How to ask for a blessing from the priest? About the priestly blessing

blessing has different meanings. For example, one of the values ​​is a greeting. Say hello to the father by the hand church traditions can only be equal to him in rank, all other deacons receive a blessing from him when they meet. . Of course, if we talk about blessing as a ritual, then the priest must be in a cassock and it should be carried out only within the walls of the temple. HOW IS IT CORRECT TO ASK FOR BLESSINGS FROM BATYUSHKA? Many people first ask for a blessing, but then they say that it does not give anything. The fact is that you need to know the “rules” of how to ask for blessings from the priest. After all, if you ask for a blessing for work without having it or for marriage without a groom, then it is clear that you will not be able to feel the mystery of this rite. You should also remember that you can not come to the blessing at the time of communion. Such a rite can be performed after the Liturgy. And so how is it right to ask for blessings from the priest: Using the example of work, before you receive a blessing from the priest, you must first find a job, and then come to him and ask for parting words so that everything works out for you there. The priest must definitely find out if it will harm your health, and if it concerns marriage, the priest will ask if he belongs to another faith. After that, he will approve it and say: "God bless." HOW DOES THE RITE HAPPEN? Blessing as a rite is the sign of the cross, which is done by bishops and priests. During the blessing, the clergyman does this with his hand. At the same time, he folds his fingers so that they depict IS XR. This means that the Lord Himself blesses us through the priest. Therefore, we must accept the blessing with reverence. It should be noted that in ancient times, marriages were not performed without the blessing of a priest, people did not go on a journey, etc. It was believed that without this rite, a person's life is in great danger and no business will be successful. After all, as you know, prayer and blessing, this is the most strong way protect yourself in any place and city. Today, in order to receive a blessing personally, not during the service, you need to fold your hands in a cross ( right palm put on the left, palms up). At the same time, you need to pronounce the following words: "Bless the father." After receiving it, you must kiss the priest's hand. This symbolizes as if we ourselves are kissing the invisible hand of Christ. WHICH PRIEST TO TAKE A BLESSING FROM? Sometimes it happens that, having come to church and see several priests together, a person is lost to which of the priests he will turn to. First of all, pay attention to their rank. Whoever is higher in rank, the blessing is taken from him. If a hieromonk and a bishop stand nearby, then you need to turn to the bishop. The eromonk does not have such fullness. Since episcopal grace is equated with apostolic grace. Also, if a priest and an archpriest stand nearby, then you need to contact the archpriest. And if the abbot and hieromonk, then it is recommended to ask for a blessing from the abbot. IS IT POSSIBLE TO READ AKATHIST WITHOUT THE BLESSING OF THE PRIEST? Many parishioners are interested in the question of whether it is necessary to take a blessing for reading an akathist. In fact, it all depends on the frequency of reading. If a person just sometimes wants to read it, then the blessing is not obligatory. And if this reading takes place regularly, then you should definitely turn to the priest and receive a blessing for this.

Many people think that a blessing is a "good word". But if you look deeper, then the blessing is rather a "word of grace." I think that everyone knows that grace is some kind of energy (divine), giving strength, energy and good luck in good deeds. Blessing is a powerful spiritual action taught in a prayer-verbal form (often with ritual actions with hands) that gives grace, help and protection from God. The one who asks for a blessing from God or His mediator thereby shows his humility, hope and hope for God's help and need for it.

So, there are “several kinds” of blessings.

1. Blessing for something.
   Take a blessing from the priest for this or that action. In ancient times, people did not start any good deed without receiving a blessing from a priest. From the conception of a child to the very death, all stages of a person's life were accompanied by a priestly blessing. For example: Dmitry Donskoy went for the Blessing to Sergei Radonezh before the Battle of Kulikovo, many travelers take a blessing for the road, the laity take a blessing for building a house, etc. In Orthodox Christian practice, each person should take a blessing for almost any business that does not negatively affect on spiritual life: on long way, on prayer rule, work, housing construction/renovation, surgery in a hospital, wedding, conceiving a child….i.e. at all important life events.

Why is it necessary to take a blessing for one thing or another?
Answer: so that the grace given from God through the priest drove away failures and helped in a good deed. But remember that according to your faith it will be for you. Taking a blessing is not some kind of ritual-amulet, but help and strengthening of the strength of a believer. That is, if a person does not believe in God, then. Automatically and does not believe in the Blessing - in this case, it makes little sense to take the blessing (although there are times when a person gains / strengthens faith through the Blessing and success in business).
How to take a blessing from the priest?
Come to the church and in the candle shop ask how and when you can find the priest. When you meet with the priest, just say, “Father, I want to take a blessing for such a thing.” Briefly tell the essence of the matter (keep in mind that taking a blessing for a bad deed is a sin that leads to failure), say “Father, bless” and, bowing your head, fold your right palms on left palm up.
Father will read a short prayer, cross you and either give a hand (it must be kissed) or simply touch your head. It is believed that with the blessing of God, the Holy Spirit descends on a person, who performs a certain work, depending on what we ask for blessing.
By the way, a priest can bless a person at any time, regardless of whether the priest is in the temple or not, while dressing a priest or bishop in spiritual clothes also does not apply to the act of blessing.

1. Receive a blessing at the sight of the priest, without voicing your business.
   You probably saw that when the priest enters the temple, some parishioners approach him with the words "bless the father." The priest says: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!”
   In this case, parishioners take a common blessing to strengthen their spiritual strength, which helps them fight temptations and lead an Orthodox lifestyle. Of course, this blessing also helps in good deeds, that is, in this case, you receive a piece of grace for your humility.
   You can also ask “Father, bless the child”, that is, give grace from the Lord to the child.

Having received a blessing from the priest, we kiss the hand that blesses us. Thus, we kiss the invisible hand of Christ the Savior Himself. Saint John Chrysostom: Not a man blesses, but God blesses him with his hand and mouth.. So from the priest you can hear " God bless!».

Conclusion on 1,2,3 points. The power of the Blessing descends upon the one who asks for the blessing through words, and sometimes through the laying on of hands of the blesser. The priest overshadows the sign of the cross asking for a blessing, after which he places his hand in the palm of the believer. The Christian must receive this blessing as from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, the Orthodox believer kisses the hand of the priest (as if applied to the hand of the Savior). Some clergy do not allow their hand to be kissed, but after the blessing they lay it on the head of the one who asks.

1. God bless.
   We resort to these words before starting any business or making a decision, when we could not or for some other reason did not ask the blessing of the priest. In this case, "according to your faith, be it to you." As you believe in God, you will receive such an increase in strength and good luck through the blessing. I recommend, nevertheless, for a blessing, to go to church to the priest.
   You can also ask for a blessing from God with the words “Lord, bless” before less important things, such as eating.

Conclusion: To ask for a blessing is to ask for grace!

Everyone tries to receive a blessing from the priest Orthodox Christian, sometimes without thinking about the action itself and its grace. Blessing from a clergyman - anointing, help and protection from God for the life of a Christian or some specific situation.

What is a blessing

During their stay in the temple, when reading home prayers or meeting with a priest, Christians ask for a blessing, meaning something good by this word or action.

As Christians, we say "bless" all the time without going deep into the meaning. Already in the first chapter of the Bible we read that God blessed Adam and Eve for a fruitful life, for power over all earthly creation.

We receive a blessing not from the priest, but from the Creator himself, these are:

• God's strength;
• His protection;
• anointing;
• God's cover.

The Lord blessed Abraham, who lived childless until the age of 90, with numerous offspring, including Jacob. The grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac, he became the ancestor of 12 tribes, from one of them, Judah, Jesus was born, the Son of God sent to earth. God blesses not only parents, but also children. Through the laying on of hands, Jacob received his first place in the race. Jesus blessed the food and the apostles, His successors later also blessed the people through the laying on of hands, thus transferring Divine power.

Important! Blessing a Christian, the priest reveals the grace of God over him, recognizing the supremacy in this or that situation of God himself.

Blessing - prayer, unity with the Almighty and the Holy Trinity, the call of Divine power into the life of an Orthodox believer. Believers can bless each other, investing in the meaning of this action, the call of God's help into the life of another person, while emphasizing that without God's help all our thoughts and aspirations are in vain.

The Creator speaks to us through holy scripture that His Word is filled with power that brings victory to all situations in the life of Christians. In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, the Lord outlined the types of blessings and the conditions for receiving them point by point, and a warning is also written there so that curses do not come into our lives.

Anointing for deeds, health, family life, received from God, have great potential to grow and multiply. This can be observed in Orthodox families leading a truly correct way of life. Blessing God grants us the anointing through His servants, priests, who are not mediators between God and people, they are the ones who stand closest to the Creator and know how to communicate with Him better than others.

A Christian who has received a blessing should spread it, giving praise to the Lord.

Blessing through the priest

The priest who blesses the Christian symbolically performs a prayer, a petition before God for the granting of anointing for what is asked for.

When addressing a priest with the words “Bless”, you should specify your request. Father blesses on various situations in life, on the road or study, for an operation and other situations.

Advice! When setting out on a journey, before making an important decision, turn to the priest for a blessing that will be the key to a successful solution to your problem.

Church rite It is carried out only in the temple and at the same time the clergyman is necessarily dressed in a cassock.

You can approach the priest for blessing only in the temple

Cross blessing, by definition of a saint righteous John Kronstadt, has priestly power. It is an invocation of God's grace upon the one who asks. Divine grace replenishes and renews everything around, its fruits can be seen in various areas:

• the fertility of the earth;
• the abundance of life;
• health;
• the world;
• rest;
• multiplication of faith;
• justice and many other areas.

Blessing prayers are not magic, you cannot ask for blessings:

• to a wedding without a bride or groom;
• to work without having an invitation to it;
• for the birth of a child, until conception has occurred;
• to study at the institute, while there is no enrollment.

All unresolved issues are brought before the Lord in constant prayers, fasting, with deep repentance and repentance.

The priest, having learned all the details about your future work, may not give Divine permission or anointing, foreseeing problems. Accept any decision of the priest with gratitude and humility, and not with irritation and misunderstanding. Sometimes God Himself protects His children from mistakes.

The early Christians did not start any business without a blessing prayer, believing that without this rite, a person’s life is in danger during the journey, and the undertakings will not be successful.

Important! The blessing prayer from the priest is the strongest protection that works anywhere at any time.

Before turning to the priest for a blessing for a wedding, military service, a journey, or starting a new business, Christians first ask their parents to bless them, regardless of age and well-being.

In monasteries, it is not customary to say “permit”, in a petition they always say “bless”, thereby emphasizing that every matter is submitted to the judgment of God, and only the Lord decides who to give grace and protection, and who must be warned against making a mistake.

How to ask for a blessing from a priest

The best place to receive a blessing is a temple. After the service, you can go to the priest, if he is not busy with other parishioners or clergy, and ask for a blessing prayer. At the same time, open palms are superimposed on one another and stretched towards the priest.

Father's open palms for blessing

Open palms show loyalty and humility, security and honesty. As a sign of respect for the dignity of the clergyman, a slight half-bow is made in front of him.

Depending on the situation, the priest can say “God bless” and call on the Holy Trinity, saying “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, or briefly pray another prayer, applying the sign of the cross to the one asking. After receiving the blessing prayer, the one who asks with his open palms takes the father's hand and lightly applies his lips to it.

Kissing the hand is a symbol of obedience and gratitude to the Most High God through His servant. A simple chain, after a bow, a request is made, for the solution of which the priest asks for grace from God, after which the hand is kissed with a bow, as a sign of thanksgiving.

Not all priests give their hand for kissing, guided by their personal relationship with God, but they always put their palm on the head of the one asking, symbolizing the descent of God's grace.

An interesting fact that few people pay attention to is that the priest's fingers are folded in a special way in the form of the name of the Savior, Jesus Christ, IC XC. This letter combination shows that everything that happens is subject to the will of God.

In the church hierarchy, they first take a blessing from the senior clergyman, and then from everyone else, if there are several priests. You can receive the blessing of the priest when you meet him on the street, even if he is not dressed in church attire. "Bless" can sound like a greeting or goodbye.

Attention! It is important to remember that a priest, first of all, is a person who should have a personal life and should not approach the blessing prayer several times a day, waiting for the priest at any time in various places.

How to take a blessing from a priest

Why do they take reverence from the priest and kiss his hand?

When a believer comes to a priest to take a blessing, the Lord first of all blesses the priest, and the priest already blesses the child of God. That is, the priest is the conductor of the grace of God. Therefore, they kiss, kiss, not to the hand of the priest, but to the Hand of the Lord. Let's say we want to receive God's blessing, but how do we know if He has blessed or not? The Lord left a priest on earth, gave him special power and the grace of God descends upon the believers through the priest.

How to take a blessing? I took a blessing from the priest to get a job, but nothing happens. I'm confused about these blessings... How far does the blessing work?

How to take a blessing? When we get a job, first we need to find it. Or if we want to get married, we find a groom, come to the priest and say: "Father, I want to get married." Or: "I want to get a job. Bless?"

The priest must find out whether this work will be harmful. Maybe a person will have abortions or cook women for fornication in a hairdresser? There are many ungodly works. And who wants to get married, you need to find out what kind of groom, whether he is an atheist, or a different faith. If the priest understands that the work is good, the groom is respectable, he will approve the choice, say: "God bless."

And if there is no groom, no work, but they ask: “Father, bless you to arrange your life,” these are empty words, there is nothing definite in them.

Does the blessing reach far? When a person gets behind the wheel and goes to some city, he overshadows the road with the words: "In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." How far is this blessing effective? If I go from Ivanovo to Moscow and bless the road, then this blessing is valid until the end of my journey, i.e. to Moscow. But, of course, during the journey it is necessary to read the Jesus Prayer, and if there are believing passengers, let them read the canons, akathists, "Virgin Mary, rejoice." Even if something happens on the road, the main thing is to be in prayer, because the Lord said: "In what I find, in that I will judge."

Who blesses on the path of eldership, confessorship, or does the formation occur naturally?

The Lord Himself blesses. There are many monks who confess, but they do not have such talents. There is no diligence to confess people like that, to accept, to instruct, even if they know the holy fathers well. They can know a lot, but there is no return.

What is the correct attitude to the blessing given by the elder? Is it obligatory to fulfill it when circumstances change, or should it be said that it removes the blessing?

If the priest gave penance for sins, then the blessing must be fulfilled. For example, do fifty prostrations every day for a whole month. And the blessing must be fulfilled exactly: not fifty-one and not forty-nine, but exactly fifty prostrations. And then come to the priest and say: "You gave me penance. I fulfilled it."

It is the same when the priest gave a blessing for something. For example:

Father, bless me, I want to change my apartment.

Father says:

God bless.

And suddenly something didn't work. You must then come and inform him of this or say:

Father, I changed my mind about changing the apartment. Remove God's blessing from me.

This is how it should be. Blessings are to be treasured. You know, some people get so used to the blessing that they keep it for some simple business. They approach the priest, but in their head it’s completely different: not to take a blessing, but just like that, for decency:

Batiushka, bless... Listen, Ivan, unload the car with coal there! Father, bless, bless me...

And the priest is waiting for the person to reorganize, figure out what's what. Of course, you can't behave like that. When we approach the priest to take a blessing, we must set ourselves up like this: "Now the Lord through the priest visibly will bless me." At this time, the Lord sends His mercy and grace and will keep us.

We took a blessing from the priest, from the bishop, we kiss the hand not of the priest, but kiss the hand of the Lord Himself. Through the hand of the priest, the Lord sent us His blessing. And if we are used to taking a blessing for decency, and at that time all sorts of sales, cars, rags, money, household chores are in our heads, then with such an attitude we will not receive grace. It is not allowed to take a blessing with such an attitude.

Nearby are two priests, one rank higher. From whom to take a blessing?

If you want to take a blessing and see that there are several priests, you should first take a blessing from the priest who is higher in rank. If a hieromonk and a bishop are nearby, then the blessing is taken only from the bishop. The bishop is given a great fullness of grace, the hieromonk does not have this fullness. Episcopal grace is equated with apostolic grace, he has the right to perform all the sacraments, and the hieromonk everything except ordination. If a priest and an archpriest are standing nearby, then the blessing should first be taken from the archpriest. If the hieromonk and abbot, then first with the abbot.