the Epiphany is celebrated by the Orthodox in hot Africa, America, and Australia. After all, the palm branches of the feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem were replaced by willows in Russia, and the consecration vines on the Transfiguration of the Lord - the blessing of the harvest of apples. Also on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, all waters will be consecrated, regardless of their temperature.
Archpriest Igor Pchelintsev, press secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese
How to use holy water?
The use of holy water in the daily life of an Orthodox Christian is quite diverse. For example, it is consumed on an empty stomach in small quantities, usually together with a piece of prosphora (this is especially true for the great agiasma (water consecrated on the eve and on the very day of the feast of the Epiphany), they sprinkle their dwelling.
A special property of holy water is that, added even in a small amount to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it, therefore, in case of a shortage of holy water, it can be diluted with plain water.
We must not forget that blessed water is a church shrine with which the grace of God has come into contact, and which requires a reverent attitude towards itself.
It is customary to use holy water with a prayer: “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 spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of passions and my infirmities through Thy boundless mercy through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen".
Although it is desirable - out of reverence for the shrine - to take Epiphany water on an empty stomach, but due to a special need for God's help - in case of ailments or attacks evil forces- you can and should drink it, without hesitation, at any time. With a reverent attitude, holy water remains fresh and pleasant to the taste for a long time. It should be stored in separate place, better near with home iconostasis.
Is the water consecrated on the day of Epiphany and on Epiphany Eve different in its properties?
There is absolutely no difference! Let's go back to the time of Patriarch Nikon: he specifically asked the Patriarch of Antioch whether it was necessary to bless the water on the very day of the Baptism of the Lord: after all, the day before, on Christmas Eve, the water had already been blessed. And I received an answer that there would be no sin in that, it can be done again so that everyone can take water. And today they come to us for one water, and the next for another - they say, here the water is stronger. What makes her more powerful? So we see that people do not even listen to the prayers that are read at the consecration. And they do not know that the water is sanctified by one rank, the same prayers are read.
Holy water is absolutely the same on both days - on the day of Epiphany, and on Christmas Eve Epiphany.
Priest Mikhail Mikhailov
Is it true that bathing in the hole at Baptism cleanses all sins?
This is not true! Swimming in the hole (Jordan) is an old good folk custom, which is not yet a church sacrament. Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and His Church is possible only in the sacrament of repentance, during confession in the temple.
Does it happen that holy water "does not help"?
Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: “All the grace that comes from God through the Holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidor, prosphora), etc., 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, deeds 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 impious and imaginary Christians (without virtues).”
Miracles of healing are still happening today, and they are countless. But only those who accept it with living faith in the promises of God and the power of the 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 work miracles where they want to see them only out of curiosity, without sincere intention use them to your own salvation. “An evil and adulterous generation,” the Savior said of his unbelieving contemporaries, “is looking for a sign; and a sign will not be given to him.” In order for holy water to benefit us, let us take care of the purity of the soul, the high dignity of our thoughts and deeds.
Is it really baptismal water all week long?
Epiphany water is such from the moment of its consecration and for a year, or two or more, until its supplies at home run out. Taken in the temple on any given day, it never loses its holiness. Archimandrite Ambrose (Ermakov)
My grandmother brought me Epiphany water, which a friend gave her, but it smells musty and I'm afraid to drink it. What to do in this case? Sofia
Dear Sophia, due to various circumstances, although very rarely, it happens that water comes into a state that does not allow internal use. In this case, it should be poured into some impregnable place, say, into a flowing river, or in a forest under a tree, and the vessel in which it was stored should no longer be used for domestic use. Archpriest Maxim Kozlov
Why can holy water go bad?
That happens. Water must be collected in clean containers in which the water should not deteriorate. Therefore, if we used to store something in these bottles, if they are not very clean, there is no need to collect holy water in them. I remember in the summer one woman began to pour holy water into a beer bottle ...
Often parishioners like to make comments: for example, they began to explain to one of our priests that he consecrated the water incorrectly - he didn’t reach the bottom of the tank ... Because of this, they say, the water will not be consecrated ... Well, the priest should be a diver? Or that the cross is not silver... No need to reach the bottom and the cross can be wooden. There is no need to make a cult out of holy water, but you also need to be pious! A priest I know, in 1988, had a bottle of water that he had kept since 1953 or 1954...
One must treat water piously and carefully, and lead a pious life oneself.
Priest Mikhail Mikhailov
Is it possible for unbaptized people to use holy water, oil and prosphora consecrated on the relics of saints?
On the one hand, it is possible, because well, what harm can a person get from drinking holy water, or anointing himself with oil, or using prosphora? But you just need to think about how it can be useful to him.
If this is a certain approach of a person to the church fence, if he, not yet daring to be baptized, say, having been a militant atheist in the past, now, through the prayers of his wife, mother, daughter, or someone else close, he no longer rejects at least these external as signs of churchliness, then this is good and pedagogically this will lead him to something more essential in our faith - to the worship of God in spirit and in truth.
And if such actions are perceived as a kind of magic, as a kind of "church medicine", but at the same time a person does not at all strive to become a church member, to become Orthodox Christian, only reassures himself that I am doing something like this and this will serve as some kind of amulet, then this kind of consciousness does not need to be provoked. Based on these two possibilities, you decide in relation to your specific situation, whether or not you need to offer church shrines to any of your loved ones.
Archpriest Maxim Kozlov
Why bless water? How do they do it? What are the properties of holy water? You will find answers to all these questions in our informative article!
Why bless water?
Water plays an important role in our daily life. However, it also has a higher significance: it has a healing power, which is repeatedly mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.
In the New Testament time, water serves the spiritual rebirth of a person into a new, grace-filled life, cleansing from sins. In a conversation with Nicodemus, Christ the Savior says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Christ Himself at the beginning of His ministry received Baptism from the prophet John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. In the hymns of the service for this holiday it is said that the Lord “grants cleansing with water to the human race”; “You sanctified the jets of Jordan, you crushed the power of sin, Christ our God ...”.
How is baptismal water blessed?
The consecration of water can be small and large: the small is performed several times during the year (during prayers, the performance of the Sacrament of Baptism), and the great - only on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Theophany). Blessing of water is called great because of the special solemnity of the rite, imbued with the memory of the gospel event, which became not only the prototype of the mysterious washing away of sins, but also the actual sanctification of the very nature of water through the immersion of God in the flesh into it.
The Great Blessing of Water is performed according to the Rule at the end of the Liturgy, after the prayer behind the ambo, on the very day of Theophany (January 6/19), and also on the eve of Theophany (January 5/18). On the very day of the Epiphany, the consecration of water is performed with a solemn procession to the water sources, known as the “way to the Jordan”.
Will unusual weather conditions in Russia affect the course of the Epiphany and the blessing of waters?
Such traditions should not be treated as magical rites - the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated by the Orthodox in hot Africa, America, and Australia. After all, the palm branches of the feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem were replaced by willows in Russia, and the consecration of vines on the Transfiguration of the Lord was a blessing for the harvest of apples. Also on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, all waters will be consecrated, regardless of their temperature.
Archpriest Igor Pchelintsev, press secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.
How to use holy water?
The use of holy water in the daily life of an Orthodox Christian is quite diverse. For example, it is consumed on an empty stomach in small quantities, usually together with a piece of prosphora (this is especially true for the great agiasma (water consecrated on the eve and on the very day of the feast of the Epiphany), they sprinkle their dwelling.
A special property of holy water is that, added even in a small amount to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it, therefore, in case of a shortage of holy water, it can be diluted with plain water.
We must not forget that blessed water is a church shrine with which the grace of God has come into contact, and which requires a reverent attitude towards itself.
It is customary to use holy water with a prayer: “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 spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of passions and my infirmities through Thy boundless mercy through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen".
Although it is desirable - out of reverence for the shrine - to take Epiphany water on an empty stomach, but due to a special need for God's help - in case of ailments or attacks by evil forces - you can and should drink it without hesitation at any time. With a reverent attitude, holy water remains fresh and pleasant to the taste for a long time. It should be stored in a separate place, preferably next to the home iconostasis.
Is the water consecrated on the day of Epiphany and on Epiphany Eve different in its properties?
- There is absolutely no difference! Let's go back to the time of Patriarch Nikon: he specifically asked the Patriarch of Antioch whether it was necessary to bless the water on the very day of the Baptism of the Lord: after all, the day before, on Christmas Eve, the water had already been blessed. And I received an answer that there would be no sin in that, it can be done again so that everyone can take water. And today they come to us for one water, and the next for another - they say, here the water is stronger. What makes her more powerful? So we see that people do not even listen to the prayers that are read at the consecration. And they do not know that the water is sanctified by one rank, the same prayers are read.
Holy water is absolutely the same on both days - on the day of Epiphany, and on Christmas Eve Epiphany.
Priest Mikhail Mikhailov.
Is it true that bathing in the hole at Baptism cleanses all sins?
This is not true! Bathing in an ice-hole (Jordan) is a good old folk custom, which is not yet a church sacrament. Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and His Church is possible only in the sacrament of repentance, during confession in the temple.
Does it happen that holy water “does not help”?
St. Theophan the Recluse writes: “All the grace that comes from God through the Holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidor, prosphora), etc., including the Most Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, is valid only for those who are worthy of this grace through prayers of repentance, repentance, humility, service to people, deeds 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 impious and imaginary Christians (without virtues).”
Miracles of healing are still happening today, and they are countless. But only those who accept it with living faith in the promises of God and the power of the 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 work miracles where they want to see them only out of curiosity, without a sincere intention to use them for their salvation. “An evil and adulterous generation,” the Savior said of his unbelieving contemporaries, “is looking for a sign; and a sign will not be given to him.” In order for holy water to benefit us, let us take care of the purity of the soul, the high dignity of our thoughts and deeds.
Is it really baptismal water all week long?
Epiphany water is such from the moment of its consecration and for a year, or two or more, until its supplies at home run out. Taken in the temple on any given day, it never loses its holiness.
Archimandrite Ambrose (Ermakov)
My grandmother brought me Epiphany water, which a friend gave her, but it smells musty and I'm afraid to drink it. What to do in this case?
Dear Sophia, due to various circumstances, although very rarely, it happens that water comes into a state that does not allow internal use. In this case, it should be poured into some impregnable place - say, in a flowing river, or in a forest under a tree, and the vessel in which it was stored should no longer be used for domestic use.
Archpriest Maxim Kozlov
Why can holy water go bad?
That happens. Water must be collected in clean containers in which the water should not deteriorate. Therefore, if we used to store something in these bottles, if they are not very clean, there is no need to collect holy water in them. I remember in the summer one woman began to pour holy water into a beer bottle ...
Often parishioners like to make comments: for example, they began to explain to one of our priests that he consecrated the water incorrectly - he did not reach the bottom of the tank ... Because of this, they say, the water will not be consecrated ... Well, the priest should be a diver? Or that the cross is not silver... No need to reach the bottom and the cross can be wooden. There is no need to make a cult out of holy water, but you also need to be pious! A priest I know, in 1988, had a bottle of water that he had kept since 1953 or 1954...
One must treat water piously and carefully, and lead a pious life oneself.
Priest Mikhail Mikhailov.
Is it possible for unbaptized people to use holy water, oil and prosphora consecrated on the relics of saints?
On the one hand, it is possible, because well, what harm can a person get from drinking holy water, or anointing himself with oil, or using prosphora? But you just need to think about how it can be useful to him.
If this is a certain approach of a person to the church fence, if he, not yet daring to be baptized, say, having been a militant atheist in the past, now, through the prayers of his wife, mother, daughter, or someone else close, he no longer rejects at least these external as signs of churchness, then this is good and pedagogically this will lead him to something more essential in our faith - to the worship of God in spirit and in truth.
And if such actions are perceived as a kind of magic, as a kind of "church medicine", but at the same time a person does not at all strive to become churched, to become an Orthodox Christian, he only reassures himself that I am doing something like this and this will serve -something a talisman, then this kind of consciousness does not need to be provoked. Based on these two possibilities, you decide, in relation to your specific situation, whether or not you need to offer church shrines to any of your loved ones.
Archpriest Maxim Kozlov.
Questions and answers about holy water
If God sanctifies all the watery nature on earth on January 19, why then does the priest sanctify the water on this day? I asked my father, he replied that he did not know. Alla
We know that the water is consecrated and becomes holy, over which a special prayer service is performed - the opinion that ALL waters are consecrated on this day is based on an expansive interpretation of some expressions from the service of the feast of the Epiphany and is not part of the Orthodox dogma. In addition, think logically - if all waters are sanctified, then they are sanctified everywhere, including in filthy and unclean places. Ask yourself - how can the Lord allow the Holy Spirit to work in the filth?
Sincerely
Priest Alexy Kolosov
Hello Nikolay!
The consecration of water is performed in one order (equally) on January 18 and 19. Therefore, there is no difference when you take water - on January 18 or 19, and both waters are Epiphany.
John the Baptist performed a ceremony called "baptism". But the very concept of the cross, as a symbol of Christianity, from which, it seems to me, the word “baptism” comes, came with the crucifixion of Christ, that is, later than the death of John the Baptist. Then why did John have "baptism" and not, for example, "baptism"? Thanks to. Igor.
Hello Igor! In the Greek text of the Gospels, Baptism is indicated by the verb "baptiso" - to immerse, and in the first meaning - to bury. This is quite consistent with the context and meaning of the actions of John the Baptist. The term "Baptism" arose during the actual Slavic translation of the Gospels, when such a specific action was characteristic, first of all, of Christianity. However, accurate information about the history this term I couldn't find. It is very likely that the Sacrament of Baptism came in Slavic world earlier than the term for it. Perhaps that is why such a term was chosen, as it more clearly explains what happened in the Jordan, and is now inextricably linked in the minds of people with the acceptance of Christ. Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.
On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, having plunged into an ice font or doused with water, can one consider oneself baptized and wear a cross? Sincerely, Alexander.
Hello, Alexander!
No, dipping into an ice hole and dousing is not enough to consider yourself baptized. It is necessary to come to the temple so that the priest performs the Sacrament of Baptism over you.
Sincerely, Priest Alexander Ilyashenko
Good day! Please tell me, is it true that if an unbaptized person comes to church on January 19 and defends the entire service, then after that he can consider himself baptized and can wear a cross and go to church? And in general, can an unbaptized person go to church? Many thanks, Elena
Hello, Elena!
An unbaptized person can go to Church, but he cannot participate in Church Sacraments (confession, Communion, weddings, etc.). In order to become baptized, it is necessary that the Sacrament of Baptism be performed on a person, and not the presence at the service on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Approach the priest after the service and tell him that you want to be baptized. This requires your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the desire to live according to His commandments, as well as some knowledge of the Orthodox dogma and Orthodox Church. The priest will be able to answer your questions and help you prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism. Help you Lord!
Sincerely, Priest Alexander Ilyashenko
Father, I have a 6-month-old daughter, and when I bathe her, I add holy water to the water. Can this water be drained or not?
Hello Lena!
When bathing your daughter, you do not need to add holy water to the bath: after all, holy water can only be poured into a special place that is not trampled under foot. It is better to let your daughter drink holy water, and also regularly commune her with the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Sincerely, Priest Alexander Ilyashenko
Hello, please tell me, is it possible to throw away the glass bottle in which the holy water was stored in a trash can? If not, then what to do with it? Marina
Hello Marina!
It is better to store Holy water in this bottle in the future, but if this does not work, then it must be dried, and then it can be thrown away.
Sincerely, priest Alexander Ilyashenko.
Can you give holy water to animals? if not, why not? They are, after all, creatures of God. Thank you for your reply. Elena
Hello, Elena! What is the need to give a shrine to an animal? It all depends on the specific situation. On the basis of the literal interpretation of the words of the Lord: “Do not give holy things to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample it under their feet and, turning, tear you to pieces.” (Mt. 7:6) follows. At the same time, in church practice, there are cases when, during the pestilence of animals, they were sprinkled and drunk with holy water. The grounds for such boldness, as you see, must be really extremely serious. Sincerely, priest Mikhail Samokhin.
Is it necessary to bathe at Epiphany? And if there is no frost, will the bathing be Epiphany?
In any church holiday, it is necessary to distinguish between its meaning and the traditions that have developed around it. In the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the main thing is the Epiphany, this is the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, the voice of God the Father from heaven “This is my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descending on Christ. The main thing for a Christian on this day is the presence at the church service, confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communion of baptismal water.
The established traditions of bathing in cold ice holes are not directly related to the Feast of the Epiphany itself, are not mandatory and, most importantly, do not cleanse a person from sins, which, unfortunately, is much talked about in the media.
Such traditions should not be treated as magical rites - the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated by the Orthodox in hot Africa, America, and Australia. After all, the palm branches of the feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem were replaced by willows in Russia, and the consecration of vines on the Transfiguration of the Lord was a blessing for the harvest of apples. Also on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, all waters will be consecrated, regardless of their temperature. P Rotopriest Igor Pchelintsev, press secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese
Is it possible to douse with holy water if a gypsy jinxed me? Maria.
Hello Maria!
Holy water is not bathing water, and belief in the evil eye is superstition. You can drink holy water, you can sprinkle it, sprinkle the house, things. If you live according to the commandments of God, often visit the temple for confession and communion, pray and observe established by the Church fasts, then the Lord Himself will keep you from all evil.
Sincerely, Rev. Dionisy Svechnikov.
Tell me: can the Grace of God leave holy water and consecrated objects because of our sins, or is it impossible? And one more thing: how to get rid of the evil and the negative? Sincerely, Alexander.
Hello, Alexander!
It all depends on how a person treats holy water and consecrated objects, whether with reverence he keeps the received shrine. If so, then there is no reason to worry, the grace received during sanctification will benefit a person spiritually and bodily. And in order for the Lord to keep from all evil, one must live according to the commandments of God.
Sincerely, Rev. Dionisy Svechnikov.
With the use of site materials
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At every word about the Nativity of Christ the Savior, bright thoughts and joyful feelings always sparkle in the heart, at the same time, consciousness clearly says that neither to express nor convey this with our limited concepts and poor language. greatest event no possibility.
The Nativity of Christ has always, from the most prehistoric times to the infinite future, been and will remain an incomparable Event.
From the first people - the common progenitors of the entire human race of Adam and Eve - to the last inhabitant of our planet, the gospel was initially addressed to everyone, which at first received the name of the First Gospel, which in a small grain of hidden truth mysteriously foretold prehistoric humanity that the generated evil is like an epidemic that began to spread in human society, can only be destroyed the seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent(see Gen. 3:15).
And according to the fulfillment of times, according to the Epistle of the Apostle Paul (see Gal. 4:4), when the fullness of times came, then God sent into the world His Only Begotten Son, who was born of the Father before the age, so that He would take on fallen human nature by His incarnation, become in everything except sin like us, to justify, purify, redeem the human race.
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Our hopes for a brighter future, for eternal life. God is with us! - understand peoples, - from the depths of millennia, a prophetic inspiring hymn rushes that The virgin in the womb will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means: God is with us.(Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:2).
What does the event of Christmas show us? - The Great Piety Mystery: GOD APPEARED IN THE FLESH…
Athanasius the Great (4th century) classically expressed the basic dogmatic doctrinal truth about the Incarnation in a concise formula: God became a man in order to make a man a god.
It is remarkable that in our days the feast of the Nativity of Christ has become a national holiday. Millions of Orthodox Christians and Christians of other denominations are getting ready to celebrate the Saving Day - the Nativity of Christ.
In the Orthodox Church, a forty-day Christmas fast has been established, which prepares Orthodox Christians in purity and holiness to meet and spend the time that has been called "Christmas Day", that is, holy days.
The entire period from Christmas to the Baptism of the Lord constitutes the feast of the “Lights”, or “Enlightenment”, in which the events of the appearance of the Lord in the flesh are remembered and celebrated through the testimony of angels at the Birth of Jesus Christ and through the testimony of the Baptist John during the Baptism of the Lord in the rivers Jordan.
We will also bring dear brothers and sisters, gifts of their hearts, warmth of love and ardor of faith, a holy desire to always be with the Lord, as the wise men of the East brought to the manger of the Divine Infant Christ - the wise men of myrrh, gold, Lebanon.
Nativity.
Ampoule of Monza. Reverse. 6th century, Jerusalem.
About water and its properties
Draw water with joy
from sources of salvation.
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We can talk about water as much as we drink it. So, it's endless. We drink it because we live. And we live because we drink.
Water is the material fundamental principle of everything living on earth.
If the Creator, according to the biblical Revelation, created the world from water and water, then there was no more perfect means than water for the development of life at all levels: biological, animal, rational.
Just as our life itself in an endless stream of daily worries and difficulties can be turned into an everyday banal fact, so any word about what one cannot do without even one day seems superfluous. What to say when it's clear to everyone.
So you can think, surrendering to the general flow of thought.
But as soon as we really think about this simplest phenomenon - what is water in its originality - our thought will face an insoluble question about the mystery of our life, about its origins and about where we are flowing.
More than once I had to answer the question why water is consecrated in the Church, if it is pure and useful in its depths. The tradition of consecration of water cannot be traced - it goes back thousands of years. And therefore, probably, it has always been - when from time immemorial there was a practice to consecrate products: bread, wine, oil, salt. Some were sacrificed for worship, others, after consecration, were taken to houses for food. Sanctified organic products were used not only as a means of nutrition, but as a means of healing.
Water with the universal ability to purify and enrich human body the necessary quantity of products of vital activity, is less known for many other, truly grace-filled qualities: to receive and transmit the energy and power of the prayer word and the grace of sacred action.
On the first pages of the Holy Bible, it is noted that the primary matter, which consisted of water and many other elements and was in a state of chaos, was especially active action God's: Spirit of God hovering on top of the water(Genesis 1:2) - received the primeval power capable of forming the universe.
The consecration of water in the Church is the return of its lost “spirit-bearing properties”. For those who believe in me- says the Lord in the Gospel of John, - rivers of living water will flow(John 7:38) calling the Grace of the Holy Spirit living water.
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Water and the Spirit of God, according to the Savior’s word (see John 3:5), in the wondrous unity of the holy Mystery of Baptism become the font of new life, replacing the mother’s womb, incapable, according to the ironic remark of the righteous Nicodemus, to contain it for a new birth, to which the Savior answered : What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit(John 3:6).
If a whole series of human births from the composition of the mother (matter) were possible, each time the same nature would be reproduced. Truly speaking<…>unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God(John 3:5).
Delving into Holy Bible, you can cite many events related to the nature of water, through which God saved, enlightened, and admonished His people. Gathered together in liturgical order on the days of the feast of Baptism, or Theophany, they represent a rich treasury for the prayerful experience of the Mysterious Rebirth of mankind through the power of grace and water element. “You are the Great and wonderful God in Your works, and not a single word can sing and praise Your wonders. You are our God, drowning sin under Noah with water. You are our God, through the sea freed from the bondage of Pharaoh by Moses Jewish people. You made the thirsty people drink with streams of water from broken stones. You are the God who with water and fire turned away from the charm of Baal through the prophet Elijah his people. You sanctified the streams of Jordan from Heaven with Your Holy Spirit sent down and destroyed the foundations of evil.”
Thus, we see the immensity of the Divine actions through water, which has become the cradle of life on earth and a new means for purification, rebirth through repentance to a grace-filled life in God.
Interesting parallels can be drawn: if before the existence of our world, the Lord created it from water and water, then any sacred action in temples is preceded by the blessing of water, and all liturgical objects are blessed and consecrated with consecrated water.
The sacred age-old tradition teaches us with what grateful feeling we should treat the great gift of God - our sources. pure water. Saving them, we fulfill the will of our Creator, who commanded the entire human race to preserve and cultivate the nature given to us.
And every thanksgiving pure word, pronounced by us before drinking even a small amount of water, will turn out for us with its wonderful and unique healing properties for the benefit of the soul and body.
On the days of the great feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in an endless stream, from early morning until late at night, the inhabitants of our region went to the consecrated source and to the Church for the “great agiasma”, a great shrine. So from the first centuries, in the liturgical language of the Church, baptismal water is called, consecrated by a special rite, the prayers of the feast of the Epiphany.
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According to the testimony of the great saint John Chrysostom, Christians collected baptismal water on the day of the Baptism of the Lord in special vessels and saved it for the whole year, using it as a gift of God's grace, healing spiritual and bodily ailments, sanctifying dwellings, destroying all sorts of demonic machinations.
In our time, when an unhealthy interest in the forbidden, harmful knowledge of the occult, all kinds of white or black magic, conspiracies has increased, holy Agiasma - Epiphany water remains a true powerful tool that protects believers from all kinds of evil eye, damage, slander, demonic influences. It is enough just to take baptismal water in the palm of your hand with faith and wash your face with water three times with the words: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen How will relief come. Our pious ancestors knew this very well.
Hope ALISIMCHIKNothing is as beneficial to our health as water. Unless only breathing and sleep are not inferior to it in importance. And no wonder, because our planet, like our bodies, is two-thirds water. And in our bodies, as in the ocean, there are ebbs and flows.
WATER IS LIFE
Our middle-aged body consists of 70% water, the brain - 85-90%, the skin 70-72%, the vitreous body of the eye - 99%, the liver - up to 69%, the blood - 92%, in the muscles 75%, and in the bones - up to 28%! And all this is bathed in water and renewed!
The same thing happens in the body of our planet. And for all this splendor, only two chemical element– oxygen and hydrogen! Here the greatness and simplicity of the Prime Creator somehow immediately come to mind.
Once, in a conversation about the Trinity, one person remarked: “The Trinity is the state of aggregation of God.” I don’t know how true his remark is, but the analogy with water involuntarily suggests itself. After all, the state of aggregation of water is also ternary: liquid, solid and vapor.
And each of these states has an incalculable number of different qualities, for example, intracellular water is condensed to a gel state. These qualities of water are constantly changing under the influence of various radiations, temperature and pressure drops, the ingress of various chemical substances. And all this happens in our body as well.
Man and the planet are designed as a single living organism, being in a constant general circulation "Water-Man-Water". All the water from our bodies returns back to the common reservoir of the planet. You can be any kind of cool atheist, but you cannot deny this universal fact!
CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHATION WATER
It is known that Jesus was the first to receive Baptism with water from John the Baptist. We will not go into the etymology of the word "baptized" due to the fact that the concept of the cross appeared in connection with a later event - the crucifixion on the cross, which happened three years after the baptism of Jesus with water.
Nowadays, at Baptism, both infants and weak elders are lowered into an ice font. Everyone is baptized in water - Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Orthodox, and - especially massively - atheists.
As a joke, I note that State Duma deputy Zhirinovsky annually publicly plunges into an ice font and regularly wins elections. But not everyone baptized with water is so lucky.
O mystical power Only a child does not know Epiphany water: it is able to heal both the body and the soul. The word "water", according to the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl, is an elemental liquid that falls in the form of rain and snow, forming springs, streams, rivers and lakes on the ground, and mixed with salts - seas.
Nowadays everything large quantity researchers claim that water has a memory. Imprinting information and thereby acquiring new properties, water does not change its structure.
The structure of water is how its molecules are organized. Scientists suggest that it is the water molecules that form stable groups of liquid crystals that are a kind of memory cells in which water records everything that it sees, hears, and feels.
But the memory of water at the same time is qualitatively different from electronic memory, it stores, first of all, emotions, both positive and negative. Love increases the energy of water, and aggression sharply lowers it. Pure prayer ecstasy without words and images is the most powerful way consecration of water, which is inherent only to saints.
Both Christmas and Epiphany water are considered holy. The water consecrated in the temple is considered healing, but ... if there is faith in its grace.
Water has a special status on January 7 (Christmas) and July 7 (John the Baptist Day). These days, the spiritual portals of Christ and John the Baptist open, sending their spiritual energy to the water. But the universal principle of non-violence allows us to accept or reject this cleansing grace.
The problem is that the center of receiving this energy is not our mind, but our heart. It thinks independently in accordance with the true intentions, most often hidden from us by our minds. There, in the secret annals of the heart, this divine energy is blocked or let through.
Andrei Tarkovsky expressed this idea best of all in Stalker. His heroes go to the Zone where a wish comes true. And along the way, it turns out that only the most secret desire is fulfilled. For example, a person goes to the Zone with the noble intention of getting money to treat a sick person. A receives an incalculable amount of money, which leads him to commit suicide. Because his deepest desire was greed for money.
LIVING AND DEAD WATER
Not from scratch appeared and fairy tales about the living and dead water. As if to confirm this idea, the Japanese researcher Emoto Masaru emphasizes that by drinking water, which carries certain information, a person can significantly change his state. Therefore, before drinking a glass of water, Emoto advises to smile and say words of gratitude.
And the fact that water can carry certain information, Emoto Masaru was able not only to substantiate theoretically, but also practically present it in the form of photographs of extraordinary beauty, which reflect a variety of options for the structure of water (depending on its “impressions”). Our newspaper already spoke about the experiments of Masaro Emoto several years ago (AB No. 29, 2006)
In his laboratory, he examined water samples that had been exposed to various types impact. "Impressions" of water were recorded by its rapid freezing in a cryogenic chamber, and then examined under a microscope. The results that have been obtained are amazing.
Mystical properties of water
If water from different sources has such a diverse structure and reacts in such an amazing way to various influences, then it can be assumed that by using certain and specially programmed water, a person has the opportunity to significantly improve his health.
In my opinion, the question "Is it possible to jinx the water?" is no different from the question "Is it possible to spoil the water?".
The evil eye is a negative mental energy that people generate with their emotions: anger, envy, hatred, irritation. The evil eye produces a breakdown of the human aura and carries a negative program.
Unlike spoilage, which is created by purposeful magical influence, the evil eye is a spontaneous process, but its consequences can be no less serious.
Someone does not believe in the evil eye and does not succumb to it, but someone believes in it and suffers. The question of personal faith is fundamental. After all, even Jesus himself could not heal anyone in his hometown. Because the countrymen knew him from childhood and did not believe that he was the same Messiah, about whom all the prophets wrote old testament. Faith in prayer has never harmed anyone. Is it possible to blame those who believe in corruption and the evil eye and suffer? Wouldn't it be better to help?
As our ancestors used to say: "They knock out the wedge with a wedge." Therefore, the evil eye from damage by water was treated by prayer over water. Their methods were quite simple and accessible to everyone, here is one of them.
Pour running water into a jar (ordinary tap water that does not carry any extra information), throw a pinch of salt into the water and, lighting three matches in turn, baptize the water with burning matches, saying: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". As the matches burn, break off the burnt part and throw it into the water.
Then, twelve times over the water, read the conspiracy from the evil eye: “In the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Save, Lord, protect, Lord, hide, Lord, the servant of God (name) from black, from yellow, from brown, from gray, from white, from male, from girlish, from childish eyes, from thoughts, from rethinks, from conversations , from negotiations, from evil people. I don't speak, speak Holy Mother of God with your mouth, with your fingers, with your holy spirit.”
Sprinkle this water three times, as well as your clothes and bed, saying: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Several times a day, you need to drink this water and wash yourself with it without wiping yourself.
Whether we believe in it or consider it complete nonsense and ignorance, but we are all on this planet, men and women, oligarchs and patients with leprosy, participate in the general water cycle. And none of us knows in whose body the H2O molecules visited before appearing in ours. What information did they bring to our bones, blood and brain? After all, no filter and distiller will clear them of this.
We polluted rivers, springs, seas and oceans out of greed and selfishness, covering it up with concern for the good. And now we just as eagerly ask these rivers, seas and lakes to heal us on Epiphany days from our misfortunes. And we are angry that God does not hear us.
He hears us, but we do not hear His call to all earthlings - to clean our reservoirs. And if we do not do this, He himself will fulfill the prayer of mother earth for the purification of water. And it will be just retribution.
For that Christmas, to remember not about our plans, but about God's plan for us. Are our prayers in line with his plans? Indeed, in order to fulfill not our, but God's plan, the Savior was born on earth.
Let's ask this day a simple question: "What does He want from each of us and all of us together?"
Hope ALISIMCHIK
