How many sacraments in the Orthodox. Christian sacraments. Seven Sacraments. How to Prepare for Holy Communion

Christian sacraments. Seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Sacrament of the Eucharist, Sacrament of Repentance, Sacrament of Priesthood, Sacrament of Marriage, Consecration of the Unction.

Christian sacraments

Sacraments must not be confused with rites and called rites. A rite is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith.
The sacrament is such a sacrament during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the faithful. There are seven sacraments in the church: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist). Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Consecration of the Unction (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination).

For the life of the Church, the main place is the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, which are actually called the Holy Mysteries. The sacrament itself is also called the Eucharist, i.e. “thanksgiving” is the main work of the Church. The main divine service of the Church, respectively, is the Divine Liturgy - the service of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Further, the sacrament of the priesthood is extremely important in the life of the Church—the consecration of the chosen persons to serve the Church at the hierarchical levels through ordination (ordination), which gives the necessary structure to the Church. The three levels of the priesthood differ in their attitude to the sacraments - deacons officiate at the sacraments without celebrating them; priests perform the sacraments while being in subjection to the bishop; Bishops not only administer the sacraments, but also give others, through the laying on of hands, the gift of grace to administer them. Finally, the sacrament of baptism, which replenishes the composition of the Church, is especially important. The rest of the sacraments, designed to receive grace for individual believers, are necessary for the fullness of life and the holiness of the Church. In each sacrament, a certain gift of grace is communicated to the believing Christian, which is characteristic of this particular sacrament. A number of sacraments, such as baptism, priesthood, and chrismation, are unique.

Since, in the narrow sense of the word, the sacraments are “like heights in a long chain of hills of other liturgical rites and prayers,” they are only the most obvious expressions of the fullness of the hidden life of the Church, which is why their categorization and calculation are not absolutized by the Orthodox Church. Historically, the delimitation of the sacramental rites did not always correspond to the current one, and the number of sacraments included such as:
1. Monasticism
2. Burial
3. Consecration of the temple

Seven Sacraments

1. In Baptism, a person is mysteriously born into spiritual life.
2. In Confirmation he receives grace, spiritually regenerating (contributing to spiritual growth) and strengthening.
3. In Communion (a person) feeds spiritually.
4. In repentance, one is healed of spiritual illnesses, that is, of sins.
5. In the Priesthood he receives grace to spiritually regenerate and educate others through teaching and the Sacraments.
6. In Marriage he receives the grace that sanctifies marriage, the natural birth and upbringing of children.
7. In the Anointing of the Sick, he is healed of bodily diseases by healing from (diseases) spiritual.

The concept of church sacraments

The Creed speaks of Baptism, “because faith is sealed by Baptism and other Sacraments...” “The Sacrament is a sacred act through which the grace, or, what is the same, the saving power of God, acts on a person in a secret way.”
The Creed speaks only of Baptism and does not mention other sacraments for the reason that in the 4th century there were disputes about the need to re-baptize heretics and schismatics coming into the Orthodox Church. The Church has decided not to baptize such a second time in those cases where the baptism was performed, even if in a community that separated from the Church, but in accordance with the rules of the Catholic Church.

1. Baptism

“Baptism is a Sacrament in which the believer, when the body is immersed 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 and into a spiritual, bright life”
"... unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5). The Mystery of Baptism was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He sanctified Baptism by His example, having received it from John. Finally, after His resurrection, He gave the apostles a solemn command: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

The perfect formula of Baptism is the words:
“In the name of the Father. Amen. And the Son. Amen. And the Holy Spirit. Amen".
The condition for receiving Baptism is repentance and faith.
“Peter said to them: Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins...” (Acts 2:38)
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...” (Mark 16:16)
The sacrament of Baptism is performed only once in a person's life and under no circumstances is repeated, because "baptism is a spiritual birth: and a person is born once, therefore he is baptized once."

2. Confirmation

“Anointing is the Sacrament in which the believer, when anointing the parts of the body with the sanctified world, in the name of the Holy Spirit, are given the gifts of this Spirit, which restore and strengthen in spiritual life.”

Initially, the apostles performed this sacrament through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17).
Later, anointing with chrism was used, which could be exemplified by the anointing used in Old Testament times (Ex. 30:25; 1 Kings 1:39).

About the internal action of the sacrament of chrismation in the Holy Scriptures it is said as follows:
“you have an anointing from the Holy One and know everything... the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; but as this very anointing teaches you everything, and it is true and true, what it has taught you, abide in him” (1 John 2:20, 27). “And he who confirms us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who both sealed us and gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

The perfect formula of the sacrament of Chrismation is the words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Holy chrism is a fragrant substance, which is prepared according to a special order and consecrated by the highest clergy, usually the primates of autocephalous Orthodox Churches, with the participation of the Synods of Bishops, as the successors of the Apostles, who "themselves performed the laying on of hands for almsgiving of the gifts of the Holy Spirit."

The anointing of each part of the body has a specific meaning. Yes, the anointing
a) chela means "sanctification of the mind or thoughts"
b) perseus - "sanctification of the heart and desires"
c) eyes, ears and mouth - "sanctification of the senses"
d) hands and feet - "sanctification of deeds and all behavior of a Christian."

In reality, Baptism and Confirmation are twofold sacraments. In holy Baptism, a person receives a new life in Christ and according to Christ, and in holy chrismation, he is given the grace-filled powers and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Holy Spirit Himself as a gift, for a worthy passage of the divine-human life in Christ. In chrismation, a person as a person is anointed with the Holy Spirit in the image and likeness of the Divine Anointed One - Jesus Christ.

3. Sacrament of the Eucharist

3.1. The concept of the sacrament of the Eucharist

The Eucharist is the sacrament in which
a) bread and wine are changed by the Holy Spirit into the true Body and into the true Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ;
6) believers partake of them for the closest union with Christ and into eternal life.

The service of the sacrament of the Eucharist is the Divine Liturgy, which is a single and inseparable sacred rite. Of particular importance in the order of the Liturgy is the Eucharistic canon, and in it the central place is occupied by the epiclesis - the invocation of the Holy Spirit on the Church, that is, on the Eucharistic assembly, and on the offered Gifts.

3.2. Establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist

The sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.
“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the Cup, and having given thanks, gave it to them, and said, Drink all of you from it; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). The holy Evangelist Luke completes the narrative of the Evangelist Matthew. While teaching the Holy Bread to the disciples, the Lord told them: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

3.3. The Change of Bread and Wine in the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Orthodox theology, unlike Latin, does not consider it possible to rationalistically explain the essence of this sacrament. Latin theological thought to explain the change taking place with Sts. Gifts in the sacrament of the Eucharist, uses the term "transubstantiation" (lat. transubstantiatio), which literally means "change in essence":
"Through the blessing of the bread and wine, the essence of the bread is wholly transformed into the essence of the Flesh of Christ, and the essence of the wine into the essence of His Blood." At the same time, the sensual properties of bread and wine remain unchanged only in appearance, remaining only as external random signs (accidents).

Although Orthodox theologians also used the term “transubstantiation”, the Orthodox Church believes that this word “does not explain the way in which bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, for this cannot be comprehended by anyone except God; but it is only shown that truly, really and essentially, bread is the very true Body of the Lord, and wine is the very Blood of the Lord.

For St. The Fathers in the doctrine of the Eucharist are alien to rational schemes, they never sought to express the essence of the greatest Christian sacrament through scholastic definitions. Most St. The Fathers were taught about the transformation of the Holy Gifts as their perception into the Hypostasis of the Son of God by the action of the Holy Spirit, as a result of which the Eucharistic bread and wine are placed in the same relation to God the Word as His glorified humanity, uniting inseparably and inseparably with the Divinity of Christ and His humanity.

At the same time, the Fathers of the Church believed that the essence of bread and wine is preserved in the sacrament of the Eucharist, bread and wine do not change their natural qualities, just as in Christ the fullness of the Godhead does not in the least detract from the fullness and truth of humanity. “Just as before, when bread is sanctified, we call it bread, but when Divine grace sanctifies it through the mediation of a priest, it is already free from the name bread, but has become worthy of the name of the body of the Lord, although the nature of bread has remained in it.”

Bring this mystery closer to our perception of Sts. the fathers tried by means of images. So, many of them used the image of a red-hot saber: iron, heated, becomes one with fire so that it is possible to burn with iron and cut with fire. However, neither fire nor iron lose their essential properties. At least until the 10th century, neither in the East nor in the West, no one taught about the illusory nature of the Eucharistic views.

The Latin doctrine of transubstantiation deforms the believers' perception of the sacrament of the Eucharist, turning the sacrament of the Church into a kind of supernatural, essentially magical, action. Unlike Western scholastics, Sts. The Fathers never contrasted the Eucharistic Gifts and the glorified humanity of the Savior as two external entities whose unity must be rationally substantiated. The Fathers of the Church saw their unity not at the natural, but at the hypostatic level, in the participation of Sts. Gifts and humanity of Christ to a single mode of existence in the Hypostasis of God the Word.

The miracle of the transposition of St. The gifts are like the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Blessed Virgin Mary; in other words, the very nature of people and things (bread and wine) does not change in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but the mode of existence of their nature is transformed.

3.4. Necessity and Salvation of Communion of the Holy Mysteries

On the need for salvation to partake of St. Mystery says the Lord Jesus Christ Himself:
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever walks in My Flesh and drinks in My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day...” (John 6:53-54)

Saving fruits or actions of the communion of Sts. Mystery essence

a) the closest union with the Lord (John 6:55-56);
b) growth in spiritual life and acquisition of true life (John 6:57);
c) a pledge of the future Resurrection and eternal life (John 6:58).
However, these actions of communion apply only to those who approach communion worthily. Communion brings greater condemnation to those who partake unworthily: “For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, the same eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11, 29).

4. Sacrament of repentance

“Repentance is the Sacrament in which the 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 undoubtedly established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Savior promised the apostles to give them the power to forgive sins when he said: “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 His Resurrection, the Lord really granted them this power, saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit: to whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain ”(Jn. 20, 22-23).

Those approaching the sacrament of repentance are required to:
a) faith in Christ, for "... everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sin in His name" - (Acts, JU 43).
b) contrition for sins, because “sorrow for the sake of God produces unchanging repentance unto salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10).
c) the intention to improve his life, because after "the lawless one turned from his iniquity and began to do justice and righteousness, he will live for that" (Ezek. 33, 19).
Fasting and prayer serve as auxiliary and preparatory means in relation to repentance.

5. Sacrament of priesthood

“Priesthood is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit ordained the rightly chosen one through the laying on of hands as a bishop to perform the Sacraments and shepherd the flock of Christ.”

Shortly before His Ascension, the Lord told His disciples: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).

Thus, the priestly ministry includes teaching (“teach”), priesthood (“baptizing”), and the ministry of administration (“teaching to observe them”).
This tripartite ministry - teaching, priesthood and administration - has the common name of shepherding. Priests are appointed to "shepherd the Church" (Acts 20:28).

The institution of the priesthood in the Church is not a human invention, but a divine institution. The Lord Himself "appointed some as Apostles, ... others as shepherds and teachers, to perfect the saints, for the work of service..." (Eph. 4:11-12).

Election to the priestly service is also not a human matter, but presupposes being chosen from above: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and ordained you...” (John 15:16).
“And no one by himself accepts this honor, but he who is called by God, like Aaron” (Eph. 5:4).

Ordination, the elevation of a person to a hierarchical degree, is not only a visible sign of appointment to the ministry, as Protestants believe, who believe that there is no fundamental difference between a layman and a clergyman.
Holy Scripture leaves no doubt that special gifts of grace are taught in the sacrament of the priesthood, which distinguish the clergy from the laity.
Ap. Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy: “Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood” (1 Tim. 4:14). “... I remind you to kindle the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6).

In the Orthodox Church, there are three necessary degrees of priesthood: bishop, presbyter and deacon.

“The deacon serves at the Sacraments; The presbyter performs the Sacraments, depending on the Bishop; The bishop not only celebrates the Sacraments, but also has the power to teach others through the laying on of hands the gift of grace to celebrate them.”

In addition, only the bishop has the right to consecrate the temple, the antimension and St. peace.

All three hierarchical degrees are necessary for the normal functioning of the church organism. Since ancient times, this has been considered a necessary condition for the life of the Church. Shmch. Ignatius the God-bearer wrote: “Everyone revere the deacons as the commandments of Jesus Christ, the bishops as Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father, the presbyters as the congregation of God, as the assembly of the apostles - without them there is no Church.”

6. Sacrament of marriage

Marriage is a Sacrament in which, with a free promise before the Priest and the Church by the bride and groom of their mutual fidelity, their marital union is blessed, in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church, and they ask for the grace of pure unanimity, to the blessed birth and Christian upbringing of children.

The fact that marriage is indeed a Sacrament is evidenced by St. Paul: “... a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great...” (Eph. 5:31-32)

In the Christian understanding, marriage is not a means to achieve some goals, for example, the continuation of the human race, but an end in itself.
Marriage in Christianity also has a special religious dimension. By the will of the Creator, human nature is divided into two sexes, two halves, none of which individually possesses the fullness of perfection. In marriage, spouses mutually enrich each other with the properties and qualities inherent in their gender, and thus both sides of the marriage union, becoming “one flesh” (Gen. 2, 24; Matt. 19, 5-6), that is, a single spiritual and bodily being, reach perfection.

The Christian family is called the "small Church", and this is not just a metaphor, but an expression of the very essence of things, for in marriage there is the same type of unity of people as in the Church, the "big family" - unity in love in the image of the Persons of the Holy Trinity .

The main goal of a person's life is to hear the call of God addressed to him and respond to it. But in order to answer this call, a person must commit an act of self-denial, reject his egoism, learn to live for the sake of others. This goal is served by Christian marriage, in which the spouses overcome their sinfulness and natural limitations "so that life can be realized as love and self-giving."

Therefore, Christian marriage does not move a person away from God, but brings him closer to Him. Marriage in Christianity is seen as a joint path of spouses to the Kingdom of God.

But Christianity, which highly values ​​marriage, at the same time frees a person from the necessity of married life.
In Christianity, there is also an alternative path to the Kingdom of God - virginity, which is a rejection of the natural self-denial in love, which is marriage, and the choice of a more radical path through obedience and asceticism, on which the call of God addressed to a person becomes for him the only source of existence.

"Virginity is better than marriage, if one can keep it pure."
However, the path of virginity is not available to everyone, because it requires a special choice:
“... not everyone can accommodate this word, but to whom it has been given… He who can accommodate, let him accommodate” (Matt. 19:11-12).
At the same time, virginity and marriage in Christianity are not morally opposed. Virginity is higher than marriage, not because marriage as such contains something sinful, but because, under the existing conditions of human life, the path of virginity opens up great opportunities for giving oneself completely to God: but a married man cares about the things of the world, how to please his wife ”(1 Cor. 7, 32-33).

Church canons (canons 1, 4, 13 of the Gangra Council, 4th century) provide for strict prohibitions against those who abhor marriage, that is, who refuse to marry not for the sake of achievement, but because they consider marriage unworthy of a Christian. In Christianity, both virginity and marriage are equally recognized and revered as two paths leading to the same goal.

7. Unction

“The consecration of the oil is a Sacrament in which, when the body is anointed with oil, the grace of God is called upon the sick, healing the infirmities of the soul and body.”

This sacrament originates from the apostles, who, having received authority from Jesus Christ,
“Many sick people were anointed with oil and healed” (Mark 6:13).
Ap. James testifies that this sacrament was performed in the Church already in the apostolic period of its history: “Is any of you sick? let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

In the sacrament of the Unction, the sick person also receives the forgiveness of forgotten sins. This is “the completion of the remission of sins in the sacrament of repentance, - the completion not for the insufficiency of repentance itself to resolve all sins, but for the weakness of the sick to use this saving medicine in all its fullness and salvation.”

The word sacrament has several meanings in Scripture:

1. Deep, intimate thought, thing or action.

2. The divine economy of the salvation of the human race, which is depicted as a mystery, incomprehensible to anyone, even to angels.

3. The special action of God's providence in relation to the believers, by virtue of which the invisible grace of God is communicated to them in the visible.

In relation to church rites, the word "sacrament" includes both the first, and the second, and the third concept.

In a broad sense, everything done in the Church is a sacrament.

This applies not only to the services that priests perform, but also to the lives of parishioners - believers who make up the Church as the body of Christ. The conversion of a person to God, prayer, and the divine answer that everyone who prays from the bottom of his heart will surely receive is an incomprehensible mystery. But the life of believers is filled with this mystery, they plunge into it again and again, and come out of this experience different - comforted in suffering, filled with spiritual strength and joy. All his life a person learns to understand what God tells him - in signs or symbols, in chance meetings, in the words of church hymns, in books and films, in the events of life around him.

Even the fact that someone suddenly thought about faith, stopped, accidentally looked into the church, is undoubtedly the providence of God for this person. The whole chain of circumstances, due to which a person finds himself on the threshold of a temple, takes into his inner world something unknown, completely unusual - there is nothing other than the action of God in a separate human life.

The apostles write about this, the first Christians understood this very well, in the works of the Christian Saints - teachers of the Church and saints of God, the idea is conveyed with special strength and clarity that the whole life of a person in following Christ is an unthinkable and great mystery.

In the ancient Church there was no special term for sacraments as a separate category of church activities. The concept of misterion was used at first in the broader and more general sense of the "mystery of salvation", and only in the second, additional sense, it was used to designate private actions that bestow grace, that is, the sacraments proper. Thus, under the word sacrament, the Holy Fathers understood everything that relates to the Divine economy of our salvation.

In subsequent centuries, the Christian tradition, which had developed in theological schools by the 15th century, singled out seven sacraments from the multitude of grace-filled church rites: Confirmation, Communion, Repentance, Priesthood, Marriage, Unction.

Sacraments are characterized by the following mandatory properties:

1. Sacraments instituted by God

2. In the sacrament, the power of God descends on a person - invisible grace

3. The sacrament is performed through visible and understandable sacred rites

External actions (“visible image”) do not have a meaning in themselves, they are intended for a person approaching the sacrament. This is explained by the fact that by nature man needs visible means to perceive the invisible power of God.

Three sacraments are mentioned directly in the Gospel - Communion and Repentance. Indications about the Divine origin of other sacraments can be found in the Acts and the Apostolic Epistles, as well as in the works of the teachers of the Church of the first centuries of Christianity (St. Justin Martyr, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Origen, Tertullian, St. Cyprian, etc.)

In each sacrament, the believer is given a certain gift of grace:

1. Grace is given in man, freeing him from his former sins and sanctifying him.

2. In Sacrament of Chrismation the believer, when parts of the body are anointed with the Holy Myrrh, grace is given, putting him on the path of spiritual life.

3. In Sacrament of Repentance confessing his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, receives grace, freeing him from sins.

4. In Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) the believer receives the grace of deification through union with Christ.

5. In Sacrament of Unction when the body is anointed with oil (oil), the grace of God is granted to the patient, healing the infirmities of the soul and body.

6. 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.

7. In Sacrament of the Priesthood through hierarchal ordination (ordination), the rightly chosen from among the believers is given grace to perform the Sacraments and shepherd the flock of Christ.

The sacraments of the Orthodox Church are divided into obligatory for all Christians:

Baptism, Chrismation, Repentance, Communion and Unction, and optional - these are the sacraments of Marriage and the Priesthood. In addition, there are repeated sacraments - Repentance, Communion, Unction, and under certain conditions - Marriage; and unrepeatable, these include Baptism, Confirmation and Priesthood.

Everyone understands that they are often unable to influence circumstances: to get out of poverty on their own, change their lives, 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 with words that have been tested over the centuries.
The most important thing is to remember that "the power of God is perfected in weakness (weakness)," as the apostle Paul says in the Epistle 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 proud and hoping for God's help. A humble person acts, but does not grumble before difficulties, prays and waits for God's will for himself.

7 Sacraments of the Church

The Orthodox Church has seven Sacraments of grace. All of them are established by the Lord and have as their basis His words, preserved in the Gospel. The Sacrament of the Church is a sacrament, where with the help of external signs, rituals, invisibly, that is, mysteriously, hence the name, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to people. The saving power of God is true, in contrast to the "energy" and magic of the spirits of darkness, which only promise help, but actually destroy souls.

In addition, the Tradition of the Church says that in the Sacraments, unlike home prayers, prayer services or memorial services, grace is promised by God Himself and enlightenment is given to a person who has prepared for the Sacraments faithfully, who comes with sincere faith and repentance, understanding 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, Consecration of the Unction (unction).

Baptism and Confirmation today are performed in succession, one after the other. That is, a person who has come to be baptized or a child who has been brought will be anointed with Holy Myrrh - a special mixture of oils, which is created many times 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 their fulfillment). In the Sacrament of the Wedding, God gives His grace, uniting people into one whole. Only then can a person, as it were, in the integrity of his nature, accept the Sacrament of the Priesthood.

The Sacrament of Unction should not be confused with the anointing with oil, which is performed at the All-Night Vigil (an evening service that takes place every Saturday and before church holidays) and is a symbolic blessing of the Church. They gather everyone, even those who are healthy in body, usually during Great Lent, and those who are seriously ill all year - if necessary, even at home. This is the Sacrament of healing the soul and body. It aims 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 being at the Liturgy. During the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion), the whole Church prays for a person. Every person needs to attend the Liturgy sometimes - to submit a note for himself and loved ones, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ - the Body and Blood of the Lord. This is especially important to do in difficult moments of life, 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 (unction). They are free will. Unction is performed over sick people, but a person during his life may not participate in the Unction.
• Single: Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood.
• Repeatable: everyone else.

The classification and complete history of the formation of the sequence of the celebration of each Sacrament is in the book "Orthodox Teaching on Church Sacraments".

The sacrament of Baptism, features of the Baptism of the child and godparents

The patronage of the Lord and His saints is especially important for children. Orthodox Christians try to baptize children as soon as possible, approximately after forty days have passed from birth. On this day, the mother must visit the temple so that the priest reads a prayer of permissiveness over her after childbirth. You can baptize a child on any day, even a holiday or Lenten. It is better to arrange Baptism in the church in advance or find out the usual schedule of Baptisms - then several children are baptized.

The day of Epiphany is the day of the new birth in Christ. Therefore, on this day, a particularly appropriate gift for the newly baptized will be a gift with the image of the namesake patron saint. The icon will also be a wonderful gift for christening from godparents.

At Baptism, it is not necessary to have both godparents, you can only have one - the same gender as the child. This person must be churched and a believer, during the Sacrament of Baptism, wear an Orthodox cross on his chest. The godmother during Baptism should not be in a short skirt or trousers, heavily made up. Godparents can be relatives, such as a grandmother or sister. People who profess another faith or belong to another Christian denomination (Catholics, Protestants, sectarians) cannot be godparents.

Baptism is the entry of a person into the Church. It is done by dipping or dousing with holy water - after all, the Lord Himself received Baptism from John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

An adult who decides to be baptized consciously must at the same time

• Talk to the priest
• Learn "Our Father" and "Symbol of Faith" - confession of one's faith,
• To know and sincerely believe in the teachings of Christ - Orthodoxy, the Gospel,
• If you wish, attend catechesis courses to learn more about the Orthodox faith.

The same must be done to parents and godparents if a baby is being baptized.

Baptism is performed in a church, and if a person is sick, a priest can perform the Sacrament at home or in a hospital ward. Before Baptism, a baptismal shirt is put on a person. A person gets up (lies in illness) facing east and listens to prayers, and at a certain moment, at the direction of the priest, turning to the west, spits in that direction as a sign of renunciation of sins and the power of Satan.

Then the priest plunges the child into the font three times with a prayer. For adults, if possible, the Sacrament is performed in the temple by immersion in a small pool (it is called in Greek a baptistery, from the word baptistis - I dip) or by pouring from above. The water will be heated, so don't be afraid to catch a cold.

After dousing with 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 rope, this is safer). It is customary to keep a baptismal shirt - it is put on 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 long enough so that the cross can be hidden under clothing. In the Orthodox tradition, in the 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 underwear, but pectoral (that is, “chest”, translated from Church Slavonic) crosses, which are given during ordination to the priesthood.

It is important to remember that if you acquire a cross outside the church, you need to consecrate it by bringing it to the church and asking the priest to consecrate it. It's free, or you can thank any amount for the consecration.

Pectoral crosses of various shapes and materials are worn by all Christians. Particles of the Life-Giving Cross, on which Christ Himself was crucified, are today found in many temples of the world. Perhaps in your city there is a particle 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, different traditions existed in different centuries, and today the cross can be made
- Metal or wood
- From threads or beads;
— To be enamel or glass;
- Most often they choose the one that is comfortable to wear, durable - usually these are silver or gold crosses;
- You can choose blackened silver crosses - they do not carry any special signs.

Out of necessity, a seriously ill newborn child is baptized right in the maternity hospital, 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 - it is enough to get water and pour it on a 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 a little better, invite a priest to complete the Sacrament of Baptism with Chrismation.

Sacrament of Confirmation and Sacrament of Baptism

Confirmation, as it were, completes the Sacrament of Baptism, taking place together with it and symbolizing the next stage in the churching of a person.

While Baptism cleanses a person from sins, he is born again, Chrismation 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,” crosswise anoints the forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, hands and feet of a person. It is for this purpose that the person being baptized is dressed in a baptismal shirt that reveals these places.

Confirmation occurs only once in a lifetime - anointing with oil at evening services and at Unction is not anointing.

The Holy Chrism is consecrated once a year - on Maundy Thursday in Holy Week on the eve of Easter. In the ancient Church, this rite was established because the Baptism of new Christians was usually held on Holy Saturday and Easter. Today it is held as usual. In the Russian Orthodox Church, Her head, His Holiness the Patriarch, consecrates olive oil with a mixture of precious aromas as chrism. 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 chrism, the Sacrament of Baptism remains incomplete, united with the Sacrament of Chrismation — through the chrism, the newly baptized person receives the gifts of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Sacrament of Confession

Confession, as we have said, precedes Communion, so we will talk 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 gives visibly His grace. We receive forgiveness from the Lord: His words are preserved in the Gospel, by which Christ gives to the apostles, and through them to the priests, their successors, the power to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain.”

In Confession we receive the forgiveness of all the sins that we have named and those that we have forgotten. Under no circumstances should sins be concealed! If you are ashamed, name the sins, among others, briefly.

Confession, despite the fact that many Orthodox people confess once or twice a week, that is, quite often, is called the 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 at confession, we get rid of new sins that we have committed throughout our life path.

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 repentance, that is, admitting that certain things you have done are sins. Before Confession:

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 the first confession, that is, he can be clearly responsible for his actions). Realize what misconducts cause you remorse, because conscience, according to the word of the Holy Fathers, is the voice of God in a person. Think about how you can call these actions, for example: taking sweets saved for a holiday without asking, getting angry and yelling at a friend, leaving a friend in trouble - this is theft, anger and anger, betrayal.

Write down all the sins that you remember, realizing your wrong and promising God not to repeat these mistakes.

Continue thinking as an adult. In confession, you cannot and should not tell the history of each sin, its name is enough. Remember that many things encouraged by the modern world are sins: an affair or relationship with a married woman is adultery, sex outside of marriage is fornication, a clever deal where you get a benefit and give another a poor-quality thing - deceit and theft. All this also needs to be written down and promised to God not to sin again.

Read Orthodox literature on Confession. An example of such a book is The Experience of Building a 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 review your day on a daily basis. The same advice is usually given by psychologists in order to form an adequate self-esteem of a person. Remember, or rather write down your sins, made by accident or on purpose (mentally ask God to forgive them and promise not to commit again), and your successes - thank God and His help for them.

There is a Canon of repentance to the Lord, which you can read 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 Penitential Canon, you will prepare for confession sooner, because it will be easy for you to understand what actions are called sins and what you need to repent of.

You should not look for a special spiritual uplift, strong emotions before and during Confession.
Repentance is:

Reconciliation with relatives and friends if you have seriously offended or deceived someone;

Understanding that a number of actions you have done intentionally or carelessly and the constant preservation of certain feelings are unrighteous and are sins;

A firm intention not to sin anymore, not to repeat sins, for example, to legitimize fornication, stop adultery, recover from drunkenness and drug addiction;

Faith in the Lord, His mercy and His grace-filled 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 about its time from the schedule) in any Orthodox church.

In the temple you need to be in appropriate clothing: men in trousers and shirts with at least short sleeves (not in shorts and T-shirts), without hats; women in a skirt below the knee and a scarf (kerchief, scarf) - by the way, skirts and scarves can be taken free of charge for the duration of your stay in the temple.

For confession, you only need to take a sheet with written down sins (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 gather there, it is located on the left or right of the altar - and will read the prayers that begin the Sacrament. Then, in some temples, according to tradition, a list of sins is read - in case you have forgotten some sins - the priest calls for repentance for them (those that you have committed) and give your name. This is called a general confession.

Then, in turn, you go to the confessional table. The priest can (depending on the practice) take the sheet of sins from your hands to read it yourself, or then you yourself read aloud. If you want to tell the situation and repent of it in more detail, or if you have a question about this situation, about spiritual life in general, ask it after listing the sins, before remission.
After you have completed the dialogue with the priest: simply listed the sins and said: “I repent,” or asked a question, received an answer to it and thanked you, say your name. Then the priest performs absolution: you bend down a little lower (some people kneel), puts on your head an epitrachelion (a piece of embroidered fabric with a slit for the neck, means the pastor of a priest), reads a short prayer and baptizes your head over the epitrachili.

When the priest removes the stole from your head, you must immediately cross yourself, kiss the Cross first, 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: put your palms in front of him in a “boat”, right to left, say: “Bless 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 - whether he calls the next confessor or waits for you to finish kissing and take the blessing.

Sacrament of Communion

It is necessary to prepare oneself for the Sacrament of Holy Communion, this is called "repentance", "retreat". Preparation includes reading special prayers according to the prayer book, fasting and repentance:

Prepare by fasting for 2-3 days. You need to be moderate in food, give up meat, ideally - from meat, milk, eggs, if you are not sick and not pregnant.

Try during these days to read the morning and evening prayer rule with attention and diligence. Read spiritual literature, especially necessary for preparing for Confession.

Give up entertainment, visiting noisy places of rest.

In a few days (you can do it in one evening, but you will get tired), read the 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 combined), as well as the Rule for Communion (it also includes in a small canon, several psalms and prayers).

Reconcile with people with whom you are in a serious quarrel.

It is better to attend the 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 the 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 the preparation for it. No one is allowed to take Communion without confession, except for 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 - after all, priests, due to the crowd, sometimes cannot track this. Such an act is a great sin. The Lord punished them for their boldness with difficulties, illnesses and sorrows.

Women should not receive communion during menstruation and immediately after childbirth: young mothers are allowed to take Communion only after the priest has read a prayer for cleansing over them.

After singing the prayer “Our Father” and closing the Royal Doors, you need to go to the altar (or stand in line that gathers at the altar). Let the children and parents with babies go ahead - they receive communion at the beginning; in some temples, men are also allowed to go ahead.

When the priest takes 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 go without lowering your hands until you take 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 spoonful of Body and Blood into 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 drink and eat Communion with a piece of prosphora. It must 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. After Communion, you can listen to thanksgiving prayers in church or read them at home.

On the day of Communion, it is better not to spit (parts of the 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, calm walks.

Is it possible to start 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 impossible to kiss icons at this time. But the modern Church softens the requirements for people.
During menstruation, they put candles, venerate icons, and even begin all the Sacraments: Baptism, Wedding, Confirmation, Confession, except for 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 to 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 the blessing of the priest in any state.

Sacrament of Marriage

The 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, even though it is an extraordinarily beautiful external and even fashionable ceremony, is, first of all, a sacred ceremony. 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 turned out that the wedding is not taking place on that day, get engaged. This is not traditional, however, the Sacrament of the Wedding today consists of two parts, historically separated: betrothal, when the newlyweds do not stand at the very altar, but closer to the middle or the doors of the temple and exchange rings. Priests rarely go for it, but they can agree.

The ceremony is very touching, because you already promise each other to be together. It is during the betrothal that the priest asks the people if there are among those gathered who are against the fact that the bride and groom are united forever in marriage.

You can get married if you have lived for several years in a civil marriage (this is what a marriage registered in the registry office is called). If you just lived together before the Wedding and painting, it is worth repenting of this sin in the Sacrament of Confession - sex before marriage is called fornication - and do not commit it again until the Wedding.

To perform this Sacrament, you will need
- Marriage certificate - only registered spouses are crowned;
- Wedding candles (sold in any temple);
- Towel (towel).

A wedding is God's blessing on marriage, the newlyweds must understand that this is both God's help and responsibility before Him. Note that you need to sign up for the Sacrament in advance.

The most important joint duty of the spouses, the purpose of marriage is the joint spiritual development, the 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, it is unjustified to leave your spouse in danger, in serious illness, in poverty.

According to the apostle Paul, wives are to obey their husbands, and husbands are to 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 spiritual and material comfort for his wife. Spouses should listen and hear each other, be able to find compromises.

Loyalty to each other is also a natural duty of a husband and wife in an Orthodox family. Note that there is a procedure for church divorce (not "debunking"). Treason is one of the cases when the Church allows a divorce and even another church marriage to a person who has been cheated on. Other reasons are alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, domestic violence.

Sacrament of the Priesthood

One of the institutions of the Church is the hierarchy of spiritual orders: 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 clergymen. They are also called by the words: clergy, clergy, 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, while only they can occupy the highest church positions.

There are three degrees of spiritual ranks to which they are consecrated by performing the Sacrament of ordination over people - the Sacraments of the Priesthood.

• Deacons - they can be both married people and 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 (managers 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 omitted, that is, the bishop must first be a deacon, then a priest. In all degrees of the priesthood, a bishop ordains (in other words, performs consecration) a bishop.

Deacons belong to the lowest level of the priesthood. Through ordination to the diaconate, a person acquires the grace necessary to participate in the Liturgy and other divine 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 titles:

• white priesthood - protodeacons,
• black priesthood - archdeacons, who most often accompany the bishop.

Often in poor, rural parishes there is no deacon, and the priest performs his functions. Also, if necessary, the duties of a deacon can be performed by a bishop.

A person in the spiritual dignity of a priest is also called a presbyter, a priest; in monasticism, a hieromonk. Priests perform all the Sacraments of the Church, except for the ordination (ordination), the consecration of the world (it is performed by the Patriarch - the world is necessary for the completeness of the Sacrament of Baptism of each person) and the antimension (a handkerchief with a sewn piece of holy relics, which is placed on the throne 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, a priest usually presides, and in a city, an archpriest.

Rectors of churches and monasteries report directly to the bishop.

The title of archpriest is usually a reward for long service and good service. A hieromonk is usually awarded the rank of hegumen. Also, the abbot of the monastery (priest-abbot) often receives the rank of hegumen. The abbot of the Lavra (a large, ancient monastery, of which there are not many in the world) receives an archimandrite. Most often, this rank is followed by the rank of bishop.

Bishop, translated from Greek - the head of the priests. They perform all the Sacraments without exception. Bishops ordain people as deacons and priests, however, only the Patriarch, co-served by several bishops, can ordain as bishops.

Bishops who have distinguished themselves in their ministry and have served for a long time are called archbishops. Also, for even greater merits, they are elevated to the rank of metropolitans. They have a higher rank for services to the Church, and only metropolitans can manage metropolitanates - 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 (Petersburg and the Leningrad Region) or a whole Federal District.

Often other bishops are appointed to assist the metropolitan or archbishop, who are called vicar 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 dignity of the Primate (Head) of the Church is for life, however, if grave sins are committed, the Bishops' Court may remove the Patriarch from service. Also, at the request of the Patriarch, he can be sent to rest due to illness or advanced 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 the Unction or the Consecration of the Unction should not be confused with the anointing with oil, which is performed at the All-Night Vigil (an evening service that takes place every Saturday and before church holidays) and is a symbolic blessing of the Church. They gather everyone, even those who are healthy in body, usually during Great Lent, and those who are seriously ill all year - if necessary, even at home. This is the Sacrament of healing the soul and body. It aims at cleansing from unconfessed sins (this is especially important to do before death) and healing the disease.

The Sacrament received the name "Unction" from the word "sobor", a meeting, because it is usually performed by several clergy - according to the Charter, a family.

During the celebration of the Sacrament, the priests read seven texts from the New Testament. After each reading, oil is applied to the face, eyes, ears, lips, chest and hands of a person. Tradition believes that in this way all forgotten sins will be untangled to a person. After the Unction, one must proceed to the Sacrament of Communion, as well as Confession - before or after the Unction.

May the Lord keep you with the prayers of the Holy Church with His grace!

A believing person who has received the first Sacrament of St. Baptism is given the right to be a full member of this Church and to use for the benefit of others St. Sacraments and rituals.

In the waters of St. Baptism cleanses all the sins of a person, but then, falling into this or that sin, he again defiles both his soul and his body. And if there is no feeling of repentance in him, he hardens in this sinful mud, erecting from it a blank wall of alienation from God.

In order to destroy this wall that separates us from God, the Church again gives us a helping hand - she offers us the Sacrament of Penance.

What is this Sacrament? Briefly, this is a sincere confession of one's sins before the witness of God - the priest.

At the celebration of this Sacrament, Christ the Savior Himself invisibly appears, and through His servant - the priest - He Himself receives the confession of the penitent sinner. And it depends on the latter: to receive forgiveness from the Lord or to leave with what you came with. That is, if a person recognizes his sinfulness and confesses it with contrite heart, having a firm intention to leave sin and correct his life, he thereby destroys the wall of alienation and from a child of God's wrath becomes a child of His love. God's mercy and blessings return to him. And what could be more joyful and comforting than to always abide in the love of Christ! He generously bestows love on those who, after heartfelt repentance, unite with Him in the holy Sacrament of Communion, eating under the guise of bread and wine - His Most Pure Body and His Honorable Blood.

This holy Sacrament, like others, was established by Christ Himself, when at the Last Supper - the last meal, on the eve of his suffering and death on the Cross, "... he took bread and, blessing, broke it, and distributing it to the disciples, he said: take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and having given thanks, gave it to them, and said, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

Thus, the essence of St. The Sacrament of Communion consists in the fact that during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, wheat bread and grape wine are transubstantiated (transformed) by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, become the true Body of Christ and the true Blood of Christ, and serve for the Christians who receive them as a genuine spiritual and bodily union with Christ: " Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him."

Our Lord Jesus Christ, being true and perfect God, was at the same time a perfect man. Everyone saw, heard and touched him like an ordinary person.

Like this incomprehensible miracle of the Incarnation, Christ was pleased to cover His Most Pure Body and His Most Pure Blood under the guise of bread and wine. Therefore, when a communicant eats material bread and wine, it means that he eats in them the Most Honorable Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By receiving Holy Communion with due reverence, an Orthodox Christian is worthy to be a partaker of eternal life. St. Demetrius of Rostov speaks of the great Mystery of Communion in this way: “A person is like iron, and the Body of Christ is a consuming fire, and when a person is united in the Holy Mystery of Communion with Christ, he becomes fiery. And just as a sick person cannot look at the sun with his eyes, so demons cannot look at one who worthily received the Body of Christ."

And St. John Chrysostom, confirming the saving power of Communion, says that if a person worthily takes communion and dies on that day, then he does not go through terrible ordeals in the afterlife, and the angels directly carry his soul to the abode of paradise, of course, not for the sake of his merits and exploits , but for the sake of the Holy thing, which he received on that day.

Doesn't all this convince us of the great significance of Holy Communion in our lives.

In the first centuries of Christianity, believers took communion every Sunday. But modern Christians, not having such a purity of life as their distant ancestors, must nevertheless, at least 4 times a year - during the prescribed fasts, partake of the Holy Mysteries. Of course, having prepared yourself before this by abstinence from food, fulfilling the rule of prayer, sincere reconciliation with your relatives and neighbors, and, finally, sincere repentance before your confessor.

Having made such preparation, we can, with the fear of God and faith, approach and approach the holy Chalice and, humbly recognizing our unworthiness, receive the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and eternal life.

In the practice of church service, a priest often meets people who are embarrassed by the very fact of communion of many people from one Chalice and from one liar. They are afraid of contracting an infectious disease that one of the communicants may suffer from. How to resolve this confusion?

At first, a superficial glance, it seems strange that both healthy people and sick people are communed from one liar. From the point of view of sanitation and just common sense, this cannot be done! But if we look at Communion from the point of view of St. teachers, we will see how profound the difference is in the approach to resolving this issue.

Holy Communion, as we said above, is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church. And where there is a mystery, the mystery of God's action, everything must be perceived by Faith, and not by rational conclusions. A sincerely believing Christian, when he partakes of the holy Mysteries of Christ, understands that he eats not just bread and wine, but the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore for him there is no room for doubt or embarrassment. To those whom the devil inspires the temptation of the danger of illness from a single chalice of communion, one can ask the question: how to explain the fact that a priest who has served for decades and consumes the remaining Holy Gifts in the chalice at the end of each Liturgy, from which he communed both sick and healthy people , himself never falls ill with a contagious disease? I can also confirm this, having served for more than fifty years at the throne of God. But what about the fact when seriously ill people, sometimes hopeless, after communion of the Holy Mysteries, to the surprise of doctors, gain health and strength?! All this convincingly testifies to the healing power inherent in the holy Sacrament of Communion.

Now it is necessary to say a few words about the holy Sacrament of Marriage. Nowadays, the concept of marriage is often reduced to the carnal cohabitation of a man and a woman. The instinct of sexual desire is passed off as love. And if one of the parties suddenly feels fed up with such love, then there is a feeling of disgust for the other side, a desire to get rid of it as soon as possible, that is, a divorce is inevitable. What we see from the sad statistics: today every third marriage is terminated. This is the collapse of the family. It brings grief and moral destruction of all the foundations of life, not only to the family itself, but also to society and the state as a whole. Such are the sad facts of civil marriage; marriage, not consecrated by the holy Sacrament of the Church.

Some may object: are there no cases of divorce of those couples who have consecrated their marriage in the Church? Yes, there is, but this is an exception to the rule. Basically, people who came to the Temple of God of their own free will to perform the Sacrament of Marriage were aware of what they were doing. And the performer of the Sacrament - the priest is obliged in advance to explain to the newlyweds what they are starting, so that it is not a tribute to today's fashion, that this is not just a beautiful ceremony, but the Holy Sacrament, a marriage union that God the Creator Himself established in paradise when He created the first people - a man and a woman. St. Clement of Alexandria, emphasizing the holiness of Marriage, says: "God Himself unites those who are sanctified by the Sacrament and is present in their midst." The Lord Himself, through His servant - the priest, blesses such a union of two hearts, the union of their souls and bodies in mutual love for each other, in the image of the love of Christ and the Church.

Yes, Christian marriage is the secret of love - love not only human, but also divine. That is why the Apostle Paul in his epistle confirms that "this mystery is great..." (Eph.5.32). For a husband's love for his wife is a likeness of Christ's love for the Church, for which He accepted crucifixion on the Cross, and the wife's lovingly humble obedience to her husband is a likeness of the attitude of the Church towards Christ, which finds in him the joy of being and its endless happiness. Yes, the secret of the happiness of Christian spouses lies in the joint fulfillment of the will of God, which unites their souls among themselves and with Christ.

And without love for Christ, no union will be lasting, for not only in mutual attraction, in common tastes, in common earthly interests, is a true strong connection, but, on the contrary, often all these values ​​suddenly begin to serve as separation.

Thus, only faith in Christ and a full-blooded life in His Church are the only necessary conditions for an inseparable Christian marriage. "What God has joined together, man does not separate" (Matthew 19:6).

It should also be noted that the grace and blessing of God, which are taught during the Sacrament of Marriage, descend not only on those entering into marriage, but also on the children born to them, and on their entire home. This is the impenetrable value of Church Marriage. And reasonable spouses should make every effort to preserve this blessing of God and His love until the end of their lives.

Husband and wife, conscious of being members of the Church, must be obedient to her in all things. And she, through the mouth of the Apostle Paul, says: “A wife has no power over her body, but a husband; likewise, a husband has no power over his body, but a wife. be together again, lest Satan tempt you with your intemperance" (1 Cor. 7:4-5).

From all that has been said, it becomes clear: in order to become an heir to heavenly bliss in the future eternal life, one must first here, on earth, streamline one's life, i.e. enclose it within the framework of Orthodox Christianity. Not in words, but in deeds, to be an Orthodox Christian. And for this you need to work hard and build your life as a solid and reliable building in which you want to live happily and peacefully and which will not be afraid of "neither wind, nor water, or anything else that can harm", because the foundation of this house will be True Faith, its walls will be cemented by Orthodoxy, and the roof will be the Love of God and His Blessing to the creator of this house.

For the construction of any building, a variety of materials are required: in addition to brick, cement, nails and wood, glass, paint, etc. are needed, without which the house will not be suitable for habitation.

So the building of our life also requires finishing materials with which it is decorated. These are numerous church institutions and rituals, good and sacred traditions, customs and rules of Christian behavior. Although we have already talked about some of them earlier, this topic is wide and immense. Therefore, in addition to what has been said, one should still answer those questions that concern many.