Prayer to the holy water of Epiphany. Prayer before and after receiving holy water. Why do they take it?

Holy water is one of the shrines that must be in the home of all Orthodox Christians. It is customary to drink it on an empty stomach, preferably every morning, after reading a prayer first. It is better to use it together with prosphora or part of it - it gives strength to the soul and body of a person, enlightens and cleanses the mind. You don't necessarily need to drink a whole glass; even a few sips are enough.

Also with its help, the Sacrament of Baptism, the consecration of dwellings, church utensils and other objects, and the sprinkling of parishioners on holidays take place.

Before drinking holy water, you need to read a special prayer, its text is quite clear and short, listed below.

Features of holy water

Blessed water is water over which a special rite was performed, or that which was collected on the day of the Epiphany (Epiphany) - January 18-19.

Baptism- one of the greatest Christian holidays, the day when Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River (thus consecrating it). That is why the water collected on this day is sacred and has all its inherent properties: it does not deteriorate over a long period of time, has a healing effect on the physical and mental state of a person, “cleanses” and sanctifies those who receive it or are sprinkled with it.

The tradition of collecting Epiphany water has been known since the first centuries of Christianity. In the 4th century. John Chrysostom himself (the great saint who lived in Antioch) testified to this, saying that at midnight on Epiphany everything is drawn from the springs and carried home. It does not deteriorate throughout the year or even several years.

There are many misconceptions regarding this issue in atheistic circles, here are the most famous of them and their refutation:

What is prosphora

This is a special leavened bread used in Orthodox worship. He is the Body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Used at Proskomedia - this is the initial part of the Liturgy, the preparation of the Eucharist and the commemoration of the living and the dead.

Translated from ancient Greek means "offering". In the first centuries of Christianity, this was the name for all donations brought by believers to the church. A similar tradition existed in Old Testament times. The book of Leviticus speaks of offering leavened bread during the peace offering of thanksgiving.

In the tabernacle of Moses there was unleavened bread, having two parts, which symbolized earthly and heavenly bread - human and divine.

The current prosphora also consists of two parts and denotes the human and divine essence of Jesus Christ. Prosphoras are made in special conditions with prayer at churches and monasteries. Wheat flour, water, various starter cultures and salt are used. They depict a cross and an inscription in Greek, meaning: “Jesus Christ conquers” or an image of the Virgin Mary or one of the saints.

Rules for reading prayer

Prayer- a person’s appeal to God, the Mother of God, saints and angels. It is one of the most important manifestations of spiritual life. It can be internal - oral, and external - verbal, as well as public and personal. Public church prayer is accompanied by burning incense and choral singing.

Orthodox saints talk about the enormous benefits of inner prayer. Also, during prayer, bows, kneeling and making the sign of the cross are often performed. In them, people glorify, thank, repent and ask for something from God, the Mother of God, saints and angels.

You need to pray with concentration, with faith and hope. Before this, you need to try to reconcile with everyone and not hold a grudge against anyone, as it is said in the “Our Father” prayer: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us, and if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, then most likely we ourselves will not be forgiven.”

What to remember:

You cannot treat prayer as a magical spell - this is a sin and blasphemy, it is also sinful to pray for show, to do it inattentively.
You cannot treat prosphora with reverence, throw them away, or give them to animals. It is necessary that the prosphora crumbs are all eaten and not thrown into the trash. If the prosphora was not consumed on time and it disappeared, then it is necessary to burn it. We must try to avoid the latter.
It is unacceptable to treat holy water as a magical substance and pour it out. Lost water should be poured into a natural source - a river, lake or under a tree, and the container in which it was stored should no longer be used in everyday life.

Prayer before eating prosphora and holy water

It is especially important to take prosphora with water if for some reason you cannot go to service on a Sunday or holiday. It is better to do this in the morning, on an empty stomach, with special reverence and prayer.

Lord my God, may Your holy gift be: prosphora and Your holy water for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities according to Your infinite mercy through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

Epiphany water is called Great Agiasma, which translated from Greek means Great Shrine. It provides healing for ailments - mental and physical, extinguishes the flames of passions, and drives away evil forces. Therefore, holy water is sprinkled on the home and every thing that is consecrated.

The Great Blessing of Water is performed twice - on the very day of the holiday and the day before, on Epiphany Eve. Some people mistakenly believe that the water blessed these days differs in its properties. However, both on Christmas Eve and on the very day of the feast of Epiphany, the same prayers are read during the blessing of water.

Saint John Chrysostom said back in the 4th century that holy water remains incorruptible for many years, is fresh, pure and pleasant, as if it had only been drawn from a living source a minute ago. This is the miracle of God’s grace, which everyone can see even now!

Epiphany water is one of the blessings and gifts given by God to the Orthodox Church. It is known that the saints had great reverence for holy water and often used it. So, for example, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, after the confession of pilgrims, always gave them holy Epiphany water. The Monk Ambrose of Optina once sent a terminally ill man a bottle of holy water - and, to the amazement of the doctors, the incurable disease disappeared.

Hieroschemamonk Seraphim Vyritsky always advised sprinkling food with Epiphany water. When someone was very sick, he blessed them to take a tablespoon of holy water every hour.
The elder said that there are no medicines stronger than holy water and blessed oil.

Miracles of healing still occur today. However, only those who accept it with living faith in God, who believe in the power of the prayer of the Church, and who have a sincere and pure desire to change their lives are rewarded with the miraculous effects of holy water. God does not create miracles where they want to see them only out of curiosity or where they do not intend to use them to save the soul. “An evil and adulterous generation,” the Savior said about his unbelieving contemporaries, “seeks a sign; and no sign will be given to him.”

Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: “All grace coming from God through the Holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidoron, prosphora), etc., including the Most Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, has power only for those who is worthy of this grace through 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 and is useless for the wicked and imaginary Christians.”

There is a common misconception that swimming in the Epiphany ice hole cleanses us of sins. This is not so: swimming in an ice hole is just an ancient folk custom.
And the sacrament of repentance, performed through confession, cleanses one from sins. This sacrament is mandatory for all Orthodox Christians, while Epiphany bathing is completely optional. However, those who have a great desire can take a swim.

On the feast of Epiphany, many take holy water home. This is correct: Epiphany water should be in the home of every Orthodox Christian. It should be kept in a worthy place, preferably in a holy corner, next to the icons.

Holy water, like prosphora, is usually consumed on an empty stomach, after the morning prayer rule, with reverence and prayer. However, in situations that require special help from God, in case of illness or attacks by evil forces, you can and should drink it at any time.

The most important thing to remember is that if we do not try to change ourselves for God, drinking holy water will not help us. In order for holy water to be beneficial, we will take care of the purity of our souls and the high dignity of our thoughts and actions.

Prayer before taking Holy water

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 mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities, according to Your boundless mercy through the prayers of the Most Pure One Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

The terms “prosphora” and “holy water” are symbolic for the Orthodox tradition. The first is called liturgical bread, used for the sacrament of Holy Communion. The second means holy water consecrated in the temple, the use of which dates back to the times of the Old Testament. In addition, this tradition is connected with the story of the Baptism of the Savior.

Why do they take holy water and prosphora?

There are a large number of shrines in the Orthodox tradition. The most important of them are Epiphany water (agiasma) and church bread (prosphora). By consuming them on an empty stomach in the morning, the believer cleanses his own body and exalts his spirituality.

However, to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to read prayers and maintain faith in the Trinity.

How to properly eat prosphora and holy water

The many grains of bread symbolize the Unity of the Church with an infinite number of parts. Blessed water restores primary purity and is also a conductor of God's will.

There is no difficulty in accepting these church objects: this is done on an empty stomach, early in the morning, so that they do not mix with subsequent food.

At the end of the liturgical reading in the church, antidoras (small parts of the prosphora) are brought out to those present.
An Orthodox Christian must fold his own palms into a cross, with the right hand on top of the left. If you overcome pride, you can kiss the hand of the monk who brought this gift.
Antidoras are eaten right in the temple, and then washed down with reverence (agiasma).
In the house for church food, it is necessary to prepare a tablecloth and place it in a consecrated corner -. Before drinking prosphora and holy water, a special prayer is read, where the believer asks for the strengthening of body and spirit, as well as the elimination of all passions.
When biting off bread, a person should place a plate or clean paper. It is forbidden for crumbs to fall on the floor, because this prosphora is consecrated and symbolizes full faith.
It is not recommended to give church bread to those people who do not want to be baptized or who deny the existence of God.
The paper in which the prosphora was brought must be burned.
Church bread is made from wheat, with yeast and with the addition of holy water. The term “prosphora” is translated from Greek as “offering.” The first Christians had the custom of bringing bread from their own home to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Currently, church bread is prepared in bakeries of the diocese. The prosphora consists of two parts, symbolizing the two natures of the Savior Christ. On the upper part there is a cross or the face of the Mother of God.
"Agiasma" translated from Greek means "shrine". This water is consecrated by special permission, on the feast of Epiphany. It is not a panacea for all ills. The opinion that daily use of agiasma will bring absolute health and solve all problems is incorrect.
Agiasma does not deteriorate and remains incorruptible. This has been proven through many relevant experiments. Every Christian is obliged to keep it next to home icons and consume it on an empty stomach in the morning. It is also suitable for anointing wounds and sprinkling the home.

Advice! If a person does not have the opportunity to take prosphora and agiasma (holy water) at dawn, it is allowed to consume them at any time of the day, but only on an empty stomach. However, one should humbly seek forgiveness from the Almighty for indiscipline.

Prosphora

What prayer to read

Prayers for the acceptance of church bread and baptismal water must be said with strong faith in the Lord, who is able to provide everything necessary.

If you want to sanctify your body and give your soul purity and freedom of thought, you need to illuminate yourself by taking holy water and prosphora. Of course, you can just drink holy water, but the effect will be better if you take prosphora with holy water.

Priest Nikadim answers how this is done.

If it is not possible to take prosphora and holy water in the morning, then you can do this at any time of the day, but again it is better if it is on an empty stomach. Although even if you take prosphora and holy water on a full stomach and not in the morning, there will be no sin in this. The main thing is to ask God for forgiveness for this and accept the prosphora with holy water with a pure heart and a bright soul, without evil thoughts and desires.

O Most Holy Lady Queen Theotokos, Highest of all Heavenly Powers and Holiest of all saints! We fall down and bow to You before Your all-honorable and wholesome image, remembering Your wondrous appearance to the sick clergyman Vincent, and earnestly pray to You, the all-powerful Intercessor and Helper of our family: just as in ancient times you gave healing to that cleric, so now heal our souls and bodies, sick with the wounds of sins and many different passions, deliver us from all misfortunes, troubles, sorrows and eternal condemnation. Save from soul-destroying teachings and unbelief, from flattering and arrogant attacks of invisible enemies. Grant us a Christian death, painless, peaceful, shameless, and a participant in the Holy Mysteries. Grant us, at the impartial Judgment of Christ, to stand at the right hand of the All-Righteous Judge and to hear His blessed voice: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Amen.If you want to sanctify your body and give your soul purity and freedom of thought, you need to illuminate yourself by taking holy water and prosphora. Of course, you can just drink holy water, but the effect will be better if you take prosphora with holy water.

Priest Nikadim answers how this is done.

HOW TO TAKE PROSPHORA AND HOLY WATER

There is no difficulty in taking prosphora and holy water; this is done in the morning on an empty stomach, so that the prosphora and holy water do not mix with the main food and better penetrate into distant parts of the body and your soul. If it is not possible to take prosphora and holy water in the morning, then you can do this at any time of the day, but again it is better if it is on an empty stomach. Although even if you take prosphora and holy water on a full stomach and not in the morning, there will be no sin in this. The main thing is to ask God for forgiveness for this and accept the prosphora with holy water with a pure heart and a bright soul, without evil thoughts and desires.

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 mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities, according to Your boundless mercy through the prayers of the Most Pure One Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen.

In case of exacerbation of illnesses, you need to take prosphora and holy water while simultaneously reading the prayer to the Mother of God the Healer.