Prayer for the sanctification of all things: text and comments

Orthodoxy, more than any other denomination, attaches importance to the material component of life. Among the traditional prayer rituals adopted in it, there are ceremonies of consecration of almost everything that surrounds a person - from jewelry and clothes to airplanes and ships. Some of them are acceptable for even laymen. An example of this kind is prayer for the sanctification of all things and the associated ritual.

The need for sanctification

Orthodox tradition insists that matter in any form is subject to the influence of subtle energies or forces, which by their nature can be demonic, that is, evil, and grace-flowing from God. Based on this theory, the Orthodox Church in its practice strives to bring forth fertile energy everywhere, expelling the impure. Therefore, the adherents of this branch of Christianity consecrate their homes, cars, clothes, furniture and even pets. In special cases, for example, for the consecration of an apartment, a priest is invited, who conducts a complex ceremony. As for objects of everyday life, everything is simpler: the layman is offered to read prayer for the consecration of any thing for independent reading. After it is pronounced, the sanctified thing should be sprinkled with holy water. As a result of these actions, the object is considered purified and blessed from above.

There are several prayers for this occasion. One of them can be found in virtually any prayer book. Below is the most popular and simple.

Prayer for the sanctification of things

In the prayer books the text is given in the Church Slavonic language. Here, for a better understanding of the meaning given to the Russian translation.

Creator and Creator of the human race! The giver of spiritual grace, the bearer of eternal salvation! You, Lord, have sent down your Holy Spirit with this blessing from above. May it be armed with the power of the intercession of Heaven for those who wish to use it. May it be strong for the salvation of the body and for intercession and help through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Comments on Prayer

Creator and Creator of the human race!

In Orthodox prayers, this is a traditional conversion to God.

The giver of spiritual grace, the bearer of eternal salvation!

The theme of salvation here is offended, because it is in the light of the cooteriology (the doctrine of salvation) that Orthodoxy looks at the world. God sanctifies matter, not simply expelling evil from it, but spiritualizing, thereby deifying and transforming it. In the orthodox tradition, it is the material world and the material body that are to be saved. Therefore, the process of sanctifying even a new handkerchief or shirt is an anticipation and at the same time part of this great redemption of matter from decay and death. The prayer for the sanctification of all things emphasizes this connection.

You, Lord, have sent down your Holy Spirit with this blessing from above.

It is the Holy Spirit - the third hypostasis of the Trinity - that performs the function of the sanctifier of the world, as a special dynamic form of the presence of the deity.

May it be armed with the power of the intercession of Heaven for those who wish to use it.

Here the prayer for the sanctification of every thing affirms the subtle, blessed relationship between the object and Heaven, that is, the spiritual kingdom of God.

May it be strong for the salvation of the body and for intercession and help through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The words "through Christ" reflect the faith of the Orthodox believers that the salvation of the world is possible only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Other orders of consecration

The other most requested consecration ceremonies of those that are acceptable to lay people are the blessings of food, road and travel blessings. Of the most frequent rituals performed by a priest is the consecration of icons, crosses, dwellings and transport.