The Holy Orthodox Church is called to the sanctification of the human person. Participation in church sacraments grants a person the opportunity to receive divine grace, which strengthens him in spiritual life. In addition, the Church sanctifies the surrounding world, as well as the very life of a person through various successions.
In Orthodox Christian practice, there is a special rite, which is called the blessing of the new home in the missal. In everyday life, it is called the consecration of an apartment (or other main place of residence of a person).
What does the name of the consecration of dwellings mean?
The very naming of the rank indicates the essence - the blessing of a new house (apartment) for life in it. At the same time, it should be understood that this is not a mystical rite that "renews" the energy of the house, but the consecration of the dwelling by invoking the Lord and turning to Him in order to receive a blessing for a godly life. It is important to remember that the consecration of dwellings in itself does not give a person anything, because it is necessary to try to grow in spiritual life and strive for the main ideal of holiness - the Lord Jesus Christ.
Following the rite of consecration of an apartment (house)
Consecration of a dwelling takes about forty minutes. Depending on the circumstances, it can vary somewhat. Before the consecration of the apartment (house) begins, a table is prepared, on which the priest will place the Gospel, a cross, a container with oil, a sprinkler, and a bowl of holy water.
Before the consecration of the apartment, images of a cross are applied to four load-bearing walls (at the cardinal points). Candles are also placed under the sign of the crosses.
The beginning of the rite of consecration of the apartment is usually. At the exclamation of the presbyter, "Heavenly King" is sung (read), followed by the reading of the Trisagion according to our Father, "Come, let us worship" and the 90th psalm. During these readings, the censing of the apartment (house) is performed. After that, a special troparion is sung, in which the peace and blessing of God is invoked on the dwelling, just as the house of the tax collector Zacchaeus the tax collector was consecrated by the visit of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, the priest reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to save the tenants from all evil, to bless them and their dwelling. Another secret prayer is read by the presbyter, in which the blessing of God is again asked for life in a specific place and the multiplication of all kinds of benefits useful to man in this house.
The ordinance of the consecration of the house also contains a special prayer for the consecration of oil, after which the house is sprinkled with holy water, followed by anointing the image of the cross on the walls with the already consecrated oil. After the anointing of the walls, candles are lit, placed under the stickers with the crucifixion.
During the sprinkling of the apartment with holy water, a stichera is sung, in which God's blessing is again asked for this house and the everyday and spiritual benefits that are useful for the residents.
Further, an excerpt from the Gospel of Luke is read, which describes the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the house of the tax collector Zacchaeus. After a passage from the Holy Scriptures, the hundredth psalm is read and an augmented litany is pronounced, in which the residents of the house, as well as their relatives and friends who often visit this apartment, are remembered by name.
At the end of the litany, a dismissal is pronounced, and the rite of blessing the new house ends.
