Everyone understands that they are often unable to influence their circumstances: to get out of poverty on their own, to change their life, to find a soul mate. That is why at all times, in sorrows and troubles, people called to God and were convinced of His existence and His mercy. The Church has left us many prayers so that we can ask God and the saints for mercy in words that have been proven over the centuries.
The most important thing is to remember that “the power of God is made perfect in weakness,” as the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians. Human weakness is expressed in the fact that he gives himself into the hands of God, becoming flexible, allowing God to act and helping Him with human strength, but not being proud and hoping for God’s help. A humble person acts, but does not complain in the face of difficulties, prays and waits for God's will for himself.
7 Sacraments of the Church
The Orthodox Church has seven blessed Sacraments. All of them were established by the Lord and are based on His words preserved in the Gospel. The sacrament of the Church is a sacred act where, with the help of external signs and rituals, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to people invisibly, that is, mysteriously, hence the name. The saving power of God is true, in contrast to the “energy” and magic of the spirits of darkness, which only promise help, but in fact destroy souls.
In addition, the Tradition of the Church says that in the Sacraments, unlike home prayers, molebens or memorial services, grace is promised by God Himself and enlightenment is given to a person who has prepared for the Sacraments correctly, who comes with sincere faith and repentance, an understanding of his sinfulness before our Sinless Savior.
The Lord blessed the apostles to perform seven Sacraments, which are usually named in order from birth to death of a person: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance (confession), Communion, Wedding (marriage), Priesthood, Blessing of Anointing (Unction).
Baptism and Confirmation today take place in a row, one after the other. That is, a person who comes to be baptized or a child brought will be anointed with Holy Myrrh - a special mixture of oils that is created in large quantities once a year, in the presence of the Patriarch.
Communion follows only after Confession. You need to repent at least of those sins that you still see in yourself - at confession, the priest, if possible, will ask you about other sins and help you confess.
Before being ordained to the priesthood, a priest must marry or become a monk (it is interesting that tonsure is not a Sacrament; a person himself makes vows to God and then asks Him to help in fulfilling them). In the Sacrament of Wedding, God gives His grace, uniting people into one whole. Only then can a person, as if in the integrity of his nature, accept the Sacrament of the Priesthood.
The Sacrament of Unction should not be confused with the Anointing of Oil, which is performed during the All-Night Vigil (an evening service held every Saturday and before church holidays) and is a symbolic blessing of the Church. The congregation is held for everyone, even those who are healthy in body, usually during Lent, and for those who are seriously ill throughout the year - if necessary, even at home. This is the Sacrament of healing soul and body. It is aimed at cleansing from unconfessed sins (this is especially important to do before death) and healing the disease.
The most powerful prayer is any commemoration and presence at the Liturgy. During the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion), the whole Church prays for a person. Every person needs to sometimes attend the Liturgy - submit a note for themselves and loved ones, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ - the Body and Blood of the Lord. This is especially important to do in difficult life moments, despite the lack of time.
Classification of the Sacraments of the Church
The Holy Sacraments of the Church are divided into
- Mandatory for every Orthodox Christian: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, Confession (Repentance).
- Optional: Sacraments of Marriage (Wedding), Priesthood and Unction (Anointing). They are free will. Unction is performed on sick people, but a person may not participate in Unction during his life.
- One-time: Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood.
- Repeatable: all others.
The classification and complete history of the formation of the sequence of performing each Sacrament is in the book “Orthodox Teaching on the Church Sacraments.”
The Sacrament of Baptism, features of the Baptism of a child and godparents
The protection of the Lord and His saints is especially important for children. Orthodox Christians try to baptize children as soon as possible, after about forty days from birth. On this day, the mother must visit the temple so that the priest will read a prayer of permission over her after childbirth. You can baptize a child on any day, even a holiday or fast. It is better to arrange Baptism in the church in advance or find out the usual schedule of Baptisms - then several children will be baptized.
Epiphany Day is the day of new birth in Christ. Therefore, on this day, a particularly appropriate gift for the newly baptized would be a gift with the image of the namesake patron saint. The icon will also be a wonderful christening gift from godparents.
At Baptism, it is not necessary to have both godparents; you can only have one - of the same gender as the child. This person must be a church member and a believer, and during the Sacrament of Baptism wear an Orthodox cross on his chest. During Baptism, the godmother should not wear a short skirt or trousers or wear heavy makeup. Godparents can be relatives, for example, a grandmother or sister. People who profess another faith or belong to another Christian denomination (Catholics, Protestants, sectarians) cannot be godparents.
Baptism is a person’s entry into the Church. It is accomplished by immersion or dousing with holy water - after all, the Lord Himself received Baptism from John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
An adult who has decided to be baptized consciously must
- Talk to the priest
- Learn the “Our Father” and the “Creed” - a confession of your faith,
- Know and sincerely believe in the teachings of Christ - Orthodoxy, Gospel,
- If you wish, attend catechesis courses to learn more about the Orthodox faith.
Parents and godparents need to do the same if they are baptizing a baby.
Baptism is performed in church, and if a person is sick, the priest can perform the Sacrament at home or in a hospital room. Before Baptism, a person is put on a baptismal shirt. A person stands up (lies when sick) facing east and listens to prayers, and at a certain moment, at the direction of the priest, turning to the west, he spits in that direction as a sign of renunciation of sins and the power of Satan.
Then the priest immerses the child in the font three times with prayer. For adults, the Sacrament is carried out, if possible, in the temple by immersion in a small pool (it is called a baptistery in Greek, from the word baptistis - I dip) or by pouring from above. The water will be heated, so don't be afraid of catching a cold.
After pouring water or dipping, a person is baptized with water and invisibly with the Holy Spirit; a pre-prepared cross is put on him (for a child - on a short string, this is safer). It is customary to keep the baptismal shirt - it is worn during serious illnesses as a shrine.
Cross- the greatest shrine of an Orthodox person, a symbol of his faith in Christ and his protection. Choose a chain or leather cord that is long enough so that the cross can be hidden under clothing. In the Orthodox tradition, in Slavic lands, it is not customary to wear a cross on a short chain so that it is noticeable. Only Orthodox priests wear crosses over their clothes - but these are not body crosses, but pectoral (that is, “breast”, translated from Church Slavonic) crosses, which are given upon ordination to the priesthood.
It is important to remember that if you purchase a cross outside the church, you need to consecrate it by bringing it to church and asking the priest to consecrate it. It's free, or you can thank for the consecration with any amount.
Pectoral crosses various forms and from various materials All Christians wear it. Particles Life-giving Cross, on which Christ Himself was crucified, are today in many churches around the world. Perhaps in your city there is a piece of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, and you can venerate this great shrine. The cross is called Life-giving - creating and giving life, that is, having great power.
It doesn’t matter what the cross is made of, in different centuries there were different traditions, and today the cross can be made
- Made of metal or wood;
— From threads or beads;
- Be enamel or glass;
— Most often they choose one that is comfortable to wear and durable - usually silver or gold crosses;
— You can choose blackened silver crosses - they do not bear any special signs.
If necessary, a seriously ill newborn child is baptized right in the maternity hospital, while a dying child who has expressed a desire to be baptized is baptized on the spot. This can be done even by a non-priest - just take out some water and pour it on the person, saying: “The servant of God (servant of God) (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
If a person recovers or feels somewhat better, invite a priest to complement the Sacrament of Baptism with Confirmation.
The Sacrament of Confirmation and the Sacrament of Baptism
Confirmation, as it were, completes the Sacrament of Baptism, being performed together with it and symbolizing the next stage of a person’s churching.
While Baptism cleanses a person from sins, he is born again, Confirmation gives the grace of God, visibly placing the seal of the Holy Spirit on his body, giving him strength for a righteous Christian life.
In Confirmation, the priest, repeating: “The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit,” anoints the person’s forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, hands and feet with a cross. It is for this purpose that the person being baptized is dressed in a baptismal shirt, which reveals these places.
Confirmation occurs only once in a lifetime - anointing with oil at evening services and at Unction is not Confirmation.
The Holy Myrrh is consecrated once a year - on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week on the eve of Easter. In the ancient Church, this rite was established because the Baptism of new Christians was usually carried out on Holy Saturday and Easter. Today it is carried out according to custom. In the Russian Orthodox Church, Its head, His Holiness the Patriarch, sanctifies olive oil with a mixture of precious aromas as peace. It is brewed during the first weekdays of Holy Week according to a special ancient method, and after consecration it is sent to all parishes of the Church. Without peace, the Sacrament of Baptism, combined with the Sacrament of Confirmation, remains incomplete - through the chrism, the newly baptized person receives the gifts of the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Sacrament of Confession
Confession, as we said, precedes Communion, so we will tell you about the Sacrament of Confession at the beginning.
During Confession, a person names his sins to the priest - but, as it is said in the prayer before confession, which the priest will read, this is a confession to Christ Himself, and the priest is only a servant of God who visibly gives His grace. We receive forgiveness from the Lord: His words are preserved in the Gospel, with which Christ gives to the apostles, and through them to the priests, their successors, the power to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him.”
In Confession we receive forgiveness of all the sins that we have named and those that we have forgotten. Under no circumstances should you hide your sins! If you are ashamed, name the sins, among others, briefly.
Confession, despite the fact that many Orthodox people confess once a week or two, that is, quite often, is called second baptism. During Baptism, a person is cleansed from original sin by the grace of Christ, Who accepted the Crucifixion for the sake of delivering all people from sins. And during repentance in confession, we get rid of new sins that we have committed throughout our life’s journey.
How to prepare for Confession - rules
You can come to Confession without preparing for Communion. That is, Confession is necessary before Communion, but you can come to Confession separately. Preparing for confession is basically reflecting on your life and repenting, that is, admitting that certain things you have done are sins. Before Confession you need:
If you have never confessed, start remembering your life from the age of seven (it is at this time that a child growing up in an Orthodox family, according to church tradition, comes to his first confession, that is, he can clearly answer for his actions). Realize what transgressions cause you remorse, because conscience, according to the word of the Holy Fathers, is the voice of God in man. Think about what you can call these actions, for example: taking candy saved for a holiday without asking, getting angry and yelling at a friend, leaving a friend in trouble - this is theft, malice and anger, betrayal.
Write down all the sins that you remember, with the awareness of your untruth and a promise to God not to repeat these mistakes.
Continue thinking as an adult. In confession, you cannot and should not talk about the history of each sin; its name is enough. Remember that many encouraged modern world deeds are sins: an affair or relationship with a married woman - adultery, sex outside marriage - fornication, a clever deal where you received a benefit and gave someone else a low-quality item - deception and theft. All this also needs to be written down and promised to God not to sin again.
Read Orthodox literature about Confession. An example of such a book is “The Experience of Constructing Confession” by Archimandrite John Krestyankin, a contemporary elder who died in 2006. He knew the sins and sorrows of modern people.
A good habit is to analyze your day every day. The same advice is usually given by psychologists in order to form an adequate self-esteem of a person. Remember, or better yet, write down your sins, whether done by accident or intentionally (mentally ask God to forgive them and promise not to commit them again), and your successes - thank God and His help for them.
There is a Canon of Repentance to the Lord, which you can read while standing in front of the icon on the eve of confession. It is also included in the number of prayers that are preparatory to Communion. There are also several Orthodox prayers with a list of sins and words of repentance. With the help of such prayers and the Canon of Repentance, you will prepare for confession faster, because it will be easy for you to understand what actions are called sins and what you need to repent of.
You shouldn’t look for any special emotional uplift or strong emotions before and during Confession.
Repentance is:
Reconciliation with loved ones and acquaintances if you have seriously offended or deceived someone;
Understanding that a number of actions you made out of intent or carelessness and permanent preservation certain feelings are unrighteous and are sins;
A firm intention not to sin again, not to repeat sins, for example, to legalize fornication, stop adultery, recover from drunkenness and drug addiction;
Faith in the Lord, His mercy and His gracious help;
Faith that the Sacrament of Confession by Christ's grace and the power of His death on the Cross will destroy all your sins.
How does confession work in church?
Confession usually takes place half an hour before the start of each Liturgy (you need to find out its time from the schedule) in any Orthodox church.
In the temple you need to wear appropriate clothing: men in trousers and shirts with at least short sleeves (not shorts and T-shirts), without hats; women in a skirt below the knee and a headscarf (kerchief, scarf) - by the way, skirts and headscarves can be borrowed for free during your stay in the temple.
For confession you only need to take a piece of paper with your sins written down (it is needed so as not to forget to name the sins).
The priest will go to the place of confession - usually a group of confessors gathers there, it is located to the left or right of the altar - and will read the prayers that begin the Sacrament. Then, in some churches, according to tradition, a list of sins is read out - in case you have forgotten some sins - the priest calls for repentance of them (those that you have committed) and to give your name. This is called general confession.
Then, in order of priority, you approach the confessional table. The priest may (this depends on practice) take the sheet of sins from your hands to read for himself, or then you yourself read aloud. If you want to tell the situation and repent of it in more detail, or you have a question about this situation, about spiritual life in general, ask it after listing the sins, before absolution.
After you have completed the dialogue with the priest: simply listed your sins and said: “I repent,” or asked a question, received an answer and thanked you, state your name. Then the priest performs absolution: you bend down a little lower (some people kneel), place an epitrachelion on your head (a piece of embroidered fabric with a slit for the neck, signifying the priest’s shepherding), read a short prayer and cross your head over the stole.
When the priest removes the stole from your head, you must immediately cross yourself, kiss first the Cross, then the Gospel, which lie in front of you on the confessional lectern (high table).
If you are going to Communion, take a blessing from the priest: cup your palms in front of him, right over left, say: “Bless me to take communion, I was preparing (preparing).” In many churches, priests simply bless everyone after confession: therefore, after kissing the Gospel, look at the priest - is he calling the next confessor or is he waiting for you to finish kissing and take the blessing.
Sacrament of Communion
You need to prepare yourself for the Sacrament of Holy Communion; this is called “fasting”. Preparation includes reading special prayers According to the prayer book, fasting and repentance:
Prepare to fast for 2-3 days. You need to be moderate in food, give up meat, ideally meat, milk, eggs, if you are not sick or pregnant.
During these days, try to read the morning and evening prayer rules with attention and diligence. Read spiritual literature, especially necessary for preparing for Confession.
Avoid entertainment and visiting noisy vacation spots.
In a few days (you can do it in one evening, but you will get tired), read the prayer book or online canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, the canons of the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel (find the text where they are connected), as well as the Rule for Communion (it also includes yourself a small canon, several psalms and prayers).
Make peace with people with whom you have serious quarrels.
It is better to attend an evening service - the All-Night Vigil. You can confess during it, if Confession will be carried out in the temple, or come to the temple for morning Confession.
Before the morning Liturgy, do not eat or drink anything after midnight and in the morning.
Confession before Communion is a necessary part of preparation for it. No one is allowed to receive Communion without Confession, except people in mortal danger and children under seven years of age. There are a number of testimonies of people who came to Communion without Confession - because priests, due to the crowds, sometimes cannot track this. Such an act is a great sin. The Lord punished them for their insolence with difficulties, illnesses and sorrows.
Women are not allowed to receive Communion during their period and immediately after childbirth: young mothers are allowed to receive Communion only after the priest has read a prayer for cleansing over them.
After singing the Lord’s Prayer and closing the Royal Doors, you need to go to the altar (or stand in line that gathers at the altar). Let children and parents with babies pass first - they receive communion at the beginning; In some churches, men are also allowed to go ahead.
When the priest brings out the Chalice and reads two prayers (sometimes they are read by the whole church), cross yourself, fold your hands crosswise to your shoulders - right to left - and walk, without lowering your hands, until you receive communion.
Do not cross yourself at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it. Say your name in Baptism, open your mouth wide. The priest himself will put a spoon with the Body and Blood in your mouth. Try to swallow them right away. Kiss the bottom of the Chalice, move away and only then cross yourself. Go to the table with “warmth” to wash it down and eat Communion with a piece of prosphora. It should not remain in your mouth so that you do not accidentally spit it out.
Do not leave the church until the end of the service. You can listen to prayers of thanksgiving after Communion in church or read them at home.
On the day of Communion, it is better not to spit (particles of Communion could remain in the mouth), try not to have a lot of fun right away and behave with piety. It is better to spend the day in joy, communicating with loved ones, reading spiritual books, and relaxing walks.
Is it possible to begin the Sacraments during menstruation?
This question is often asked by Orthodox girls and women. Yes, you can.
According to one of the strict traditions, it is forbidden to venerate icons at this time. But the modern Church softens its demands on people.
During menstruation, they light candles, venerate icons, and even begin all the Sacraments: Baptism, Wedding, Confirmation, Confession, except Communion. But even in this case, the priest can give Communion to a seriously ill woman who is in danger.
We also note that different priests have different attitudes towards the Sacraments that women receive during women's days. Therefore, before approaching the Sacraments, it is worth warning the priest. In any case, you can ask a priest for a blessing in any condition.
Sacrament of Marriage
An Orthodox family begins with a wedding. This is the Sacrament of the Church, which seals the marital union with the blessing of God. This is the right start for a long and happy family life, a blessing for childbearing. Remember that the Wedding, although it is an unusually beautiful external and even fashionable ceremony, is, first of all, a sacred rite. You take responsibility for each other before God.
If you have planned a wedding date and submitted an application to the registry office, but it turns out that the wedding is not taking place on this day, get engaged. This is not traditional, but the Sacrament of Wedding today consists of two parts, historically separated: betrothal, when the newlyweds stand not at the altar itself, but closer to the middle or doors of the temple and exchange rings. Priests rarely agree to this, but they may agree.
The ceremony is very touching, because you already promise each other to be together. It is during the betrothal that the priest asks people if among those gathered there are those who are against the bride and groom uniting forever in marriage.
You can get married if you have lived for several years in civil marriage(this is what a marriage registered in the registry office is called). If you simply lived together before the Wedding and the wedding, you should repent of this sin in the Sacrament of Confession - sex before marriage is called fornication - and not commit it again until the Wedding.
To perform this Sacrament you will need
— Marriage certificate — only registered spouses are married;
— Wedding candles (sold in any temple);
— Rushnik (towel).
A wedding is God’s blessing on marriage; newlyweds must understand that this is both God’s help and responsibility before Him. Please note that you must sign up for the Sacrament in advance.
The most important joint responsibility of the spouses, the purpose of marriage is joint spiritual development, improvement of oneself and the other in marriage, the realization of one’s talents and assistance in the realization of the spouse’s talents. And, of course, the husband and wife share joys and sorrows together, that is, leaving one’s spouse in danger, in serious illness, in poverty is unjustified.
According to the Apostle Paul, wives should submit to their husbands, and husbands should take care of their wives. This means that the wife should trust her husband to make important decisions, and the husband should try to create mental and material comfort for his wife. Spouses must listen and hear each other and be able to find compromises.
Loyalty to each other is also the natural duty of husband and wife in an Orthodox family. Let us note that there is a procedure for church divorce (not “debunking”). Treason is one of the cases when the Church allows a person who has been cheated on to get a divorce and even enter into another church marriage. Other reasons include alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, and domestic violence.
Sacrament of Priesthood
One of the establishments of the Church is the hierarchy of clergy: from the reader to the Patriarch. In the structure of the Church, everything is subject to order, which is comparable to the army.
In fact, the word “priest” is a short name for all clergy. They are also called by the words: clergy, clerics, clergy (you can specify - temple, parish, diocese).
The clergy is divided into white and black:
- married clergy, priests who have not taken monastic vows;
- black - monks, and only they can occupy the highest church positions.
There are three degrees of spiritual orders into which people are consecrated by performing the Sacrament of ordination on people - the Sacraments of the Priesthood.
- Deacons - they can be either married people or monks (then they are called hierodeacons).
- Priests - also, a monastic priest is called a hieromonk (a combination of the words “priest” and “monk”).
- Bishops - bishops, metropolitans, Exarchs (governors of Local small Churches subordinate to the Patriarchate, for example, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate), Patriarchs (this is the highest rank in the Church, but this person is also called “bishop” or “Primate of the Church”).
The priesthood of the Church has its foundation in the Old Testament. They go in ascending order and cannot be skipped, that is, the bishop must first be a deacon, then a priest. All degrees of the priesthood are ordained (in other words, consecrated) by the bishop.
The lowest level of the priesthood includes deacons. Through ordination as a deacon, a person receives the grace necessary to participate in the Liturgy and other services. The deacon cannot conduct the Sacraments and divine services alone; he is only an assistant to the priest. People who serve well in the rank of deacon for a long time receive the following titles:
- white priesthood - protodeacons,
- black priesthood - archdeacons, who most often accompany the bishop.
Often in poor, rural parishes there is no deacon, and his functions are performed by a priest. Also, if necessary, the duties of a deacon can be performed by a bishop.
A person in the clergy of a priest is also called a presbyter, a priest, and in monasticism - a hieromonk. Priests perform all the Sacraments of the Church, except for ordination (ordination), the consecration of the world (it is performed by the Patriarch - the oil is necessary for the completeness of the Sacrament of Baptism for every person) and the antimension (a scarf with a sewn-in piece of holy relics, which is placed on the altar of each church). The priest who leads the life of the parish is called the rector, and his subordinates, ordinary priests, are full-time clergy. In a village or town the priest usually presides, and in the city there is an archpriest.
The abbots of churches and monasteries report directly to the bishop.
The title of archpriest is usually an incentive for long service and good service. The hieromonk is usually awarded the rank of abbot. Also, the rank of hegumen is often given to the abbot of the monastery (hierogumen). The abbot of the Lavra (a large, ancient monastery, of which there are not many in the world) receives an archimandrite. Most often, this award is followed by the rank of bishop.
Bishop, translated from Greek - chief of priests. They perform all the Sacraments without exception. Bishops ordain people as deacons and priests, but only the Patriarch, concelebrated by several bishops, can ordain bishops.
Bishops who have distinguished themselves in ministry and served for a long time are called archbishops. Also, for even greater merits, they elevate them to the rank of metropolitans. They have a higher rank for their services to the Church; also, only metropolitans can govern metropolitan areas - large dioceses, which include several small ones. An analogy can be drawn: a diocese is a region, a metropolis is a city with a region (St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region) or the entire Federal District.
Often, other bishops are appointed to help the metropolitan or archbishop, who are called suffragan bishops or, in short, vicars.
The highest spiritual rank in the Orthodox Church is the Patriarch. This rank is elective, and is chosen by the Council of Bishops (a meeting of bishops of the entire regional Church). Most often, he leads the Church together with the Holy Synod (Kinod, in different transcriptions, in different Churches) leads the Church. The rank of Primate (head) of the Church is for life, however, if serious sins are committed, the Bishops' Court can remove the Patriarch from ministry. Also, upon request, the Patriarch can be retired due to illness or old age. Until the convening of the Council of Bishops, a Locum Tenens (temporarily acting as the head of the Church) is appointed.
Unction
The Sacrament of Unction or Blessing of Anointing should not be confused with the Anointing of Oil, which is performed during the All-Night Vigil (an evening service held every Saturday and before church holidays) and is a symbolic blessing of the Church. The congregation is held for everyone, even those who are healthy in body, usually during Lent, and for those who are seriously ill throughout the year - if necessary, even at home. This is the Sacrament of healing soul and body. It is aimed at cleansing from unconfessed sins (this is especially important to do before death) and healing the disease.
The Sacrament received its name “Unction” from the word “cathedral”, a meeting, because it is usually carried out by several clergy - according to the Charter, seven.
During the celebration of the Sacrament, the priests read seven texts from the New Testament. After each reading, the oil is applied to the person’s face, eyes, ears, lips, chest and hands. Tradition believes that this way a person will get rid of all forgotten sins. After Unction, you need to proceed to the Sacrament of Communion, as well as Confession - before or after Unction.
May the Lord protect you with His grace through the prayers of the Holy Church!
One of the organic parts of the spiritual practice of an Orthodox person is participation in the holy sacraments. If in other religions spiritual and religious practices are usually called mysteries or more general concepts: cult, ritual - then in the Orthodox Church we are talking about sacraments– the space in which a person interacts with the Holy Spirit. Sacrament This is the name given to such a sacred action through which the grace of the Holy Spirit, or the saving power of God, is secretly, invisibly given to a person. The Orthodox Church contains seven sacraments; baptism, confirmation, repentance, communion, marriage, priesthood and consecration of oil. The system of sacraments of Christianity did not develop immediately. Thus, in the Catholic world, the seven Christian sacraments were approved in the 13th century at the Council of Lyon. However, we must admit that in reality they were carried out from the first centuries of the spread of Christianity.
Baptism . The sacrament of baptism is a sacred act in which a believer in Christ, through three times complete immersion of the body in water, with the invocation of the name of the Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - is washed from original damage (original sin); if we are talking about an adult, then also from all the sins he committed before baptism. The sacrament of baptism was established by Jesus Christ. He sanctified baptism by His own example, being baptized by John the Baptist. Then, after His resurrection, He gave the apostles the command: “ Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"(Gospel of Matthew 28:19). Baptism is necessary for everyone who wishes to be a member of the Church of Christ. " If someone is not bornfrom water and Spirit, cannot enter the Kingdom of God“- said the Lord (Gospel of John 3:5).
In baptism, we become familiar with truly living people and make a choice between life and death. During baptism, the priest uses water, which has a dual meaning: on the one hand, water symbolizes life, since without water a person dies; but, on the other hand, the water element is alien to man, he dies in it, therefore water is also a symbol of death. Thus, a person, having become a Christian, claims to have eternal life, but serious sins, such as renouncing his faith, lead to death. For the baptized, sin is much more dangerous than for the unbaptized. Baptism is performed only once in a lifetime.
Confirmation . Confirmation is a sacrament in which believers, by anointing parts of the body with holy chrism in the name of the Holy Spirit, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which increase and strengthen them to spiritual life. In this ritual, taken from Judaism, a person receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation occurs quite quickly during the sacrament of baptism. As soon as a person leaves the font, the priest reads special prayers and anoints the forehead, eyes (eyelids), nostrils, lips, ears, chest, arms and legs in a cross shape with special fragrant oil (myrrh, oil). Confirmation indicates that a person accepts the service of God and is God's. Thanks to chrismation, a person restores the image of God in himself, which is a necessary condition for becoming like Him. Through confirmation, the gift that is given to a person at baptism is actualized.
After confirmation, the priest circles the font three times, which symbolizes the eternity of the union of the newly baptized with God (the circle is a symbol of eternity).
Repentance . Repentance is a sacrament in which the believer confesses (orally reveals) his sins to God in the presence of a priest and receives forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave the holy apostles, and through them all the priests, the power to forgive (forgive) sins: “ Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; whoever you leave it on will stay on it"(Gospel of John 20: 22-23).
It should be noted that the idea of repentance originated in Judaism. In Hebrew, repentance is pronounced teshuva. This word has meanings returns And answer. Thus, having departed from God through sin, a person returns to Him in repentance and bears responsibility before Him for his actions. Teshuva consists of awareness of sin; making a decision to correct it; apologies and compensation for damages; good deeds. However, in Judaism, repentance presupposed a return to the former nature, to the state in which a person was before committing a sin, while in Orthodoxy repentance presupposes overcoming one’s own nature, rising above one’s own nature, a spiritual transformation in which a person would not return to his previous state, but would have been even stronger in spirit.
Through repentance, a person cleanses and transforms his soul. If the priest feels that the sin is especially great or the repentance is not deep enough, then he can impose on the person penance(from Greek prohibited) - a system of educational measures (frequent reading of prayers, increased fasting, temporary excommunication from communion, a strict ban on habits that contribute to the manifestation of sin...). Usually penance is imposed by the priest who is the confessor for a particular person.
In fact, repentance allows a person to start a new life, regardless of his past experiences. Of course, God does not condone untruth. However, the sacrament cuts off the sinful part of the soul and makes it ineffective or ineffective for the subsequent life of a person. A repentant person realizes his sin, renounces it and tries not to repeat it again. Thus, evil, remaining evil, after repentance finds itself outside of man and goes into oblivion. Repentance has an important place not only in the Orthodox Church, but also in the Catholic Church. Thus, in 1215, the Lateran Council made annual secret confession obligatory on Catholics, and the Council of Trent in 1551 elevated secret confession to the rank of dogma.
In Orthodoxy, repentance is treated with great attention, given the complexity of this sacrament. When priests are asked about the greatest miracle they have ever seen, most of them are silent, and some say that the greatest miracle they have ever seen is a sincerely repentant sinner. In ancient Greek the word repentance – mitonoya– means change of mind. Indeed, it is extremely difficult for a person to sincerely repent, because he must change his entire way of thinking, which sometimes developed over decades. Usually people try to justify their sin: they say, society is to blame or something else; Even more often they look for good in sin: they say, I will remember the good, and what causes pain now will, after a while, evoke pleasant memories. This complacency is extremely dangerous, for sin in this case will be a shadow haunting a person day after day, hardening his heart, corrupting his soul. Repentance involves recognizing that there is nothing good in sin. Prodigal sin is especially dangerous, since its consequences leave a heavy mark on the human soul and sharply reduce the likelihood of spiritual salvation. Still, it is believed that the birth and decent upbringing of a child removes many sins from a person, including fornication. However, without repentance, in a natural way, it is impossible to get rid of the consequences of some sins, since a person by nature does not forget anything. Thus, the Canadian physiologist Penfield, trying to find methods of treating epilepsy, conducted experiments. He implanted gold electrodes into the cerebral cortex, and when they were activated, the person had an illusory image of what he had once seen and, as he thought, had already forgotten. In other words, nothing passes without a trace. In order for the consequences of sin to be minimized and not lead to serving Satan and spiritual death, it is necessary to perform the sacrament of repentance.
It is important to note that a person is initially responsible for the sins committed by other people through his fault, and then directly for his own. For example, a man who molested a girl (one of the most terrible sins) is responsible for the sins that she subsequently commits due to her corruption. In principle, the vices of such a man do not relieve responsibility from the woman herself. Refusal to repent may include an intention to sin even more.
Wedding. First of all, we must understand that marriage is natural for human existence and is inherently holy. Any marriage registered in the registry office (that is, a civil or state marriage), concluded according to pagan rites, married in a Catholic or other Christian church, or any other legal marriage, is a great triumph and joy for every person. The sacrament of marriage is the first sacrament in which a person has taken part. The point is that spouses become one. Long before the birth of Jesus Christ, people from the beginning of their history entered into legal marriages and entered into the great holy tanta of marital communion. The wedding ceremony is a symbol of the sanctification of the married life of a man and a woman; through the wedding, grace descends on the spouses. Marriage emphasizes the holiness and purity of love between a man and a woman, the honesty of their relationship before each other, society and God. In marriage, husband and wife are a single whole; they are inconceivable apart from each other. Moreover, in marriage human nature reaches its fullness. In moral theology it is noted: “The man Adam can be considered complete only when Eve, similar to him, became his life partner.” It is also necessary to take into account that in marriage the sanctity of virginity is emphasized, the observance of which (both in mental and physical senses) is the most important prerequisite for creating a healthy family. Pavel Florensky quite rightly notes: “Only from the height of a chaste consciousness can one understand the holiness of marriage and its qualitative difference from debauchery... and vice versa, only a pure marriage, only a grace-filled marriage consciousness allows one to understand the significance of virginity.” Condemnation of marriage, artificial evasion from it is considered by the Church as a sin. Divorce is also considered a serious sin, because it makes a person, especially a woman, weak in the face of fornication (Gospel of Matthew, 5:31-32). Divorce can be resolved on an individual basis, and common reasons for divorce are artificial premature termination of pregnancy against the will of the husband and adultery. The Catholic Church also allows infertility of one of the spouses as a reason for divorce. However, in Orthodoxy this approach is not accepted, because marriage is not based on the desire to prolong the family, but solely on love - the greatest human feeling. In this case, it is necessary to carefully and thoughtfully read the words of the Apostle Paul in Chapter 13 of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians (it is advisable to know these words by heart).
Priesthood . The priesthood is a sacrament in which a properly elected person (to be a bishop, or priest, or deacon), through episcopal ordination, receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sacred service of the Church of Christ, that is, we are talking about the blessing of a person to serve God and people in the rank of priest. The establishment of the sacrament of the priesthood is enshrined in Holy Scripture (Eph. 4: 11-12; Acts 6: 6; Acts 14: 23). The issue of ordaining a person to the priesthood is considered by the archbishop, who may refuse such a blessing to the applicant. The reason for refusal may be various sins that occurred in the life of a potential priest. For example, if he had to kill, even for the sake of self-preservation (an exception is made if the murder happened in defense of the Motherland or his loved ones); if the person or his wife had premarital sex; if a person is dishonest about the ritual side of his faith. If, by the grace of God, a person can become a priest, then he undergoes the sacrament of priesthood, at the end of which the word is pronounced over him axios(from Greek worthy). The priest performs sacred rites, through which the sacrament is performed through the action of the Holy Spirit. The sacrament is performed regardless of the moral qualities of the clergyman.
Blessing of Unction (unction). This sacrament occurs over a sick person. He must express free will, by which he expresses the desire to undergo this sacrament. Here it is taken into account that all illnesses are the result of the sins of both one’s own and one’s relatives. In this sacrament, sins are removed, therefore, the likelihood of healing increases sharply, and in the event of the death of the patient, there is more reason to hope for the salvation of his soul.
Participle - This is a Christian sacrament, the meaning of which is that a person joins the material substance of the God-Man. This sacrament is the central part of the liturgy (from the Greek. leitos – public- And ergon – service, that is, a common cause or public service). During its execution, the unity of body, soul and spirit is sanctified. Before communion, you should fast for one to three days. Also, before communion, repentance occurs, for one cannot become a participant in the God-Man while having unrepentant sins in one’s soul. This sacrament is also called Eucharist(from Greek thanksgiving).
The sacrament of holy communion was established by Jesus Christ during the last Last Supper, on the eve of His suffering and death. He Himself performed this sacrament: “ Taking the bread and thanking God the Father for all His mercies to the human race, he broke it and gave it to the disciples, saying:take, eat; This is My Body, which is given for you;do this in remembrance of Me. Also, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying:Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.. Do this in My remembrance"(Matt. 26, 26-28; Mark 14, 22-24; Luke 22, 19-24; 1 Cor. 11, 23-25). According to the commandment of Christ, the sacrament of communion is constantly performed in the Church of Christ and will continue to be performed until the end of the century at the divine service called the Liturgy, during which bread and wine, by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, are transformed into the true body and true blood of Christ.
The performance of the sacraments should be taken very seriously, because the sacrament, just like other forms of rituals, express and objectify the inner life of a person. Negligence in performing a ritual act indicates the hypocrisy of the one who does this. Meanwhile, just as joy or friendliness, grief or resentment are expressed in facial expressions, so spiritual life is expressed in rituals. Rituals also contribute to the proper organization of spiritual and religious life.
There are seven sacraments in the Orthodox Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance, Communion, Marriage, Priesthood, Blessing of Anointing (unction).
The sacrament of the Church is a sacred act in which, during the pronunciation of mysterious words (prayers) through visible actions accessible to human understanding, the grace of God invisibly acts.
Baptism
The sacrament of Baptism is such a sacred act in which a believer in Christ, when the body is immersed three times in water, with the pronunciation of the words “the servant of God (name of the rivers) is baptized in the name of the Father, amen, and the Son, amen, and the Holy Spirit, amen” - washed away from original sin.
The Sacrament of Baptism has long been considered the door to the Church of Christ and the threshold for all other sacraments that help a believer in salvation.
“Baptism is a Sacrament in which a believer, by immersing the body three times in water, with the invocation of God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, dies to a carnal, sinful life, and is reborn from the Holy Spirit into a spiritual, holy life,” defines Christian catechism.
In this Sacrament, the grace of God, for the first time mysteriously poured out on a person called to the faith of Christ, completely cleanses him from the mire of sin, curse and eternal death, sanctifying and recreating the hitherto sinful human nature. The Savior Himself testified to the exceptional importance of this Sacrament in a conversation with Nicodemus, saying: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
The Sacrament of Baptism has a Divine institution. Its establisher is Jesus Christ Himself, Who sanctified this Sacrament by His own example, having been baptized by John in the waters of the Jordan River. The Baptism of John the Baptist, although it appeared “from heaven” (Mark 11:30), was only a prototype of the Baptism of Christ. According to the meaning of Holy Scripture, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they might believe in him who should come through him, that is, in Christ Jesus” (Acts 19:4).
If the baptism of the Forerunner of the Lord, called the “baptism of repentance,” was a baptism into the expected Messiah, “into the one to come,” and prepared only the Jews for grace-filled sanctification through the remission of the sins of the repentant, then the Baptism of Christ became the Baptism into the Savior who came into the world. It carried out the gracious “sanctification” itself, called the Baptism of the “Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11), and became accessible to the pagans who believed in Christ, since after His suffering on the cross, death and resurrection, the Lord Himself commanded this to the disciples and apostles, saying : “Go therefore and teach all tongues, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). It is generally accepted that from that moment it became so.
The Apostles of Christ, having been clothed with “power from above” (Luke 24:49), constantly began to perform the sacrament of Baptism themselves, cleansing and reviving believers in it with the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures of the New Testament give many examples of how the apostles baptized those who had faith in Jesus Christ. So, for example, on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter immediately baptized approximately 3,000 believers (Acts 2:38-41); Another apostle Philip baptized the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia (Acts 8:38), the Apostle Paul baptized Lydia (Acts 16:15), and the Apostle Peter also baptized Cornelius, a centurion from Caesarea (Acts 10:1, 47). The Holy Church, having received this sacrament from St. apostles, invariably performed and continues to perform it over every person who desires salvation.
The main and fundamental thing in the rite of the sacrament of baptism is the threefold immersion of the person being baptized in water, which must be “pure, natural,” and the utterance of the words: “The servant of God is baptized... in the name of the Father, amen. And the Son, amen. And the Holy Spirit, amen." All this constitutes the visible side of the sacrament.
The use of three-time immersion in water in baptism expresses the burial of the baptized Christ, and raising him three times from the water means the three-day resurrection of Christ and the co-resurrection with Him of the baptized (Rom. 6:4). The Venerable Simeon the New Theologian says: “What the Cross and the Sepulcher were for Christ the Lord, so for those who are baptized there is Baptism; and just as Christ died in the flesh and rose again, so we die to sin and are raised to virtue by the power of God.” /With. 421 Words. 2nd ed. M., 1892. Issue. 1/.
In this sacrament, the grace of God invisibly acts on the entire being of the person being baptized, reviving him spiritually. At the same time, the baptized person is cleansed of all sins, as follows:
a) ancestral or Adamic;
b) arbitrary, if baptism is performed on an adult (Acts 2:38: 1 Cor. 6:11); those. adopted as sons of God (Gal. 3:26-28).
St. John Chrysostom speaks about the invisible, grace-filled side of the sacrament: “When Baptism is performed, angels are also present, but not one of them can explain the method of this wondrous birth... Baptism does not simply forgive us sins, does not simply cleanse us from iniquities, but , as if we were born again, for it again creates and forms us. /With. 492, .g. Dyachenko, priest. Lesson and examples of the Christian faith. St. Petersburg, 1900/.
Baptism is performed on both adults and infants. When it is performed on adults, repentance and faith are required from those who wish to receive Baptism. " Repent- says the ap. Peter to those who listened to his sermon on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, - and let every one be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins: and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"(Acts 2:38). And Jesus Christ Himself said: “ Whoever has faith and is baptized will be saved"(Mark 16:16).
In accordance with this, the apostles, before being baptized, taught faith and encouraged the confession of faith: “What prevents me from being baptized? - asked the eunuch, announced by the apostolic sermon. Philip said to him: if you believe with all your heart, it is possible. He answered and said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God... And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch; and baptized him” (Acts 8:36-38). Similar actions took place when ap. Philip was in Samaria (Acts 8:12); Paul in relation to Lydia (Acts 16:13-15); Ap. Peter in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41); and in the house of the centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:34-48), etc. That is why the confession of faith or reading of the Creed before Baptism, as well as the presence of guarantors of faith or recipients at Baptism, were introduced into the rite of Baptism.
Infants are baptized according to the faith of their parents and adoptees, who are obliged to teach them the faith when they come of age. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly said about babies: “ Such is the Kingdom of God"(Luke 18:16), and without being born of water and the Spirit, no one can enter the Kingdom of God.
In addition, the basis for infant baptism is:
1. the fact that in the Old Testament church circumcision was performed on 8-day-old infants, and baptism in the New Testament took the place of circumcision: “Circumcision was made by circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of sin from the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, being buried in Him through baptism” (Col. 2 :11-12), therefore it should be performed on infants.
2. example of the Apostles, who baptized entire houses (for example, the house of Cornelius, Lydia, Stephen), and in these houses, undoubtedly, there were babies (Acts 16:14, 33-38, 18, 81 Cor. 1: 16).
In addition, it should be noted that both adults and infants are involved in original sin, from which they have the same need for cleansing from it.
According to the charter of the Church, there must be recipients not only during the baptism of infants, but also of adults, and precisely in order to vouch before the Church for the faith of the person being baptized, and after Baptism to take him into their care, to confirm him in the faith. About the baptism of infants to St. the fathers say the following: “St. Gregory the Theologian: “Do you have a baby? Don't give time for the damage to worsen; let him be sanctified in infancy and dedicated to the Spirit from the smallest fingernails” /p.489 Dyachenko, priest. Lessons and examples of the Christian faith. St. Petersburg, 1900/. Rev. Isidore Pelusiot: “Some, content with an incomplete understanding of the matter, say that infants are washed at Baptism from the defilement imparted to human nature by the crime of Adam. But I believe that not only this one thing is accomplished, but that at the same time many other gifts are given, far superior to our nature. For in Baptism, nature only received everything that was needed for healing from sin, but was also adorned with Divine gifts... and reborn from above by the Divine, surpassing reason... again being; redeemed, sanctified, worthy of adoption, justified, made heir of the only begotten Son of God” /p. 229. Creations. Part 2. M., 1860/.
When performing the sacrament of Baptism, certain rituals are used that have their own special meaning. For example:
a) Spell: consists in the fact that the priest, in the prayers read in the name of Jesus Christ and His sufferings, conjures the devil to retreat from the person being baptized. The spell is used to drive away the devil, who, since the fall of Adam, has gained access to people and some power over them, as if over his captives and slaves. The Apostle Paul says that all people outside of grace (i.e., those who have not yet received baptism), “walk in the age of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2), or in Russian: “they live according to the customs of this world, according to the will of the prince who rules the air, the spirit who is now active in the sons of disobedience.”
The power of the spell lies in the name of Jesus Christ, invoked with prayer and faith. Jesus Christ himself gave believers this promise: “ In My Name demons will be given birth"(Mark 16:17). In this case, as well as in other cases, the sign of the cross is used, either made by a movement of the hand, or presented to others in some way (for example: by the blowing of the mouth). The sign of the cross has the same power as pronouncing the name of Jesus Christ with faith. The use of the sign of the cross dates back to apostolic times and is important in the life of every Christian. " Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified One,- writes St. Cyril of Jerusalem, - let us boldly depict with our hands the sign of the cross on our foreheads, and on everything: on the bread that we eat, on the cups from which we drink; let us depict him at entrances, at exits, when we go to bed and get up, when we are on the road and resting. He is a great protection given to the poor as a gift and to the weak without labor. For this is the grace of God, a sign to the faithful and a fear to evil spirits.” /He will announce the lecture. 13, 36/.
b) just before immersion in water, the person being baptized is anointed with oil:
1. as a sign of his union with Christ, just as a wild branch is grafted into a fruitful olive tree;
2. as a sign that the baptized person dies to sin. In ancient times, the dead were prepared for burial by anointing their bodies.
c) after immersion in water, white robes are placed on the person being baptized as a sign of the purity of the soul and a truly Christian life, which he is obliged to observe and preserve; and a cross for the visible representation and constant reminder of the commandment of Christ: “ If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and walk after Me."(Matthew 16:24).
d) then (after Confirmation), the baptized person walks around the font three times with lighted candles - as a sign of joy about spiritual enlightenment. At the same time, walking around the font indicates the eternal union of the baptized person with Christ, because the circle is a symbol of eternity.
e) the sacrament of baptism ends with the cross-shaped cutting of the hair of the newly baptized as a sign that he undertakes to obey Christ and do His will as a slave to his master.
The Creed says “I confess one Baptism” in order to show that Baptism is not repeated; for baptism is a spiritual birth, and a person is born once, therefore he is baptized once. “The Message of the Eastern Patriarchs” speaks about it this way: “Just as at natural birth each of us receives from nature a certain appearance, an image that remains with us forever, so in the same way at our spiritual birth the Sacrament of Baptism places on everyone an indelible seal that remains on the baptized person.” always, even if after Baptism he committed a thousand sins or even rejected the faith itself” (chapter 16) i.e. and according to the teaching of the Eastern Patriarchs, Baptism should not be repeated.
Moreover, Holy Scripture itself testifies to this: “ one Lord, one faith, one Baptism"(Eph.4:5).
The meaning of the sacrament of Baptism is that the one who is baptized and believes will be saved, according to Christ, as “ washed, sanctified, justified"(1 Cor. 6:11) in Baptism, i.e. after receiving the sacrament, a person’s moral state is completely different: he is freed from sin, becomes righteous and holy, he has an enlightened mind, a new will and a renewed heart. If before Baptism sin lives in the heart, and grace acts from the outside, then, according to St. Fathers, after receiving the sacrament, “grace dwells in the heart, and sin attracts from without.” / With. 50. Philokalia. t. 3. M., 1900/.
The essence of the rebirth and holiness of the baptized person consists in a change in his life, in a change in the direction of his will towards good. Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, experienced such a wonderful effect of the sacrament of Baptism when, leaving the font, he exclaimed: “Now I have seen the true God.” He changed after this and began to live righteously and virtuously.
However, as Bishop Theophan notes, Baptism is only the “beginning” of salvation / ep. Feofan. Outline of Christian moral teaching. M., 1891, p. 119/, since a person still has to struggle with his sinful skills and habits in order to become like Christ in his life.
Undoubtedly, i.e. Christians who sin after Baptism are more guilty of their sins than those who were not baptized, because they had special grace and help from God and rejected it. Ap. Peter says: “For if the filthiness of the world has fled into the mind of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, these two are united and overcome, so that the last bitterness of the first is to them” (2 Pet. 2:20).
However, the Lord, in His mercy, granted another similar means for the resolution of sins, establishing the sacrament of Repentance, which is therefore often called the second Baptism.
It should be noted that history knows special cases when the sacrament of Baptism was replaced by “another, extraordinary baptism - Baptism of blood or martyrdom.” It happened that those who believed in Christ, not having had time to be baptized through the sacrament of Baptism, were persecuted for the Christian faith they professed and suffered martyrdom, being baptized “with the same baptism with which Christ was baptized” (Matthew 20:22-23). /Metropolitan Macarius. Orthodox dogmatic theology. T. 2. St. Petersburg. 1868, p. 342/.
Blessed creation John Mosch / “Spiritual Ray”, Sergiev Posad, 1915, p. 206-208/ speaks of the following exceptional case: Abba Andrew and 9 of his companions were forced to flee to Palestine. In the desert, one of the travelers, a Jew, weakened to the point of complete exhaustion: he had no strength left to be carried by others. The Jew began to tearfully ask everyone to baptize him and let him die as a Christian. After many exhortations, one of the travelers, filling his hands with sand, sprinkled it on the Jew’s head three times with the words: “The servant of God Theodore is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” To each invocation, all the others exclaimed “Amen.” After such a baptism, Christ healed and strengthened the weak man so much that there was no sign of weakness left in him - he cheerfully walked ahead of everyone through the desert. This incident was told to the bishop of the city of Ascalon, Blessed. Dionysius, who was struck by an extraordinary sign.
In conclusion, it should be said that the sacrament of Baptism is a significant and solemn action not only in human life, but an extraordinary and important event in the history of an entire people. The Holy Russian Orthodox Church recently celebrated such a historical date in its life. More than 1000 years ago, in Kyiv, at equal ap. book Vladimir, our ancestors received Holy Baptism.
Confirmation
Just as at natural birth a person immediately needs air and light to maintain and strengthen his being, so at birth into spiritual life a Christian needs and requires the special grace-filled powers of the Holy Spirit, through which he could strengthen and grow in spiritual life.
A baptized person acquires such grace-filled powers in Confirmation; so called because the main parts of the body of the saint are anointed in it for the believer. world and pronounce the words “ seal of the gift of St. Spirit».
Confirmation is a Sacrament in which the believer, when anointing parts of the body with consecrated myrrh, in the name of the Holy Spirit, is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, increasing and strengthening him in spiritual life.
The Sacrament of Confirmation was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. From the conversation He delivered in the Jerusalem Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, it is clear that under the image of living water, Christ promised to send down gifts of Divine grace to those who lie. " If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Believe in Me, as the scripture says, rivers of living waters will flow out of his belly."(John 7:37-38). According to the explanation of the Evangelist John, the Lord spoke here about the Holy Spirit, which those who believe in Him could receive. When, after Pentecost, the apostles were invested with “power from above,” they began to teach the gifts of the Holy Spirit to all believers.
Although Confirmation has been performed since ancient times in the Orthodox Church in connection with Baptism and immediately after it, nevertheless, Confirmation is a special Divinely established sacrament, separate from Baptism. Saint Cyprian of Carthage speaks about it this way: “Baptism and Confirmation are two separate acts of Baptism, although united by the closest internal connection so that they form one whole, inseparable in relation to their performance” / p. 510. G. Dyachenko, priest. Lessons and examples of the Christian faith. St. Petersburg, 1900/.
It is necessary to know that in the Old Testament there is an omen, a prototype of the sacrament of Confirmation. Moses, having communicated the Divine command to his brother Aaron and appointed him high priest, first washed him with water and then poured “anointing oil” on him (Lev. 8: 6-12). It was from this representative anointing that the high priest was called the anointed one.
Another example: when elevating Solomon to the kingdom, the high priest anointed him, first washing him in Gihon (1 Kings 1:38-39). Regarding these Old Testament prototypes, St. Cyril of Jerusalem says that over Aaron and Solomon “this was done representatively, but in reality, because we are truly anointed with the Holy Spirit.” 289-292. Creations. Secret word. Sergiev Posad, 1893/.
Cyril of Jerusalem also says that just as Jesus Christ, after his Baptism in the Jordan, received the descent or influx of the Holy Spirit, so we, who came from the font of “sacred waters,” were given Confirmation, which represents the very thing with which Christ was anointed. And this is the Holy Spirit, about whom it was said in the prophecy of Isaiah on behalf of the Lord: “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor"(Isa.61:1).
The difference between our anointing and the way Christ was anointed is that Jesus was not anointed with man, or with oil, or with ointment, but the Father anointed Him with the Holy Spirit, destining Him to be the Savior of the whole world, about which the Apostle Peter says this: “ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power"(Acts 10:38). Saint Cyril of Jerusalem therefore concludes regarding our Confirmation: “And just as Christ was truly crucified and buried and resurrected, and you were made worthy in Baptism to be likewise crucified and buried with Him and to rise again, so you need to understand about Confirmation. Christ is anointed with the spiritual oil of joy, i.e. The Holy Spirit, because He is the source of spiritual joy, and you, having communicated with Christ and become partakers of Him, are anointed with myrrh.” /p.289-292. Creation. Mystery Word. Sergiev Posad, 1893/.
It was precisely as a separate, special sacrament that the Apostles of Christ understood Confirmation. For example, app. Luke in the book of Acts tells that the Holy Spirit did not pour out his gifts on the Samaritans baptized by Deacon Philip until the Samaritans accepted the laying on of the apostolic hands on them, but received these gifts of the Holy Spirit when the apostles prayerfully laid their hands on them (Acts 8). :15-17).
From this narrative it is especially clear that the apostles considered it necessary to go to Samaria to those who received Baptism from Deacon Philip not in order to perform, or complete, complete the image of the Baptism of the Samaritans: the Samaritans were already baptized and were Christians. The apostles, as follows from the narrative, went to Samaria solely for the sake of the Samaritans and did not have anyone in mind. Next is the writer ap. Luke reports that the apostles prayed for all the baptized Samaritans so that they would receive the Holy Spirit; after the laying on of hands, indeed all the baptized received the Spirit of God (Acts 8:17).
From this passage of Holy Scripture it obviously follows:
1. it clearly and definitely speaks of the special action of the Holy Spirit on believers, different from the action in the sacrament of Baptism;
2. the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as in the sacrament of Baptism, are taught through the ministers of the Church;
3. The effect of this special grace is to restore and strengthen the powers imparted to believers in Baptism.
The predominant, main difference between Baptism and Confirmation is that the sacrament of Baptism is the door to the Church of Christ, which, if someone does not want to enter, he will not enter the kingdom of God, while the newly baptized, even if he died without Confirmation, remains alive for Christ.
St. St. speaks about the invisible, inner side of the sacrament of Confirmation. App. John and Paul: “And you have the anointing of the Holy One and know everything. And you have received the anointing from Him, it abides in you, and you do not demand, but who teaches you: but because that very anointing you teach about everything, both true and not false; and as he has taught you, continue in him” (1 John 2:20, 27). Another apostle says similarly: “Give us recognition in Christ, and God, who has anointed us. Who also sealed us and gave the betrothal of the Spirit into our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:21-22).
These texts indicate that in the sacrament of “Anointing from the Holy One,” the believer receives strength to constantly, unswervingly remain in truth and piety, to reflect and distinguish all lies, which means that the anointed one receives gifts that “increase and strengthen in spiritual life.” "
It should be noted that on the basis of the above sayings of the apostles the words included in the rite of Confirmation were taken: “ seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit", which, according to the "Orthodox Confession of the Eastern Patriarchs", have the following meaning: "Through anointing with holy myrrh, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are sealed and confirmed on the baptized person, which he receives to strengthen his Christian faith" / Issue. 104/.
In particular:
through the anointing of the forehead, the sanctification of the mind or thoughts is imparted;
through the anointing of the eyes, nostrils, lips and ears - the sanctification of the senses;
through the anointing of the persea - sanctification of the heart or desires;
through the anointing of hands and feet - the sanctification of all deeds and all behavior of a Christian.
The Sacrament of Confirmation from its visible, external side was carried out in two ways:
a) laying on of hands;
b) anointing.
From the book of the Acts of the Apostles it is known that in the early days of its existence Church of Christ The apostles used the laying on of hands to impart the gifts of the Holy Spirit to those being baptized (Acts 8:14-17:19, 6).
The successors of the apostles, instead of the laying on of hands, began to use anointing, an example of which was the anointing with chrism, which took place in the Old Testament, as a visible means of bringing down the gifts of the Holy Spirit to people (Ex. 30:25: 1 Kings 1:39).
It is even possible that the “laying on of hands” to bring down the gifts of the Holy Spirit to believers was replaced by “anointing with chrism” by the apostles themselves, to which partly the words of the apostle. John: “And you have the anointing of the Holy One and know everything” (1 John 2:20). It is quite natural that the apostles, when there were still not many baptized, taught the believers the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. When the number of those baptized increased significantly and the apostles could no longer manage to perform this sacrament themselves, they replaced the laying on of hands with confirmation, giving the right to perform it to the elders.
At the same time, it is important to note that Holy Scripture, pointing out the twofold way of performing the sacrament of Confirmation - by laying on of hands or anointing with chrism - nowhere says that both of these sacred rites should be performed at the same time, at the same time. But he says that one method can be replaced by another.
The question may arise why in our Church the laying on of hands is not done, but anointing with chrism is performed at Baptism. Archbishop Filaret (Gumilevsky) of Chernigov speaks about this beautifully in his “Dogmatic Theology”: “The laying on of the hand, expressing the ease with which the servant of Christ distributes the gift, should be called a completely apostolic sign of gift-giving; Confirmation, on the one hand, not having this advantage, is quite befitting of the humble successors of the apostolic authority, on the other hand, it more palpably expresses high, invisible grace for us, and therefore is more appropriate for our common weakness. 2., p. 238/.
The sacrament of Confirmation is performed only on those who have already been baptized. Confirmation of this can be seen in the example and teaching of the apostles: (Acts 8:14-17, 19, 5; Heb.6:2). Indeed, it is impossible to determine a time when a person did not need strengthening grace, therefore entire families baptized by the apostles, following the sacrament of Baptism, received through the apostles the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that Confirmation can also be performed on infants, following Baptism. The history of the Church of the first centuries of Christianity also confirms this: for example, St. Gregory the Theologian writes: “If you protect yourself with a seal, you will secure your future in the best and most effective way, marking your soul and body with Confirmation and the Spirit, like ancient Israel with the nightly and protective blood of the firstborn and anointing, then what can happen to you? "(Ex.12:13) / G. Dyachenko, priest. Lessons and examples of the Christian faith. St. Petersburg, 1900, p. 505/.
The Sacrament of Confirmation, like the Sacrament of Baptism, is not repeated. As for the anointing of St. peace of emperors, sovereigns at the crowning of their kingdom, this was not a repetition of the sacrament of Confirmation, but was defined as a different, higher way of communicating the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as necessary for the great service of one’s Fatherland, as was indicated by God Himself in the Old Testament ( Daniel 4:22. 29). For example, it is known that the sacrament of the Priesthood is not repeated, but it has its own degrees, and new ordination provides clergy for higher ministries. Thus, the Confirmation of kings for the kingdom is only a special, highest degree of sacrament, bringing down the “great spirit” on the anointed of God.
Only over apostates and heretics who have blotted out the seal of the Holy Spirit within themselves is the sacrament of Confirmation repeated, as decreed in the rules of the Church (7th rule of the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople).
Oh St. world used during the celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation, it should be noted that it can be consecrated by representatives of the highest hierarchy of the Church, the highest hierarchy in the person of bishops, as the closest successors of the apostles. To perform the sacraments themselves, i.e. anoint St. Elders can also give peace to the newly baptized.
Holy Chrism consists of oil, wine and a mixture of various fragrant substances, which after the consecration of St. water and prayers, are boiled during the first three days of Holy Week in specially constructed cauldrons with constant reading of the Gospel. Then the holy myrrh is poured into 12 vessels (according to the number of 12 Apostles), and on Maundy Thursday it is consecrated at the liturgy before the consecration of the Holy Gifts during the singing of “We sing to Thee” / Take in the library “The Order of Chrism Making”. /
Confirmation, both before 1917 and now, is performed in 2 places - Kyiv and Moscow, and then sent to dioceses to perform the sacrament of Confirmation.
There is a difference in the sacrament of Confirmation between the Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Distinction of the Catholic Church: (Confirmation)
a) Confirmation is performed only by bishops;
b) Confirmation is not communicated to infants;
c) When performing the sacrament, there is anointing with chrism and also the laying on of hands; the words of the rite are different: “I signify you with the sign of the cross and strengthen you with the world of salvation, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". At the same time, the person being anointed is lightly hit on the cheeks (lanits) and the words “peace be with you” are said.
d) Of the body parts, only the forehead is anointed.
Differences of the Protestant Church:
Luther initially recognized Confirmation, but then rejected it from among the sacraments. After Luther, in connection with the disputes of the Anabaptists, Protestants reintroduced Confirmation into practice, saying that their confirmation was performed “to revive the justifying faith.” Confirmation takes place after Easter in front of the people. The ritual is performed through the laying on of hands, which does not have the power of a sacrament for them, because there is no apostolic succession in the hierarchy.
Repentance
Repentance is a sacrament in which one who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself.
The Sacrament of Repentance was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. First, even before His resurrection, He promised the apostles to grant the power to forgive sins: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
Appearing after the resurrection to His disciples, gathered together, except for one Apostle Thomas, the Savior actually gave them this power, saying: “ Receive the Holy Spirit: and by them forgive your sins, they will be forgiven them: and by them you hold, they hold"(John 20:22-23).
From these words it follows:
a) The Lord Himself gave the apostles and their successors the power to forgive sins, i.e. this sacrament can only be performed by a clergyman - a presbyter or bishop;
b) sins are forgiven or retained precisely by the Holy Spirit, i.e. Divine invisible power and action;
c) the clergyman expresses this power in a visible way: through blessing, as a sacred act, and by pronouncing a prayer absolved from sins.
It should be said that even before Christ, His Forerunner John the Baptist called for Repentance, who “preached baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and those who came to John the Baptist “ confessed their sins"(Mark 1:4-5). In addition, John the Baptist preached repentance " according to the word of God"(Luke 3:2), and was for this purpose" sent by God"(John 1:33).
The visible side of the sacrament of Repentance consists in the confession of sins, which the penitent makes before God in the presence of a priest, as well as in the resolution of sins, pronounced by the priest after confession.
Confession itself is performed as follows: before the Cross and the Gospel, lying on a lectern, as if before the Lord Himself, the repentant, after preliminary prayers and admonitions from the priest, verbally confesses all his sins, without hiding anything, without making excuses, but accusing himself.
The priest, having heard the entire confession, covers the head of the penitent with an epitrachelion and reads a prayer of absolution, in which and through which in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the authority given to him, he absolves the penitent from all confessed sins. If the sins turn out to be especially serious, then the priest, at his own discretion, may not allow them, but retain them on the sinner.
The invisible effect of God's grace consists in the fact that a truly repentant person, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself. With this action, the penitent is reconciled with God, the Church and his own conscience and, freed from eternal punishment for sins, receives hope for eternal salvation. " If we confess our sins,- says the Apostle John, - the Lord is faithful and righteous, may he forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(1 John 1:9).
In order for one who approaches the Sacrament of Repentance to truly receive remission of sins, he is required to:
a) contrition for sins;
b) a firm intention to improve your life;
c) hope in the mercy of Christ and faith in the Savior.
Contrition for sins. This is required by the very essence of repentance. He who truly repents cannot help but realize the full gravity of his sins, of which there are many, “like the sand of the sea.” Such a person cannot help but grieve in his heart and lament his sins. Therefore, in the first preparatory week before Great Lent, the Church offers during Sunday services the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, and then the Gospel story (in the 2nd week) about the prodigal son.
The Apostle Paul also testifies to contrition for sins: “ Sorrow, as according to Bose, brings unrepentant repentance to salvation"(2 Cor.7:10), i.e. sadness that we anger God with our sins leads a person to salvation. From this apostolic letter it is clear that the contrition of the repentant should stem not only from the fear of punishment for sins, not from the idea of only the disastrous consequences of sins, but primarily from love for God, whose will the person violated, thereby offending God, for he showed before Him his ingratitude, and therefore becoming unworthy of Him. St. John Chrysostom speaks about it this way: “When you sin, cry and groan not about the fact that you will be punished, this is not important; but that you have insulted Your Master, Who is so good, loves you so much, cares so much about your salvation, that He betrayed His Son for you. This is what you should cry and moan about, and cry incessantly. For this is what confession consists of.” In another place, the same Saint writes: “Just as fire, falling on a substance, usually consumes everything, so the fire of love, wherever it falls, consumes and blots out everything... Where there is love, there all sins are consumed” / On 2 Tim. Conversation VII. 3.
In other words, the main condition for the reconciliation of a person with God is, according to the teaching of St. John Chrysostom, love for God, and not fear of punishment for sin.
The intention to improve your life. The prophet Ezekiel speaks about the firm intention to correct one’s life, as a necessary condition for receiving forgiveness of sins: “And when the sinner returns from his iniquity and does justice and righteousness, he will live in them” (Ezek. 33:19).
Repentance in mere words, without even an inner desire to correct one’s life, deserves even greater condemnation. A similar attitude towards the sacrament of St. Paul compares it with the repeated crucifixion of the Son of God by sinners: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, to have fallen away, it is impossible for such to be renewed again by repentance; when they again crucify the Son of God within themselves” (Heb. 6:4-6).
St. Basil the Great discusses confession as follows: “It is not he who confesses his sin who said: I have sinned, and then remains in sin; but the one who, according to the word of the psalm, “found his sin and hated it.” What benefit does the sick person benefit from the doctor's care when the person suffering from illness clings tightly to that which is destructive to life? So there is no benefit from forgiving the untruths to those who still commit untruths, and from apologizing for debauchery to those who continue to live dissolutely” / Creator. Holy Fathers. VI, 58/.
Faith in Christ and hope in His mercy. Without faith and hope, the soul of a sinner is doomed to despondency, but faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy can pacify the most indignant, tormented conscience of a sinner. An example of this is the triple renunciation of Christ by the Apostle Peter, who himself later spoke to the centurion Cornelius and those with him about the hope of mercy from God like this: “About this, that is, about Jesus Christ, all the prophets testify, the remission of sins is received in His name to everyone who believes in He" (Acts 10:43).
From the Sacred History of the New Testament it is known, for example, that for sincere repentance the Lord had mercy on a sinner who washed the Savior’s feet with tears, anointed them with myrrh and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50). From the history of the Christian Church it is known that many of the greatest sinners, through repentance, switched to the path of a virtuous life and received salvation, such as St. martyr Evdokia (March 1), St. Mary of Egypt (April 1).
To arouse the feelings required by sincere repentance, there are special means - fasting and prayer. According to the charter of the Church, preparation for confession requires a week. Abstaining from food and drink at this time, each repentant must attend divine services in church every day, pray more often at home, read the Holy Scriptures, and avoid idle amusements, entertainment and pleasures. During this period, remember all your sins committed since the previous confession.
The time of such preparation for the sacrament of Repentance is sometimes called fasting, i.e. a time of especially reverent behavior for a Christian.
From the narration of Holy Scripture it is known from the examples of Moses and Jesus Christ, who, taking upon themselves the sins of the people: Moses - the Jewish, and the Savior - the sins of the whole world - spent 40 days in fasting and prayer.
We know even from everyday life. that when a person is seriously busy with something, he often forgets about food. Moreover, when a person requires effort in the most important work - on his soul, then with excessive consumption of food it will simply be impossible to concentrate and prayerfully prepare oneself for spiritual wakefulness. Or, as the ancient sages said: “ You need to eat to live, not live to eat!“Saint John Chrysostom teaches: “Whoever prays with fasting has two wings, lighter than the wind itself; he is faster than fire and higher than the earth; That is why such a person is especially a doctor and a warrior against demons, since there is no stronger person who sincerely prays and fasts” / Titov G., priest. Part 2. With. 90 “Lessons on space. Christ kat"/.
After confession, penance is sometimes imposed on the repentant as a means of cleansing and pacifying the conscience of an already repentant sinner. The word “” means “punishment according to the laws”, as well as “honor, honorable name”. But more accurately and in accordance with the meaning of penance, they translate into Russian as “prohibition” (see translation from Greek 2 Cor. 2:6).
Penance is imposed on the penitent not in order to satisfy the justice of God, since such satisfaction is for all times for all people, and for all sins, given by Jesus Christ in His Atoning Sacrifice, but in order to help the penitent overcome the habit of sin and recognize all the severity of your sins.
St. Gregory the Theologian discusses this this way: “Just as different medicines and food are given to bodies, so souls are healed in different ways and ways. Witnesses of such healing are the sick themselves... For some a scourge is needed, and for others a bridle... Some are corrected by admonition, others by reprimand... For some one thing is good and useful, and for others another, according to how time and circumstances require, and as the temperament of the person being healed allows "/p.973. S.V. Bulgakov. Handbook for priests and church ministers. 2nd ed. Kharkov, 1900/.
Depending on the nature of the sins and the moral state of the sinner, penances vary. For example, an intemperate person is assigned a fast beyond what is prescribed for everyone; to the stingy and greedy - giving alms; absent-minded and carried away by worldly pleasures - more frequent going to church, reading Holy Scripture, intensive home prayer with prostrations, etc.
For some more serious sins, the sinner may even be excommunicated from the Church or from St. Communion on certain time. Thus, penance is a punishment in itself, but a special educational means used in relation to a sinner.
St. John Chrysostom speaks about the connection between Repentance and penance: “I call repentance not only to lag behind previous bad deeds, but even more so to do good deeds. “Create,” says John (the Forerunner of Christ), “fruits worthy of repentance.” How can we create them? Doing the opposite. For example, did you steal someone else's property? - From now on, give me yours too. Have you been fornicating for a long time? Now refrain from communicating with your wife on certain days and get used to abstinence. Insulted and even beat anyone? From now on, bless those who offend you... For to heal us, it is not enough to just remove the arrow from the body, but we also need to apply medicine to the wound. Have you indulged in voluptuousness and drunkenness before? Now fast and drink only water, for it is said: “Turn away from evil and do good” (Ps. 33). / Demon. X on evang. Mf. With. 179 – 190.
You just need to remember that when imposing penance, it is important to pay attention to the state of the penitent, so that sometimes you do not assign such penance that it will be impossible for a person to fulfill. For example, the sick and old cannot be fasted or prostrated to the ground, etc.
It is worthy of note that in the Old Testament, repentance was of great importance. For example, Noah preached repentance, and those who listened to him were saved (Gen. 7; 1 Pet. 3:20). Jonah announced destruction to the Ninevites, but they, repenting of their sins, propitiated God with their prayers, and received salvation, although they were far from God (Jonah 3rd chapter).
Sometimes a priest is approached with the following question or complaint: I am suffering from such and such a disease, but no matter how much I confess or receive communion, I still do not receive healing from God. Once a similar question was addressed to the Optina Elder Scheromonk Ambrose, who answered: “Although the Lord sells sins to those who repent, every sin requires a cleansing punishment. For example, the Lord Himself said to the prudent thief: today you will be with Me in paradise; and meanwhile, after these words, they broke his legs; And what was it like to hang on the cross for three hours on only your hands, with your shins broken? This means that he needed purifying suffering. “For sinners who die immediately after repentance, the prayers of the Church and those praying for them serve as cleansing: and those who are still alive must themselves be cleansed by correcting their lives and by alms covering their sins” / p. 92-93. - Eternal. Collection No. 9. March. 1986 No. 345/.
If in the Orthodox Church penance has the meaning of healing for the penitent, then in the Catholic Church penance is not healing, but satisfaction for sin, or retribution, payment. Therefore, in the Catholic Church there is such a thing as indulgence. Catholic theology teaches that the satisfaction brought by Jesus Christ frees the sinner from eternal punishment; but besides this, there are also temporary punishments for “temporary sins,” and these temporary punishments constitute penance, as satisfaction for temporary sin. This satisfaction is accomplished in two ways: either by the sinner himself, or through others, due to the supererogatory merits of Jesus Christ and the saints, whose merits are acquired by the sinner. To acquire these merits, a sinner only needs to pay a certain amount to the Church. And through different sums of money, you can “buy” forgiveness in advance for this or that sin and avoid punishment.
As for the Protestants, they do not recognize Repentance as a sacrament, there is no confession, there is only a “general feeling of sorrow for sins.”
Communion
Communion is a Sacrament in which the believer, under the guise of bread and wine, partakes of the very Body and Blood of Christ for eternal life. The book “Orthodox Confession of Faith” speaks about this sacrament: “ This Sacrament surpasses all others, and is more conducive to obtaining our salvation."(Part 1. Question 106). Otherwise, Communion is also called the Eucharist (Greek - “grateful sacrifice”) - it is “a sacrifice that is offered to God for all the living and the dead and propitiates Him” (Right. Confess. Part 1. Question 107).
The sacrament of Communion was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself during His last supper with His disciples. On the eve of His suffering, on Thursday morning, the Lord commanded the apostles Peter and John to go to Jerusalem and prepare there a special upper room and everything necessary for the celebration of the Old Testament Passover.
When the Lord Himself came with the rest of the disciples, He first of all showed the apostles an example of humility and love, washing their feet, and then, lying down with them, celebrated the Old Testament Passover.
Talking with his disciples, Christ predicted to them about His suffering, and also indicated His betrayer Judas. Then the sacrament of Communion itself was established: when Christ, having given thanks and glorified God the Father for all His ineffable mercies to the human race, He took bread, blessed it, broke it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “ Take, eat: this is My body, which was broken for you." Then he took the cup of wine, blessed it, and, giving it to the disciples, said: “ Drink of it, all of you: this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins" Having given communion to the apostles, the Lord said to them: “ Do this in My remembrance"(Matthew 26:17-28; Mark 14:12-24; Luke 22:7-20 1 Cor. 11:25). This is how this New Testament Sacrament was established, in which the Lord presented a living image of His saving suffering.
According to the commandment of Christ, the apostles performed this Sacrament “all the days.” It is happening in the Church now, and will be happening until the end of the age (Acts 2:42:1 Cor. 1:26).
On what day was the Sacrament of Communion established by the Savior?
The Law of Moses prescribed that Passover should be celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Nissan (corresponding to our March), in memory of the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12). Meanwhile, Jesus Christ celebrated Passover with His disciples the day before the time established by the Mosaic Law, i.e. 13 Nissan, for on the 14th day of Nissan Christ was already crucified. It should be immediately noted that there is no violation of the law by Jesus here, for at this time it was the custom of the Jews to celebrate Passover and the 13th and 14th of Nisan. The reason was that one day was clearly not enough to slaughter the Passover animals - lambs (approximately 256,000 lambs were slaughtered in the Jerusalem Temple). Therefore, Christ, in accordance with the existing custom, celebrated Easter.
The visible side of the Sacrament of Communion is the substance of the Sacrament - bread, wine, as well as the sacred rite of the Sacrament during which it is performed.
The bread used for the sacrament of Communion must be:
a) wheat, because this type of bread was eaten by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. The Lord often compared Himself to a grain of wheat: the Apostles also consumed this kind of bread.
b) pure, as the holiness of the Sacrament requires: the bread must be pure not only in substance, but also in the method of preparation and in the quality of the persons entrusted with this preparation;
c) leavened, because this is the bread that was used at the Last Supper.
The wine used for the sacrament must be:
a) grape – following the example of Jesus Christ and the apostles (Matthew 26:27-29);
b) red – in appearance, reminiscent of blood. (But some Orthodox peoples, for example Romanians, also use white wine).
The wine dissolves with water, because all the sacred rites of the sacrament of Communion are arranged in the image of the suffering of Christ, and during His suffering blood and water flowed from His pierced rib.
The sacred act during which the sacrament of Communion is performed is called Liturgy, which translated means “public service.” Since the liturgy is performed in grateful remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross, it is also called the Eucharist, i.e. “thanksgiving”: Sometimes people call the Liturgy mass - after the time of its celebration in the pre-dinner time.
The Liturgy, in terms of the importance of the Sacrament performed at it, constitutes the main and essential part of Christian worship, and all other daily church services only serve as preparation for it.
The Liturgy must certainly be celebrated in a church, the Throne of which, or sometimes instead of the Throne, the antimension used on which the sacrament is performed, must be consecrated by the bishop. Usually a temple is called a church because believers who make up the Church gather there for prayer and the Sacrament, and the meal is called a throne because Jesus Christ, as a King, is mysteriously present at it.
The liturgy consists of 3 parts:
a) Proskomedia, during which the substance for the Sacrament is prepared;
b) Liturgy of the Catechumens, during which the faithful prepare for the sacrament;
c) The Liturgy of the Faithful, during which the sacrament itself is celebrated.
Proskomedia- (Greek “bringing”) got its name from the custom of ancient Christians to bring bread and wine to the temple to perform the sacrament. That is why this brought bread was called prosphora, which means (Greek) “offering”.
At Proskomedia, the Nativity and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ are remembered. The priest, remembering the prophecies and foreshadowings, as well as the historical events themselves that took place before the Nativity and the suffering of Jesus Christ, takes out from the prosphora the part needed to perform the Sacrament, places it on the paten, cuts it crosswise and perforates it. The part taken out from the prosphora is called the Lamb, because it represents a prototype of the suffering Jesus Christ, just as in the Old Testament the prototype of Christ was the Passover Lamb, which the Jews, according to Divine commandment, slaughtered and ate, in memory of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery.
Then the priest takes the required portion of the wine combined with water and pours it into the chalice (chalice). After this, the priest remembers the entire Church - glorifies the saints; prays for the living and the dead, for the authorities, for those who brought prosphora or offerings out of their zeal and faith.
Although 5 prosphoras are used to celebrate the Liturgy at Proskomedia (in memory of the miraculous feeding of 5,000 people with five loaves), only one bread is used for the sacrament itself, which means, according to the Apostle Paul, that “ One bread, one body we are many: for we all partake of one bread"(1 Cor.10:17), or in Russian: " There is one bread, and we who are many (form) one body; for we all partake of one bread».
Liturgy of the Catechumens- so named because, in addition to those who were baptized and entitled to receive communion, catechumens were also allowed to attend and pray at it, i.e. those preparing for baptism, as well as those who repent, are not allowed to receive Communion.
The Liturgy of the Catechumens begins with a blessing, or glorification of the kingdom of the Holy Trinity, and consists of litanies, prayers, chants, readings of the Apostolic books and the Gospel. It ends with a command to the catechumens to leave the church.
Liturgy of the Faithful- is called because only some are faithful, i.e. Those who have been baptized have the opportunity to be present at this service. The main rites of the Liturgy of the Faithful are as follows:
a) transferring gifts from the altar to the throne or Great Entrance;
b) preparing believers for the consecration of gifts;
c) calling them to stand worthy at the Eucharist and the beginning of the Eucharist;
d) offering gifts and consecrating them;
e) remembrance of members of the heavenly and earthly Church;
f) communion of clergy, laity and thanksgiving after communion. Vacation.
The invisible side of the sacrament of Communion:
The most important sacred rite in the liturgy of the faithful is a special prayer of thanksgiving, read over the bread and wine. After this, they are ineffably present on the throne as Body and Blood.
The saving fruits obtained from worthy Communion consist in the fact that the one who partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ is most closely united with Jesus Christ Himself, and through this becomes a participant in eternal life: “ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him"(John 6:56). " Eat My flesh and drink My blood, have an eternal life"(John 6:54) - says Christ Himself.
In view of such saving and great fruits imparted in the sacrament of Communion, this sacrament is especially necessary for every Christian from the day of Baptism, throughout his entire life, until death. Ancient Christians therefore took communion on every Sunday.
Calling all Orthodox Christians to the sacrament of Communion, the Church, represented by the church hierarchy, admits them to the Eucharist in no other way than after preliminary preparation. Such preparation consists of testing one’s conscience before God and cleansing it by repentance for sins in confession, which is especially facilitated by fasting and prayer. The Apostle Paul speaks about it this way: “Let a man tempt himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and let him drink of the cup; , 29), or in Russian: “let a man test himself, and thus let him eat of this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment upon himself, not considering the Body of the Lord” (i.e., not having due attention and respect for this great sacrament).
All the sacred rites of the Liturgy are arranged in such a sequence that they give us a clear memory of the Savior and His service to the human race. This is how the Nativity and suffering of Jesus Christ are remembered at Proskomedia. The Small Entrance, performed with the Gospel at the Liturgy of the Catechumens, reminds us of the appearance of Jesus Christ to preach. The burning candle offered to the Gospel recalls the teaching of Jesus Christ, Who said about Himself: “ I am the light of the world", and also symbolizes John the Baptist, who preceded Christ and is called in the Holy Scriptures " a lamp burning and shining" Therefore, while reading the Gospel, it is necessary to have such attention and reverence as if we saw and heard the Savior Himself.
The procession of clergy with prepared gifts to the altar, the Great Entrance, which takes place at the Liturgy of the faithful, reminds worshipers of Christ’s procession to His free suffering and His death. In addition, the Great Entrance symbolizes the burial of the body of Jesus Christ. In this meaning, the priest and deacon depict Joseph and Nicodemus; The Holy Gifts are the most pure body of the Lord; covers - burial shrouds; censer - aromas; closing the gates - closing the Holy Sepulcher and leaving a guard with it.
The performance of the sacrament itself and the communion of the clergy at the altar are reminiscent of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ Himself with the Apostles, His suffering, death and burial; the taking away of the veil, the opening of the royal doors and the manifestation of the Holy Gifts - the resurrection of the Savior and the appearance of His disciples and many other people; the last appearance of the Holy Gifts, after which they are taken to the altar, is the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven.
The celebration of the Sacrament of Communion in the Church of Christ will always continue until the 2nd Coming of Christ, as the Apostle Paul testifies: “ As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes"(1 Cor. 11:26).
Very often the priest is asked questions about how often it is necessary to receive Holy Communion. This is what the saints say about this. fathers:
St. John Chrysostom:“Who should we approve? Are those who receive communion once, or those who often, or those who rarely? Neither one nor the other, nor the third, but those who partake with clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life" /Creations. 2nd ed. St. Petersburg, 1906, t. 12, p. 153
Rev. Seraphim Sarovsky:“I command you to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ... on all four Lents and the twelve feasts, even on major feast days; the more often, the better... Because the grace given to us by Communion is so great that no matter how unworthy and sinful a person may be, only in the humble consciousness of his all-sinfulness will he approach the Lord, who redeems us all, at least from head to toe covered with the sores of sins - and will be cleansed by the grace of Christ, brighter and brighter, and will be completely enlightened and saved! » /Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. St. Petersburg, 1903, p. 463/.
Marriage
Marriage is a sacrament with which, with the bride and groom freely promising their mutual marital fidelity before the Priest and the Church, their marital union is blessed, in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church, and the grace of pure unanimity is asked for the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children.
The Sacrament of Marriage has a Divine institution. God himself established and sanctified marriage in paradise, when, bringing to Adam a wife created from his rib, he blessed them and said: “ Grow and multiply and fill the earth"(Gen.1:28).
In the New Testament, the Divine establishment of the sacrament of Marriage was confirmed by the Savior when He honored and blessed the marriage in Cana of Galilee with His personal presence (John 2:1-11), and then in a conversation with the Pharisees in response to their question whether one can divorce one’s wife for any fault, Christ finally established the law of marriage, saying: “ For if God unites, let not man separate"(Matthew 19:4-6).
The Apostle Paul refers to Marriage as a sacrament: “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery: I speak into Christ and into the church” (Eph. 5:31).
The visible side of the sacrament of Marriage consists of:
a) in the solemn testimony of the bride and groom before the priest and the Church that they enter into a marriage union with mutual consent, that they voluntarily and naturally will remain faithful until the end of their lives;
b) in the blessing of their marriage by the priest, when he, having placed crowns on the heads of the bride and groom, blesses them three times, proclaiming: “Lord our God, crown me with glory and honor.”
When celebrating the sacrament of Marriage, special rituals are used that have their own deep meaning:
a) the newlyweds are given burning candles and rings as a sign of mutual love for each other and the inseparability of their marriage union;
b) crowns are placed on the newlyweds as a reward for a chaste life and as a sign of their victory and mastery over their own passions;
c) is given to drink from a cup of wine in remembrance of the ancient custom - to partake of the Holy Mysteries on the day of the sacrament of Marriage, and in remembrance of the miracle performed by the Lord in Cana of Galilee, and also as a sign that from now on the husband and wife must drink common in their lives a cup of both joy and sorrow;
d) walking around the lectern three times is performed as a sign of spiritual triumph and joy, and together with the inseparability of the marriage union (the circle is a symbol of eternity).
The invisible effect of the grace of God given in the sacrament of Marriage is that at the time when the priest blesses the couple with the words: “ Lord our God, crown me with glory and honor!– The Lord Himself invisibly unites them, blesses, sanctifies and confirms their marital union in the image of His union with the Church.
At the same time, Divine grace is bestowed, helping to maintain the unanimity and love of husband and wife in mutual duties and relationships. This grace will help them in a truly Christian life, and also promote the blessed birth of children - future children of the Church and their upbringing in the fear of God, in the knowledge of the faith and law of God.
Marriage is not obligatory for each person individually. Virginity is considered better than marriage if someone can keep it pure, because it is more convenient for serving the Lord, as Christ himself testified: “ Not everyone can comprehend this word; but to them it is given to eat: he who can contain it, let him contain it”(Matthew 19:11-12), or in Russian: “not everyone can comprehend this word, but to whom it is given (that is, to whom the ability for a celibate life is given). Whoever can accommodate (i.e., fulfill the teaching of celibacy), let him accommodate (let him fulfill).”
For this very reason, many holy saints avoided marriage and maintained virginity. For example, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, the Apostles James and John.
The Apostle Paul also speaks about the advantage of virginity over marriage: “I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them, if they continue as I did. If they can’t resist, they will encroach. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who is married cares for the things of the world, how he may please his wife. Give your virgin to marriage, she will do good; and do not give, he does better” (1 Cor. 7:8, 9, 32, 38).
The Holy Fathers said the following about the sacrament of Marriage:
Saint Gregory the Theologian:“If anyone, out of zeal for virtue, despises marital love, then let him know that virtue is not alien to this love. In ancient times, not only did all the pious enjoy marriage, but the fruit of tender marital love were also the mystical spectators of Christ’s suffering - the prophets (Moses, Ezekiel), patriarchs (Abraham, Jacob), priests, victorious kings, adorned with all sorts of virtues, because the earth did not give birth to the vigorous ... but they are all the offspring and glory of marriage” /c. 61. Creations. Part 5. M., 1847/.
St. John Chrysostom(about divorce): “Getting a divorce is contrary to both nature and divine law. Nature - since one flesh is being cut, law - since you are attempting to divide what God has united and ordered to be divided” / p. 635. Creations. 2nd ed. T.7. St. Petersburg, 1901/.
St. John Chrysostom(about childbirth and upbringing): “The birth of children became the greatest consolation for people when they became mortal. That is why the humane God, in order to immediately mitigate the punishment of the first parents and ease the fear of death, granted the birth of children, revealing in them... the image of the Resurrection” /c. 162. Creations. 2nd ed. T.4. St. Petersburg, 1898/.
“If the children born by you receive a proper upbringing and are taught in virtue through your cares, this will be the beginning and foundation of your salvation, and, in addition to the reward for your own good deeds, you will receive a great reward for their upbringing” / p. 783. T.4./.
Sacrament of Marriage
“If you want to take a spouse,
Four things you should know:
Firstly, from what kind of family,
Secondly, is she pretty?
And her disposition is meek, or cool,
Fourthly, what do they give behind it?
If all four are good,
God help you - hurry down the aisle.”
Priesthood
The previously discussed sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation. The Eucharist and Penance are necessary for all people. The sacraments of Priesthood, Marriage and Blessing of Anointing are not obligatory for all members of the Church. The priesthood is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit, rightly chosen, through the ordination of a hierarch, ordains to perform the Sacraments and shepherd the flock of Christ.
The fact that the Priesthood is truly a Sacrament in which Divine grace, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, is communicated is confirmed by Holy Scripture itself. For example, the Apostle Paul says to his disciple Timothy, who was appointed bishop of Ephesus: “ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood."(1 Tim. 4:14), and in another letter he writes: " I remind you to kindle the gift of God that is in you through my ordination"(2 Tim.1:6).
The book of Acts (Acts 14:23) says that the apostles Paul and Barnabas, when they preached through the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, “ordained elders for them in every Church.”
The priesthood, as a sacrament, has a Divine institution. Having chosen the apostles, Jesus Christ gave them the authority to teach and perform the sacraments.
a) About the power to teach: “Go and teach... (Matt. 28:19)
b) Perform the sacraments: - baptism “Go and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
c) Repentance: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
After ascending into heaven, the Savior sent down the Holy Spirit on them, Who clothed them with the powers necessary for apostolic service: (Acts 1:8, 2:4). " You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses.».
Having become the highest hierarchs of the Church of Christ, the apostles, preaching the teachings of Christ and establishing the Church in various places, elected special persons from among the believers, to whom through prayer and ordination they transmitted the grace of the Priesthood.
Initially they elected deacons (Acts 6:1-7), then elders (Acts 14:23) and bishops, to whom the apostles transferred their Divine authority to ordain other specially chosen and prepared people (1 Tim. 4:14: 2 Tim.2:2; Titus 1:5-9).
From the above passages of Holy Scripture it clearly and definitely follows:
a) the priesthood, as a sacrament, has an external, visible side - episcopal ordination;
b) through this sacred act, a special gift descends on the elect, different from the grace-filled gifts bestowed in other sacraments.
The Apostle Paul points out what gifts are communicated to those ordained in the sacrament of the Priesthood: “ Thus let man hate us, as the servants of Christ and the builders of the Mysteries of God"(1 Cor.4:1), or in Russian: " So, everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God».
Elsewhere in Holy Scripture it is said: “Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the suffering, in which the Holy Spirit hath set you up as Bishops, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, who has acquired it with His Blood” (Acts 20:28). The last words indicate the direct responsibility of shepherds - “ shepherd the Church of the Lord and God", i.e. instruct people in faith, piety and good works.
The visible side of the sacrament of the Priesthood consists in the laying on of the bishop's hands on the initiate, combined with prayer, from which this sacrament is also called ordination, i.e. ordination. The sacrament is always performed in the altar during the Divine Liturgy. Initiation into each degree does not occur at the same time. Thus, a deacon is consecrated after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, a presbyter - immediately after the great entrance before the consecration of the Gifts, and a bishop - at the very beginning of the Liturgy, after entering with the Gospel.
A deacon and a presbyter are ordained by one bishop, and a bishop by a council of bishops, of which, in extreme cases, there must be at least two. When performing a bishop's consecration, not only the hands of bishops are placed on the head of the dedicatee, but the Gospel is also placed in writing in them as a sign that the bishop invisibly receives his consecration from Jesus Christ Himself, as the Chief Shepherd.
The invisible effect of the grace of the sacrament of the priesthood consists in the fact that the one ordained through the laying on of priesthood is given the grace of the priesthood from the Holy Spirit in accordance with his future service.
The Apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, established three degrees of Priesthood: deaconal, presbyteral and episcopal. From that time until now, through episcopal ordination, the Holy Spirit provides shepherds for the Church of Christ (Acts 20:28) and this, according to the word of the Savior Himself, will continue until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
The Divine grace given in the sacrament of the Priesthood is one, but it is communicated to the initiates in varying degrees: to a lesser extent - to the deacon; more to the presbyter, and even more to the bishop, which indicates the difference in their ministries.
The deacon only serves at the sacraments; The presbyter performs the sacraments depending on the bishop; The bishop not only performs the sacraments, but also has the sweetness to teach others through ordination the gift of grace to perform them. The Apostle Paul says that the episcopal degree, completely separate from the presbytery in grace and power, is the highest degree of the Priesthood: “ For this reason, I left you in Crete, corrected the unfinished, and established presbyters throughout the city."(Titus 1:5).
« Don't lay your hands on anyone soon"(1 Tim.5:22). It should be noted here that in the Church there are also special names or titles: metropolitan; exarch, archbishop, archimandrite, protopresbyter, archpriest, hieromonk, archdeacon, protodeacon - these are not the essence of separate degrees of the priesthood, but constitute only various honorary titles awarded personally to the clergyman.
The Holy Fathers of the Church highly valued and understood the Priesthood as a sacrament.
St. John Chrysostom(“six words about the priesthood” see Vol. 1. Desk book of the clergyman. M., 1977) writes: “The priesthood, although performed on earth, belongs to the order of heavenly institutions. Neither man, nor angel, nor archangel, nor any other created power, but the Comforter Himself established this ministry and caused those in the flesh to imitate the service of an angel.”
Saint Gregory the Theologian:/ With. 620. Present Book of the Holy T.1 / “To rule over man, the most cunning and changeable animal, in my opinion, is really the art of the arts and the science of the sciences,” because our medical art is much more difficult, and therefore preferable to the art of healing bodies, but it is even more difficult and because the latter looks little into the depths, and is more concerned with the visible, on the contrary, our healing and care all relate to “the hidden heart of man” (1 Pet. 3:11).
Many holy fathers therefore refused to accept priestly service, due to its height, holiness and complexity. Some of them even fled (John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great) when they were convinced of the need to accept pastoral ministry.
Anointing
Blessing of oil is a sacrament in which, when anointing the body with oil, the grace of God is invoked on the sick person, healing mental and physical infirmities.
The Sacrament of the Blessing of Anointing is otherwise called Unction, because according to ancient custom it is performed by a council of seven (7) priests. It should be noted, however, that if necessary, it can be performed by one priest.
The Sacrament of Anointing was established by Jesus Christ Himself. Sending 12 of His disciples to preach throughout the cities and villages of the land of Judea, the Lord gave them the power to heal every disease and every infirmity (Matthew 10:1). And the Apostles, according to the testimony of the Evangelist Mark, preaching the teachings of Christ, “ I applied oil to many sick people and healed them"(Mark 6:13).
Then the Apostles passed on this sacrament to the clergy of the Church, as evidenced by the Apostle James: “If anyone is sick in you, let him call the elders of the church, and let them perform a prayer over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith will save the sick one, and the Lord will raise him up.” “And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).
The visible side of the Sacrament of Anointing includes:
a) sevenfold anointing of the patient’s body parts (forehead, nostrils, cheeks, mouth, chest and hands) with consecrated oil. The anointing is preceded by the sevenfold reading of the Apostle, the Gospel, a short litany and prayer for the healing of the sick and the forgiveness of his sins;
b) the prayer of faith said by the priest when anointing the sick person;
c) placing the Gospel on the head of the patient with the letters facing down and praying for absolution from sins.
Wheat grains used during the Sacrament of Anointing, into which 7 pods (tassels) entwined with cotton wool or cotton paper, 7 candles and a vessel with oil are placed, serve as a sign of strengthening, revival and resurrection of the sick body. Seven candles are used as a sign of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; Red wine is poured into the oil in memory of how the merciful Samaritan mentioned in the parable of the Lord poured oil and wine on a man wounded by robbers (Luke 10:30-34). Lighted candles are given into the hands of the patient and everyone present during the sacrament as a sign of fervent prayer and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The invisible effect of God’s grace given in the Sacrament of Unction is that:
a) the patient receives healing and reinforcement to endure them;
b) forgiveness of sins.
Within the Roman Catholic Church the following differences exist:
a) the oil must be consecrated by the bishop;
b) the sacrament of anointing should be performed only on the dying person.
Physical and mental infirmities have their origin in human nature. According to the Christian view, the source of bodily illness lies in sin.
This connection of bodily illness with sinfulness is clearly pointed out to us by the Savior Himself in the Gospel: “And they came to Him with a paralytic, whom four were carrying... Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: child! Your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:3-5). After which the paralytic received healing.
However, it should be noted that not all illnesses, without exception, are a direct consequence of sin. There are illnesses and sorrows sent for the purpose of testing and perfecting the believing soul. Such was the illness of Job, as well as of the blind man, about whom the Savior, before healing him, said: “ Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be revealed in him"(John 9:3). And yet, most diseases are recognized in Christianity as a consequence of sin, and the prayers of the Sacrament of Anointing are permeated with this thought.
Health and healing from a religious point of view are considered as the mercy of God, and real healing is the result of a miracle, even if accomplished through human participation. This miracle is performed by God, not because physical health is the highest good, but because it is a manifestation of Divine power and omnipotence, which returns a person back to God.
Sacrament of Baptism
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Baptism (Greek vaptisis - immersion) is a Sacrament in which the believer...Sacrament of Confirmation
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Confirmation (Greek: Myrrh - fragrant oil) is a Sacrament in which the believer...The Sacrament of Communion, or Eucharist
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Communion is a Sacrament in which the believer...Sacrament of Penance
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Repentance is the Sacrament in which he who confesses his sins...Sacrament of Priesthood (Ordination)
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: The Priesthood is a Sacrament in which...Sacrament of Marriage (Wedding)
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Marriage is a Sacrament in which...Sacrament of Anointing (Unction)
The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Blessing of Anointing is a Sacrament in which...Sacrament (Greek. mysterion - secret, sacrament) - sacred actions in which the invisible grace of God is communicated to believers in a visible way.
The word "Sacrament" has in the Holy Scriptures multiple values.
- A deep, intimate thought, thing, or action.
- Divine economy of salvation of the human race, which is portrayed as a mystery, incomprehensible to anyone, even to the Angels.
- Special action of God's Providence in relation to believers, due to which the invisible grace of God incomprehensibly communicated to them in visible.
When applied to church ceremonies, the word Sacrament embraces the first, second, and third concepts.
In the broad sense of the word, everything performed in the Church is a Sacrament: “Everything in the Church is a holy sacrament. Every sacred act is a holy sacrament.” - And even the most insignificant? - Yes, each of them is deep and saving, like the very mystery of the Church, for the most The “minor” sacred act in the Theanthropic organism of the Church is in an organic, living connection with the entire mystery of the Church and the God-Man Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Archim. Justin (Popovich)).
As noted by Rev. John Meyendorff: “In the patristic era there was not even a special term to designate “sacraments” as a special category of church acts: the term misterion was used at first in the broader and general sense of “the mystery of salvation,” and only in the second auxiliary sense was it used to designate private actions that grant salvation,” that is, the Sacraments themselves. Thus, by the word sacrament the Holy Fathers understood everything that relates to To the Divine economy of our salvation.
But the tradition that began to take shape in Orthodox theological schools starting from the 15th century distinguishes from the numerous grace-filled sacred rites the seven Sacraments themselves: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, Repentance, Priesthood, Marriage, Blessing of Anointing ".
All seven Sacraments share the following necessary signs:
- divine establishment;
- invisible grace taught in the Sacrament;
- visible image (following) of its completion.
Directly The Gospel mentions three Sacraments(Baptism, Communion and Repentance). Indications of the divine origin of other Sacraments can be found in the book of Acts, in Apostolic Epistles, as well as in the works of the apostolic men and teachers of the Church of the first centuries of Christianity (St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, St. Cyprian, etc.).
In each Sacrament, a certain gift of grace is communicated to the Christian believer.
- IN Sacrament of Baptism a person is given grace that frees him from his previous sins and sanctifies him.
- IN Sacrament of Confirmation the believer, when parts of the body are anointed with Holy Myrrh, is given grace, putting him on the path of spiritual life.
- IN Sacrament of Penance he who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, receives grace that frees him from his sins.
- IN The Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) the believer receives the grace of deification through union with Christ.
- IN The Sacrament of Anointing when anointing the body with oil (oil), the sick person is given the grace of God, healing mental and physical infirmities.
- IN Sacrament of Marriage spouses are given grace that sanctifies their union (in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church), as well as the birth and Christian upbringing of children.
- IN Sacrament of Priesthood Through hierarchical ordination (ordination), the rightly chosen one from among the believers is given the grace to perform the Sacraments and shepherd the flock of Christ.
The sacraments of the Orthodox Church are divided into:
- unique- Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood;
- repeatable- Repentance, Communion, Blessing of Anointing and, under certain conditions, Marriage.
In addition, the Sacraments are divided into two more categories:
- mandatory for all Christians - Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance, Communion and Blessing of Anointing;
- optional for everyone - Marriage and Priesthood.
Performers of the Sacraments. It is obvious from the very definition of the Sacrament that the “invisible grace of God” can only be given by the Lord. Therefore, speaking about all the Sacraments, it is necessary to recognize that their Performer is God. But the co-workers of the Lord, the people to whom He Himself has granted the right to perform the Sacraments, are the properly appointed bishops and priests of the Orthodox Church. We find the basis for this in the letter of the Apostle Paul: So, everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God(1 Cor. 4; 1).
On January 7, His Grace Seraphim, Bishop of Belevsky and Aleksinsky, took part in the celebration of the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ, held at the Palace of Culture in the city of Aleksin. The holiday began with the singing of the troparion to the Nativity of Christ, after which His Eminence Bishop Seraphim and the head of the municipal administration of the city Aleksin Fedorov Pavel Evgenievich addressed the guests. The gala event included: speeches by students of the House of Culture and students of the Sunday educational group at St. Nicholas Church in the city of Aleksin, as well as an instructive performance telling about the Christmas miracle. At the end of the festive program, a memorable photo was taken with Vladyka and the guests of the holiday. Then the clergy of the Aleksinsky deanery presented Christmas gifts to the children.
The Church, wrote the great shepherd Saint 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, by whom 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 physical nature.
The sacraments have Divine origin, since they were established by Jesus Christ Himself. In each of them, a certain grace is communicated to the Christian, characteristic of this particular Sacrament. The Seven Sacraments, through which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are communicated, correspond to all the most important needs of our spiritual life.
Sacrament of Baptism
Why do we accept baptism or do we 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 must answer this very important question first of all for themselves. So why are we baptized? You can hear very different answers: for God to send good luck in life; so as not to get sick; we are Russians, we live in Russia, which means we need to be baptized; so that bad people don’t jinx it and spoil it, etc. All 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 die for the old life, carnal and sinful. With the waters of baptism, a person is washed from original sin, as well as from all sins that he committed before baptism, if he is baptized as an adult. We come into this world through our parents, they give us physical birth, and we receive 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 become adopted by God, restoring that connection with Him that humanity has lost. More than two thousand years ago our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world; we calculate our chronology from this great date. By the time of His coming, the sins of people had multiplied so much, human nature was 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 upon Himself our human nature and goes through the entire path of earthly life: from birth, temptations, suffering and until death. Christ overcame all temptations, endured all torments, died for us on the Cross and rose again, thereby resurrecting fallen human nature. Now everyone who accepts holy baptism is born of Christ, becomes a Christian and can enjoy the fruits of the atoning Sacrifice of Christ, follow the path that He showed us in the Gospel. For He Himself spoke about 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 fight 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 immerses the person being baptized into the font with the words: “The servant of God is baptized ( namename) 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 common faith, prayer and the Sacraments. The sacraments are established by God; they are conductors of the grace of God, the uncreated Divine energy. In them we receive grace, help from God. They heal our spiritual and physical nature.
A person 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 about the soul for years. We have already said that baptism is called the second birth. What does a mother do after giving birth when she is given a baby? She puts it to her chest and 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, trained. Baptism is also compared to a seed. If you water the seed, loosen the ground, weed the weeds, and take care of it, a beautiful tree will grow from it and bear fruit. But if the seed is not taken care of, it may die and not bring any benefit. The same is true in spiritual life. Baptism does not save us automatically, without our efforts. It makes us children of God and children of the Church, which means we must use all those grace-filled gifts that exist in the Church. The Lord has invested in the Church everything we need for our salvation. The Holy Sacraments, morning and evening prayers, Sunday and holiday services, fasting - all this should accompany the life of an Orthodox person. Having accepted holy baptism, we must try to learn more fully about spiritual life: read the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual literature. Fortunately, huge opportunities for self-education are now open. With very little effort, you can learn the basics of the Orthodox faith, study church traditions and holidays. There is no need to think that since we were not taught this from childhood, then we can no longer comprehend this science. It is not too late to go to God at any age, and the Lord will certainly reveal himself to everyone who turns to Him.
If a person is 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. Or entered very good university, but doesn’t want to study. Some people are brought to church only twice in their lives: once to be baptized, and a second time to have a funeral service. This is scary: it means that a person’s entire life 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, fight them, live according to the commandments of God. By receiving baptism, we receive from God the gift of forgiveness of all our sins and therefore must keep the bright robes of baptism 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 faith, as is known, idle, dead(James 2:20). And the works of faith are life according to the Gospel, prayer, good deeds. The Gospel says that when a demon leaves a person, he wanders through deserted places and, not finding shelter for himself, returns and sees his house (that is, the human soul) swept out, empty, and brings with him seven other demons. And the last is worse than the first. Saint John Chrysostom refers these words to the Sacrament of Baptism. When baptism is completed, but no spiritual work is being done, then the spiritual emptiness is filled with spirits of evil. If a person after baptism does not lead a spiritual life or parents, having baptized a child, do not engage in his spiritual education (do not teach him prayers, do not take him to church), a different spirituality fills the soul. Now that sects and occultism have spread, this is especially dangerous. But there is another danger: the influence of evil on a child’s soul through the media, the Internet and communication with vicious people is enormous. If a person does not receive the correct Christian education, if his soul is not cared for, it will become spiritually sick. Evil is sticky. Christian education 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 for the family.
By accepting baptism, we renounce the devil and all his works, which are sin. To protect us from the devil, we are given great weapons: baptism and the Cross of the Lord. It says: “Save and preserve.” It should not be removed. By removing the cross, we deprive ourselves of protection and protection. A person who wears a cross, prays and begins 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 protects him from all danger, including from the power of demons. This Angel also helps a person in all matters of salvation, encouraging him to good thoughts and deeds.
Parents and godparents should remember how great a responsibility they now have for the Christian upbringing of their children. By raising a child in the commandments, you lay the foundation for his entire life. Every father, every mother wants their children to love them and be their support, and the fifth commandment speaks about this: Honor your father and your mother...(Exodus 20:12). You need to know the commandments and tell your children about them. When we teach a child to pray for his parents in the morning, we are already teaching him to honor his father and mother and take care of them.
A family is a small Church, an image of a large, cathedral Church, where people all pray together, are saved, and go to God. If we always remember the main thing - the salvation of our souls and the salvation of our children - we go together to Christ and pray to Him, God will bless our family and send His help in all the works and affairs of our lives.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this (that is, everything else) will be added to you(Matthew 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 opportunity to save our children, protect our families and raise our country. Without the revival of human souls, our souls, Russia will not be reborn.
Sacrament of Confirmation
The sacrament of confirmation complements 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 confirmation are two separate acts of baptism, although united by the closest internal connection so that they form one whole, inseparable in relation to their performance.”
In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit descends on the newly baptized person, imparting to him the gifts of grace. Confirmation, like all other Sacraments, has its basis in Holy Scripture and dates back to apostolic times. In the time of the holy apostles, everyone who was baptized received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the hands of the bishop. Later, the practice of anointing with holy myrrh 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 ointment - in total, it contains about forty substances. The myrrh is blessed on Maundy Thursday.
When performing the Sacrament of Confirmation, the priest crosswise anoints the newly baptized person with the main parts of the body responsible for actions, feelings and abilities: forehead, eyes, nostrils, lips, chest, arms and legs - with the words: “Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen". The Holy Spirit descends on a Christian and sanctifies his spiritual and physical nature - the members of the body and the senses. Man becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. Saint Simeon of Thessalonica says: “Confirmation 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 confirmation in order to revive in ourselves the pristine image of God, damaged by the Fall.
Faith in God, entry into the Church, rebirth in the Sacraments - all this changes a person. His perceptions and feelings are transformed, and it is for this purpose that parts of the body are anointed with the holy world. 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 confirmation, leading a spiritual life, begins to see, hear and feel what is closed to others. His spiritual feelings 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, indistinctly, and is not able to see something at all. But then he picks up binoculars, puts them to his eyes, and a completely different picture opens up to him.
Another meaning of confirmation is the dedication of our entire spiritual and physical nature, our entire life, to God. Baptism and confirmation sanctify us, and sanctification is dedication. To sanctify means to make sacred. The baptism of infants in our Church is usually performed on the fortieth day, just as the Infant Christ was brought to the Temple of 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 senses, dedicate them to the service of God. From now on, they should serve not sinful pleasures, but the salvation of our soul. However, as Saint Cyprian of Carthage noted, there is no obstacle to baptizing an infant before the fortieth day.
Confession, or the Sacrament of Repentance
Repentance, without a doubt, is the basis of spiritual life. The Gospel testifies to this. The Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John began his sermon with the words: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand(Mt 3:2). Our Lord Jesus Christ comes out to public service with the same exact call (see: Matthew 4:17). Without repentance, it is impossible to draw closer to God and overcome your sinful inclinations. Sins are spiritual dirt, filth on our soul. 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 absolved from our sins. The Holy Fathers call repentance second baptism, baptism of tears.
God Himself absolves us from sins in confession through the priest, who is a witness of the Sacrament and has from God the power to bind and solve human sins (see: Matt. 16:19; 18:18). The clergy received this power by succession from the holy apostles.
You can often hear the following statement: “As with you, believers, everything is easy: if you sinned, you repented, and God forgave everything.” In Soviet times, there was a museum in the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery, and after the visitors had examined the monastery and the museum, the guide played a record with the song “Once Upon a Time There Lived Twelve Thieves” performed by Chaliapin. Fyodor Ivanovich wrote in his velvety bass voice: “He abandoned his comrades, abandoned raids, 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, commit robbery, but you can still repent later.” This is an unexpected interpretation of a famous song. Is it so? Indeed, there are people who perceive the Sacrament of Confession in exactly 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 having formally “confessed” he will not receive permission from God for his sins. Not so simple. Sin and passion cause great harm to the soul. And even after repenting, a person feels the consequences of his sin. Like a patient who has had smallpox, scars remain on his body. It is not enough to simply confess sin; you must make an effort to overcome the inclination to sin in your soul. Of course, it’s not easy to give up passion right away. But the repentant should not be a hypocrite: “If I repent, I will continue to sin.” A person must make every effort to take the path of correction and not return to sin, ask God for help in the fight against passions: “Help me, Lord, for I am weak.” A Christian must burn the bridges behind him that lead back to a sinful life.
Why do we repent if the Lord already knows all our sins? Yes, he knows, but he expects us to repent, admit them and correct them. God is our Heavenly Father, and our relationship with Him should be viewed as the relationship between a parent and children. Let's give an example. The child did something wrong to his father, for example, broke a vase or took something without asking. The father knows perfectly well who did this, but he waits for his son to come and ask for forgiveness. And, of course, he expects his son to promise not to do this again.
Confession, of course, should be private and not general. General confession refers to the practice when the priest reads a list of possible sins, and then simply covers the confessor with an epitrachelion. Thank God, there are very few churches left where they do this. General confession became an almost universal 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 to confess to everyone who wanted to. Conducting confession after the evening service was also not allowed. Of course, such a confession is an abnormal phenomenon.
The word itself confession means that a Christian has come tell, confess, tell about your sins. The priest in prayer before confession reads: “These are Your servants, in a word will be resolved with favor." Man himself is freed from his sins through words and receives forgiveness from God. Of course, sometimes it can be very difficult, it’s a shame to open our sinful wounds, but this is how we get rid of our sinful habits, overcoming shame, tearing them out like a weed from our soul. Without confession, without cleansing from sins, it is impossible to fight passions. First, passions need to 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? It's simple. They approached the Source of Light - God and began to notice such secret places of 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 it’s night and everything is hidden in twilight: everything seems to be more or less normal. But then the first ray of sun appeared through the window, illuminated part of the room - and we begin to notice the disorder; further more. When the sun shines brightly on the whole room, we see what a mess it is. The closer you are to God, the more complete your vision of sins.
A noble citizen, a resident of the small town of Gaza, came to Abba Dorotheus, and 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 asked him again: “If you go to Caesarea, who 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 common people.” - “If you go to Constantinople and approach the king, who will you consider yourself to be?” And he answered: “Almost like a beggar.” Then the Abba said to him: “This is how the saints are: the closer they come 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-exposure, without any self-justification and self-pity. Only then will we receive satisfaction and relief and depart from the lectern easily, as if on wings. The Lord already knows all the circumstances that led us to sin. It is completely unacceptable to tell in confession which people pushed us to sin. They will answer for themselves, but we must answer only for ourselves. A husband, brother or matchmaker contributed to our downfall - it doesn’t matter, we need to understand what we ourselves are to blame for. Saint righteous John Kronstadtsky says: for those who are accustomed here to repent and give an answer for their life, it will be easy to give an answer at the Last Judgment of God.
Confession should not be put off until later. It is unknown how much time the Lord gave us to repent. Each confession must be perceived as the last, for no one knows on what day and hour God will call us to Himself.
There is no need to be ashamed to confess sins, you need to be ashamed to commit them. Many people think that a priest, especially someone they know, will condemn them; they want to appear better at confession than they are, to justify themselves. Meanwhile, any priest who confesses more or less often cannot be surprised by anything, and you are unlikely to tell him anything new and unusual. For a confessor, on the contrary, it is a great consolation when he sees before him a person who sincerely repents, even of grave sins. This means that it is not in vain that he stands at the lectern, accepting the repentance of those coming to confession.
In confession, the repentant is not only given forgiveness of sins, but also given the grace and help of God to fight sin. Confession should be frequent and, if possible, with the same priest. Rare confession (several times a year) leads to heart petrification. People stop noticing their sins and forget what they have done. Conscience easily comes to terms with so-called minor, 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, awakens it from slumber. Sins cannot be tolerated. Once you begin to fight even one sinful habit, you feel how it becomes easier to breathe both spiritually and physically.
People who confess 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 happens, of course, from spiritual laziness, unwillingness to carry out at least some work on one’s soul. The books “Helping the Penitent” by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “The Experience of Constructing a Confession” by Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) and others can help you prepare for confession in detail, without missing anything, to confess your sins. Confession can be hampered by anxiety and forgetfulness, so it is entirely acceptable to write down your sins on a piece of paper and read them to the priest.
How to prepare your child for his 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. His moral will becomes stronger. Unlike a baby, he already has the internal strength to resist temptations.
The first confession is a special event in the life of children. It can determine for a long time not only the attitude towards confession, but also the direction of his spiritual life. Parents must prepare the child for it all previous years, living in the grace-filled experience of the Church. If they were able to instill piety in the child, then they will be able to prepare him for the first confession so that this day will be a holiday for him.
A child's thinking is primarily visual and figurative, rather than conceptual. His idea of God is formed gradually, according to the image of his relationship with his parents. He hears the prayer every day: “Our Father...” - “Our Father...” The Lord Himself uses this comparison in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Just as a father embraces his son who has returned to him, so God receives a repentant person with great joy. If relationships in a family are built on love, then it is not difficult to explain to your son or daughter why you need to love your Heavenly Parent. For children, this is as natural as loving their parents. The child needs to talk about Divine love as often as possible. The thought of a loving God evokes in him a feeling of repentance and a desire not to repeat bad deeds. Of course, by the age of seven, children already know that heaven exists and that there will someday be a trial, but the motives for their behavior are not determined by this. It is absolutely unacceptable to scare children and say that God will punish them. This can completely distort a child’s understanding of 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 make 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. There is no need to restrict his freedom. He can sincerely repent only of what he recognizes as a wrong and bad act. Then the desire and determination to improve is born. After confession, the child should feel a relief similar to what he experiences when parents forgive their children’s offenses with trust and love.
Vanya Shmelev remembered his first confession all his life: “I come out from behind the screen, everyone is looking at me - I’ve been there for a very long time. Maybe they think what a great sinner I am. And my soul is so light, easy" ( Shmelev I. S. Summer of the Lord).
Children aged seven are often shy. Parents should begin conversations about confession long before 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.
A child’s first participation in the Sacrament of Repentance is not a general confession of an adult who has been burdened with many sins over the decades. At the age of seven, children make only their first experiments, take their first lessons in 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 rather the correct mood of the child. Parents must help him become aware of what may be a danger to his spiritual development, which may take root and acquire the power of a skill. Such dangerous sins are: deceit, lies, conceit, boastfulness, selfishness, disrespect for elders, envy, greed, laziness. In overcoming bad, sinful habits, parents must show wisdom, patience and perseverance. They should not suggest sins or directly point out bad habits formed in the child’s soul, but convincingly show their harm. Only such repentance, which is carried out with the participation of conscience, bears fruit. Parents should look for the reasons for the appearance of sinful habits in the child’s soul. Most often, they themselves infect the child with their passions. Until they overcome them in themselves, correction will not give noticeable results.
When preparing for confession, it is important not only to help the child see his 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, and the skill of prayer. Children can perceive God as their Heavenly Parent. Therefore, it is easy to explain to them that prayer is living communication with Him. A child needs both communication with his father and mother, and a prayerful appeal to God.
After confession, parents should not ask the child about it; one should show all the fullness of affection and warmth 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(translated as thanksgiving), takes main, central place in the church liturgical circle and in the life of the Orthodox Church.
What makes us Orthodox people is not wearing a cross or even the fact that holy baptism was once performed on us, especially since in our time this is not a special feat. Now, thank God, you can freely profess 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 handed Christ over to be tortured. The Savior and His disciples gathered in a large room prepared for this purpose - the upper room - to celebrate the Easter meal according to the Old Testament custom. This traditional dinner was celebrated in every family as an annual remembrance of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The Old Testament Easter was a holiday of deliverance, liberation from Egyptian slavery.
But the Lord, having gathered with His disciples for the Easter 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 Honest Blood for the sins of all mankind. And an eternal reminder to all Christians of the sacrifice He made should be the communion of the Body and Blood of the Savior in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
The Lord took the bread, blessed it and, distributing it to the apostles, said: Take, eat: this is My Body. Then he took the cup of wine and, giving it to the apostles, said: Drink from it, all of you, 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 transformed bread and wine into His Body and Blood and commanded the apostles, and through them their successors - bishops and presbyters - to perform this Sacrament.
The Eucharist is not some simple memory of what happened more than two thousand years ago. This 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 (partakes) of the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and 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 obligatory nature 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. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. And again: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him.(John 6, 53-54, 56).
One who does not partake of the Holy Mysteries separates himself from the Source of life - Christ, and places himself outside of Him. And vice versa, Orthodox Christians who regularly approach the Sacrament of Communion with reverence and proper preparation, according to the word of the Lord, abide in Him. And in the sacrament, which revitalizes, spiritualizes, heals our soul and body, we, like in no other Sacrament, are united with Christ Himself. You should talk with your spiritual father or the priest of your parish about how often you need to receive communion.
The sacrament of communion should constantly accompany the life of an Orthodox person. After all, here on earth we must unite with God, Christ must enter our soul and heart.
A person who seeks union with the Lord in his earthly life can hope to be with Him in eternity.
The sacrament of communion is the greatest miracle on earth, which occurs constantly. Just as God once descended to earth and dwelt among people, so now the entire fullness of the Divine is contained in the Holy Gifts, and we can partake of this greatest grace. After all, the Lord said: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen(Mt 28:20).
How to prepare for communion
The Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ - are the greatest shrine, a gift from God to us, sinners and unworthy. It’s not for nothing that they are called the Holy Gifts.
No one on earth can consider himself worthy to be a communicant of the Holy Mysteries. By preparing for communion, we cleanse our spiritual and physical nature. We prepare the soul through prayer, repentance and reconciliation with one’s neighbor, and the body through fasting and abstinence.
Those preparing for communion read three canons: the Repentant Canon to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prayer Service to the Mother of God and the canon to the Guardian Angel. We also read going to holy communion. It includes the canon for communion and prayers. All these canons and prayers are contained in the ordinary Orthodox Prayer Book.
On the eve of communion, you must be at the evening service, because the church day begins in the evening.
Fasting is required before communion. Spouses must refrain from physical intimacy during preparation. Women who are in purification (during menstruation) cannot receive communion. Of course, it is necessary to fast not only with the body, but also with the mind, sight and hearing, keeping your soul from worldly entertainments. The duration of the Eucharistic fast is negotiated with the confessor or parish priest, but usually they fast for three days before communion. Of course, fasting depends on the physical health, spiritual state of the communicant, as well as on how often he approaches the Holy Mysteries. If a person receives communion at least once every two weeks, he can fast for one day.
Those preparing for communion no longer eat after midnight. You need to take communion on an empty stomach. Under no circumstances should you smoke before communion.
The most important thing in preparing for the Sacrament of Communion is cleansing your soul from sins which is performed in the Sacrament confession. Christ will not enter into a soul that is not cleansed from sin and not reconciled with God. When preparing to receive communion, we must approach the cleansing of our soul with all responsibility in order to make it a temple for the acceptance of Christ. You can confess on the day of communion or the night before.
When preparing for communion of the Holy Mysteries, we need (if there is such an opportunity) to ask for forgiveness from everyone whom we have voluntarily or unwittingly offended, and to forgive everyone ourselves.
After communion, you must thank God. You need to listen carefully to prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion. If for some reason it was not possible to listen to them in church, you need to read them yourself from the Prayer Book. During the day you should refrain from vain activities and idle talk.
Miracle of Holy Communion
Once, when the holy abbot Sergius was performing the Divine Liturgy, Simon, a disciple of the saint, saw how heavenly fire descended on the Holy Mysteries at the moment of their consecration, how this fire moved along the holy altar, illuminating the entire altar - it seemed to curl around the holy meal, surrounding the celebrant Sergius. And when the monk wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries, the Divine fire coiled up, “like some wonderful veil,” and entered inside the holy chalice. Thus, the saint of God took communion of this fire “unscorched, like a bush of old that burned unscorched...” Simon was horrified by such a vision and remained silent in awe, but it did not escape the monk that his disciple was granted a vision. Having received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he left the holy throne and asked Simon: “Why is your spirit so afraid, my child?” “I saw the grace of the Holy Spirit working with you, father,” he answered. “See that you don’t tell anyone about what you saw until the Lord calls me from this life,” the humble Abba commanded him.
Sacrament of Anointing (unction)
In Greek and Slavic languages the word oils Means oil; in addition, in Greek it is consonant with the word “mercy.” IN The Sacrament of Anointing when anointed with consecrated oil, the sick person, through the prayer of the clergy, receives grace from God, healing mental infirmities and bodily illnesses and cleansing from forgotten and unconscious sins. This Sacrament has several names. In ancient liturgical books it is called oil, holy oil, oil associated with prayer. In our country, the name “blessing of oil” is most often used. Popularly it is called unction, because according to tradition it is performed by a council of seven clergy. However, the Sacrament will also be valid if it is performed by one priest on behalf of the Church.
The sick person must be prepared for this Sacrament through Sacrament of Repentance. Although sometimes the Lord God sends illnesses to the righteous for spiritual improvement, for most people illness is the result of the destructive effects of sin. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures say that God is the true Physician: I am the Lord, your healer(Exodus 15, 26). Any sick person must first of all turn to God in order to be cleansed of sins and correct his life. Without this, medical help may be ineffective. Our Savior, when they brought the paralytic to Him for healing, first of all forgives his sins: Child! your sins are forgiven you(Mk 2:5). The holy Apostle James also points out the connection between forgiveness of sins and healing through the prayer of priests (see: James 5, 14-15). The Holy Fathers were guided by biblical teaching: “He who created the soul created the body, and He who heals the immortal soul can also heal the body from temporary suffering and illness,” says St. Macarius the Great. The great elder Ambrose of Optina writes about the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Unction: “The power of the Sacrament of Anointing lies in the fact that it especially forgives 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 Sacrament of Holy Oil are permeated with the idea of the connection between bodily healing and the forgiveness of sins.
The Holy Gospel tells of 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 indicates Divine Ordinance The Sacraments of Anointing.
The closest disciple of Christ, the Apostle James, says that not only the apostles, but also the elders healed with prayer and the anointing of oil: If any of you is sick, let him call 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 person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will forgive him(James 5:14-15).
In ancient times, this Sacrament was performed by several elders and their number was not strictly established. One presbyter was allowed to do this. At the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century in the Eastern Church, seven priests performed the consecration of oil. This number in Holy Scripture symbolizes perfect completeness. Our modern Breviaries speak of “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 given sick. In this case, we are talking about a seriously ill person, whom the holy apostle calls to the suffering. However, neither the Holy Scriptures nor the Holy Fathers say that we are talking only about the dying. People who do not have the correct church consciousness often have a serious misconception that unction is performed only on the dying. Sometimes such people even go as far as superstition, thinking that the sick person will die if he is given unction. This opinion is completely incorrect and has no basis either in the Apostle’s commandment about the Blessing of Oil, or in the rite according to which it has been performed since ancient times in the Orthodox Church.
According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, the sick person on whom the blessing of oil is performed must be in consciousness.
Unction is not performed on infants under seven years of age, since healing the patient is in direct connection with the cleansing of his soul from forgotten and unconscious sins. The sacrament of holy oil can be performed in church if the patient is able to move, as well as at home or in the hospital.
If the unction is performed in a church with the participation of many parishioners, you must first register (indicate your name) at the candle box to remember him during prayers.
Performing the Sacrament of Anointing on a sick person 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, it is necessary to take care of the sick person - invite doctors, give medicines, and take other measures to alleviate his condition and recover.
After unction, the patient should soon receive communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Sacrament of wedding
The marriage of Orthodox Christians must be blessed by God, sanctified by the Church, and we receive this blessing in the Sacrament of Wedding. Orthodox marriage has great significance; it is celebrated 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 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 Wedding, those entering into marriage are given the grace of God so that they build their marital union in unanimity and love, to be one soul and body, as well as for the birth and Christian upbringing of children. But the most important thing to remember is that a 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 this way. Like, I need to do something, perform some kind of ritual, and everything will be fine. No, without our labors, faith and prayer, no Sacrament will have any benefit. The Lord gives us grace and 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 a wedding can give us a lot, we will fully receive its grace-filled gifts. Therefore, you need to pray to God, ask Him for help and embody in your family the main commandment of 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 must approach the Sacrament of Marriage with the thought that he is getting married once for the rest of his life and that he and his God-given half will share all the joys and difficulties. Only with such a thought can one withstand all the trials and storms of life.
The wedding couple is reminded that we are marrying for eternity with rings - a symbol of infinity, without beginning and without end - they are put on when the spouses are engaged. Walking around the lectern three times during a wedding has the same meaning, also a sign of eternal life. Before leading the wedding couple around the lectern, the priest puts crowns on them.
What kind of crowns are these? Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh writes: “In ancient times, every time there was a holiday, it was the most ordinary family, or city, or Public Holiday, — people put on crowns of flowers. In Ancient Rus', on their wedding day, the bride and groom were called prince and princess - why? Because in ancient society, until a person was married, he was a member of his family and was subordinate in everything to the eldest in the family - whether his father or grandfather. Only when a person got married did he become the master of his life. Ancient state consisted, as it were, of a union of sovereign, that is, independent, families. They were free to choose their destiny. All issues were resolved in agreement, in mutual understanding, but each family had its own voice and its own rights.”
It was as if a wedding was taking place for a new kingdom. By getting married and creating a family, spouses create not only their own small “state,” but, most importantly, their own small church, which is part of the single 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 has already been said, the husband is the head in this small church, the image of Christ the Savior Himself - the Head of the great Church. The spouse and children are assistants to the head of the family-church in all family work and affairs.
The crowns are placed as a sign of victory: the bride and groom were not overcome by intemperance before marriage and retained their virginity. Anyone who has lost chastity and purity before marriage is, strictly speaking, unworthy of crowns. Therefore, crowns were either not placed on newlyweds at all, or they were placed not on their heads, but on the right shoulder (resolution of the Stoglavy Council).
Crowns have another meaning. These are also the 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 shared burden, sometimes very difficult, the cross that the spouses bear, the trials and storms that befall them. In marriage, sometimes it is no easier to be saved than in a monastery. This daily “bearing of each other’s burdens,” the resigned bearing of the cross of life is generally called bloodless martyrdom.
Having put crowns on the bride and groom, the priest prayerfully turns to God: “Lord our God, crown (them) with glory and honor”. These words are the secret formula during the wedding. The priest pronounces them three times. Words crown with glory and honor taken from the Psalter (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, since God has given him power over all other creatures. According to St. John Chrysostom, in the wedding one can see the gracious restoration of that majesty over the creatures with which Adam and Eve were invested at the time when God pronounced the marriage blessing upon them: 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.(Genesis 1:28).
During the Sacrament of Wedding, the spouses drink from a common cup. The cup is served three times, first to the husband and then to the wife. The cup symbolizes that in marriage, all the joys and trials of the spouses should be divided in half, equally.
There is a pious tradition for newlyweds - confess and take communion at the liturgy on the wedding day. This custom is due to the fact that in ancient times the blessing of a married couple took place at the liturgy. Certain 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: the birth new family, the newlyweds have a new stage of life, and they must begin it by being renewed, cleansed in the Sacraments from sinful filth. If you can’t take communion on the wedding day, you should do it the day before.
Sacrament of the Priesthood
The Holy Apostles, the closest disciples of the Savior, chosen by Him Himself, received from the Lord the grace to perform the Sacraments: baptism, confession (absolution from sins), Eucharist and others. The apostles were instructed by God (for He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, and others as shepherds and teachers.(Eph 4:11), through laying on of hands (ordination) began to place people in sacred degrees: bishop, presbyter(priest) and deacon. The Apostle Paul writes to Bishop Titus, whom he appointed for the Church of the island of Crete: This is why I left you in Crete, so that you would complete what was unfinished and install presbyters in all the cities, as I ordered you.(Titus 1:5). From this it follows that bishops, as successors of the apostles, received from them the power not only to perform the Sacraments, but also to consecrate to sacred degrees. In the Orthodox Church, the succession of episcopal consecrations and ordinations comes continuously from the apostles themselves.
Deacons - assistants to priests and bishops - are the third degree of the priesthood and are also ordained by bishops. In the primacy of the Church, in apostolic times, the first seven deacons were elected, they were placed before the Apostles, and they, having prayed, laid their hands on them(Acts 6:6).
The sacrament of the priesthood gives grace to perform church sacraments, sacred rites and services. It also has another name - consecration, which translated from Greek means ordination. Both in the time of the apostles and now, people are consecrated to the sacred degrees by laying hands of the bishop on the protege and reading special prayers over him.
There are three holy degrees: bishop, presbyter, deacon. The bishop is the senior clergyman and has the power to ordain priests and deacons, as well as perform all other Sacraments.
A presbyter or priest can perform all the Sacraments, except for ordination. The deacon serves and helps with all the Sacraments, sacred rites and services, but only together with the bishop or priest.
The sacrament of ordination occurs on Divine Liturgy which is carried out by the episcopal ministry. Bishop, by apostolic rules, ordain at least two other bishops. Usually, the ordination of bishops is performed solemnly, by an entire council of the episcopate. The priesthood and deaconship are ordained by one bishop. 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 at 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 different degrees of the priesthood.
Priests are not only the performers of the Holy Sacraments and church services. They are shepherds, mentors for the people of God, they have the grace and authority to teach and preach the word of God.
