The main work of a priest is confession and preaching, since it is these sacred activities that contribute to the penetration into the soul and heart of a Christian and give birth to good changes in the souls and hearts. But the priest begins with a blessing. Whether he hastily blessed or reverently, whether he called on the name of God or only drew a cross in the air - in all this one can already see the priest.

These simple and precise thoughts were read by me in the distant times of seminary studies and belong to the professor of the Kyiv pre-revolutionary Academy Pevnitsky. The priest begins with a blessing.

Everything sacred can degenerate and fizzle out if misused. The blessing of the clergy on the part of the laity receiving it (or in the mode from the bishop to the priest) can turn into an analogue of “Hello” when the lower meets the higher. They saw Vladyka, slightly bent at the back, and instead of greeting, “bless.” This is how it happens right away: we say “bless”, we mean - “Hello. How glad we are to see you!" And on the part of the one who gives the blessing, this is a kind of waving a pen in the air and then allowing her to kiss it. This is especially noticeable where there are many clergy and church people: in seminaries, in diocesan administrations, in church shops, in large monasteries, and so on. There occurs, more often than anywhere else, a harmful stylization of Orthodoxy due to haste, hustle and a mixture of familiarity with sycophancy. At the same time, with regard to blessings, there is no actual “good” + “Slovenia”, that is, no good and sacred words can be uttered at all. Everything is done at the level of manipulation and imitation of kisses. Meanwhile, Scripture initially suggests that one of the priesthood services is the blessing of the people, and the blessing itself is the utterance of sacred words aloud. "Bless the children of Israel, telling them: God bless you and keep you!

May the Lord look upon you with His bright face and have mercy on you!

May the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace!

So let call on my name against the children of Israel, and I (the Lord) will bless them” (Numbers 6:23-27)

Blessing is associated with the transfer of real power. It can powerfully influence the lives of those who have received the blessing. Jacob and his mother knew this, having cunningly asked for blessings, as for the firstborn, from Isaac, who had weakened his eyesight. When the father gave the younger a full blessing, mentioning heaven and earth, bread and wine, the obedience of his brothers and so on, then Esau came - the real firstborn. Upon learning of the trick, Isaac "trembled with a very great trembling" (Gen. 27:33) and said that the one whom he had just blessed, "and shall be blessed" (!). Obviously, this is not about simple words, which can be pronounced, then discarded and repeated again to a different address. All participants in the event understand this very well, therefore not only Isaac trembles, but Esau also “lifted up a loud and very bitter cry” (Genesis 27:34). In response to Esau's request to bless him too, the father is silent, as if he had nothing more to say. And then he blesses the eldest son, as if with some remnants of the desired benefits, small crumbs. This whole picture tells us about the power of parental blessing, about the transfer of real power. So today, for example, we live under the shadow of Noah’s fulfilled blessing: “May God spread Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:27) It is obvious that the European has become a “world man” and has gained access to prayerful fellowship with the Living God in Christ, not because it is an accident or the fruit of technological progress, but because it is the fulfillment of a prediction that is at the same time a blessing.

An example of multiple blessings that can be pronounced together or separately is found in the rite of communion of the sick at home. It says, among other things:

“The Lord God, merciful, have mercy on you. May the Lord Jesus Christ give you every good petition. May the Lord Almighty deliver you from every misfortune. The Lord will teach you. May the Lord enlighten you. Lord help you. May the Lord save you. The Lord will protect you. The Lord cleanse you. May the Lord God Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgment have mercy on you and bless you all the days of your life.” As you can see, this is in spirit and form of blessing, identical to those set forth in the book of Numbers. It is precisely such invocations of God that befit the holy order.

The testimonies of the power of blessing are numerous, for the hand of the Lord has not been shortened or weakened to save. I have heard many stories of believers about how powerfully grace worked on them after wisely taken blessings. People asked for specific blessings for a long trip, for learning a foreign language, for keeping votive additional posts, for enduring life's troubles, and so on, and the blessing given in response to such a request became a source of strength and help.

The clergy themselves get tired of the usual "hand waving", and this is understandable. Leskov also noted that it is sometimes impossible for our bishops to walk down the street and appear in public - they torture them with blessings and come running from all sides. But if a layman comes up and says: “Bless in the name of the Lord, master,” and in response he hears the name of Christ pronounced reverently, then both will feel themselves participants in a certain Sacrament, namely, the sanctifying action of grace when invoking the Lord.

Lay people can also bless, especially if we are talking about the relationship between parents and children. And the most touching in the desert also tells us a lot. He asked her blessings, because he saw in her a living vessel of the Holy Spirit, and she asked his blessings, because he is a priest and a man. So they bowed lower and lower to the ground, repeating one thing: "Bless, bless." Finally, Mary pronounced her blessing, but did not say: “I bless you,” but blessed God, who wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Finally, let's say that a priest is never in the temple, silently does not overshadow people with a cross with a special priestly signification. He always says “Peace to all,” or “God’s blessing upon you,” or other words, but it’s always exactly “blessing.” slovenia”, and not just sacred gestures.

Many years have passed since in the reading room of the library of the Kyiv Seminary I came across an old, with yellowed and fragile pages, Pevnitsky's book on pastoral theology. And the only thing I remember from it today is that confession and preaching are the most important pastoral activities, and a priest begins with the ability to teach a true blessing.

More than anything, we Christians yearn for blessings. Waking up in the morning, we pray: "God bless me and my family, our church." Each service begins with a prayer for blessings. We know perfectly well why we need it: God's "blessing makes rich, and brings no sorrow with it" (Pr. 10:22). However, we do not think much about who has right for a blessing. Isn't this the origin of the cynical saying "Blessed is not a sin"? People believe that God distributes blessings without looking, right and left. The Bible teaches that when we come with petitions to God, He pays attention first to the state of the heart, and then decides to bless or not. This is what Psalm 66 teaches us.

1. Blessings are given to the humble!

Choir leader. On stringed [instruments]. Psalm. Song. God! be merciful to us and bless us,

We live only by the grace of God (Lamentations 3:22). It is important to understand that we have no right to God's blessings, and He has no is not obliged to to give them to us because we have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we are not entitled demand blessings, we can only humbly ask Lord about him. And according to God's rule, the humble find grace, and the proud are left with nothing (1 Peter 5:5).

The word "humility" does not mean only "modesty". Among its semantic shades are “oppression”, “pity”, “poverty”, “poverty”, “humiliation”. Humility arises from the realization of one's sinfulness and insignificance in comparison with the holiness and greatness of God. Thomas a Kempis wrote: "He who really knows himself thinks low of himself".

It is very useful for us to test how humble we are in order to have the fullness of God's blessings. Wesley Dewell gives some helpful tips on how to do this: “Measure your lack of humility by the desire to receive praise from others, the desire to excel, the thirst for recognition. Measure the lack of humility by a high opinion of yourself, a habit of flaunting your talents, your ability to achieve. Measure your lack of humility by how often you feel offended and offended, how painfully you react to the contempt of others, and how much their criticism upsets you. Measure the lack of humility by your murmuring about your unenviable fate and how much you feel the dissatisfaction of those around you, how often you gossip about relatives and friends..

A humble person has a soft heart, ready to shed tears of contrition, tenderness and compassion. All the saints were humble people. They asked with tears for God's blessings to be sent down to them, deeply realizing how unworthy they were. About Patriarch Jacob, who asked God: "I will not let go until you bless me," it is said: "He fought with the Angel - and prevailed." How did Jacob overcome the Angel - with his perseverance or physical strength? No and no! He overcame the Angel with his humility! The prophet continues: “he wept and begged him” (Hos. 12:4)

The New Testament tells us that the most humble Jesus Christ did not go without tears. “He, in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and with tears, offered prayers and supplications to the One who was able to save him from death; and was heard for [His] reverence” (Heb. 5:7).

So, if you want to have a blessing, fall humbly at the feet of the merciful God. And He who comforts the humble will comfort you with His blessing. “Truly He loves [His] people; all his saints are in your hand, and they bow down at your feet to hear your words” (Deut. 33:3).

2. Blessings are given to missionaries!

illumine us with Thy face, that Thy way may be known on earth, and Thy salvation in all nations.

These words express missionary aspirations, prompting to pray for a blessing: "that they may know your way on earth." Otherwise, it could be expressed like this: “God, bless us to become a missionary people”! The psalmist asks God to illuminate Israel with the light of His countenance. Therefore, the people of God in themselves are not a source of light. He can only reflect the light of the face of God falling on him, as road signs reflect the light of car headlights at night. Without the light of the face of God, we are in darkness, but, being illuminated by Him, we are able to show others the way to blessing.

It is for this important historical task that Israel was chosen. He was to bring to the pagan world the knowledge of God and His righteous laws. However, the spread of the knowledge of God in the Gentile world could only take place if these laws worked in Israel itself.

“Behold, I have taught you ordinances and laws, as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you should do so in the land that you enter into to possess it; so keep and do them, for in this is your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples, who, having heard of all these ordinances, will say: Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For is there any great people to whom [their] gods are as close as the Lord our God is close to us, whenever we call on Him? and is there any great nation that has such just ordinances and laws as all this law which I offer you today? Only beware and carefully guard your soul, so that you do not forget those deeds that your eyes have seen, and so that they do not leave your heart all the days of your life; and tell your sons and the sons of your sons about them.” — (Deuteronomy 4:5-9).

Unfortunately, Israel did not fulfill its mission. Therefore, God gave this ministry to people who belong to other nations, but who accepted the gospel. But the holy life of believers is more capable of convincing unbelievers to accept the Good News than thousands of spoken words. Christ said: “Therefore all will know that all of you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

What a wise observation to share the fruits of a righteous life. No wonder Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Mat. 5:16).

Are we seeking to be blessed in order to carry the good news to the perishing? Without this, we cannot rightfully be called Christians! Spurgeon asked, "Don't you want others to be saved? Then you yourself are not saved. Be sure of it!” And further he continued: "If hell is to be filled, let it at least be filled in opposition to our efforts, and let no one be there without warning and prayer for him."

3. Blessings are given to those who praise God!

The one who has gained salvation strives to know God more and more. The key truth in knowing God is the truth about God's sovereignty. Whoever comes to know the sovereignty of God will be inspired to praise God for him. The psalm points out three amazing characteristics of God's omnipotence, filling the heart with joyful praise:

1) God's sovereignty is absolute: May the nations praise You, O God; May all nations praise You. Let the tribes rejoice and rejoice. The power of the Lord extends not only to large, but also to small nations. In the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, God addresses them with a word of exhortation or condemnation (Is.13, 15 chapters). God has not forgotten the great multinational Russia, because there are churches of God in it, and the Gospel is preached in it..

2) God's sovereignty is righteous: for you judge the nations with righteousness, and you rule over the nations of the earth. The Bible says that God will judge the tribes for idolatry, pride, cruelty, the shedding of innocent blood, bribery, lies, drunkenness, fornication. These judgments occur through natural disasters, wars, captivity, economic ruin, and even the complete extermination of the nation. Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Syria, Israel, Greece, the Roman Empire - this is an incomplete list of countries that were subject to God's judgments.

The experience of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who was righteously punished by God for exaltation, is indicative. “After twelve months, walking around the royal palaces in Babylon, the king said: Is this not majestic Babylon, which I built into the house of the kingdom by the power of my power and to the glory of my greatness! Even this speech was in the mouth of the king, as there was a voice from heaven: “They say to you, King Nebuchadnezzar: the kingdom has departed from you! And they will cut you off from people, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field; grass will feed you like an ox, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of man and gives it to whom he wants! Immediately this word was fulfilled over Nebuchadnezzar, and he was excommunicated from people, he ate grass like an ox, and the dew of heaven was watered on his body, so that his hair grew like a lion's, and his nails like a bird's. At the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High, praised and glorified Him who is everlasting, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is from generation to generation. And all who live on earth mean nothing; according to His will, He acts both in the heavenly host and among those who live on earth; and there is no one who can resist his hand and say to him, “What have you done?” At that time my mind returned to me, and to the glory of my kingdom my dignity and my former appearance returned to me; then my counselors and my nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my kingdom, and my majesty was still more exalted. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and magnify the King of Heaven, Whom all works are true and ways are righteous, and Who is able to humble those who walk proudly (Daniel 4:26-34).

3) God's sovereignty is joyful: May the nations praise You, O God, may all the nations praise You!

Nothing so comforts and strengthens in sorrows as faith in the omnipotence of God. One believing woman who underwent a serious operation told me: “Only one thing consoles me in illness - God keeps everything under control. And that means He reigns!” The psalmist wanted God's omnipotence to arouse joyful praise in people.

In his novel "Kamo Gryadeshi", Sienkiewicz describes the scene of the execution of a large group of Christians in the circus arena. They were to be torn to pieces by hungry lions. And suddenly the incredible happened - the Christians knelt down and sang the hymn "The Lord reigns"! They didn't sing, "Lord have mercy" or "Lord deliver," but "The Lord reigns." This joyful praise in the face of martyrdom shocked the pagans in a way the world had never seen before. God remained King in that tragic hour and crowned the martyrs with crowns of glory.

4. Blessings are given to those in need!

The earth gave its fruit; God bless us, our God.

We are people in need. Our physical existence depends on rain and fertile soil. With the favorable interaction of these factors, bread, fruits and vegetables grow and ripen, and a joyful harvest festival begins. The Bible says that these factors are controlled by God. He "commands his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Mat. 5:45). That is why the righteous ask God for their daily bread.

The Bible warns that the blessing of bread and water will not always be given to everyone. Sustaining our existence is justified only when we live to testify of Christ. Missionaries deserve food, the rest steal bread from God!

News agencies contain gloomy forecasts regarding the abundance of food. “The rise in world food prices could lead to food riots. This statement was made by French Minister of Agriculture Bruno Le Maire at a joint press conference with Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Jacques Diouf. It is reported by AFP.

On the eve of the FAO in an official press release said that world food prices once again reached a historic high. In January this year, the FAO Food Price Index (which includes prices for grains, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar) rose 3.4 percent from December to 231, the highest level since 1990, when FAO began measuring index.

At the same time, the FAO noted that food prices are likely to remain high over the coming months. In this case, China, India, Indonesia and Russia may suffer the most, reports CBC News.

The rise in food prices, according to the FAO, is one of the main reasons for the current unrest in Egypt and the December unrest in Tunisia. In 2007-2008, when the FAO Price Index was around 200, food inflation triggered food riots in 61 countries. (http://www.lenta.ru/news/2011/02/04/riot/)

The coming great tribulation, the book of Revelation 6:5-6 testifies, will be marked by times of famine. The kingdom of the antichrist will not be blessed with food.

With all this in mind, let's cherish the blessings that the Lord gives us, and let's not stop asking for them!

5. Blessing is given to the reverent!

May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear Him. (Psalm 66:1-8)

Right attitude towards God can be expressed in a word awe. In the text of the psalm, this is expressed by the words "let them be afraid." Why is reverence so important?

Reverence characterizes the correct perception of God as God. The right perception of God determines the right character of worship, relationship with Him. And the best illustration of this is Abraham's relationship with God. Abraham was called "the friend of God." The Creator did not want to hide from him His decision to destroy the depraved cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

There is an erroneous opinion that, having a close friendship with God, we can afford some emancipation in our relationship with Him. This is exactly how one “Christian” behaved: “Lord! If You don't give me a bridegroom, I'll go into the world!" Or: “God! You're doing really well today!" However, this is not how Abraham behaves! In a confidential conversation with God, he confesses. "… here I am made up his mind say to the Lord, I am dust and ashes. (Genesis 18:27) The expressions “decided to speak”, “Lord”, “dust and ashes” show that the closer a person is to God, the more humble he behaves. There is as great a difference between us and God as there is between an artist and his painting.

Also, reverence for God keeps us from sin.. When Joseph's brothers were worried about whether he would avenge their past crimes, they heard this answer: “And Joseph said, Fear not, for I fear God; behold, you intended evil against me; but God turned it into good in order to do what is now: to save the life of a great number of people; so fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted them and spoke after their hearts” (Gen. 50:19-21). The brothers calmed down only because they knew that a God-fearing brother would not sin with vengeance.

Reverence brings many benefits to all areas of life. This is very expressively shown in Psalm 111:

1 Alleluia. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord and deeply loves his commandments.

This joyful proclamation is backed up by a number of pieces of evidence:

2 His seed shall be strong in the earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

God, for the reverence of one, will bless many.

3 Abundance and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

God grants to the reverent the necessary earthly blessings.

4 In the darkness the light rises to the right;

In the dark periods of life, the righteous will have the light of consolation or enlightenment, an indication of how to act correctly.

he is good and merciful and righteous. 5 A good man shows mercy and lends;

A person who reveres God will help his neighbor in his need.

he will give firmness to his words in judgment.

If by the will of the Lord the righteous man is judged for his righteousness, he, like Stephen (Acts 7 ch.), will be blessed in his testimony.

6 He will never be moved;

A person who fears the Lord is steady on the path of faith and does not betray the Lord

the righteous will be in eternal memory.

An example of his life will be kept in the memory of people, and will also be written in the book of memory before God (Mal. 3:16)

7 He will not be afraid of bad news: his heart is strong, trusting in the Lord.

8 His heart is fixed; he will not be afraid when he looks at his enemies.

The righteous will not be afraid in the midst of slander and before enemies.

9 He squandered, gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted up in glory.

The righteous man is not afraid of spending on others. His fate is not easy, but glorious.

10 The wicked will see [this] and will be vexed, gnash their teeth and melt. The desire of the wicked will perish.

The wicked, in the end, will see the superiority of the righteous, they will be annoyed that they lost and wasted their precious life in sinful things. Their existence will end in complete ruin, while the life of the righteous will flourish in blissful eternity. Let us be a people legally entitled to God's blessings!

What is a blessing

Blessing is a compound word consisting of two words: “good” + “word”. This word contains the entire universe of God, not excluding God himself. The word "good" is one of the names of the One God. Only one God has the highest goodness (purity), and He is infinitely, eternally beyond the reach of anyone. God is inseparable from good, and everything comes from Him. He is the beginning of everything that exists. And the second part of the word blessing is “word”, and it can be understood as a creation (action) performed by God himself. The Highest created everything that exists with a word. In the Bible it is written about this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, “And God said: Let there be light, and there was light.” And this means that God is inseparable from the word, and that everything appeared, came from His word, He said: let there be light and light appeared. The “Word” can be understood not only as the action of God, but also everything that is the result of His creation (truth, law, gift, order, all the qualities of God, etc.).
If you combine these two parts, it turns out that the word blessing has an all-encompassing, to infinity, meaning. Blessing is Divine truth and the law of God. This is God's mercy and justice, Love and compassion. Blessing is the will of God the Father in the world and the instruction (guidance) of man by the Holy Spirit to righteousness. This is the response of God to human prayer, in which the grace of God descends (God - good + gives). Blessing is receiving from God a revelation, a message, or an answer to a question that concerns us. This is a special manifestation from Above of favor or attention to a person, a group of people or some people, for some merit before God. Such people or people in the world are called blessed, spoken from above. We can also understand blessing as God's approval, permission or permission for any actions, intentions.

Why you need to ask for blessings from God

At all times, for every undertaking, people asked for blessings from God, they knew a lot about it. People were afraid to depart from the Will of God, to sin, because apostasy led to disastrous consequences. In our time, not many of us understand what is blessed, and what it gives us. In our life it is very important for us and plays a big role in building our happiness. Blessing, like our conscience, redirects us to good deeds. It gives us protection and patronage, clarity in reflection and humility in prayer, helps us make the right choice and gives rise to sincerity in repentance. Asking for a blessing from God is also a prayer or a meeting with God, where we also stand before him one on one, and at this moment intimacy also happens.

With the blessing of God, it descends on a person who does a certain job, depending on what we ask for blessing.

When close to the Spirit of God, the following is felt: lightness appears in the soul, coolness envelops, peace sets in and quiet, calm joy appears; clarity and silence come to the mind; a surge of strength is felt in the body, the chest expands and breathes easily, the heart beats evenly and calmly. All these feelings are a sign that God approves of our undertaking. For everything that does not correspond to His Will and everything that is not good for us, not in favor, God does not give us His blessing (does not approve), while the Grace of God does not condescend. In the soul and body of a person it is felt: not calm, anxious, tense, unpleasant, heaviness, the chest is compressed, the heart beats unevenly, with a slight tension and breathing is lost.

To learn to recognize goodness from badness, for this you need to open up to His Grace and ask for a blessing on something, sit in silence for 20-30 minutes, listening to your feelings. If we do this work more often and regularly, then step by step we will learn to understand the language of vibrations, to determine what is false and what is truth, and to hear the silent voice of God.

In life, if we ask for a blessing at a meal or pray before eating, then the Holy Spirit descends and does such work: it sanctifies food, calms us down, prepares the gastrointestinal tract for work, the stomach shrinks and acquires normal volume, a sense of proportion in food comes, and therefore, we do not overeat, food is easily digested, the body is slagged to a small extent, even with an unreasonable approach to nutrition. If we ask for a blessing for prayer, then the Holy Spirit does such work: more peace appears in the soul, our memory wakes up to some extent; our indignations are manifested, clarity comes; we clearly understand what we need to ask God for in prayer, what needs have arisen in our soul, where sadness, resentment, irritation are hidden, which burden our soul.

Blessing lives on Earth for as many years as the person himself exists. Already at the creation of the world, God blessed his every action. This blessing accompanied the appearance first of the world itself, then of animals, and already further of man. The blessing has been active for thousands of years and can change the fate of each of us at any moment.

What is a blessing

Blessing is the blessing that the word itself brings. The most powerful spiritual action that is taught in verbal or prayer form. Often, ritual actions with hands are added to it. The words are addressed to the blessed, the corresponding grace, protection and help of God are called to him. The one who asks for a blessing recognizes his humility, does not rely on himself, waits for help and hope from God or his mediator. With the words “Bless, father,” the one who asks confirms that he recognizes the servant of God, recognizes him, honors him and asks for the opportunity to receive God's grace.

In second place in terms of its strength after the church blessing is parental. The Lord Himself commanded to honor one's parents. In order to consolidate the natural grace-filled power over children, God gave strength to parents (blessing or curse). On the example of the forefathers Abraham, Noah, Jacob and Isaac, we see this from Scripture. Often God controls people through their parents. Humble and intelligent people always honor their father and mother.

Blessing creates and bears fruit

Words of blessing certainly belong to the divine prerogative. But Jesus himself transferred these powers to Christians in the Sermon on the Mount, saying that we need to bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who persecute and offend us. In another way, we can say that Christ called us to speak words of blessing not only to those who deserve it, but also to those who curse and hate you. Our world is created God's word, and everything that happens in our world is also the result of our words. At the beginning of any actions, deeds, human accomplishments, there is a word. And the corresponding result depends on whether this word is good or evil.

All words in our world are divided into two fronts - curses or blessings. The Bible says that those who curse will be cursed and those who bless will be blessed. From evil person words of curses, accusations, murmurs come out, and, passing through him, through his mouth, these words, first of all, defile him. Sometimes it seems to us that the words do not mean anything, but from what kind of seed we drop, the fruit will also come out. Words of blessing carry kindness and light. Evil statements, condemnations, denials give place to the devil. The fruits will be appropriate - disappointment, tears, insults, losses. Humiliation and the like.

heals, thanks

We build our future with words. Blessing are those words that give us the opportunity to develop and move on. Blessing others, we give material in the form of words into the hands of God, and he will already prepare a perspective for us. Blessing as a medicine that resists the “viruses” that infect our body and our soul, restores our strength. You can’t slander yourself, claim that supposedly I can’t do anything, I don’t have the funds for this, and the like. Thank the Lord for what you have (health, children), and he will increase your wealth.

Gratitude is also a blessing, because it is a sign of humility. And grace descends on the humble. If you thank people for some kind of service, work, thereby acknowledging the fact that you needed them. Saying words of gratitude, you send them words of blessing. What passes through your mouth will come back to you a hundredfold.

Blessing of mother and father

So that the connection of generations never breaks and the tribal energies flow freely, there has been a rite of blessing since ancient times. The elders in the family blessed the younger ones. The blessing before the wedding provided the newlyweds with the creation of a strong, friendly family, prosperity in the house, and spiritual compatibility. This rite was of great importance. It allowed access to those energies that ensure the entire existence of generations. The blessing of the mother at the same time is the power of life, the father is the meaning and reason. Those appeals that are addressed to the Father (both Heavenly and biological) have incredible cosmic power. Mother teaches us in life the emotional component - how to cope with losses or collapsed dreams. Do not forget, when opening a new page in your life, ask your mother for blessings. This will ensure your success, because every child is essentially an energetic continuation of his mother. Therefore, she can influence his fate. A father must endow his child with masculine strength and energy - determination, responsibility, determination, optimism, nobility. Generosity and self-discipline. If your relationship with your parents is violated, then all these components are violated in life.

Essence of Parental Blessing

A mother's blessing is a protective cocoon that does not allow the child to get into various unpleasant situations, directs his actions in the right direction. Even at great distances, the blessing works. A person who has received parental blessing becomes invulnerable. The rite of blessing helps to hold the thread that binds generations in the family. Parents and grandparents blessed the accomplishment of some deeds, the creation of a family, so the connection of generations was strengthened. If your parents are still alive, turn to them, ask for blessings for yourself, for your children, and you will see how your life will change. It is not necessary to resort to complex rituals. Parental words are enough: “I bless you!”. Immediately with these words there is a click, the connection of generations begins to work. If we lose touch with our roots, we begin to degrade and die. A person who does not have access to the roots of the family is more difficult to adapt in life, it is difficult for him to cope with certain difficult situations.

Priest's blessing

Often in churches you can hear the phrase "I ask for blessings" - this is how parishioners turn to the priest. The priest's blessing has several meanings:

• Greetings . Only those who are equal in rank have the right to shake hands with a priest, all the rest must receive a blessing from him. For this ceremony, it is necessary to fold the palms (the right over the left), accept the blessing hand and kiss it, paying respect to the holy dignity. Only for this! This ceremony has no other significance. A blessing from a priest can be received anywhere, even if he is not in church clothes and not in the temple. But you should not disturb an unclothed priest on the street if he does not know you.
• The second meaning of the blessing is parting words, permission, permission for some action. Before any important step, you can also ask the blessing of the priest and kiss his hand.

Other blessings are said during the service. The priest with the words "Peace to all" or "The grace of our Lord" overshadows all parishioners with the sign of the cross. In response, you need to humbly bow your head. There is no need to fold your hands.

When overshadowing with sacred objects, you first need to cross yourself, then bow.

Blessing of Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo

Words of blessing from the lips of holy people have always been of great importance in Rus'. This happened in 1380, before the Battle of Kulikovo, which turned the whole story upside down and became the starting point in the liberation of Russian lands from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Everyone remembers from history the blessing of Dmitry Donskoy on the Battle of Kulikovo, which he received from the lips of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Before advancing to the battle, the prince went to the elder at the Trinity Monastery. After a meal, which was arranged in the monastery for those who arrived, the Monk blessed Dmitry for the battle, sprinkled him with holy water and sent him with the words “The Lord will be your intercessor. He will defeat the adversaries and glorify you." The Mother of God accompanied the soldiers throughout the battle, the icon inspired and protected the soldiers and their leader. The victory was not easy, but it glorified Dmitry Donskoy for all time.

Overshadow, give good, thank, approve, admonish, allow Dictionary of Russian synonyms. bless 1. see approve. 2. see thanks… Synonym dictionary

Bless, bless, bless. incompatibility to bless. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

Bless- can be either words or deeds. In words, when someone calls on a person the help and grace of God (Mat. 21:9; Luke 6:28) or blesses God, expressing gratitude and praise (Luke 1:64; Romans 1:25), or blesses an object, With… … Dictionary of Biblical Names

I carry transition 1. Perform a ritual act of the sign of the cross, accompanied by the utterance of the words of a prayer asking God [God I] to provide patronage or help to someone in new life circumstances or in some important, difficult ... ... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova

Curse... Antonym Dictionary

bless- bless, yay, yay ... Russian spelling dictionary

bless- (I), bless / yu, la / eat, la / yut ... Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language

bless- see bless... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

See Bless... encyclopedic Dictionary

bless- to praise, to glorify, to glorify, to wish good ... Dictionary of archaisms of the Russian language

Books

• Bless Your Children Daily by Mary Ruth Swope. A book about how blessings can change the lives of your children and your own. The author teaches how to bless children and grandchildren and shows the fruits of blessings. 8th…
• On the Cross and the Resurrection, St. Ambrose of Optina. Ambrose Optinsky (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Grenkov) - a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, hieromonk, was revered during his lifetime as an elder. He is one of the prototypes of the old man ...