The main sacraments of the Orthodox Church. Church sacraments

The creators of religions and authors of sacred texts tend to be very strict about sex and reproductive function in general. Islam tries to hide a woman from a man (purdah), Judaism puts restrictions on a woman's life during her period, and the Vatican shudders to this day at the words "contraception" and "masturbation."

Perhaps this comes from those ancient times when a person's life had to be regulated by divine laws so that he would not slide into an animal state. Perhaps this is just an attempt by the strong (that is, the man) to assert his power over the weak (the woman). A new study provides another answer: by such arrangements, men guarantee their paternity.

Obviously, the evolutionary interests of men and women do not coincide. It is difficult for them to agree on a number of issues. Here are just a few of them.

When can you start having sex? How often is it permissible to have sex? How many children should be born? How close will they be to each other? Should birth control be exercised? When is an abortion allowed? Is domestic violence included? What about poverty? What should spouses do if one of them loses sexual desire? Or fall in love with another / another? What to do if one of the spouses suspects a partner of treason? Who will take care of the children after the divorce?

In an ideal world, these issues would be discussed with respect for the rights of both parties, and sometimes partners would admit without hysterics that there is no solution that satisfies everyone. In reality, negotiations lead to scandals, beatings, humiliation and broken hearts.

But not all religious prohibitions were invented by men in order to gain power over women. For example, Christianity abandoned polygamy, despite a number of obvious advantages of polygamy for the reproductive success of the male. Australian Cardinal George Pell once recalled Augustine's words that the sacrament of monogamous marriage was instituted to force men to take care of their children.

At the same time, Christianity believes that the husband should "preside" over his wife, with corresponding consequences for the social order, which, in fact, nullify all the gains of monogamy. By the way, Mr. Pell said the above, complaining about the invention of birth control pills. In his opinion, because of them, women and society as a whole have deteriorated greatly. A typical male complaint.

There is no doubt that families and society benefit if the father takes care of the children on an equal basis with the mother. In this case, the parties often come to a compromise in order for the children to be as good as possible. The price of this cooperation is the rejection of an important evolutionary acquisition - jealousy, which helped our ancestors (and us too) be sure that they would not have to raise children alone or raise someone else's offspring.

The sacraments of the Orthodox Church are not human inventions, they were all established by the Lord Himself, they all have foundations in Holy Scripture. But the history of the origin of each of the sacraments is a huge and complex topic. For those who would like to immerse themselves in it, we have prepared, written in a lively and understandable language.

And here, with a sufficient degree of simplification, we give only general information about the essence and history of the origin of the sacraments.

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Sacrament of Baptism

Essence: A person enters the Church, receives a new, spiritual birth. Until a person is baptized, he remains completely under the power of original sin, but in baptism the way of being of a person changes. He unites with Christ and overcomes dependence on original sin. Without accepting the sacrament of Baptism, a person cannot receive other church sacraments. It can be performed only once, in the Creed it is said about this: "I believe in one baptism for the remission of sins."

Biblical Foundations: The sacrament was established by Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John says: Jesus answered: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.(In 3 :5). He Himself was baptized by John the Baptist (Matt. 3 :15-16) and after His resurrection sent disciples to preach and baptize: So go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit(Matt 28 :19).

Story: In apostolic times, people were baptized all at once, with little or no preparation. Then, from the 2nd century, the practice of catechesis, the preparation of adults for baptism (which took place twice a year, at Christmas and Easter), was established. As a separate service, the rite of Baptism developed later.

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Sacrament of Chrismation

Essence: A baptized person, through the anointing with holy chrism, is given strength to overcome sin and live according to the commandments.

Biblical Foundations: The Sacrament of Chrismation has its basis in the Gospel: On the last great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying: Whoever is thirsty, come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as it is said in the Scripture, rivers of living water will flow from the womb. This He said concerning the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were to receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet upon them, because Jesus was not yet glorified.(In 7 :37-39), as well as in the apostolic epistles: However, you have the anointing from the Holy One and know everything(1 in 2 :20), But he who confirms us with you in Christ and anointed us is God(2 Cor 1 :21).

Story: This sacrament immediately after Baptism was decreed by the Council of Laodicea in A.D. 343.

3

Sacrament of the Eucharist

Essence: The prepared gifts, bread and wine, through the prayer of the Church become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,and Christians, partaking of these Holy Gifts, partake of Christ, and not symbolically, not speculatively, but really.

Biblical Foundations: The sacrament was instituted by Christ himself. In the Gospel of John the Lord says: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day(In 6 :54). On the eve of His death on the cross, He celebrated the first Eucharist at the Last Supper and communed His closest disciples (Matt. 26 :26).

Story: After the resurrection of Christ, these closest disciples - the apostles - went all over the world to preach the Good News, founded church communities, celebrated the sacrament of the Eucharist themselves and commanded the bishops and priests appointed by them to celebrate it.

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Sacrament of Confession

Essence: A Christian verbally or in writing in the presence of a priest (who in this case is a witness of repentance brought to God) repents of his sins and receives forgiveness from the Lord.

Biblical Foundations: The practice of confession has Old Testament origins (Judg. 10 :ten; Ps 50 ; 1 ride 9 ; Nehm 1 :6, 7; Dan 9 : 4-19,
1 King 15 :24-25, etc.). John the Baptist confessed the sins of people who came to him to be baptized
(Matt 3 :6). But most importantly, the Lord speaks directly about this in the Gospel: Jesus said to them a second time: Peace be with you! as the Father sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he blew, and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain (In 20 :21-23).

Story: Regular confession originated in the early Christian Church. Initially, it was believed that confession should be done only once in a lifetime, but later the opinion prevailed that this should be done regularly.

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Sacrament of Unction

Essence: When the body of a sick person is anointed with a specially consecrated oil, the Grace of God is called upon him, healing from bodily and mental illnesses and those sins in which a person cannot repent due to his weakness.

Biblical Foundations: The sacrament has its foundations in the New Testament. First, these are the words in the Gospel of Mark that the disciples of Christ many sick people were anointed with oil and healed(Mk 6 :thirteen). Secondly, these are the words from the Epistle of the Apostle James: Is any of you sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven(Jac 5 :14-15).

It is important to know: The Sacrament of the Unction, colloquially called unction, began to be understood differently by Orthodox and Catholics. Among Catholics, the consecration of the oil is called the “last anointing” and is performed only on terminally ill people. In Orthodoxy, Unction is performed not only in case of a fatal illness. According to tradition, it is supposed to gather together no more than once a year.

6

Sacrament of the Priesthood

Essence: The consecration of a Christian to holy orders, giving him the power to perform church sacraments and rites. Only bishops, as successors of the apostles, can perform this sacrament. A person ordained as a presbyter (that is, a priest) receives the grace to perform the sacraments himself, but only with the blessing of the ruling bishop. And when consecrated as a bishop, the protégé receives the grace not only to perform all the sacraments, but also to consecrate others to perform the sacraments - that is, he receives the fullness of the apostolic authority.

Biblical Foundations: The priesthood was established in the Old Testament (after the Exodus from Egypt). The New Testament, on the one hand, states that all Christians are priests to some extent (1 Pet. 2 :9), on the other hand, it speaks of priests as a special ministry, as assistants to bishops (1 Tim. 3 :2, Titus 1 :7; 1 pet 2 :25), refers to ordination through the laying on of hands.

Story: Preaching the Gospel, the apostles created church communities, headed by bishops, who ordained presbyters to help them. Hence the concept of apostolic succession: each priest received ordination from a bishop, who, in turn, from another bishop - and so you can trace the entire chain of ordinations up to the 1st century, to the apostles.

7

Sacrament of Marriage

Essence: Spouses who have decided to enter into marriage in order to tie their lives together in a common striving for God receive God's grace-filled help for this, making their marriage not temporary, but eternal, passing into the life of the Kingdom of God.

Biblical Foundations: Marriage is an ordinance of God: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cling to his wife; and they shall be [two] one flesh(Gen 2 :24). In the New Testament, Christ, repeating these words, adds: so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate(Matt 19 :5-6).

Story: Marriage was understood as a sacrament by the Apostle Paul (Eph. 5 :22-25, 31-32), but the ceremony of marriage (wedding) took shape already in late Byzantine times (XI century). Emperor Alexy I Komnenos in 1092 issued a law on the obligation of a church wedding for those wishing to marry.

Sending disciples to preach, Jesus Christ told them: “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). The point here, as the Holy Church teaches, is about the Sacraments established by the Lord. A sacrament is a sacred action in which, through some external sign, the grace of the Holy Spirit is mysteriously and invisibly given to us, the saving power of God is given without fail. This is the difference between the Sacraments and other prayer actions. At prayer services or memorial services, we also ask for God's help, but whether we receive what we ask, or we will be given another mercy - everything is in the power of God. But in the Sacraments the promised grace is given to us without fail, so long as the Sacrament is performed correctly. Perhaps this gift will be our judgment or condemnation, but the mercy of God is taught to us!

The Lord was pleased to establish seven sacraments: baptism, chrismation, repentance, communion, marriage, priesthood, and unction.

Baptism

It is, as it were, the door to the Church of Christ, only those who have accepted it can use the other Sacraments. This is such a sacred action in which the believer in Christ, through threefold immersion of the body in water, with the invocation of the name of the Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, is washed from original sin, as well as from all the sins committed by him before Baptism, is reborn by grace the Holy Spirit into a new, spiritual life.

The Sacrament of Baptism was established by Jesus Christ Himself and sanctified by being baptized by John. And so, just as the Lord in the womb of the Holy Virgin took on human nature (excluding sin), so the one who is baptized in the font becomes a partaker of the divine nature: “You were baptized into Christ, put on Christ” (Gal. 3, 27). Accordingly, Satan also loses power over a person: if before he ruled over him as over his slave, then after Baptism he can only act from the outside - by deception.

For an adult to be baptized, a conscious desire to become a Christian is required, based on strong faith and heartfelt repentance. The Orthodox Church baptizes infants according to the faith of their parents and recipients. For this, godfathers and mothers are needed to vouch for the faith of the baptized. When he grows up, the godparents are obliged to teach the child and make sure that the godson becomes a true Christian. If they neglect this sacred duty, they will seriously sin. So to prepare for this day a beautiful cross and a white shirt, to bring a towel and house slippers with you - - does not mean to prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism, even if an unintelligent baby is going to be baptized. He must still have believing recipients who know the basics of Christian doctrine and are distinguished by piety. If an adult approaches the font, let him first read the New Testament, the Catechism and accept the teachings of Christ with all his heart and mind.

In the sacrament of chrismation, the believer is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which from now on will strengthen him in the Christian life. Initially, the Apostles of Christ prizes the Holy Spirit to descend upon those who turn to God through the laying on of hands. But already at the end of the First Sacrament, the Sacrament began to be performed through the anointing with chrism, since the apostles simply did not have the opportunity to lay hands on all those who joined the Church in different, often remote places.

Holy chrism is a specially prepared and consecrated composition of oil and fragrant substances. It was consecrated by the apostles and their successors, the bishops. And now only hierarchs can sanctify chrism. But the Sacrament itself can be performed by priests.

Usually chrismation follows immediately after Baptism. With the words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen ”- the priest crosswise anoints the believer’s forehead - to sanctify his thoughts, eyes - so that we walk along the path of salvation under the rays of grace-filled light, ears - let the person be sensitive to hearing the word of God, lips - so that they are capable of broadcasting Divine truth, hands - for sanctification for deeds pleasing to God, feet - for walking in the footsteps of the commandments of the Lord, chest - so that, having put on the whole armor of the Holy Spirit, we could do everything about Jesus Christ strengthening us. Thus, through the anointing of different parts of the body, the whole person is sanctified - his flesh and soul.

Repentance ()

Repentance is a Sacrament in which the believer confesses his sins to God in the presence of a priest and receives through the priest forgiveness of his sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Savior gave St. to the apostles, and through them to the priests, the power to absolve sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain ”(Jn. 20, 22-23).

To receive the forgiveness of sins, the confessor requires: reconciliation with all his neighbors, sincere contrition for sins and true confession of them, a firm intention to improve his life, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and hope for his mercy. The importance of the latter is evident from the example of Jude. He repented of a terrible sin - the betrayal of the Lord, but in despair he strangled himself, because he did not have faith and hope. But Christ took upon Himself all our sins and destroyed them by His Death on the Cross!

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In the Sacrament of Communion, an Orthodox Christian, under the guise of bread and wine, partakes of the very Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and through this is mysteriously united with Him, becoming a partaker of eternal life.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion was established by Christ Himself during the Last Supper, on the eve of His suffering and death: taking bread and giving thanks (to God the Father for all His mercies), he broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying: take and eat, this is My Body, which is for betrays you. He also took the cup and gave thanks, gave it to them, saying: Drink all of you from it, for this is My Blood, poured out for you and for many for the remission of sins (Mt. 26:26-28; Mk. 14:22-24; Lk. 22 , 19-24; Cor. I, 23-25). Having established the Sacrament of Communion, Jesus Christ commanded the disciples to celebrate it always: "Do this in remembrance of Me."

Shortly before that, in a conversation with the people, the Savior said: “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. Whoever walks in My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:53-56).

The Sacrament of Communion will be performed in the Church of Christ until the end of the age during the Divine service called the Liturgy, during which bread and wine, by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, are transubstantiated into the true Body and into the true Blood of Christ. In Greek, this Sacrament is called "Eucharist", which means "thanksgiving". The first Christians took communion every Sunday, but now not everyone has such a purity of life. However, the Holy Church commands us to take communion every fast, and in no way less than once a year.

How to Prepare for Holy Communion

It is necessary to prepare oneself for the Sacrament of Holy Communion by fasting—prayer, fasting, humility and repentance. Without confession, no one can be admitted to Communion, except in cases of mortal danger.

Those who wish to receive communion worthily should begin to prepare for this at least a week in advance: pray more and more fervently at home, attend Church regularly. In any case, you must be at the evening service on the eve of the day of communion. Fasting is combined with prayer - abstinence from fast food - meat, milk, butter, eggs and, in general, moderation in eating and drinking.

Those who are preparing for Holy Communion must become imbued with the consciousness of their sinfulness and protect themselves from malice, condemnation and obscene thoughts and conversations, and refuse to visit places of entertainment. The best time to spend is reading spiritual books. Before confession, one must certainly reconcile both with the offenders and with the offended, humbly asking everyone for forgiveness. Those who wish to take communion must come to the priest, who is making confession at the lectern, on which the Cross and the Gospel lie, and offer sincere repentance for the sins committed, without concealing any of them. Seeing sincere repentance, the priest places the end of the stole on the bowed head of the confessor and reads a prayer of permissiveness, forgiving him his sins on behalf of Jesus Christ Himself. It is more correct to confess the day before in the evening, so that the morning can be devoted to prayerful preparation for Holy Communion. In extreme cases, you can confess in the morning, but before the start of the Divine Liturgy.

Having confessed, it is necessary to make a firm decision not to repeat former sins. There is a good custom - after confession and before Holy Communion, do not eat, drink or smoke. It is definitely forbidden after midnight. Children should also be taught to abstain from food and drink from an early age.

After singing "Our Father" you need to approach the steps of the altar and wait for the removal of the Holy Gifts. At the same time, skip forward the children who receive communion first. Approaching the Chalice, one must bow to the ground in advance, fold his arms crosswise on his chest and do not cross himself in front of the Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it. Pronounce your Christian name clearly, open your mouth wide, reverently accept the Body and Blood of Christ, and immediately swallow it. Having received the Holy Mysteries, without being baptized, kiss the bottom of the Chalice and immediately go to the table with warmth to drink Communion. Until the end of the Divine service, do not leave the church, be sure to listen to prayers of thanksgiving.

On the day of communion, do not spit, do not eat too much, do not get drunk on alcohol, and generally behave decently in order to “honestly keep Christ accepted in yourself.” All this is mandatory for children from 7 years old. For prayerful preparation for Holy Communion, there is a special rule in more complete prayer books. It consists of reading three canons the day before in the evening - the Penitent to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel and prayers for the coming sleep, and in the morning - morning prayers, the canon and special prayers for Holy Communion.

Marriage

There is a Sacrament in which, with a free (before the priest and the church) promise by the bride and groom of mutual fidelity to each other, their marital union is blessed and the grace of God is asked for mutual help and the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children.

Marriage was established by God Himself in Paradise. After the creation of Adam and Eve, he blessed them and said: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Jesus Christ sanctified the Sacrament by his presence at the marriage in Cana of Galilee and confirmed its divine institution: “He who created male and female in the beginning ... said: therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, so that they no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).

“Husbands,” says Rep. Paul, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her... Wives, obey your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the Savior of the body" (Eph. 5 , 22-23, 25). The sacrament of marriage is not obligatory for everyone, but those who remain celibate are obliged to lead a virgin life, which, according to the teachings of Christ, is higher than marriage - one of the greatest feats.

What else do you need to know who wants to get married in the Church?

That the Sacrament of marriage is not performed during the fasts: Great (48 days before Easter), Assumption (August 14-28), Christmas (November 28 - January 7), Petrovsky (from Sunday after Trinity, until July 12), at Christmas time (between and Epiphany - from January 7 to 19) and on the Bright (Easter) week, as well as on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and on some other days of the year.

That marriage is a great Sacrament, and not just a beautiful ceremony, and therefore it should be treated with the fear of God, so as not to scold the shrine by divorce. That civil marriage is recognized as the main thing in our state, why a marriage certificate issued by the registry office is desirable for the performance of the Church Sacrament. That one of the parts of the Sacrament is the betrothal of the bride and groom, for which they must have wedding rings.

In the Mystery of the Priesthood, a correctly chosen person, through episcopal ordination (in Greek, consecration), receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sanctified service of the Church of Christ.

There are three degrees of priesthood: deacon, presbyter (priest) and bishop (bishop). There are also names that denote not a new degree, but only the highest honor: for example, a bishop can be elevated to the rank of archbishop, metropolitan and patriarch, a priest (priest) - to an archpriest, a deacon - to a protodeacon.

The one who is ordained a deacon receives the grace to serve during the celebration of the Sacraments, the one who is ordained a priest - to celebrate the Sacraments, the one who is ordained a bishop - not only to celebrate the Sacraments, but also to consecrate others to celebrate the Sacraments.

The sacrament of the priesthood is a divine institution. The Holy Apostle Paul testifies that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself "appointed ... others as shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the Body of Christ" (Eph. 4:1-12). The apostles, celebrating this Sacrament, through the laying on of hands were elevated to deacons, presbyters and bishops. In turn, the bishops appointed by them consecrated people destined for sacred service. So, like fire from candle to candle, a line of correctly ordained clergy has come down to us from apostolic times.

For people who have recently entered the Church, the whole problem is what to call them? Priests in the degree of deacon and presbyter are usually called "fathers" - by name: father Alexander, father Vladimir - or by position: father protodeacon, father housekeeper (in the monastery). There is also a special, affectionate address in Russian: father. Accordingly, the spouse is called "mother". It is customary to address the bishop as follows: “Vladyko!” or "Your Eminence!". The Patriarch is called “Your Holiness!”. Well, and the clergy, church workers are ordinary parishioners? It is customary to address them like this: “brother”, “sister”. However, if in front of you is a person much older than you, it will not be a sin to tell him: “father” or “mother”, they are also addressed to monastics.

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The sacrament of unction, in which, when the patient is anointed with consecrated oil (oil), the grace of God is called upon him to heal from bodily and mental illnesses and forgive him for sins forgotten without malicious intent.

The sacrament of unction is also called unction, because seven priests gather to perform it, although, if necessary, one priest can perform it. Unction originates from the Holy Apostles. Having received from the Lord Jesus Christ the power to heal every disease, they anointed the sick with oil and healed” (Mark 6:13). James: “Is any of you sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And prayer will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). Babies are not unified, because they cannot have consciously committed sins.

Previously, the unction was performed at the bedside of the sick, now - more often - in the church, for many people at once. A small vessel with oil is placed in a dish with wheat (or other grain), as a sign of God's mercy, to which, in imitation of the Gospel merciful Samaritan and as a reminder of the Blood shed by Christ, red wine is added. Seven candles and seven sticks with cotton at the end are placed in wheat around the vessel. All those present hold lit candles in their hands. After special prayers, seven selected places from the epistles of the apostles and seven gospel narratives are read. After each of them, with the utterance of a prayer to the Lord - the Physician of our souls and bodies, the priest crosswise anoints the sick forehead, cheeks, chest, hands. After the seventh reading, he lays the opened Gospel, like the healing hand of the Savior Himself, on the head of the sick and prays to God for the forgiveness of all their sins.

Grace in any case acts through the consecrated oil, but this action is revealed, according to God's will, unequally: some are completely healed, others receive relief, in others, strength is awakened for the complacent transfer of the disease. Forgiveness of sins, forgotten or unconscious, is granted to the one who gathers.

The Church, wrote the great shepherd St. John of Kronstadt, “sympathizes with and responds to all the essential needs of the soul and body of a Christian by actively helping or giving help through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, Who every soul lives».

Of all the sacred actions that are performed in the Orthodox Church, the most significant are Sacraments in which, under a visible image, the invisible grace of God, spiritual, uncreated energy is communicated to believers. It nourishes and heals our spiritual and bodily nature.

Sacraments have divine origin because they were established by Jesus Christ Himself. In each of them, a certain grace is communicated to the Christian, which is characteristic of this Sacrament. The seven Sacraments, through which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are communicated, correspond to all the main needs of our spiritual life.

sacrament of baptism

Why do we take baptism or baptize our children? Usually, priests ask about this during conversations before the Sacrament of Baptism with someone who is preparing to become a Christian or wants to baptize their child. Everyone should answer this very important question first of all to himself. So why are we baptized? The answers can be heard very different: for God to send good luck in life; not to get sick; we are Russians, we live in Russia, which means we need to be baptized; so that bad people do not jinx it and spoil it, etc. All of these answers are either completely wrong, or contain only a small fraction of the truth. Yes, in baptism a person receives protection and protection from all the power of the enemy; yes, our country has been Orthodox for more than a thousand years, and our ancestors left us this great treasure - the Christian faith and Orthodox traditions. But this is not the main thing. In holy baptism we are born again - for a new, eternal life, and we die for the former life, carnal and sinful. By the waters of baptism, a person is washed from original sin, as well as from all the sins that he committed before baptism, if he is baptized as an adult. We come into this world through our parents, they give us a bodily birth, and we receive a spiritual birth in the baptismal font. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God(John 3:5), the Lord tells us. Entering the Kingdom of Heaven means saving your soul, getting closer to God. And by being baptized, we are adopted by God, we restore that connection with Him that humanity has lost. More than two thousand years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, we are counting our chronology from this great date. By the time of His coming, the sins of people had multiplied so much, human nature had been corrupted so much that it was necessary to revive it, to restore the human image, which had decayed due to passions. To do this, God Himself takes on our human nature and goes through the entire path of earthly life: from birth, temptations, suffering, and until death itself. Christ overcame all temptations, endured all torments, died for us on the Cross and resurrected, thereby resurrecting fallen human nature. Now everyone who receives holy baptism is born of Christ, becomes a Christian and can enjoy the fruits of the redeeming Sacrifice of Christ, follow the path that He showed us in the Gospel. For He Himself spoke of Himself: I am the way and the truth and the life(John 14:6). The gospel is the word of God, a textbook of life for every Christian; it tells us how to live, how to follow the path of Christ, how to deal with sins and how to love God and people.

The sacrament of baptism is performed in three immersions with the invocation of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The priest plunges the person being baptized into the font with the words: “The servant of God is being baptized ( name) in the name of the Father. Amen. And the Son. Amen. And the Holy Spirit. Amen".

The Savior Himself commanded to baptize in the name of the Holy Trinity, commanding the apostles to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit(Mt 28:19).

In baptism, a person becomes not only a child of God, but also a member of the Church. The Church was created by Christ Himself: I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it(Mt 16:18). The Church is the body of Christ, the people of God, Orthodox Christians, united by a common faith, prayer and Sacraments. The sacraments are established by God, they are the conductors of the grace of God, the uncreated Divine energy. In them we receive grace, help from God. They heal our spiritual and bodily nature.

Man consists of soul and body. The soul needs much more care than the body. We never forget about the body, but many may not remember the soul for years. We have already said that baptism is called the second birth. What does a mother do after childbirth when she is given a child? Attaches to the chest, feeds him. After baptism, a person also needs spiritual nourishment - the sacrament of communion, prayer. Baptism is only the very beginning of the journey. It is not enough to give birth to a person, he must be raised, educated, taught. Baptism is also compared to a seed. If the seed is watered, loosened the earth, weeded, cared for, a beautiful tree will grow out of it and bear fruit. But if the seed is not taken care of, it may die and bring no benefit. It is the same in the spiritual life. Baptism does not automatically save us without our efforts. It makes us children of God and children of the Church, which means that we must use all those grace-filled gifts that are in the Church. The Lord has put into the Church everything that is necessary for our salvation. The Holy Mysteries, morning and evening prayers, Sunday and holiday services, fasts - all this should accompany the life of an Orthodox person. Having received holy baptism, one should try to learn more fully about the spiritual life: to read the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual literature. Fortunately, there are huge opportunities for self-education now. With very little effort, you can learn the basics of the Orthodox faith, study church traditions, holidays. There is no need to think that since we have not been taught this since childhood, we will no longer be able to comprehend this science. It is not too late to go to God at any age, and the Lord will surely reveal himself to everyone who turns to Him.

If a person was baptized and continues to live as he lived, without changing anything in his life, he is like a madman who bought a train ticket, but is not going to go himself. Or he entered a very good university, but does not want to study. Some people are brought to the temple only twice in their lives: once - to be baptized, the second time - to be buried. This is terrible: it means that the whole life of a person has passed without God.

After baptism, a person is not only born into a new life, but also dies to the old, sinful life. A Christian must avoid sins, struggle with them, live according to the commandments of God. When we are baptized, we receive from God the gift of forgiveness of all our sins, and therefore we must keep the bright baptismal garments clean. As a sign of the holiness of the soul of the newly baptized, a white baptismal shirt is put on him.

Baptism is a great Sacrament, but without our faith it has no effect. But also Vera, as is known, dead without work(James 2:20). And the deeds of faith are life according to the Gospel, prayer, good deeds. The Gospel says that when a demon comes out of a person, he wanders through desert places and, not finding a haven for himself, returns and sees his house (that is, the human soul) swept, empty and brings with him seven other demons. And sometimes the last is worse than the first. St. John Chrysostom refers these words to the Sacrament of Baptism. When baptism is done, but no spiritual work is done, then the spiritual void is filled with evil spirits. If a person does not lead a spiritual life after baptism, or parents, having baptized a child, do not engage in his spiritual upbringing (they do not teach prayers, do not take him to the temple), a different spirituality fills the soul. Now, when sects and occultism have spread, this is especially dangerous. But there is another danger: the influence of evil on the soul of a child through the media, the Internet and communication with vicious people is enormous. If a person does not receive a proper Christian upbringing, if his soul is not taken care of, it will become spiritually sick. Evil is sticky. Christian upbringing is an inoculation against the evil that reigns in the world. Without faith in God, it is impossible to protect children from temptations. All hope is in the family.

When we are baptized, we renounce the devil and all his works, which are sin. For protection from the devil, we are given a great weapon: baptism and the Cross of the Lord. On it is written: "Save and save." You shouldn't take it off. Having removed the cross, we deprive ourselves of protection and protection. A person who wears a cross, prays and proceeds to the Sacraments, should not be afraid of the devil. If God is for us, who can be against us?(Rom 8:31).

At baptism, a Christian is given a Guardian Angel, who protects and keeps him from all danger, including from the power of demons. This Angel also helps a person in all matters of salvation, prompting him to good thoughts and deeds.

Parents and godparents should remember what a great responsibility now lies on them for the Christian upbringing of children. Raising a child in the commandments, you lay the foundation for his whole life. Every father, every mother wants their children to love them, to be their support, and the fifth commandment speaks of this: Honor your father and your mother...(Ex 20:12). Commandments need to be known and taught to children. When we teach a child to pray for his parents in the morning, we are already teaching him to honor his father and mother, to take care of them.

The family is a small Church, an image of a large, catholic Church, where people all pray together, are saved, go to God. If we always remember the main thing - the salvation of our souls and the salvation of our children - we will go together to Christ and pray to Him, God will bless our family and send His help in all the labors and deeds of our life.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this (that is, everything else) will be added to you.(Mt 6:33), the Lord tells us.

Yes, the path of spiritual life is difficult, but it is necessary to follow it. The main thing is to take the first steps, then it will be easier. This is the only way to save our children, protect our family and lift our country. Without the rebirth of human souls, our souls with you, Russia will not be reborn.

Mystery of Chrismation

The sacrament of chrismation supplements the sacrament of baptism and is performed immediately after it, as if uniting with it. In the 3rd century, Saint Cyprian of Carthage wrote: “Baptism and chrismation are two separate acts of baptism, although they are united by the closest internal connection so that they form one whole, inseparable in relation to their performance.”

In the sacrament of chrismation, the Holy Spirit descends on the newly baptized, giving him gifts of grace. Confirmation, like all other sacraments, has a basis in Holy Scripture and dates back to apostolic times. In the time of the holy apostles, each person who was baptized received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the hands of a bishop. Later, the practice of anointing with holy chrism was established - a special fragrant substance consecrated by the primate, that is, the chief bishop of the Church. In the Russian Orthodox Church, holy myrrh is brewed in Moscow, in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, during Holy Week. This is a very difficult, lengthy process (it takes several days). At the same time, the Gospel is read, and more and more new components are added to the world - in total, it contains about forty substances. They bless the world on Maundy Thursday.

When performing the Sacrament of Chrismation, the priest crosswise anoints the newly baptized person with the main parts of the body responsible for actions, feelings and abilities: the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, chest, arms and legs - with the words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen". The Holy Spirit descends on a Christian and sanctifies his spiritual and bodily nature - the members of the body and the senses. Man becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. Saint Simeon of Thessalonica says: “Anointing puts the first seal and restores the image of God, damaged in us through disobedience. In the same way, it revives in us the grace that God breathed into the human soul. Confirmation contains the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the treasury of His fragrance, the sign and seal of Christ.” We accept both baptism and chrismation in order to revive in ourselves the original image of God, corrupted by the fall.

Faith in God, entry into the Church, rebirth in the Sacraments - all this changes a person. His perceptions, feelings are transformed, it is for this that parts of the body are anointed with holy myrrh. A person without faith, not enlightened by holy baptism, can be called a spiritual invalid. Disabled people are also called people with disabilities, and indeed, the spiritual capabilities of such a person are very small. On the contrary, a Christian, having been reborn in baptism, having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in chrismation, leading a spiritual life, begins to see, hear and feel what is closed to others. His spiritual senses become sharper, his possibilities increase. This can be compared to how a certain person peers into the distance with the naked eye and sees distant objects very vaguely, vaguely, and is not able to see anything at all. But then he picks up binoculars, puts it to his eyes, and a completely different picture opens up to him.

Another meaning of chrismation is the dedication of our entire spiritual and bodily nature, our entire life to God. Baptism and Chrismation sanctify us, and sanctification is initiation. To sanctify means to make sacred. Infant baptism in our Church is usually performed on the fortieth day, just as the Christ Child was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. This was done according to tradition, for forty-day-old babies - the first-born males - in Israel were brought to the temple to be dedicated to God. And we, through the anointing of our members and sense organs, dedicate them to the service of God. From now on, they should serve not sinful pleasures, but the salvation of our souls. However, as Saint Cyprian of Carthage noted, there are no obstacles to baptizing an infant before the fortieth day.

Confession, or the sacrament of repentance

Repentance is without a doubt the basis of the spiritual life. The Gospel bears witness to this. Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John began his sermon with the words: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand(Matthew 3:2). With exactly the same call, our Lord Jesus Christ enters public service (see Mt 4:17). Without repentance it is impossible to approach God and overcome one's sinful inclinations. Sins are spiritual filth, filth on our souls. This is a load, a burden with which we walk and which greatly hinders our life. Sins do not allow us to get closer to God, they distance us from Him. The Lord gave us a great gift - confession, in this Sacrament we are resolved from our sins. Repentance the holy fathers call second baptism, baptismal tears.

God Himself resolves us from sins in confession through a priest who is a witness to the Sacrament and has the power from God to bind and loose human sins (see Mt 16:19; 18:18). The clergy received this power by succession from the holy apostles.

You can often hear such a statement: “Like you believers, everything is easy: you sinned - you repented, and God forgave everything.” In the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery there was a museum in Soviet times, and after visiting the monastery and the museum, the guide turned on a record with the song “There Lived Twelve Thieves” performed by Chaliapin. Fedor Ivanovich with his velvety bass deduced: “He abandoned his comrades, abandoned raids to create, Kudeyar himself went to the monastery to serve God and people.” After listening to the recording, the guide said something like this: “Well, this is what the Church teaches: sin, steal, rob, you can still repent later.” Such is the unexpected interpretation of the famous song. Is it so? Indeed, there are people who perceive the Sacrament of Confession in this way. It seems that such a "confession" will not bring any benefit. A person will approach the Sacrament not for salvation, but for judgment and condemnation. And formally "confessing" the permission of sins from God, he will not receive. Not so simple. Sin and passion do great harm to the soul. And even having repented, a person feels the consequences of his sin. Like a patient who has had smallpox, scars remain on the body. It is not enough to simply confess sin, one must make efforts to overcome the inclination to sin in one's soul. Of course, it is not easy to immediately leave passion. But the penitent should not be hypocritical: "I will repent - and I will continue to sin." A person must make every effort to embark on the path of correction and not return to sin, ask God for help to fight passions: “Help me, Lord, for I am weak.” The Christian must burn behind him the bridges that lead back to a life of sin.

Why do we repent if the Lord already knows all our sins? Yes, he knows, but he expects us to repent, recognize them and correct them. God is our Heavenly Father, and our relationship with Him must be seen as that of parent and child. Let's take an example. The child has done something wrong with his father, for example, he broke a vase or took something without asking. The father knows perfectly well who did this, but he is waiting for the son to come and ask for forgiveness. And, of course, he is waiting for his son to promise not to do that again.

Confession, of course, should be private, not general. By general confession is meant the practice when the priest reads a list of possible sins, and then simply covers the confessor with an stole. Thank God, there are very few temples where they do this. General confession became an almost ubiquitous phenomenon in Soviet times, when there were very few functioning churches, and on Sundays, holidays, and also during fasting, they were crowded with worshipers. It was impossible for everyone to confess. Confession after the evening service was also not allowed. Of course, such a confession is an abnormal phenomenon.

The very word confession means that a christian has come tell, confess, tell about your sins. The priest in prayer before confession reads: “These are Your servants, word favorably resolved." Man himself is resolved from his sins through the words and receive forgiveness from God. Of course, sometimes it is very difficult, ashamed to open our sinful wounds, but this is how we get rid of our sinful skills, overcoming shame, tearing them out like a weed from our soul. Without confession, without cleansing from sins, it is impossible to fight the passions. First, passions must be seen, pulled out, and then everything must be done so that they do not grow again in our soul. Not seeing your sins is a sign of spiritual illness. Why did the ascetics see their sins as countless as the sand of the sea? Everything is simple. They approached the Source of Light — God, and began to notice such secret places in their souls that we simply do not see. They observed their soul in its true state. A fairly well-known example: let's say the room is dirty and not cleaned, but now it's night and everything is hidden in twilight: everything seems to be more or less normal. But then the first ray of the sun broke through the window, illuminated part of the room - and we begin to notice the mess; further more. When the sun brightly illuminates the whole room, we see what a mess there is. The closer to God, the fuller the vision of sins.

A noble citizen, a resident of the small town of Gaza, came to Abba Dorotheus, and the abba asked him: “Eminent gentleman, tell me, who do you consider yourself to be in your city?” He replied: "I consider myself great and first." Then the monk again asked him: “If you go to Caesarea, what will you consider yourself to be there?” The man replied: "For the last of the nobles there." “If you go to Antioch, who will you consider yourself to be there?” “There,” he replied, “I will consider myself one of the commoners.” “If you go to Constantinople and draw near to the king, who will you consider yourself to be?” And he answered: "Almost for a beggar." Then the abba said to him: “So it is with the saints: the closer they get to God, the more they see themselves as sinners.”

Confession is not a report on spiritual life or a conversation with a priest. This is self-condemnation, without any self-justification and self-pity. Only then will we receive satisfaction and relief and move away from the lectern easily, as if on wings. The Lord already knows all the circumstances that led us to sin. It is absolutely unacceptable to tell in confession what kind of people pushed us to sin. They will answer for themselves, but we must answer only for ourselves. Husband, brother or matchmaker served our fall - it does not matter, we need to understand what we ourselves are to blame for. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt says: those who are accustomed here to repent and give an answer for their lives will easily give an answer at the Last Judgment of God.

Confession should not be put off until later. It is not known how much time the Lord has given us for repentance. Each confession must be taken as the last, for no one knows on what day and hour God will call us to Himself.

Sins do not need to be ashamed to confess, you need to be ashamed to commit them. Many people think that a priest, especially an acquaintance, will condemn them, they want to appear at confession better than they are, to justify themselves. Meanwhile, any priest who confesses more or less often can no longer be surprised by anything, and you are unlikely to tell him something new and unusual. For a confessor, on the contrary, it is a great consolation when he sees before him a sincerely penitent, even if he is guilty of grave sins. This means that it is not in vain that he stands at the lectern, accepting the repentance of those who come to confession.

In confession, the penitent is not only given the forgiveness of sins, but also the grace and help of God is given to fight sin. Confession should be frequent and, if possible, by the same priest. A rare confession (several times a year) leads to petrification of the heart. People stop noticing their sins, forget what they have done. Conscience is easily reconciled with the so-called petty, everyday sins: “Well, what's wrong? It feels good. I don't kill, I don't steal. And vice versa, frequent confession makes the soul, conscience worry, wakes it up from slumber. Sins cannot be tolerated. Starting to fight even with one sinful habit, you feel how easier it becomes to breathe both spiritually and physically.

People who go to confession rarely or formally sometimes stop seeing their sins altogether. Any priest knows this well. A person comes to confession and says: “I have not sinned in anything” or: “I have sinned in everything” (which is actually the same thing).

All this comes, of course, from spiritual laziness, unwillingness to do at least some work on your soul. The books “To Help the Penitent” by St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), “The Experience of Building a Confession” by Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) and others can help to prepare for confession, in detail, without missing anything to confess one’s sins. Excitement and forgetfulness can interfere with confession, so it is quite acceptable to write down your sins on a piece of paper and read them to the priest.

How to prepare your child for the first confession

According to the tradition of our Church, confession of children begins at the age of seven. This coincides with the transition from childhood to adolescence. The child reaches the first stage of spiritual maturity. Strengthens his moral will. Unlike an infant, he already has the inner strength to resist temptations.

The first confession is a special event in the lives of children. It can for a long time determine not only the attitude to confession, but also the direction of his spiritual life. Parents should prepare their child for it all previous years, living in the grace-filled experience of the Church. If they were able to instill piety in a child, they will be able to prepare him for the first confession so that this day will be a holiday for him.

In a child, thinking is predominantly visual-figurative, and not conceptual. His idea of ​​God is formed gradually, in the image of his relationship with his parents. Every day he hears the prayer: “Our Father...” – “Our Father...” The Lord Himself uses this comparison in the parable of the prodigal son. Just as a father embraces a son who has returned to him, so God welcomes a repentant person with great joy. If relationships in a family are built on love, then it is not difficult to explain to a son or daughter why you need to love your Heavenly Parent. For children, this is as natural as loving their parents. The child should talk about Divine love as often as possible. The thought of a loving God makes him feel repentance and a desire not to repeat bad deeds. Of course, by the age of seven, children already know that there is a paradise, that there will be a judgment someday, but the motives for their behavior are not determined by this. It is absolutely unacceptable to frighten children and say that God will punish them. This can completely distort the child's ideas about God. He will have a painful feeling of fear in his soul. Later, such a person may lose faith.

In preparation for confession, it is important to let the child feel that he is already old enough and can evaluate his own actions. The conversation should not resemble a lesson that he must remember. No need to restrict his freedom. He can sincerely repent only of what he recognizes as a wrong and bad deed. Then the desire and determination to improve is born. After confession, the child should feel a relief similar to what he experiences when parents with trust and love forgive their children's misdeeds.

Vanya Shmelev remembered his first confession all his life: “I come out from behind the screen, everyone is looking at me - I have been for a very long time. Maybe they think what a great sinner I am. And at heart it is so easy, easy ”( Shmelev I. S. Summer of the Lord).

Children at the age of seven are often shy. Parents should start conversations about confession well in advance of this event. Then the child will gradually get used to it and will wait with some excitement, but without timidity. Each time you need to talk to him about this very calmly, emphasizing that he is already big and knows how to do a lot on his own.

The first participation of a child in the Sacrament of Penance is not a general confession of an adult burdened with many sins over decades. At the age of seven, children only make their first experiments, they go through the first lessons at the school of repentance, in which they will study all their lives. Therefore, it is not so much the completeness of confession that is important, but the correct disposition of the child. Parents should help him to realize that which may be a danger to his spiritual development, which may take root and acquire the power of habit. Such dangerous sins are: deceit, lies, conceit, boastfulness, selfishness, disrespect for elders, envy, greed, laziness. In overcoming harmful, sinful habits, parents should show wisdom, patience and perseverance. They should not suggest sins and not point directly to the bad habits that have formed in the soul of the child, but convincingly show their harm. Only such repentance, which is performed with the participation of conscience, bears fruit. Parents should look for the reasons for the appearance of sinful habits in the soul of a child. Most often, they themselves infect the child with their passions. Until they have overcome them in themselves, the correction will not give noticeable results.

When preparing for confession, it is important not only to help the child see sins, but also to encourage him to acquire those virtues, without which it is impossible to have a full-blooded spiritual life. Such virtues are: attention to one's inner state, obedience, the skill of prayer. Children can perceive God as their Heavenly Parent. Therefore, it is easy for them to explain that prayer is a living communion with Him. A child needs both communication with his father and mother, and a prayer appeal to God.

After confession, parents should not ask the child about it; all the fullness of affection and warmth should be shown so that the joy of this great event is imprinted as deeply as possible in the child's soul.

sacrament of communion

The Sacrament of Communion, or in Greek Eucharist(in translation - thanksgiving), takes main, central place in the church liturgical circle and in the life of the Orthodox Church.

It is not the wearing of a pectoral cross that makes us Orthodox people, and not even the fact that we were once baptized, especially since in our time this is not a special feat. Now, thank God, you can freely confess your faith. We become Orthodox Christians when we begin to live in Christ and participate in the life of the Church and its Sacraments.

The Sacrament of Communion was first performed by our Lord Jesus Christ. This happened on the eve of the Savior's suffering on the Cross, before Judas betrayed Christ to torment. The Savior and His disciples gathered in a large, prepared for this room - the upper room, to make the Easter meal according to the Old Testament custom. This traditional dinner was celebrated in every family as an annual commemoration of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The Old Testament Passover was a holiday of deliverance, liberation from Egyptian slavery.

But the Lord, having gathered with His disciples for the Paschal meal, put a new meaning into it. This event is described by all four evangelists and is called the Last Supper. The Lord establishes the Sacrament of Holy Communion at this farewell supper. Christ goes to suffering and the cross, gives His Most Pure Body and Precious Blood for the sins of all mankind. And the communion of the Body and Blood of the Savior in the Sacrament of the Eucharist should serve as an eternal reminder to all Christians of the sacrifice He made.

The Lord took the bread, blessed it and, having distributed it to the apostles, said: Take, eat: this is my body. Then he took a cup of wine and, giving it to the apostles, said: Drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.(Mt 26:26-28).

The Lord changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood and commanded the Apostles, and through them their successors, bishops and presbyters, to celebrate this Sacrament.

The Eucharist is not some simple remembrance of what happened more than two thousand years ago. This is real repetition of the Last Supper. And at every Eucharist, both in the time of the apostles and in our 21st century, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, through a canonically ordained bishop or priest, transforms the prepared bread and wine into His most pure Body and Blood.

The Orthodox Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov) says: “Communion is a Sacrament in which the believer, under the guise of bread and wine, partakes (takes communion) of the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and for eternal life.” Through the Holy Gifts, Christ Himself enters into us at communion, and the grace of God rests on us.

The Lord tells us about the obligation of communion for all who believe in Him: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. And again: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.(Jn 6:53-54:56).

The one who does not partake of the Holy Mysteries separates himself from the Source of life — Christ, places himself outside of Him. And vice versa, Orthodox Christians, who regularly approach the Sacrament of Communion with reverence and due preparation, according to the word of the Lord, abide in Him. And in communion, which animates, inspires, heals our soul and body, we, as in no other Sacrament, unite with Christ Himself. About how often you need to take communion, you should talk with your spiritual father or the priest of your parish.

The sacrament of communion must constantly accompany the life of an Orthodox person. After all, here, on earth, we must unite with God, Christ must enter into our soul and heart.

A person who seeks union with the Lord in his earthly life can hope for what will be with Him in eternity.

The sacrament of communion is the greatest miracle on earth, which is performed constantly. Just as God once descended to earth and dwelt among people, so now all the fullness of the Divinity is contained in the Holy Gifts, and we can partake of this greatest grace. For the Lord said: I am with you all the days until the end of time. Amen(Mt 28:20).

How to Prepare for Communion

The Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ - the greatest shrine, God's gift to us, sinners and unworthy. No wonder they are called the Holy Gifts.

No one on earth can consider himself worthy to be a partaker of the Holy Mysteries. In preparing for the sacrament, we purify our spiritual and bodily nature. We prepare the soul by prayer, repentance and reconciliation with our neighbor, and the body by fasting and abstinence.

Those preparing for communion read three canons: the Penitent to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prayer to the Theotokos, and the canon to the Guardian Angel. And also read attendance at Holy Communion. It includes the canon for communion and prayers. All these canons and prayers are contained in the usual Orthodox Prayer Book.

On the eve of communion, it is necessary to be at the evening service, for the church day begins in the evening.

Fasting is attributed before communion. Spouses during preparation should refrain from physical intimacy. Women who are in purification (during the period of menstruation) cannot receive communion. Fasting, of course, is necessary not only with the body, but also with the mind, sight and hearing, keeping one's soul from worldly entertainment. The duration of the Eucharistic fast is negotiated with the confessor or parish priest, but usually before communion they fast for three days. Of course, fasting depends on the bodily health, the spiritual state of the communicant, and also on how often he begins to receive the Holy Mysteries. If a person takes communion at least once every two weeks, he can fast one day.

Those preparing for communion no longer eat after midnight. You need to take communion on an empty stomach. Do not smoke before taking communion.

The most important thing in preparing for the Sacrament of Communion is cleansing your soul from sins which takes place in the Sacrament confessions. Christ will not enter into a soul that is not cleansed from sin, not reconciled to God. Preparing to receive communion, we must approach with all responsibility the purification of our soul in order to make it a temple for the acceptance of Christ. You can confess on the day of communion or the night before.

In preparation for the communion of the Holy Mysteries, it is necessary (if only there is such an opportunity) to ask for forgiveness from everyone whom we have voluntarily or involuntarily offended, and to forgive everyone ourselves.

After communion, you must thank God. We need to carefully listen to the prayers of thanksgiving. by holy communion. If for some reason it was not possible to listen to them in the temple, you must read them yourself according to the Prayer Book. During the day, one should refrain from vain activities and idle talk.

Holy Communion Miracle

Once, when the holy hegumen Sergius was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Simon, the disciple of the monk, saw how heavenly fire descended on the Holy Mysteries at the moment of their consecration, how this fire moved along the holy throne, illuminating the entire altar - it seemed to curl around the holy meal, surrounding the priest Sergius. And when the monk wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries, the Divine fire twisted, “like some kind of wonderful veil,” and entered the holy chalice. Thus, the saint of God partook of this fire “non-disappointingly, like a bush of ancient times burning non-violently...” Simon was horrified by such a vision and was silent in trembling, but did not hide from the monk that his disciple was worthy of a vision. Having communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he departed from the holy throne and asked Simon: “Why is your spirit so afraid, my child?” “I have seen the grace of the Holy Spirit working with you, Father,” he answered. “Look, don’t tell anyone about what you saw until the Lord calls me out of this life,” the humble abba commanded him.

Sacrament of Unction (unction)

In Greek and Slavic, the word oil means butter; in addition, in Greek it is consonant with the word "mercy." AT The Sacrament of Unction when anointed with consecrated oil, the patient, through the prayer of the clergy, receives grace from God that heals mental infirmities and bodily illnesses and cleanses from forgotten and unconscious sins. This Sacrament has several names. In ancient liturgical books it is called oil, holy oil, oil combined with prayer. In our country, the name "unction" is most often used. It is popularly called unction, because according to tradition, it is performed by a cathedral of seven clergy. However, the Sacrament will also be valid if it is performed by one priest on behalf of the Church.

The patient must be prepared for this Sacrament through sacrament of repentance. Although sometimes the Lord God sends illnesses to the righteous for spiritual perfection, for most people, illness is the result of the destructive action of sin. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures say that the true Physician is God: I am the Lord, your healer(Ex 15:26). Any sick person must first of all turn to God in order to be cleansed of sins and correct life. Without this, medical assistance may be ineffective. Our Savior, when a paralytic was brought to Him for healing, first of all forgives his sins: Child! your sins are forgiven you(Mk 2:5). The connection between the forgiveness of sins and healing through the prayer of the priests is also pointed out by the holy Apostle James (see: James 5:14-15). The Holy Fathers were guided by the biblical teaching: “Whoever created the soul, He created the body, and Who heals the immortal soul, He can heal the body from temporary suffering and illness,” says St. Macarius the Great. The great elder Ambrose of Optinsky writes about the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Unction: “The power of the Sacrament of Unction lies in the fact that they are forgiven in particular sins that are forgotten due to human weakness, and after the forgiveness of sins, bodily health is also granted, if God’s will is for this.” All the prayers of the Mystery of Holy Oil are permeated with the idea of ​​the connection between bodily healing and the forgiveness of sins.

The Holy Gospel tells of the numerous miracles of healing that our Lord performed during His earthly ministry. The Savior gave the grace of healing various diseases to His disciples - the apostles. The Gospel says that the apostles, whom the Lord Jesus Christ sent to preach repentance, many sick people were anointed with oil and healed(Mk 6:13). This testifies to divine institution Sacraments of Unction.

The closest disciple of Christ, the Apostle James, says that not only the apostles but also the presbyters healed by prayer and anointing with oil: Is any of you sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven(James 5:14-15).

In ancient times, this Sacrament was performed by several presbyters and their number was not strictly established. It was allowed to do this and one presbyter. At the end of the 8th or at the beginning of the 9th century in the Eastern Church seven priests performed the consecration of the oil. This number in Holy Scripture symbolizes perfect fullness. In our modern Britankies it is said about "seven priests". But, we repeat, even one presbyter, in case of need, can perform this Sacrament.

From the words of the holy Apostle James, it is easy to conclude that this Sacrament is served sick. At the same time, we are talking about a seriously ill person, whom the holy apostle calls suffering. However, neither the Holy Scriptures nor the Holy Fathers say that we are talking only about the dying. People who do not have a correct church consciousness often come across a serious delusion that unction is performed only on the dying. Sometimes such people even reach the point of superstition, thinking that the sick person will die if he is unctioned. This opinion is completely wrong and has no basis either in the commandment of the apostle about the consecration of the oil, or in the rite according to which it has been performed in the Orthodox Church since ancient times.

According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, the sick person, over whom the unction is performed, must be conscious.

Unction is not performed on infants under seven years of age, since the healing of the sick is in direct connection with the cleansing of his soul from forgotten and unconscious sins. The sacrament of holy oil can be performed in the temple, if the patient is able to move around, as well as at home or in the hospital.

If the unction is performed in the temple with the participation of many parishioners, you must first sign up (indicate your name) for a candle box to remember him during prayers.

The performance of the Sacrament of Unction over the sick as a means of spiritual healing does not cancel the use of natural remedies given by the Lord for healing our illnesses. And after unction about the sick person, it is necessary to take care - to invite doctors, give medicines, take other measures to alleviate his condition and recover.

After the unction, the patient should receive communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ in the near future.

sacrament of wedding

The marriage of Orthodox Christians must be blessed by God, consecrated by the Church, and we receive this blessing in the sacrament of the wedding. Orthodox marriage is of great importance, it is performed in the image of the union of Christ and the Church. As the apostle Paul writes: The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is also the Savior of the body. And further: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her(Eph 5:25). In the sacrament of the wedding, those who are getting married are given the grace of God so that they build their marital union in like-mindedness and love, be one soul and body, as well as for the birth and Christian upbringing of children. But most importantly, you need to remember: the wedding is not a magical act that binds them forever and helps them no matter how they behave. Unfortunately, many people understand the Sacraments and rituals in this way. Like, you need to do something like that, perform some kind of ritual, and everything will be fine with me. No, without our labors, faith and prayer, no Sacrament will be useful. The Lord gives us grace, help, and we must open our hearts and accept it with faith, become co-workers with God in the field of our family life. And then the wedding can give us a lot, we will receive its blessed gifts in full. Therefore, you need to pray to God, ask Him for help and embody in your family the main commandment about love for your neighbor. The husband, just as Christ loves and cares for the Church, must love his wife, and the wife must honor and obey her husband, just as the Church honors and loves Christ. A Christian should approach the Sacrament of the wedding with the idea that he is getting married once for a lifetime and will share all the joys and difficulties with his God-given half. Only with such a thought can one endure all the trials and storms of life.

The fact that we marry for eternity is reminded by the wedding rings - a symbol of infinity, without beginning and without end - they are worn during the betrothal of spouses. The same meaning has three times walking around the lectern during the wedding, also a sign of eternal life. Before circling the wedding couple around the lectern, the priest puts crowns on them.

What are these crowns? Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh writes: “In ancient times, every time there was a holiday, the most ordinary family, or city, or state holiday, people put on crowns of flowers. In ancient Russia, on the day of their wedding, the bride and groom were called prince and princess - why? Because in ancient society, until a person was married or married, he was a member of his family and was in everything subject to the eldest in the family - whether father or grandfather. Only when a man got married did he become the master of his life. The ancient state consisted, as it were, of a union of sovereign, that is, independent, families. They were free to choose their own destiny. All issues were resolved in agreement, in mutual understanding, but each family had its own voice and its own rights.

It was like a wedding to a new kingdom. Entering into marriage, creating a family, spouses create not only their own small "state", but, most importantly, their own small church, which is part of the one Ecumenical Orthodox Church. In this church, people, just like in the Universal Church, gathered to serve God, go to Him together and be saved together. As already mentioned, the husband is the head in this small church, the image of Christ the Savior Himself, the Head of the great Church. The wife and children are assistants to the head of the family-church in all family labors and affairs.

Crowns are placed as a sign of victory: the bride and groom were not defeated before marriage by intemperance and retained their virginity. He who lost his chastity and purity before marriage, strictly speaking, is not worthy of crowns. Therefore, they either did not lay crowns on the second marriage at all, or they placed them not on their heads, but on their right shoulder (decree of the Stoglavy Cathedral).

Crowns have another meaning. These are also crowns of martyrdom, with which the Lord crowns His faithful servants who have withstood all suffering and trials. Marriage is not only family joys, it is a joint burden, sometimes very difficult, a cross that spouses bear, trials and storms that fall to their lot. It is sometimes no easier to save oneself in marriage than in a monastery. This daily "carrying each other's burdens", the uncomplaining bearing of the cross of life is generally called bloodless martyrdom.

Having put crowns on the bride and groom, the priest prayerfully addresses God: "Lord our God, crown me (them) with glory and honor". These words are the sacramental formula during the wedding. The priest says them three times. The words crown with glory and honor taken from the Psalms (Ps 8:5-6). The Psalmist says that man was crowned with glory at creation, because he received the image and likeness of God. He is also crowned with honor, because God has given him power over all other creatures. According to St. John Chrysostom, in the wedding ceremony one can see the graceful restoration of that majesty over creatures with which Adam and Eve were invested at the time when God spoke to them the marriage blessing: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth(Gen 1:28).

During the sacrament of the wedding, the spouses drink from a common cup. The cup is served three times, first to the husband and then to the wife. The bowl symbolizes that in marriage, all the joys and trials of the spouse should be divided in half, equally.

There is a pious tradition for newlyweds - confess and take communion at the liturgy on the day of the wedding. This custom is connected with the fact that in ancient times the blessing of a married couple took place at the liturgy. Separate elements of the liturgy are still present in the wedding rite: the singing of the Our Father, the common cup from which the spouses drink... Confession and communion before the wedding are of great importance: a new family is born, the newlyweds have a new stage of life, and start it it is necessary to be renewed, cleansed in the Sacraments from sinful filth. If it is not possible to take communion on the day of the wedding, this must be done the day before.

sacrament of the priesthood

The Holy Apostles, the closest disciples of the Savior, chosen by Himself, received from the Lord the grace to perform the Sacraments: baptism, confession (permission from sins), the Eucharist and others. Apostles under instruction from God (for He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers.(Eph 4:11), through laying on of hands (laying on of hands) began to supply people to sacred degrees: bishop, presbyter(priest) and deacon. The Apostle Paul writes to Bishop Titus, whom he appointed for the Church of Crete: That's why I left you in Crete, so that you could complete the unfinished business and install presbyters in all the cities, as I ordered you.(Tit 1:5). From this it follows that the bishops, as the successors of the apostles, received from them the power not only to administer the Sacraments, but also to consecrate to sacred degrees. In the Orthodox Church, the succession of episcopal consecrations and ordinations goes on uninterruptedly from the apostles themselves.

Deacons - assistants to priests and bishops - are the third order of the priesthood and are also ordained by bishops. In the primordial Church, in apostolic times, the first seven deacons were elected, they were placed before the apostles, and these, having prayed, laid their hands on them(Acts 6:6).

The Sacrament of the Priesthood gives grace for the performance of Church Sacraments, sacred rites and services. It also has another name - consecration which in Greek means ordination. And in the time of the apostles, and now they consecrate to the sacred degrees when the hands of the bishop are laid on the protege and special prayers are read over him.

There are three sacred degrees: bishop, presbyter, deacon. The bishop is the senior clergyman and has the authority to ordain priests and deacons, as well as administer all other Sacraments.

Presbyter, priest can perform all the Sacraments, except for ordination. The deacon serves, helps with all the Sacraments, sacred rites and services, but only together with the bishop or priest.

The sacrament of ordination takes place at the Divine Liturgy, which is performed by the episcopal ministry. A bishop, according to apostolic rules, is ordained by at least two other bishops. Usually the ordination to the bishopric is performed solemnly, by the whole council of the episcopate. One bishop consecrates to the presbyter and deaconate degrees. Deacons are ordained at the liturgy after the consecration of the Holy Gifts. This shows that the deacon himself does not have the right to perform the Sacraments.

The priest is ordained after the great entrance to the liturgy, so that he can then participate in the consecration of the Holy Gifts. Bishops are consecrated at the beginning of the liturgy, after entering with the Gospel, and this shows that the bishop himself can ordain to different degrees of the priesthood.

Priests are not only performers of the Holy Mysteries and church services. They are shepherds, teachers for the people of God, they have the grace and authority to teach and preach the word of God.