The question of why kissing a priest's hand and whether it is necessary to do so is one of the most burning questions for those who started attending church services as adults and are not particularly versed in the nuances of various ceremonies.
Often people think that touching a priest's hand is an expression of gratitude, a sign of respect and even some reverence. However, this is not a complete picture. The touch of the lips to the hands certainly expresses all these feelings, but it, like the kissing of the cross, carries a different meaning.
How did this tradition come about?
The tradition of kissing the hand is older than Christianity, it is connected with the customs of biblical times. Then kissing was a special form of greeting. Touching the hand expressed a special attitude to the meeting, emphasized its importance and feelings. So welcomed only very dear and respected people. For example, a son could meet his father in this way, a wife could meet her husband. In a similar way, they could greet a spiritual leader, a sage, or a prophet.
In those days, this greeting did not look like an ordinary kiss on the hand, accepted in modern society or created at worship. The man leaned towards the hand, took it in his palms, touched his lips and passed it over his forehead. This action is repeatedly described in the pages of the Old Testament.
How did this tradition appear in Christianity? What did she mean?
Before the first Christians, the question did not arise about why kissing the priest's hand. At that historical moment, it was a common greeting, the same as a handshake in our time. Of course, not everyone was greeted in this way at a meeting, but even today, not everyone shakes hands or hugs.
However, the first Christians invested in it not only the traditional meaning, which was to express the special feelings of the greeter and indicate the importance of the meeting. On the pages of the New Testament, in the fifth chapter of the first epistle to the Thessalonians, it is said: "Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss." It would seem that we are talking about showing courtesy towards fellow believers. Meanwhile, the meaning of this phrase is slightly different.
The first Christians thus not only singled out fellow believers among other believers, but also recognized them. That is, the greeting served as a kind of code, cipher. If the one who greeted first was wrong, then one could always claim to follow the ancient Jewish custom of showing respect. But if a personcorrectly guessed that before him was a co-religionist, he received such a greeting. Many researchers of the history of the formation of Christianity as a religion believe so.
What is the meaning of kissing a clergyman's hand? When should it be done?
However, the times of early Christianity are long gone. Why kiss the priest's hand now, especially if the parishioner sees this person for the first and last time in his life? A kiss on the hand in Christianity means many things, including a manifestation of gratitude, respect, humility and love in the broadest sense of the word.
Understanding why kissing a priest's hand is not so difficult if you take into account when to do it. The clergyman's hand is touched when he gives the cross or blesses. That is, kissing in this case has a special spiritual and moral meaning, which differs from the manifestation of gratitude or a warm greeting. A person through the actions of a clergyman acquires the grace sent by the Lord. Accordingly, he touches the right hand of the Lord, which sends this grace.
Should older parishioners kiss the hands of younger clergymen?
Church services are often led by people who are much younger than those present. However, the question of age should not arise. For example, when visiting a doctor, a person does not refuse to undergo an examination because the specialist is younger than the patient.
In other words, no hand kiss momentassociate a clergyman with the personality of a particular priest. Kissing the hand, a person touches the right hand of God. But besides this, the believer, of course, expresses his respect, however, not to a certain person, but to his spiritual dignity, that is, to the church itself.
