Once, when I was the rector of a church (the village of Leninskoye near Repino), on the eve of Epiphany, I prepared a tank for holy water, liters per thousand.

Considering that we had about 50 parishioners, I thought that I would meet this amount of water. But when I saw that there was a huge line of old women and women at the temple, whom I had never seen in the temple, and they all had aluminum cans on their sleds (remember, there were such, about thirty liters), I wavered.

Then, trying to find a way out of the situation, I voiced a rule that was quoted to me with condemnation all the time until I was transferred to a new church and a year later: “Sisters! We give no more than five liters of holy water to our hands ”! I tried to shout to the old women who came with steel faces and aluminum cans, but my words sounded like I was depriving these people of all the brightest and most joyful in their lives.

The people walked, a murmur arose, someone slipped and fell, a bank crashed in the church ... People openly murmured and were angry. I saw them for the first time and generally could not understand why they, people who never cross the threshold of the church, need holy water.

The Lord suggested a way out of a difficult situation. I connected a flexible rubber hose to the water supply in my house - the priest's house was twenty meters from the temple. And wonderful tap water started flowing into my nearly empty tank in the church.

I began to perform a short blessing of water (the great blessing of water had already been completed) every hour. All day until night. The water filled the tank quickly, and just as cheerfully they dug it out and took it away in an unknown direction. I removed the terrible and incomprehensible restriction for the people, and people were able to take water (why? ..), as much as they want. The old ladies were straining to take the thirty-liter cans and reappear. Again the cans were taken away, and again I saw them, smiling and cheerful, in line, wanting to collect holy water ...

My idealistic notions about holy water were shattered. Once, when I had just started to church, I asked the priest: "How can it happen that people are fighting at holy water?"

I saw myself how the grandmothers started a brawl at the font. Then the priest wisely said: “You see, people have a craving for a material, concrete shrine. What is prayer, grace? .. And here is concentrated and real grace, which you can collect in a bottle and take with you. "

The subsequent years of my priesthood confirmed this bitter thought: there are people who are quite far from true faith and piety. They have no striving for moral change and spiritual work; they do not go to church at all and do not lead church life. But with what aggressiveness and confidence (as if they have the right to do so) these people defend their imaginary rights to holy water and quarrel with the clergy ... They collect holy water and take away somewhere. What are they doing with her? How is it used if they have collected fifty liters? .. I have no answer, who served ten years in the dignity of a priest.

My friend, a priest from Ukraine, told what the inhabitants of his village were doing: pouring holy water on arable land, soaking seeds, giving to livestock to drink, washing the hut with holy water to drive out demons ...

All our sermons aimed at combating superstitions and magic in relation to holy water do not achieve their goal. Because people who listen to sermons already behave reverently with holy water. And people who wash their houses with holy water will not listen to anyone ...

Holy water implies peace and peace in the soul. And honesty and purity of intentions. If we get at least a glass of holy water, we can dilute thirty liters with it. And all the water will become holy and beneficial to our soul. If only they took this water and used it with humility and reverence.

But water will not serve a non-church person, a sinner, or it will be condemned.

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For the entire duration of our life, a large number of shrines are not accompanied. One of these great shrines is holy water. It is generally accepted that she is God's grace. With its help, one can cleanse himself from spiritual defilements, strengthen and sanctify them on the path of the achievement of salvation.

We first encounter her at Epiphany, when we plunge into a font of holy water three times. It washes away the sinful impurity of people, revives and renews him into a new life with Christ. It is often used in the consecration of buildings, houses, in divine services.

Such an element of nature as water can carry both the power of healing and destruction. No one can say for sure why this is so, but it acquires its miraculous properties at certain times of the year. Many scientists cannot come to a definite answer.

But the fact remains that a person who is redeemed on Maundy Thursday can be healed of various diseases, and one who bathed in an ice-hole for Baptism will not get sick.

How to make holy water?

Water from any source that is collected on this day does not deteriorate for years. And if the saint is added to the usual one, then she will also acquire wonderful properties. Such properties are explained by the harmonious structure of holy water. She carries strong energy and unique abilities.

A large number of experiments have been carried out to confirm these properties. According to their results, it was noted that it enhances human energy, affects overall health, evens out and improves energy flows.

What to do with holy water?

• You can drink it, but not from a common vessel
• You can sprinkle it on your home
• Washing your face will help with a simple evil eye
• With a strong evil eye, a bath with sacred water can help

It must be remembered that sacred water must be handled very carefully. If it turns green, then you need to pour it into any natural source. It is forbidden to pour it into the sewer. If it is poured on the ground, but only in the place where people do not walk and animals do not run. It could be a flower pot, a clean spot under a tree.

Holy water how to use

They use holy water in their daily life for various purposes. It helps Orthodox Christians to solve many problems that are associated with everyday problems. But it must be remembered that for all its miraculous properties, it is not a panacea for all ills.

Where can I get holy water?

The most powerful is the water on Epiphany (Epiphany Christmas Eve) and Baptism itself. It is believed that these days the water in all springs is sacred. And often every Christian returns home from the temple with a vessel of this divine liquid. But baptism of water also occurs throughout the year.

How to drink holy water correctly?

Due to its miraculous properties, it is often used by righteous Christians.

• It is customary to drink it in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening before bedtime. But you must pour it into a separate bowl.
• In various degrees of spiritual strife of a person, you can drink it in unlimited quantities and regardless of the number of meals.
• Read after drinking.
• You can also apply a compress to the sore spot, which is moistened with holy water.
• Often, before taking hagiasma (water consecrated on the eve of Epiphany), you need to cross yourself and read a special prayer. This ritual is performed on an empty stomach and in small portions. Care should be taken not to spill a crumb.

The main thing in this process is sincere faith in the Lord.

Prayer for the acceptance of holy water

“O Lord, my God, may Thy holy and holy water be your gift for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my soul and body, for the health of my soul and body, for the conquest of my passions and weaknesses, according to Thy infinite mercy with the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and of all Thy saints. Amen."

“O Lord my God, may there be Thy holy gift, Thy holy prosphora and Thy holy water for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my soul and body, for the health of my soul and body, for the conquest of my passions and infirmities according to the limitless Thy mercy through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen."

How to wash with holy water?

Agiasma can also be used for washing. Every person at least once in his life has heard such a thing as the evil eye. At the same time, such an imbalance in the energy background of a thing or a person can be introduced not only by an envious person, but also by a person who has such a feature from birth.

Many people believe that holy water is a panacea for the evil eye and recommend having it always at hand. There are specific rituals for different degrees of the evil eye. But the first thing you should do is wash your face.

• To do this, pour water into your palms and wash yourself. .
• Then wipe your face with the inside of your shirt or dress.

If you are often susceptible to various kinds of evil eye, then do the following in the morning: pour water into your left hand and wash yourself three times. At this time, say the following words: "What kind of mother gave birth, she took her away." Do not wash the remaining water off your face. Let it dry. If your mother died, then instead of the word "took away" say "took away".

How to wash a child with holy water from the evil eye?

Little children are often prone to the evil eye. It happens that mothers do not know what to do with their crying child. In this case, holy water will also help you. If a small child has been smoothed, then it must also be washed and then wiped with the hem of the mother's dress or shirt.

• The child can be wiped symbolically. Then you need to stand on the doorstep of the house and read. A little water should be given to the child to drink. It can be boiled, from this it will not lose its properties. After this procedure, the child will become calmer and calm.
• You can also carry out a certain ritual. To do this, the mother took water into her mouth, stand in the doorway so that the threshold was between her legs and say to herself the following words: "Like water from a tooth, so let all reproaches and habits go away from the baby (name)." Then wash the baby three times with water and wipe the inside of the mother's dress three times.
• The third method is also based on hagiasm, but it must be poured onto the floor. A certain prayer for holy water should also be said: “Water from the crown of the head, from the baby of sorrow. Otkol took, and merged there. Whoever is angry at the child will be writhing back. Amen".

How to bless an apartment with holy water?

It often happens that people, consciously and not, show a certain interest in your life. Thus, some may be sincerely happy for you, while others may envy. That is why it is recommended to sprinkle with holy water:

• apartment, house
• car
• things that can cause envy.

Particular attention belongs to the apartment or house in this list. It is there that we spend most of our time, and it is on the atmosphere in the house that relations with households will depend. But it also happens that the negative was left by the previous owners of the dwelling.

How to clean an apartment with holy water?

It is advisable to cleanse your home monthly with holy water or a candle. To do this, walk in a circle from the east and put a cross on the corners and walls, saying the following words: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." It is also advisable to sprinkle the walls with holy water, which you collected in the church for Epiphany.

And remember that holy water should be carefully stored next to the home iconostasis.

The Lord is always with you!

When the Savior entered Jordan and received the baptism from John, the God-man came into contact with matter. And to this day, on the day of Epiphany, it is according to the church style, when water is consecrated in churches, it becomes imperishable, that is, it does not deteriorate for many years, even if it is kept in a closed vessel. This happens every year and only on the feast of Epiphany according to the Orthodox, Julian calendar. On this day, according to one of the church stichera, “the nature of all waters is sanctified,” therefore not only the water in the church, but all the waters acquire the original property of incorruption. And the next day, after Baptism, all the waters again acquire their usual properties.

On the day of the Epiphany, every Orthodox Christian carries home a vessel with holy water, carefully preserves it as the greatest shrine, prayerfully partaking of holy water in sickness and all kinds of weakness.

How to use holy Epiphany water?

The use of holy water in the daily life of an Orthodox Christian is quite varied. For instance, it is consumed on an empty stomach in small quantities, usually together with a piece of prosphora (this is especially true of the great agiasma - Epiphany water), they sprinkle their dwelling.

She eats it on an empty stomach, on a spoon, a little bit, daily and with prayer:

« O Lord my God, may Thy holy gift and Thy holy water be for the forgiveness of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my soul and body, for the health of my soul and body, for the conquest of my passions and weaknesses, according to Thy infinite mercy by the prayers of the Most Pure Thy Mother and all Thy saints. Amen«.

The man got up, crossed himself, asked for the blessing of the Lord for the day that had begun, washed himself, prayed and accepted the great hagiasma. If fasting medication is prescribed, then take holy water firstfollowed by the medicine. And already then breakfast and other things.

But due to a special need for God's help - in case of ailments or attacks of evil forces - you can and should drink it without hesitation, at any time or every hour.

Ascetics of Christian piety call consecrated water the best medicine for all spiritual and bodily ailments.

It can be used to wash the patient and sprinkle it. True, women on critical days are not blessed to take baptismal water... But that is, if the woman is otherwise healthy. AND if she is sick, then even this circumstance does not matter... Let the Epiphany water help her!

With a reverent attitude, holy water stays fresh and tasty for a long time.

It should be stored in a separate place, next to the home iconostasis.... Because the Great Agiasma is one of the main shrines of the Orthodox Church. The very word "Agiasma" means "shrine". And you don't need to put it in the refrigerator. It is also unacceptable that holy water gets into the drain.

A special property of holy water is that, added even in small quantities 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 from a clean container.

We must not forget that consecrated water is a church relic, which has been touched by the grace of God, and which requires a reverent attitude towards itself.

1. Holy water should be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening before bedtime (but not from the total capacity).
2. In case of a very serious illness or if a person is in a state of intense spiritual struggle, despondency, it can be drunk in unlimited quantities, regardless of the meal.
3. After drinking, you need to pray for healing.
4. For pain or just a sore spot, you can apply a compress soaked in holy water.
5. Holy water has tremendous healing power. There are cases when a few drops of such water, poured into the mouth of an unconscious patient, brought him to his senses and changed the course of the disease. But this does not mean at all that you do not need to see a doctor. A special property of holy water is that, added even in small amounts to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it.
6. It is necessary to store holy water near the icon or behind the icon... Please just write on the bottle or apply the appropriate label. Be careful that your loved ones do not inadvertently pour out the holy water or use it inappropriately. You cannot store such water in the refrigerator.... Do not keep it next to food.
7. This water is not given to animals.
8. You can only sprinkle it on your home (while reading a prayer), a car, or some other thing, also clothes, and even pets.
9. If the water has deteriorated, it must be poured into a river or other natural source. Holy water must not be poured into a sink or drain... Holy water is not spilled onto the ground. It is poured into an "unsupported" place, that is, to the place where people do not walk ( do not trample underfoot) and dogs don't run. You can pour water into the river, you can put it into a flower pot, or you can put it in a clean place under a tree.

THE HOLY WATER MUST NOT ONLY BE CAREFULLY STORED, BUT ALSO BE USED REGULARLY.

1. It is unacceptable to keep water forever "in reserve" if it was brought from the church once for Baptism on the principle "so that it was in the house, because everyone has it." This is a kind of confinement of the shrine. The grace of holy water does not decrease, no matter how much it is stored, but people who do not turn to the shrine heal themselves.
2. Once consecrated water is always such... In the case when we have little holy water left, but some significant amount is needed, we can add holy water to ordinary water. All the water will be sanctified.

Finally, the most important:

Holy water will not do us any good if we spend our lives far from God. If we want to feel God in our life, to feel His help, His participation in our affairs, we must become Christians not only in name, but also in essence.

Being a Christian means:

1. Fulfill the commandments of God, love God and neighbors;
2. Participate in Church Sacraments and pray at home;
3. Work on fixing your soul.

May the Lord help us, no matter how far from our Heavenly Father's home, to return to Him.

Holy water and water of holy springs

Holy water is a high essence in which two spirits are mysteriously united: the spirit of life (inherent in every water) and the Holy Spirit, which descends into ordinary water thanks to a special sacrament called sanctification of water. Holy water and water from holy springs are the strongest medicine, but medicine is more for the soul than for the body.

The miracle of holy water

Holy water is the strongest medicine. She is able to help with any ailment, therefore it is strongly recommended to take holy water in case of illness. I am not unfounded: we are talking about scientifically proven facts. Experiments carried out by scientists have shown that different samples of holy water have the same electromagnetic radiation, and this radiation is very different from the radiation of plain and silver water. It turned out that the line on the screens of devices recording the electromagnetic radiation of holy water coincides with the line shown by the device when diagnosing a perfectly healthy organ. And holy water transmits its healthy electromagnetic radiation to diseased organs, thus correcting the “sick” frequencies. This means that holy water can really be cured even from very serious diseases. Moreover, holy water heals everyone: believers, unbelievers, baptized and unbaptized people. But holy water should be handled in a special way, not as a medicine from a pharmacy, but as a shrine, otherwise it will lose its unique properties. But, with proper use and sincere faith, holy water will help heal almost any disease.

Holy water to help your fellow man

I would also like to say about the effect of holy water on neighbors without their knowledge. In the preface, I mentioned that the healing power of holy water is in no way dependent on your faith. Water helps both the believer and the atheist. But that's not all. Holy water, as well as charged water, works effectively in cases when it is necessary to cure a person without his knowledge. We all know about cases when a person either does not believe in the possibility of being cured with water, or denies the need to treat his bad habits. A smoker, drinker, gambling addict or drug addict rarely admits to being sick. For those close to such a person, his condition is a source of continuous anxiety and suffering. And here holy water comes to the rescue. Without saying anything, mix it into your loved one's drinks and food, and little by little there will be relief. Even if he at least admits to himself that he is sick, this will already be a great progress, because later he may agree to treatment with unofficial or official medicine!

Holy water cures not only a wide variety of addictions (alcoholism, tobacco smoking, drug addiction, gambling addiction, Internet addiction) but also mental illnesses (stress, depression), and also helps with family problems. To help someone suffering from depression or to return a spouse to the bosom of the family, it is also not necessary to inform him that you are giving him a little holy water. For many centuries, prayers and conspiracies for water were transmitted orally and in writing, which saved from drunkenness, gulba, addiction to cards and narcotic potions, and almost always this water was poured and mixed secretly, because drunks and gulen always, in all centuries, behaved equally and did not admit that they needed to change their habits. Of course, today technical progress has "endowed" humanity with new types of addictions, for example, the so-called Internet addiction (in which a person experiences all the torments of a drug addict, being excommunicated from the Internet), but the essence of these diseases has changed little over the centuries, and holy water has invariably saves lost souls.

How to store holy water at home

Holy water should be stored in a specially designated place. If you have icons hanging in the "red" corner at home, it is better to store holy water there, behind the icons or next to them. You can put a vessel with holy water in a special cabinet (box) where candles, incense, and church oil are kept. If it is not possible to put holy water near the icons or in a separate cabinet, free up a shelf for it in the closet or on a rack, and put an icon next to it.

There is no point in keeping holy water in the refrigerator. Do not store it near food either.

How to drink holy water properly

You need to drink holy water on an empty stomach after prayer. It is better to have a bite of holy water with a church consecrated prosphora.

Prayer for the acceptance of prosphora and holy water