Holy water - healing and beneficial properties: scientific explanation of the power of holy water
Holy water has great spiritual significance for every person. It is the “holy” water that becomes holy on the eve of the Epiphany holiday.
Every year, from January 18 to 19, people go to the temple to bless the water. All Orthodox believers know and believe that water becomes healing and can protect from troubles and diseases.
However, there are also disagreements. Someone argues that water should be collected only in the church, after it has been consecrated by the temple minister. Others are sure that on such a holiday any water, even tap water, acquires healing properties.
The Gospel says that on the night of January 18-19, Jesus Christ entered the Jordan River and received Baptism. According to this, during the Epiphany holiday, the water in all sources becomes holy.
Healing water for Epiphany
For many years, scientists have conducted research on water on this day. Experts have proven that Epiphany water acquires healing properties. This applies not only to water consecrated in the temple, but also to water from all sources.
Studies have shown that the properties of water change in all sources on the planet during the Epiphany holidays. It depends on the external influences our planet is exposed to during this period.
Such changes occur approximately from the evening of the 18th to the afternoon of January 19th. In addition to all this, church rituals and prayers also affect water, making it healing.
Ritual with matches
- Take 1 glass of holy water and a new box of matches, leave only 9 matches in it;
- When it gets dark, sit opposite your baby;
- Light the first match, say the prayer described above, looking at the child;
- When the fire begins to burn your fingers, throw the match into the glass;
- So burn all 9 matches with prayer.
Based on the state of the matches, draw conclusions:
- If the cinders did not drown, then there was no evil eye;
- If several cinders sank to the bottom, then there was a slight evil eye, but you got rid of it. To be sure, perform the ritual the next day;
- If all the matches were at the bottom, then the evil eye was not weak.
- Perform the ritual 3 to 5 times.
Consumption and use of holy water
- There is a pious custom to drink holy water on an empty stomach, but this is not at all a prerequisite.
- However, in the statutes and regulations of churches it is written that it is still not good to eat food before drinking holy water.
- They also anoint sore spots with holy water while saying a prayer.
- You should not make compresses or take a bath with holy water, this is unnecessary. After all, it doesn’t matter at all how much water you use, what matters is the contact itself and your state of mind. By receiving the grace that holy water is saturated with, you receive healing.
- Storing holy water should be proper and careful. It is best to place a container with holy water near the icon . Let this container be labeled so that none of the relatives can confuse and accidentally pour out or use the water for other purposes.
- There is no need to put water in the refrigerator and store it with food.
- Animals are not allowed to drink holy water.
- Holy water can be sprinkled on a house or other room, item or pets, while saying a certain prayer.
- If holy water has spoiled , it is not allowed to pour it into the sewer or onto the road where people and animals walk. This water can be poured into a flower pot, or under a tree or into a pond.
- It is not the mere presence of holy water in the house that is important, but its regular use. The healing properties will not be lost, but in this way people excommunicate themselves from the shrine.
Treat holy water with care and respect
- There is no need to store water “in reserve”; it is important to use it regularly and turn to it as a source of spiritual strength and health.
- If you have little holy water left at home, and for some occasion you need more of it, you can add holy water to plain, unblessed water. Thus, all water will become healing and sacred.
- It is allowed to drink and wash an unbaptized baby with holy water.
- While still pregnant, a woman can start drinking holy water and read prayers for the health of her baby.
- It is not allowed to wash the floor or water flowers with holy water; such treatment may be considered blasphemy and disrespectful treatment of the source of God's grace.
Washing children from the evil eye
Young children are often exposed to negative influences from strangers. When a child starts crying and cannot be calmed down, it means he has been jinxed, voluntarily or involuntarily. You can believe it or not, but just in case, you need to know how to wash a child with holy water.
Do the following:
- Visit the Temple;
- Submit a note about the child's health;
- With great zeal, be baptized at the icon of the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos and Mother Matrona;
- In front of the image of Matronushka, say an appeal to the saint: “Blessed Elder, heal my child from the evil eye and damage sent during the day or dark night. Amen."
- Cross yourself three times;
- Buy 3 candles, collect blessed water;
- Returning home, light the candles, place a decanter of blessed water between them;
- After crossing yourself three times, read a prayer to the Lord, drink 2-3 sips;
- Introducing your baby, repent of your sins.
After this, read the prayer:
“Blessed Elder, Matrona of Moscow. I may torment my soul in doubt, but I save a child from the evil eye. Forgive me my sins and confusion, bring zeal towards Orthodoxy. You always help with illnesses, you heal us in desperate pain. Help me to heal now, just like drinking oil and water. Let the evil eye evaporate from the child, and let grace settle in the soul. Thy will be done. Amen".
After crossing yourself, drink some water and put out the candles. After this, drink and wash your baby with holy water for 3 days.
If the baby is very ill, then cross yourself, sprinkle some water on him, say: “Lord, save and preserve my child (name). Amen". And then carry out the ritual described above.
Holy water will also help you against the evil eye. We must do the same ritual.
Addressing the shrine and drinking holy water by women during monthly cleansing
There are many disputes and statements regarding the behavior of a woman on the days of monthly purification in relation to the church. In some of them, women who attend church, take communion, touch the Bible, or while on their period are condemned.
Visiting a temple during monthly purification
But if you look at this situation more deeply, then there is no such prohibition in God’s instructions. If a woman herself, out of respect for the Creator, refrains from visiting the Temple on “unclean” days, then this is worthy of respect. But if, nevertheless, a woman expressed the will to attend communion or drink holy water, then no one can condemn her.
Events of Epiphany
These events took place on the Jordan River approximately 2000 years ago.
At that time, John the Baptist preached and baptized there. Many Jews went to him to be baptized - this is how they thought they would be cleansed of their sins. But John the Baptist did not “cleanse” everyone: he reminded that before washing one must confess one’s sins - repent, only then will the sins be “washed away.” But then Christ comes to the Jordan. John is at first hesitant to baptize Christ, but then he obeys.
As soon as Christ descended into the Jordan, John saw the Spirit of God, who in the form of a dove descended on Christ, and from heaven he heard the voice of God the Father: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Cooking with holy water
Many people wonder whether it is possible to cook food with holy water or make tea or coffee. In such a question you just need to feel the line.
Why do we need this? To receive more grace? Drinking holy water itself does more than just quench thirst.
This is spiritual saturation, healing. If food was cooked in holy water, then at the end of the meal, the leftover food cannot be thrown away or fed to domestic animals.
Answer to a burning question
Why doesn't holy water spoil? Water is the strongest conductor of energy, the molecules of which absorb and store information. An experiment was carried out with several vessels. Each one had inscriptions: God, Love, Mother Teresa, Hitler, chaos...
When they began to examine water under a microscope, the liquid with positive inscriptions had crystals of the correct shape in the form of snowflakes, and with negative inscriptions - pictures without any shape.
What does Epiphany water do? It carries information of harmony and life. Scientists have proven that a few drops of water can spread positive information to 60 liters of liquid. Epiphany water contains information about its holiness, healing properties, and durability, so it stays fresh for a long time and is endowed with enormous healing power.
Is it possible for unbaptized people or non-believers to drink Epiphany water?
If this water is sprinkled on homes and animals, then any person is not forbidden to use it. When consecrating a house, they even sprinkle it on “stingy places” - toilets. Of course, it does not follow from this that the unbaptized need to be specially given baptismal water to drink. If a person believes in God, but has not yet been baptized, and if at the same time he feels reverence for the church shrine, then this will only be for the good.
If an unbaptized person is an unbeliever and simply, without understanding anything, decides to drink it, nothing bad will happen either. But if a person is not just not a believer, but a fighter against God, and specifically drinks this water with an evil feeling, then such consumption of Epiphany water cannot be recommended.
Why was the sinless Christ baptized?
Both sinners and Christ were immersed in the Jordan. But for the former it was a baptism of repentance, and forgiveness was expressed in washing. People went to the Jordan to wash away their sins.
Christ entered the Jordan to take upon himself all the consequences of man's sins, along with the suffering and pain that sins bring. Accept until death on the Cross, but - ultimately - to defeat sin and death.
And the first action took place as soon as Christ emerged from the waters of the Jordan: the waters were sanctified. Sanctification, the transformation of water - a created element - became the guarantee and beginning of the future transformation of all creation, and most importantly - of man, his birth in the spirit, from earthly, material, finite life - into eternal life. Man receives this pledge of eternal life in Holy Baptism as a gift that is called upon to be revealed.
How to bless water yourself
You can consecrate water at home yourself, because there are some Christians who, for some extenuating circumstances, cannot visit the holy temple. A necessary condition for performing the Sacrament at home is sincere and unconditional faith!
- Fill the jar with cold tap water.
- Cross yourself, light a candle and read the initial prayers.
- Cross the water three times and read a special prayer for the blessing of water (it can be found in any prayer book). Pour some baptismal water from the church into the container.
It must be remembered that it is still advisable to take consecrated water in the temple or participate in special water-blessing prayers.
The meaning of the holiday
Miniature Minology of Vasily II.
Constantinople. 985 Vatican Library. Rome. Photo from the site bizlida.by There are two main events that we celebrate in Epiphany: the Baptism of Jesus Christ, who took upon himself the sins of people, and the revelation of the hitherto unknown mystery about the One God in three Persons - the Holy Trinity - to many people. God the Father spoke from Heaven, testifying that Christ is His Son, the Son of God was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove.
Therefore, the day of the Baptism of the Lord is also called Epiphany. And therefore, when receiving holy Baptism, a person is baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Health
Holy water: miracles, healings, advice from priests Print Rating: (2 votes: 5 out of 5) The rational mind always wants to understand why holy water contributes to the recovery of the sick? What kind of power does she have? Some “research” comes to the aid of this mind, which studies water consecrated by someone unknown (or maybe “charged”). Also, to study water, they take samples of H2O and tell it bad and good words, then freeze it. Water “charmed” with good words gives beautiful snowflakes, and bad ones (it’s easy to guess) - ugly ones. Some kind of fortune telling on snowflakes comes out. Snowflakes are beautiful in all religions of the world, it is noteworthy: the author of the study associates the Christian snowflake with... Christmas trees. The author is Japanese, and in general he can be forgiven. It’s just strange to see the presence of photographs of these snowflakes on some Orthodox websites in articles about the healing power of holy water. In order not to rant in vain about the influence of words on the structure of water, here is a comment from a physics teacher at the Pharmaceutical Academy, a candidate of mathematical sciences: “Water has nothing to do with it. There could have been some other item (food, for example). At the physical and chemical level, objects are not receptive to words. One could consider such a hypothesis if we were talking about highly organized biological objects. And what’s in the water—H2O and that’s all. If the molecular composition changed, it would no longer be water. There are snowflakes in the photographs, they have a million different shapes, you can fantasize and compare them with anything. But swearing and getting angry is really bad for your health.” Is studying holy water an attempt to test God? There are big doubts about whether this is worth doing. Studying holy water is like trying to see the Creator in space. It seems that it is worth learning the properties of holy water not through this kind of research. Orthodox saints, without resorting to instrumental methods of studying the properties of water, with their lives showed us the gracious help of God through reverent eating of the sacred with faith and firm hope for help. Holy water and demons
Professor Nikolai Vasilyevich Krainsky, a doctor and skeptic, and later a believer, was forced to testify: “Klikusha unmistakably distinguished holy water from simple water, no matter how secretly we gave it. Every time a glass of holy water was brought to her, she would go into a fit, often before she even tasted it. The water was fresh, Epiphany water (the study was carried out in mid-January). Both samples were poured into identical glasses in another room, and I brought the ready-made samples to her. After repeated experiments many times gave the same positive result, I mixed both samples of water together, simple and holy, and poured them equally into both glasses. Then the clique began to react to both tests with seizures. Not once did she make a mistake in this recognition of holy water.” *** “People suffering from a demon, approaching a shrine, become excited and begin to shake. From this it is absolutely clear that they have a demon. If you offer such people to drink a little holy water or want to cross them with holy relics, then they resist, because the Grace of God constrains the demons within them. And if people suffer from some kind of mental illness, they do not resist the shrine at all. Those who are possessed are worried, they begin to shake, even if you just approach them with a cross on you.” “One day they brought me a demon-possessed child. First, I properly fed him sweets to whet his thirst, and then I brought some water from the holy relics. “I’ll give our Yanakis some tastier water to drink than the others.” After drinking a little of this water, the baby began to scream: “This water is burning me, what’s in it?” “There’s nothing in it,” I answered. “What are you doing to me? She’s burning me!” - shouted the unhappy baby. “She’s not burning you,” I said, “she’s burning someone else.” I began to cross the baby’s head, and he began to shake, he fell into a crisis of possession. The demon that was in the baby twisted his body.” Venerable Paisius the Svyatogorets *** “According to the grace of God, Fr. George healed people. People who were possessed were also brought to him. They suffered terribly, the possessed seemed to lose their minds and went into a frenzy. They went berserk, shouted, screamed, and sometimes threw themselves at the feet of the priest. He prayed, sprinkled them with holy water, and the dark forces left the sick.” From the life of Hiero-Confessor Georgy Kossov *** “Evil demons are very afraid of holy water. And you deliberately sprinkle yourself with holy water more often and sprinkle your houses and gardens.” Archimandrite German (Chesnokov) On reverence for hagiasma
One day, while passing through monastic business, novice Sergei stopped by Elder Sepphora in Kireevsk, arrived late and stayed overnight. The next morning, after the prayer rule, his mother invites him to the table: “Now you and I will accept the shrine.” I have here some prosphora from the Pochaev Lavra, some water from Diveevo. The old woman was sitting in her holy corner under the icons, and Sergei poured some water and, thinking about something, crossed the cup with Epiphany water! And Mother Sipporah - although she was already completely blind then, and besides, she was sitting with her back to him - suddenly turned sharply: - What are you doing? - What, mother? - Why are you baptizing Epiphany water? - Mother, I’m sorry, I didn’t think! And she says so sternly: “This is agiasma, a great shrine!” She doesn't need to be baptized. She has such grace! Cross yourself. From the book of memoirs about the Klykovskaya oxbow “Bird of Heaven” Modern evidence
“My son fell ill, and they gave him an x-ray at the clinic. The diagnosis was made as follows: sinusitis on the right and frontal sinusitis on the left. We didn’t get to the pediatrician right away because it was Friday evening. She did not give any medicine, but dripped holy water and oil. On Monday we saw a doctor, who prescribed antibiotics and gave me a referral to an ENT specialist for Tuesday. I decided not to buy expensive medications, I thought that the ENT specialist would suddenly prescribe others, and these would be wasted, and my son’s condition improved. So we managed without drugs. On Tuesday, the ENT looked and said that everything was dry. She was surprised looking at our diagnosis and asked: “What were you treated with?” I said: “Paracetamol (maybe I gave him one tablet).” The doctor replied: “It’s not serious.” Such is the power of prayer and holy water! “Drink holy water as often as possible. This is the best and most effective medicine. I say this not only as a priest, but also as a doctor. From my experience in medicine,” the doctor and saint Luke of Crimea told patients. A wonderful miracle and a wondrous miracle! Glory to our God forever and ever!” Valentina Sinenkova www.tsar-nikolay.ru/news/345 *** “My husband did not want a second child, the eldest was still nothing, but I felt that it was time. I prayed, and my mother-in-law brought holy water from the Conception Monastery in Moscow. I drank water and prayed. Surprisingly, my husband changed his mind, and very soon we had a second baby. God bless!" R. B. Ekaterina *** “Two years ago for Epiphany we were going to the holy spring of 12 springs,” parishioner of the Venev Church of the Resurrection of Christ F.B. told the Sloboda newspaper. – When I went to church, I felt that renal colic was starting. I also thought: this is inappropriate, how it will twist now! And yet I went to the source. Although I don’t like cold water, I then took a dip in the spring. On the way back, the colic was gone! My diseased bronchi, which tormented me since my youth, went away. The next morning, the husband said: “I got up several times and went to your bed to check if you were alive. You were breathing as quietly as when you were young!” *** Servant of God G.P. works as an accountant at the temple. She told the following story: “In 1998, I was given a terrible diagnosis – cancer.” They had surgery and chemotherapy. But no favorable forecasts. And my son was 13 years old then. I had to get him back on his feet. I came to the icon of the Kazan Mother of God and knelt down. And suddenly the icon began to bleed myrrh! I went to the holy spring “12 Keys” and plunged into ice-cold water, despite the fact that the stitch from the operation had not yet healed. That's all! Since then nothing has bothered me. The doctors examined him and everything is fine. *** One of the parishioners of a rural parish says: “I always fill a bottle of water at Epiphany. It sits in my cupboard as an emergency medicine. I have an artificial valve in my heart. In my case, I can’t do without pills. But before taking the pills, I make sure to drink Epiphany water. I also take it as a sedative. Epiphany water helps cope with stress and anxiety, gives strength, and restores self-confidence.” Hieromonk Seraphim (Paramanov) “The Law of Love. How to live Orthodoxy"
From the sermons of Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
Metropolitan Alexy, who ruled the Church from 1354 to 1378... traveled to the Horde at the call of Khan Janibek, whose wife, Taidula, was seriously ill with her eyes and lost her sight. The Khan, having heard about the holy life of the Metropolitan, sent the prince a letter in which he demanded that Saint Alexy be sent to him to heal his wife. For failure to fulfill the request, the khan threatened to ruin the Russian land. Before setting off on the road, Saint Alexy, trusting in God’s help, decided to serve a farewell prayer service at the tomb of Saint Peter. And the Lord, not despising the prayers of the High Hierarch, revealed to him that He Himself would be with him and his trip would end successfully. During the prayer service in front of the relics of St. Peter, a candle lit itself, and, encouraged by the hope of God’s mercy, Metropolitan Alexy left for the Horde. Upon arrival there, he served a prayer service for the sick woman’s health and sprinkled her with holy water, after which she regained her sight. *** In ancient times, a severe pestilence broke out in the capital of the Greek state, Constantinople, which claimed many human lives. After, at the request of the residents of the city, the Tree of the Holy Cross was carried through the streets of the capital for fifteen days with prayers and sprinkling of buildings and houses with holy water, the destructive disease stopped, and all Christians brought their deepest gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ. *** Seven miles from the city of Kaluga, in the village of Tinkovo, in the house of boyar Khitrov, two girl servants lived. One day they happened to go up to the attic, where various old things lay. One of these girls, named Evdokia, was frivolous and impudent, laughed a lot and spoke obscene words; the other, on the contrary, calmed and restrained her friend from outrage. And so, while sorting out her things, this pious girl found a scroll of harsh linen. Having unfolded it, she saw a picturesque image of a Woman in a dark, as if monastic robe, reading a book with a reverent and tender face. Pointing to the Mother Superior (that’s what the girl called the Woman depicted on the canvas), she began to restrain Evdokia from impudent words with even greater force, but she not only did not calm down, but also spat on the image with the words: “That’s how I’m afraid of your Mother Superior!” At the same instant, she suddenly, as if struck by something, fell unconscious; her arms and legs curled up, her whole body went into complete relaxation; She lost both her sight and her tongue. The frightened friend hastened to inform her master about this. Evdokia was found barely breathing, with foam on her lips, carried into a room and placed under the holy icons in anticipation of her death. However, a miracle happened. That night, the Mother of God appeared to her parents in a dream and said: “Your daughter, with her daring act in the person of the Woman depicted on the canvas, insulted not the nun, but Me, because the image she insulted is My image, through which, by the will of My Son and God I will intercede for your city. In the morning, announce this to the priests and, together with them, having prayed before the desecrated icon of My, sprinkle the paralytic with holy water, and she will receive healing.” The next morning, as soon as the prayer service was performed, the sick woman was truly healed and has since corrected her life. From the stories about schema-abbot Savva (Ostapenko)
“I knew Father Savva when he was still Nikolai Mikhailovich, long before he entered the monastery. He visited many churches, but most often he visited the church in the village of Leonov, where he read and sang. One servant of God became very ill, she had terrible vomiting. One day she was going to see a doctor, but her friends took her to the temple. There, after the liturgy, a water-blessing prayer service was served, at which Nikolai Mikhailovich sang. After the prayer service, he gave her a glass of holy water, but she did not drink. Then Nikolai Mikhailovich told her: “What are you afraid of, drink - you won’t vomit.” He took one sip himself and gave it to her again. She drank. After that, she slept at home for a long time and woke up completely healthy.” From the life of Paphnutius Borovsky
“A certain prince’s youth was overcome by illness and was approaching death. The mother of that boy sent with tears to the holy father to ask for his prayers to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother and holy water to sprinkle the child so that he would not die. The child-loving Paphnutius, having prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos and, having blessed the water, sent it to the grieving mother. In addition, he ordered those sent, that after sprinkling with holy water, if the boy wants to eat, give him fresh fish, well boiled, since it is a custom for sick people who have received relief from illness to taste food. Those, surprised, shed tears at their father’s words, receiving hope that they would find the boy still alive. Soon the messenger returned with holy water, but the youth was ill and already approaching death. As soon as they sprinkled him with holy water, it was as if the disease had been taken out by hand, and the boy stood up cheerfully and joyfully, asking for food. And they gave it to him as the monk commanded.” Archimandrite Elijah (Reizmir)
We can quench our spiritual thirst by drinking natural water, but sanctified through the sacred rites of the Church, which is still performed today. The whole Church will pray to the Heavenly Father that He will sanctify nature through the influx of the Holy Spirit. The water will truly be sanctified by grace. And whoever drinks consecrated water with faith, quenching his bodily thirst, will invisibly water his soul with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Hieromonk Seraphim (Paramanov)
Holy water occupied a large place in Russian everyday life. This can also be shown by the example of the life of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, canonized in 1988. In 1528, while still Archbishop of Novgorod, he sent Hieromonk Elijah to the northern reaches of his diocese to preach the Gospel. At the same time, he commands to destroy pagan temples and sprinkle everything with holy water. In 1551, when various diseases were discovered in the Sviyazhsk garrison near Kazan, and carnal sins also spread, he sent a priest there with an accusatory message, calling everyone to repentance, and commanded everyone to be sprinkled with holy water. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov, after the confession of the pilgrims, always gave them to drink from the cup of holy Epiphany water. The Monk Ambrose of Optina sent a bottle of holy water to a terminally ill patient - and the incurable disease, to the amazement of the doctors, went away. Elder Hieroschemamonk Seraphim Vyritsky always advised sprinkling food and the food itself with Jordanian (baptismal) water, which, in his words, “itself illuminates everything.” When someone was very sick, Elder Seraphim gave his blessing to take a tablespoon of consecrated water every hour. The elder said that there is no stronger medicine than holy water and blessed oil. The Monk Kuksha advised consecrating all new things and products with holy water, and sprinkling the cell (room) before going to bed. In the morning, leaving his cell, he always sprinkled himself with holy water. Epiphany water sanctifies, heals, and imparts the special grace of God to every person who partakes of it with faith. Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko
Holy water implies peace and tranquility in the soul. And honesty and purity of intentions. If we take at least a glass of holy water, we can dilute thirty liters with it. And all the water will become holy and beneficial for our soul. If only they took this water and used it with humility and reverence. But water will not benefit a non-church person, a sinner, and will even lead to condemnation.
Epiphany water is not a magical cure for diseases
During the service in honor of the Baptism of the Lord in the Church of Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
Vologda region, Russia. Photo: Valentina Pevtsova/TASS It cannot be assumed that automatic consumption of holy water will bring beneficial benefits. You cannot use holy water as a “remedy” for diseases, problems and the “evil eye”. The words of prayer alone are not enough if a person pronounces them without faith, like a spell. Only faith in Christ makes a person capable of accepting His grace imparted to any shrine, including holy water.
What to do with unused
Where is holy water poured? Sometimes it happens that consecrated water has spoiled, and a person is afraid to drink it internally. Then the remaining water is poured into a place far from sewage. You can’t pour it onto a path where people or animals walk, or into a sewer! This is extreme disrespect for the shrine. An acceptable place for draining unsuitable moisture is a river with a current, an open reservoir, a tree at a temple, or indoor plants.
The blessing of water is a great sacrament. It makes it possible to return to pristine purity and get closer to the Lord. Using holy water a person heals his soul and body.
What to do with old holy water?