Orthodox prayers for the 40-day blessing

On the 40th day after a birth, a mother brings her baby to church, and the priest blesses them both with these prayers.

Picture: Ambrogio Lorenzetti, The Presentation in the Temple, 1342

4 prayers and 2 to the saints

For mother and baby

Churching prayer

Lord God Almighty,Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,through Your Word You made every creature,those with reason and those without,and brought all things from nothing into being.

We pray to You and ask You:by Your will You have kept Your servant (name) safe;cleanse her from every sin and every impurityas she comes to Your holy Church,so that she may be worthyto receive Your holy Mysteries without condemnation.

Bless also the child born of her:help them grow, make them holy,and give them understanding, self-control and good sense.For You brought them into beingand showed them the light our eyes can see,so that at the time You have setthey may be made worthy of spiritual light tooand be counted among Your holy flock,

through Your only-begotten Son,with Whom You are blessed,together with Your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit,now and ever and for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1906

O Lord God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,Who by Thy word hast created all things,both men endowed with speech and dumb animals,and hast brought all things from nothingness into being,we pray and implore Thee:Thou hast saved this Thy servant, N., by Thy will.Purify her, therefore, from all sin and from every uncleanness,as she now draweth near unto Thy holy Church;and make her worthy to partake, uncondemned, of Thy Holy Mysteries.

And bless Thou the child which hath been born of her.Increase him (her); sanctify him (her); enlighten him (her);render him (her) chaste, and endow him (her) with good understanding.For Thou hast brought him (her) into being,and hast shown him (her) the physical light,and hast appointed him (her) to be vouchsafed in due time spiritual light,and that he (she) may be numbered among Thy chosen flock.Through Thine Only-begotten Son, with Whom, also, Thou art blessed,together with Thine all-holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit,now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The priest’s first prayer over them both, while the mother bows her head with her baby in her arms. It asks God to make her ready for Communion and to help her child grow in holiness and understanding.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with Isabel Hapgood’s 1906 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, 1906.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

For the mother

Prayer for the mother on the 40th day

O Lord our God,You came to save the human race.Come also to Your servant (name),and through Your honoured priesthoodmake her worthy to enter the temple of Your glory.

Wash away the impurity of her body and the stain of her soul,now that the forty days are fulfilled,and make her worthy alsoto receive Your precious Body and Blood.

For Your most honoured name is hallowed and glorified,with the Father and the Holy Spirit,now and ever and for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1906

O Lord our God, Who didst come for the redemption of the human race,come Thou also upon Thy servant, N.,and grant unto her, through the prayers of Thine honourable Priest,entrance into the temple of Thy glory.Wash away her bodily uncleanness, and the stains of her soul,in the fulfilling of the forty days.Make her worthy of the communion of Thy holy Body and of Thy Blood.

For sanctified and glorified is Thine all-honourable and majestic Name,of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

It asks Christ to bring the mother into His church and to Communion after the 40 days. The priest asks the same washing for himself at the start of every baptism.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, checked against the Greek, with Isabel Hapgood’s 1906 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, 1906.

Hapgood follows the Greek, “through the prayers of the honoured priesthood”. The plain wording follows the Slavonic, “through Your honoured priesthood”.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

For the baby

Prayer for the baby on the 40th day

O Lord our God,on the fortieth day You were brought as a babyinto the Temple of the Lawby Mary, Your unwedded and holy Mother,and were carried in the arms of righteous Simeon.

You Yourself, Almighty Master,bless this baby too,brought to appear before You, the Creator of all.Help this child grow in every good workthat pleases You,and drive every hostile power far from this childby the sign of Your Cross.

For You, O Lord, are the guardian of little children.Grant that this child, made worthy of holy Baptism,may have a share among the chosen of Your Kingdom,kept safe with us by the graceof the holy Trinity, one in essence and undivided.

For all glory, thanksgiving and worship are Yours,with Your Father, Who has no beginning,and Your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit,now and ever and for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional wording, 1894

O Lord our God, Who on the fortieth day wast brought as a childinto the temple of the law by Mary, Thine unmarried and holy Mother,and wast carried in the arms of righteous Symeon;do Thou Thyself, O omnipotent Master, bless this presented babe,that it may appear before Thee, the Creator of all things;and do Thou increase it in every work that is good and acceptable unto Thee,removing far from it every opposing might by the sign of the likeness of Thy cross;for Thou art He that guardeth babes, O Lord;that, being counted worthy of holy baptism,it may attain unto the part of the elect of Thy kingdom,being protected with us by the grace of the holy, and consubstantial, and undivided Trinity.

For to Thee is due all glory, thanksgiving, and worship,with Thine unbeginning Father,and Thy most holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit,now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus was brought into the Temple on His own 40th day. The priest recalls that day and asks Him to bless this baby, help the child grow in every good work and drive every evil power away.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with G. V. Shann’s 1894 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: G. V. Shann, Book of Needs of the Holy Orthodox Church, 1894.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

As the baby is carried in

Song of Simeon

Now, Master, You let Your servant go in peace,according to Your word,

for my eyes have seen Your salvation,which You have preparedin the sight of all peoples:

a light for revelation to the nations,and the glory of Your people Israel.

Traditional wording, 1906

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word.

For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people.

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of Thy people Israel.

Simeon spoke these words as he held the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:29-32). The priest says them as he carries the baby to the front of the church.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with Hapgood’s 1906 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, 1906.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To the Mother of God

Troparion of the Meeting of the Lord

Rejoice, Virgin Mother of God, full of grace,for from you has risen the Sun of Righteousness,Christ our God,Who gives light to those in darkness.

Be glad, you too, righteous elder,for you took into your armsthe One Who sets our souls freeand also grants us the resurrection.

Traditional wording, 2011

Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos,for from thee hath risen the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,enlightening those in darkness.

Rejoice, thou also, O righteous Elder,as thou receivest in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls,Who also granteth unto us the Resurrection.

The hymn of the feast that keeps the day Jesus was brought to the Temple at 40 days old. It greets His mother and the elder Simeon, who took Him in his arms.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with the Jordanville prayer book’s English beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, Prayer Book, 2011.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

To the Mother of God

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos,Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.Blessed are you among women,and blessed is the fruit of your womb,for you gave birth to the Saviour of our souls.

Traditional wording, 1894

Theotokos, Virgin,—Hail! Mary, full of grace,the Lord is with thee:blessed art thou among women,and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,for thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

Metropolitan Saba of the Antiochian Archdiocese writes that where the rite is held inside the church, the priest holds the baby before the icon of the Mother of God and prays this hymn.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with Robertson’s 1894 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: J. N. W. B. Robertson, The Divine Liturgies, 1894.

Robertson, like the Western prayer, says “Hail” where the Greek word means “rejoice”.

Where it comes from, and the Greek

Scripture for this

²²And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Luke 2:22-24 When the days of purification under the Law were over, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the Lord.

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, ²⁸Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying:

Luke 2:25-28 In the Temple a righteous man named Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God.

³⁹When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

Luke 2:39-40 Once home in Nazareth, the Child grew strong and was filled with wisdom. The 40-day prayers ask God to help this baby grow too.

¹³Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.

Mark 10:13-16 Jesus took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.

I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.

Psalm 22:22 Carrying the baby into the middle of the church, the priest prays the end of this verse.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

A psalm for this

But I will enter Your house by the abundance of Your loving devotion; in reverence I will bow down toward Your holy temple.
Psalm 5:7

As the priest carries the baby into the church, the Book of Needs gives him this verse to pray.

Psalm 5 Read the whole psalm, with St Athanasius’s advice on when to pray it.

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