Why do orthodox Christians seek blessings from their Bishops?

One of our Church youth asked this question the other day "Why do we take blessings from the Bishop? Is it necessary? It doesn't make sense to me". For those who are not familiar with the context, he was referring to the practice in the church where the members and even priests receive blessings from a Bishop by bowing down in front of them and allowing the Bishop to place his hands on their heads as a sign of blessings imparted.

In other churches, the same practice is followed although in different forms. Sometimes the Bishop would fold his hand in a fist and touch the member's head with his ring. This may look strange but this action symbolizes that the blessing is granted from the authority given to the Bishop by the Church and the head of the Church - Christ our Lord. In other cases, the Bishop may stretch out his hand for the faithful to kiss his ring, which is again a sign of respect for Christ our Lord.

But despite its many forms, this practice of receiving blessings is Biblical. We see that from the beginning of the Holy Scriptures, God Almighty is always in the business of blessing His creation. In Genesis 12, we see how He calls Abraham and chooses to bless him, and make him a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Why? Not because Abraham was worthy of it or did anything deserving. No! It is because God wanted to bless him (Romans 9:18).

Now you may be thinking, "Yes, I know God blesses people, but what about receiving blessings from men?" Before we think on those lines, always remember that God alone is the source of all blessings, and that any blessing which comes to us is from God and Him alone.

The ancient book of Genesis bears record to a relevant incident in the life of Father Abraham. In Genesis 14:17-20, we see Abraham being blessed by Melchizedek the King of Salem, who is also the Priest of God Most High. Here we see the one who was blessed by God submitted himself to be blessed by a man! You may ask "Was it necessary?" Logically speaking, it makes no sense for one who has received blessings and promises from God to be blessed by anyone else. But Melchizedek was no mere man - He was the priest of the Most High, and therefore greater than Abraham. Even St. Paul attests to this, in the Epistle of Hebrews 7:7, "It is without question that the inferior is always blessed by the superior". So here Abraham, in receiving blessings from the Priest of God, acknowledged that he was in need of blessings from the greater person, and he even paid tithes to him. And when you read the verses, it is very clear that Melchizedek blessed Abraham in the name of the Most High. So we can understand here that in blessing Abraham, the blessed Melchizedek was conferring the blessings which came from God.

This is one of the main reasons why we, the spiritual descendants of Father Abraham, continue to seek blessings from the priests and Bishops of the Most High. When we seek blessings from them, we want to receive the blessings from the Almighty that comes through their spiritual authority. When the orthodox bow before the bishops, we humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are lesser and are always in need of the divine blessings of the Almighty, just like Father Abraham.

Another important thing to remember is that the blessings of parents are also very powerful. In the Holy Scriptures, it is very clear that God has given parents the power to bless or even curse their children. That is why the Patriarch Jacob was willing to deceive his brother to get his father Isaac's blessings. (But like Father Abraham, Jacob was not satisfied with receiving this blessing alone. When he wrestled with the angel of God, Jacob told the heavenly being that he would not leave him unless he blessed him - Genesis 32:26). We see also how Noah cursed his son Ham and that this affected Ham's son Canaan and their descendants. Another example in the Scriptures is the portion where the Patriarch Jacob (Israel) blesses his sons and Joseph's son's on his deathbed in Genesis 49. All his blessings and prophecies were fulfilled.

Many Eastern cultures understand this concept of parental blessings well. That is why you see many children in India touching the feet of their parents before they leave the house to go on a journey; or students touching their teacher's feet before they write their exams. In all of these, even if these young people do not always think about how these blessings can be authentic or reliable, they always acknowledge that they are inferior and in need of blessings. And it is in this willingness to humble themselves that they receive blessings from above.

So if the blessings of parents and teachers are so powerful, how much more will the blessings that come from our spiritual parents and teachers be - the priests and Bishops of our Church? St. Paul reminds us that our spiritual leaders should always be counted worthy of double honor (1 Tim 5:17), and so when we seek their blessings, we are actually honoring them through our deference to them. But the most important reason we seek their blessings is, as was mentioned in the beginning of this article, because they are the representatives of Christ on earth. Just as our Lord Jesus blessed the little children when He walked among us (Mark 10:16), He continues to bless us today through His representatives who shepherd His Church.

These are the basic reasons why we always seek blessings from our Bishops and spiritual leaders. May we always remain humble that we always win favor with our leaders and elders and obtain blessings from the Almighty!