Icon Blessing

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Hi ya'll

I posted this in another thread, but think maybe I'll post here instead.

I took my Icons to church last night to have them blessed. They will remain there in the altar for 40 days, then they will come home with me. I was just wondering what is the significance of the 40-day blessing of Icons?

I already miss them! They've become a warm and comforting presence in my home. I can't believe I put off having them blessed for so long.

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

I don't know, but my priest didn't keep mine for 40 days. He kept them on the altar during liturgy and gave them back after. I don't know what he did exactly but when he gave them back, they had drops of holy water on them.

This works out fine for me because after the first week of May, I will have to take down my icon corner, and I don't know when I will be able to have one again. So I need all the time with my icons that I can have.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

I'll have mine back home with me after the 28th of April.

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
I'll have mine back home with me after the 28th of April.

Did you drop off all the icons you have?

Maybe you can get a few more, and keep those home until you get your other icons back. Then take these new ones to the church to get blessed. That way you won't be completely without icons.

I have so many icons now, I had to take mine to church in "shifts" like that, even though they came right back home with me the same day that I took them in. My room looks like a little slice of an Orthodox bookstore.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Matrona said:
Did you drop off all the icons you have?

No not all of them. I have a couple that I believe are already blessed, but haven't found out for sure yet. They belonged to a hieromonk who sent them to me as a blessing. I have a strong feeling that they're already blessed.

I've got some others too, that I'll have blessed later. I hope to have enough money to purchase an Icon or two when I visit the monastery Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Matrona said:
My room looks like a little slice of an Orthodox bookstore.

Mine too! Or at least my living room does...i don't have a room of my own. I've accumulated enough books now, that I'll soon need a second bookcase....or a bigger one. I'm terribly unorganized though...my notebook and scratch paper are all over. I bought file boxes, but I refer back to my notes and stuff so often, that everything ends up scattered everywhere. My computer desk is a mountain of papers. ...along with the area around my computer desk too!

I'm starting to have all the cassette tapes everywhere now too. The tapes put out by Constantine Zalalas. I just bought the study on the Ten Commandments Under the Light of the New Testament. WOW! There's a study on the Lord's Prayer too that I hope to get later on.

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
No not all of them. I have a couple that I believe are already blessed, but haven't found out for sure yet. They belonged to a hieromonk who sent them to me as a blessing. I have a strong feeling that they're already blessed.

Yeah, I have a diptych that our OCF priest gave me when I was baptized. I figured it was already blessed so I didn't take it to church. Didn't have room for it, anyway--my hands were completely full of the icons I was already taking, I just couldn't hold any more.

I've got some others too, that I'll have blessed later. I hope to have enough money to purchase an Icon or two when I visit the monastery Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Have a good time at the monastery!

I'm only going to buy icon cards from now on. Mounted ones are too expensive for an unemployed gal like me. I spent about $100 getting the ones I have right now. (Please don't tell my parents. )

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Matrona said:
Have a good time at the monastery!
)

I need it. I just bought the book Kindling the Divine Spark by St. THeophan the Recluse. Believe me, my spark needs some kindling.

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
Mine too! Or at least my living room does...i don't have a room of my own. I've accumulated enough books now, that I'll soon need a second bookcase....or a bigger one. I'm terribly unorganized though...my notebook and scratch paper are all over. I bought file boxes, but I refer back to my notes and stuff so often, that everything ends up scattered everywhere. My computer desk is a mountain of papers. ...along with the area around my computer desk too!

Sounds like my friend's house... his dad is my parish priest. My friend told me they have like 30 bookshelves crammed into their house. Aaaaall of them are chock full of books. My friend is going to seminary so I imagine he will be well-prepared.

Maybe I can use this summer to catch up on my reading--I've been meaning to read For the Life of the World, and if I can get a copy from someone, Way of a Pilgrim.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

and if I can get a copy from someone, Way of a Pilgrim

I'll be happy to send you my copy.

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
I'll be happy to send you my copy.

Photini!!! You are too sweet!

blondie_16 · Mar 20, 2004

Please explain this to me i am so confused i guess because i am a different religion.
thanks bye

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Matrona said:
Photini!!! You are too sweet!

don't be deceived.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Here's the prayers for the Blessing of Icons that I found on the goarch website.

The Blessing and Hallowing of Icons

Priest:Blessed is our God always, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages:

Chanter: Amen, The Trisagion Prayers. O All holy Trinity. Our Father

Priest: For Yours is the Kingdom ...

Chanter: Amen. Kyrie eleison. O come, let us worship and fall down. . .

Priest: O Lord our God, Who created us after Your own Image and Likeness; Who redeems us from our former corruption of the ancient curse through Your manbefriending Christ, Who took upon Himself the form of a servant and became man; Who having taken upon Himself our likeness remade Your Saints of the first dispensation, and through Whom also we are refashioned in the Image of Your pure blessedness;

Your Saints we venerate as being in Your Image and Likeness, and we adore and glorify You as our Creator;

Wherefore we pray You, send forth Your blessing upon this Icon, and with the sprinkling of hallowed water

Bless and make holy this Icon unto Your glory, in honor and remembrance of Your Saint (N);

And grant that this sanctification will be to all who venerate this Icon of Saint (N), and send up their prayer unto You standing before it;

Through the grace and bounties and love of Your Only-Begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed together with Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit; both now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Chanter: Amen.

Sprinkling cross fashion the Icon with Holy Water, he says:

Hallowed and blessed is this Icon of St. (N) by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, through the sprinkling of Holy Water: in the Name of the Father (+), and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (+), Amen.

Immediately is sung the Troparion and Kontakion of the Saint limned on the Icon, and we all reverence and kiss the all pure Icon. Then follows the little Apolysis including the name of the Saint.

Click to expand...

Matrona · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
Here's the prayers for the Blessing of Icons that I found on the goarch website.

Cool! Thank you!

I hope Father didn't have to do all that for each and every of them... I brought in twenty icons at once!

MariaRegina · Mar 20, 2004

To help you understand Icons and why we bless them, I've started a new thread especially for you!

Please visit the thread below soon and perhaps we can help you.

http://www.christianforums.com/t105818

MariaRegina · Mar 20, 2004

Photini said:
I took my Icons to church last night to have them blessed...they'll be in the altar of our church for 40 days! I miss them already! I guess that's why I've put having them blessed off for so long. Silly, huh? The Icons have become a warm and comforting presence in my home.

Does anybody know anything more about this 40-day Icon blessing? I'd like to know why it is 40 days.

Dear Photini:

A Greek Orthodox Priest explained it to me this way.

40 days is the number of completion.

We take the Icons to church so that they become part of the Church though the liturgical action, through incensing and prayers.

Then when we take the Blessed Icons home, we bring part of the Church home to us. Therefore, our Icon Corner becomes a little Church in which we can pray.

Hope this helps.

Photini · Mar 20, 2004

Thanks Elizabeth.

Michael G · Mar 22, 2004

Let me note, not all icons are blessed for 40 days, and not all priests use the same prayer to bless icons. I have had icons put on the altar for 40 days, especially ones which needed alot of prayer to go into their blessing. Most of my icons are just on the altar for divine liturgy, or maybe liturgy and vespers. There are some who argue that the very act of painting the icon, with all of the Jesus Prayers and other prayers said, makes the icon holy as it is, and therefor the icon doesn't need blessed. I agree that all of the prayers said while painting make the icon holy, but I also subscribe to the idea that we ought to give back to God what is God's. Therefor I give each and every icon I paint to the priest to have him bless it in oder to have the work blessed and to thank God for allowing me to write the icon in the first place. Now icon prints, the printing process does not make the icon holy, so they must be blessed. It does not really matter the prayers prayed to bless the icon. Some priests use the office of blessing for a certain type of icon, some read the tropars and kotakion in front of the icon. I happen to like the prayer of blessing listed earlier, I think it is beautiful and full of spiritual and theological truth. I find it highly preferrable for the icon to be on the altar during atleast 1 divine liturgy. Also, after blessed, the prayers prayed in front of the icon also make it holy. There are many hard liners (most of whom are not iconographers) who might disagree with what I have just said. My only point is that there are many different ways to bless an icon, and depending on the context involved each is appropriate.

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