A few of our new inquirers have asked about the practice of kissing the
priest’s hand. For people outside of the Orthodox Tradition (and even for some
of the Faithful), this is one of those foreign, counter-cultural and awkward
practices that can be difficult to grasp. The following article may shed some
light on this ancient practice.
The real question is, “Why don’t
we kiss more people’s
hands?” Kissing the hand of the priest is not an exceptional thing, but rather
is the remnant of
what was once a perfectly normal custom: showing reverence to our elders by kissing their right hands.
There are certainly many people alive today in Greece who remember that the
kissing of the hand was the normal and expected way to show reverence not only
to the clergy but to parents, grandparents, godparents, and others in authority
over us or holding a revered position in our lives. The disappearance of this custom
is part of the disintegration of traditional Christian society, which was based
on hierarchy, humility, and respect. And based, of course, on love, which does
not exist without respect.
When we kiss the hand of the bishop or priest, we are
not showing respect to the person of the priest but to his sacred office. The
priest as a man is a sinner, but the priest as priest represents
Christ; he is an icon
of Christ. Also, though his hand is unworthy, yet it touches
the Most Holy Things – the Precious Body and Blood of the Lord. Furthermore,
despite his unworthiness, in Holy Ordination he has received the Grace of God
to impart spiritual gifts and blessings. Why would we deprive ourselves of the
blessings of our Lord Himself, by not seeking the priest’s blessing?
So when would we ask for a blessing? We typically seek this blessing
whenever we greet and bid farewell to our spiritual fathers. Also, we kiss
their right hands when we receive the prayer of absolution at confession or at
other prayers. We do not, however, kiss the priest’s hand when receiving Holy
Communion, lest we risk an accident with the Holy Chalice.
Source: http://www.stgabrielashland.org/on-kissing-the-priests-hand/
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