The question of why kissing the priest’s hand and whether it is necessary to do this is one of the most urgent for those who began to attend church services as an adult, and are not particularly versed in the nuances of various rites.
Often people think that touching the priest’s hand is an expression of gratitude, respect, and even some reverence. However, this is not a complete idea. Touching your lips with your hands unconditionally expresses all these feelings, but it, like kissing the cross, also carries a different meaning.
How did this tradition come about?
The tradition of kissing the hands of the ancient Christianity, it is associated 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 thus meet a father, a wife - a husband. Similarly, they could greet the spiritual leader, sage, or prophet.
In those days, this greeting did not look like an ordinary kiss of the hand, accepted in modern society or created at worship. A man leaned toward his hand, took it in his hands, touched his lips and traced it over his forehead. This action is repeatedly described in the pages of the Old Testament.
How did this tradition come about in Christianity? What did she mean?
Before the first Christians there was no question about why kissing the priest's hand. At that historical moment, it was a usual greeting, the same as in our time a handshake. Of course, in this way they didn’t greet everyone when meeting them, but even today, not everyone shakes hands or hugs.
However, the first Christians invested in it not only the traditional meaning, which consisted in expressing the special feelings of the welcoming person and indicating the importance of the meeting. On the pages of the New Testament, the fifth chapter of the first letter to the Thessalonians says: "Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss." It would seem that this is a matter of courtesy towards fellow believers. Meanwhile, the meaning of this phrase is slightly different.
The first Christians thus not only distinguished among other co-religionists, but also recognized them. That is, the greeting served as a kind of code, a cipher. If the one who greeted the first was mistaken, then it was always possible to declare that the ancient Jewish practice of respect was observed. But if a person correctly guessed that he was a fellow believer, he received such a greeting. So many researchers believe the history of the emergence of Christianity, as a religion.
What is the meaning of kissing a clergyman’s hand? When do you need to do this?
However, the days 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 in Christianity means a lot, including expressing gratitude, respect, humility and love in the broad 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 value, different from the manifestation of gratitude or warm greetings. A person through the actions of a clergyman gains the grace sent by the Lord. Accordingly, he touches the right hand of the Lord, which sends this grace.
Do older parishioners need to kiss the hands of young clergy?
Service in the church is often conducted by people who are much younger than those who attend. However, the question of age should not arise. For example, when visiting a doctor, a person does not refuse to conduct an examination due to the fact that the specialist is younger than the patient.
In other words, you do not need to connect the moment of the kiss of the clergyman with the personality of a particular priest. Kissing a hand, a man touches God's right hand. But besides this, the believer certainly expresses his respect, however not to a certain person, but to his spiritual order, that is, to the church itself.