Why do people go to the Orthodox Church. Why do people go to temple? (Essay on a free topic)

During the renaissance Orthodox traditions a wide range of people are showing a desire to attend church. Parishioners have well-established habits of behavior that should not interfere in a holy place. A beginner should read simple tips on how to go to church the right way. These traditions have been observed since ancient times. This place needs to be treated with respect. The soul should be bright and joyful, ready for prayer.

Visiting church for the first time

Orthodox tradition has long created simple rules explaining how to go to church. A beginner, while visiting the temple, needs to be aware of the presence of God and angels in this sacred place. Parishioners go to church with faith in their hearts and prayer on their lips. It is not difficult to go to church correctly, it is better to go with other people, watching them.

The first rule is not to offend the priests and laity present with your inappropriate behavior. Inside the temple there are often shrines, the value of which is measured for centuries. Even if a layman is not aware of the sanctity of an icon or relics, one should not publicly question their value. If the parishioners bow next to a valuable icon, then it will not be difficult to bow, following the example of others.

Few think about what precedes going to the temple. This also has great importance. During the morning visit, it is better to refrain from eating. According to the religious canon, it is better to come to church hungry. A hearty breakfast is allowed only for a sick parishioner.

Before God, you need to keep a meek spirit, fully understand your sinfulness and show respect to those saints who decided to be cleansed from sin in their worldly life.

The temple allows you to create a connection between the sinful earth and pure heaven, when a person enters with faith in a powerful patron and intercessor. The church is being built as a prayer house where they go to ask for the most secret.

Rules for women

The requirements for women refer only to the details of appearance and the place where one should stand during worship. Someone from the older generation in the family knows how to go to church for a woman. You can learn about this from your grandmother or mother. The main requirement of appearance is emphasized modesty. The beauty of the female body is a symbol of temptation, and therefore a woman should not wear clothes that expose any part of the body. You can not wear a short skirt, neckline and even a dress that exposes the shoulders.

Before visiting, it is advisable for a girl to wash off her makeup, as well as cover her head with a scarf. In a holy place, every parishioner should think about the eternal. Rejoice for the salvation of your soul, pray. On a good path, he should not be distracted by beauty and lust. Therefore, bright outfits are considered inappropriate. The church is not a place to draw attention to yourself.

During the service, women should stand on the left side. During communion, women stand at the end of the line.

Where to start

As soon as the church came into view, she needs to bow and make the sign of the cross, even if it is not planned to go inside.

Approaching the door, you need to stop, think about your goal, cross yourself again. When visiting a temple, one must imagine that one enters from the space of earthly sin into a small and clean house of God.

There is a single ritual for all parishioners, how to enter the church correctly. You should start with a bow as a symbol of the humility of your pride. Then you need to cross yourself and read the lines, addressing the face of Christ the Savior in the following order:

• Before the first bow, it says: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."
• The second bow is accompanied by the words: "God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me."
• The words “I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me” complete the ritual.

It is desirable to remember this sequence and repeat during the exit.

When visiting, it is advisable not to take large bags, and if there is one, it must be left at the entrance. During the communion ritual, both hands must be free.

You can indicate your innermost goal in a note for the priest. Usually a request is transmitted to pray for oneself or for a neighbor.

At the entrance, you can go to the attendant to buy candles, while donating to the needs of the temple in symbolic form. The burning candle is an important symbol in Christianity. The small light of God's spark burns in every eternal soul, so a candle is lit:

• Wishing good health to your neighbors.
• For the difficulties in fate that we managed to overcome. In this case, the candle is placed with gratitude to his Saint for the tests and help sent.
• On the eve of a key event in life. Before an important decision, turning to God, angels and saints for support and admonition.
• For the repose of those who have already passed into eternal life.

To commemorate the dead, each church has an eve - a special memorial table. On the eve, you can put bread, red wine and cookies.

In each temple, a “festive” icon occupies a central place. The visitor first of all is attached to it. This icon may be different for each day. The priest, according to the calendar known to him, selects the “festive” icon, placing it in the center, on the lectern.

Approaching the festive icon, you need to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross, make bows to the ground and waist. When the parishioners move away from the icon, you need to bow to it for the third time.

In addition to the festive icon, a particularly valuable, ancient icon is exhibited in the temple. As a rule, there are several wonderful icons that travel from one temple to another. The arrival of a particularly revered icon is announced in advance.

When they approach the icon of a revered saint, their intercessor, they pronounce his name and ask: “Pray to God for a servant of God,” saying the name of a relative for whose recovery they came to ask.

The main charitable trait of behavior will be humility. No need to look around all around, as if on a tour. It is important to always remember the main purpose of your coming to the temple.

When a well-known friend appears in the temple, it is not customary to shake hands inside the church. As a greeting, friends bow. It is important to remain silent, and to allocate another time for a friendly conversation.

Particular attention should be paid to the behavior of children. The child may want to have fun. It is necessary to explain to him in advance the importance of the temple as a special place of communion with God. The child should be taught to behave as modestly and quietly as possible.

Special time of worship

After the start of the service, it is advisable not to interfere with people and the priest himself, and therefore all prayers, the installation of candles and the transfer of notes should be completed before the start of the church service.

It is forbidden to disturb other people with your questions. The words of the priest should be listened to in silence and concentration, since at this moment the Word of God is being transmitted.

Demonstration of uncivilized behavior in the temple will turn into big trouble than in ordinary life. If parishioners look at a person with condemnation, he provokes them to sin.

When those around you begin to bow and be baptized, then you need to join them, performing the ritual along with everyone.

For those who would like to sit down during the service, it is worth remembering that worship is an act of spiritual labor and therefore is performed while standing. Standing for a long time strengthens the spirit of a person, and everyone can test himself: if it is hard to stand, there is a reason for this. Those who are full of faith do not notice difficulties. It is hard for him who cannot be filled with reverence. Attention to the words of the priest leads each listener to his moment of spiritual enlightenment and self-improvement. For the sake of these good goals, you need to forget about minor inconveniences.

A candle is held in hands only during a memorial service or on special occasions. On a typical day, a candle is placed in a candlestick. It is necessary to ensure that the wax does not drip onto the person in front.

Since a layman comes to visit God, it is advisable not to leave before the service ends. For the same reason, it should not be late. The period of worship is a personal sacrifice that we offer to God. Dedicating one's time to spirituality is a must for every believer. Leaving the service is allowed only for a very good reason. If a mother cannot calm her child, she is advised to leave the church for a while and return when the child is quiet.

Sitting is allowed only to those in whose body there is a disease, whose need for relief is undeniable.

During the liturgy and the reading of the Gospel, one must ask God to enlighten to the understanding of all the Truths. When the priest opens the Royal Doors, it is customary to let go of the bow. If words sound in an unknown language and it is impossible to speak, then you can replace these words with a well-known prayer.

When the Priest finishes the sermon, he goes out to the people with a cross in his hands. Parishioners traditionally kiss his hand and cross. During the procession, there is a traditional order:

• Parents with small children should come first.
• Second are minors.
• Then comes the turn of the men.
• Women complete the procession.

For each group, the priest has prepared his own prayer. If someone breaks the line, he will be prompted where to stand correctly.

Which day to choose

For Orthodox Christian It is charitable to visit the temple once a week. A regular visit is required in order for the layman to rest his soul from the sinful world, get out of the everyday bustle and turn to eternal questions.

The priest expects parishioners on Saturday and Sunday, as well as during church holidays. The exact date can be found in Orthodox calendar. If there is a need to pray, you can go to church any day you wish.

Small churches due to the lack of priests may not work on weekdays. Monday is considered a time of rest after two consecutive days of worship. On Monday, the church devotes prayers to angels, therefore, it does not welcome the well-known superstition among the people about the severity of this day. Small name days are celebrated on Monday, because guardian angels are honored on this day.

What would you like to know

An acolyte works inside the church, who can tell you how to enter the church correctly and what not to do. Mobile phones can not be turned off, but be sure to switch to the "silent" mode. During the service, you cannot answer the phone, as this is not the time for talking.

In the evening, after the service, candles can be purchased again for the home. Even if there is not enough money, it is possible to ask for a candle for free. Refusing people in need is not accepted in a Christian environment.

If someone is sick at home, a candle lit in the temple is taken home and placed in the room where the sick person lies. You can light a candle for an unbaptized person, but you cannot ask for a note and order a prayer. It is not customary to ask for a suicide.

At the end of the service, you can return to individual prayer or ask the priest for a conversation, if there is a good reason for that. At this time, it is possible to order a prayer for another person who is sick, but cannot attend the Church on his own.

In this way, A believing Christian should attend church at least once a week while observing in the temple simple rituals and rules of conduct. By regularly turning to eternal questions, to God, a person becomes purer and wiser. The sanctity of the temple is determined not only by age-old religion, but also miraculous icons saints to call on. Listening to the words of the priest during the divine service is useful for every person for the salvation of his eternal soul.

It also happens: you sit at home, enjoy yourself, think about how correct, smart and in general you are ... Then, getting into a more or less normal Christian church, you realize that it was self-deception. Suddenly, it turns out that there is not enough self-control, love, and all sorts of such qualities. And if in such a situation we are honest, then we can sufficiently realize what it means: ‘Iron sharpens iron, and a man sharpens his friend’s gaze’(Prov. 27:17). Human beings are social beings, and need healthy relationships; therefore, it is so important to have such an environment that will help you become a more adequate, perfect personality.

The most dangerous scourge of most Christians is conceit and pride. We will not talk about apostates and heretics, everything is clear with them (Tit. 3:10,11.); but if someone begins to differ from us, and thinks differently from us, then without thinking too much about how right he is, we put him in the category of a misunderstanding and a goat-like brother. But it should not be so, my friends; the apostle Paul wrote:

‘’And why are you judging your brother? Or are you also, that you humiliate your brother? We will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow before me, and every tongue shall confess God. So each of us will give an account to God for himself. ...let us seek that which serves for peace and for mutual edification” (Rom. 14:10-12,19.).

And again it is worth repeating that such qualities can only be learned in the church. Ecclesiastes - means "Convener of the Assembly"; What do you think he meant when he wrote:

‘’Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor: for if one falls, the other will lift up his companion. But woe to one when he falls, and there is no other to lift him up. Also, if two are lying, then they are warm; How can one keep warm? And if one begins to overcome one, then two will stand against him: and the thread, twisted three times, will not soon break '' (Eccl. 4: 9-12)?

In most cases, it is generally accepted in Christianity that this speaks of a family - but where is the logic when Christ Jesus and the apostle Paul argued that better man stay alone (Luke 19:10-12. 1Cor.7:32-35,38.)? outside the herd, they subsequently die. Indeed, it has already been proven by many cases and experiments that a person is one of the most vulnerable and unviable creatures if he does not receive education. And the more perfect a person you want to become, the more perfect your environment must be; therefore it is said: “He who associates with the wise will be wise, but he who associates with fools will become corrupt” (Prov. 13:21).

What to do when there is a quarrel in the church?

It is good if a certain denomination has a well-established legal order. And when [and this is more common in Protestant churches] there are no “random” pastors, then serious problems do not arise so often. But still, when quarrels and problems arise in relationships with shepherds and simply fellow believers, or we observe a problem from the outside, how will we behave ourselves? Sometimes we hear that some stop attending church, believing; ‘‘Since someone offended me, it means that there is no truth there’’. Well, sometimes it happens… However, it should be understood that problems can arise sooner or later, in any church and any denomination. Remember that among the apostles there was a thief (John 12:4,6.); but you, first of all, come to worship the Father, and glorify the Lord Christ.

There is also another side of the problem, and about it there is interesting saying: if the first husband beat his wife - he is a bastard; if the second one beat her, we don’t understand someone else’s life; well, if the third one beats, then it’s not the wife’s face to see ... The moral of this statement is absolutely not for assault, but if someone has problems, often with many, then you should pay attention to the fact that there may be a problem in in the first place in himself? And then it is important to remember that this is also NOT a reason to give up and leave the church - this is a reason to hold on even tighter and work hard on yourself; ask your shepherds to help you.

When the question arises: how to find the right religion?

Sometimes it happens that a Christian cannot decide what denomination he should be in. If you lived around the 13th century, then you would not have a great choice: either remain in traditional Orthodoxy or Catholicism, or become a ‘heretic sectarian’’. Now, with a relative religious democracy, there is a huge selection of various directions of Christianity, and everyone is trying to prove their case. But no matter how wide and varied the choice of religious movements is now, the paradox is that until the beginning of the 21st century, the triumph of truth has not yet come. ''How! Why!’’, you may ask indignantly. Yes, all because by replacing the totalitarian and tyrannical regime of the ruling religions with freedom, in which demonism and sectarianism can sometimes be present, [in general] we have only come a little closer to the truth.

History often repeats itself, and little has changed since the time of the prophet Ezekiel; and he wrote: ‘And they were scattered without a shepherd, and being scattered, they became food for every beast of the field. My sheep wander over all the mountains and over every high hill, and My sheep are scattered over all the face of the earth…’’ (Ezek. 34:5,6). Yes, our Lord Christ cleansed the church with His blood; and while His apostles lived, through [the laying on of hands] by whom the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 8:14-18.), it was one and true. However, the apostle Paul prophesied: ‘For I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and men will arise from among yourselves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29,30). And today, Christianity is still in a state of division—i.e. ‘’Babylon the Great’’ - compare: Gen.11:9. [Also, more information about this in the article: ‘’What is Babylon the Great? - Secrets of the Bible.

So, what to do if a Christian is not satisfied with his denomination in terms of understanding the truth; should he, in this case, also create his own trend and look for followers? We will answer right away that this is of course not worth doing, because. you will not solve the problem; but not only that, you will make it even worse by repeating what you have already done before you ... What can the Word of God teach us on this issue?

Let's start with the fact that the problem of divisions was still during the life of Christ's apostles, and Paul wrote: "I beseech you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you speak one thing, and there will be no divisions between you, but that you be united in in one spirit and in one mind" (1 Corinthians 1:10). But what's already done is done and now it only remains for us to choose the church that is closer to us in spirit and understanding. The letter to the Hebrews says: “Let us be attentive to one another, encouraging love and good deeds. Let us not leave our assembly, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort [one another], and the more so, the more you see that day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24,25).

Some may say: ‘‘But what about the call to come out of Babylon the Great?’’ (Rev. 18:4.). The expression of Ecclesiastes [Convener of the Assembly] is also relevant in this matter, as he wrote: ‘To everything there is a time, and a time for every thing under heaven. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak” (Eccl. 3:7). And the most striking example that can teach us (Rom. 15:4.) Is written by the prophet Jeremiah that the Jews were supposed to take care of the well-being of Babylon: ''thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I resettled from Jerusalem to Babylon: take wives and bear sons and daughters; and take wives to your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and do not diminish; and take care of the welfare of the city in which I have moved you, and pray for it to the Lord; for with his well-being you will also have peace. For [only] I know the intentions that I have for you, says the Lord, intentions for good, and not for evil, to give you a future and hope. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from captivity and gather you from all the peoples and from all the places where I drove you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I removed you '' (Jer. 29: 4,6,7,11,13,14). The Jews, on their own, could not leave Babylon until the time came for the end of the 70-year captivity; Likewise, we cannot solve this problem on our own. Moreover, not resigning ourselves to what we have today [by the will of the Almighty], we become like those Jewish rebels who refused to go to Babylon - see: Jer.27:1,6-8. Jer.24:1,3-10. It is important to understand that our 'coolness' and superiority is not about striving to rise above [as some try to claim] the ''pathetic crowd of believers''. But our strength is in wisdom, and this is confirmed by the ever-present words: ‘For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: if you remained in place and at rest, you would be saved; in silence and hope is your fortress; but you would not' (Isaiah 30:15).

Jewish scholars of Scripture have already made the mistake of trying to go deep into the knowledge and fulfillment of the Law in order to justify it; but Christ came and showed that the “letter” of the law does not save. So what is our salvation?.. Of course, God must always be sought; if you truly love someone, then you try to get to know him, understand him, remain faithful; this is the fulfillment of the first most important commandment (Matt. 22:37,38.). And when it comes recent times, the Almighty will be revealed to all who sincerely sought Him (Acts 17:27.); the prophet Zephaniah also confirms this: ‘Wait for me, therefore, says the Lord, until the day when I arise for desolation, for it is determined by me to gather the nations, to call the kingdoms, to pour out on them my indignation, all the fury of my wrath; for the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousy. Then [at that time] again I will give the nations clean lips, so that they all call on the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord” (Zeph. 3:8,9). How will it happen? The Lord will send His witnesses (Rev. 11:3-8.) to teach humanity the one truth; This is how the apostle Paul wrote about it: “until we all come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ; that we should no longer be babes tossed about and carried away with every wind of doctrine, by the craftiness of men, by the cunning of deceit” (Eph. 4:13,14). *** More information can be found in the article: “Christianity in the Last Days – Secrets of the Bible. New Understanding of Scripture.

With regard to today, it is important to remember this... Our Lord Christ, in the image of Melchizedek [cf. Hebrews 7:1,2.], is:

1. Tsar.
2. priest

Therefore, he who opposes the authority opposes God's ordinance. And those who oppose themselves will bring condemnation upon themselves. For those who are in authority are not terrible for good works, but for evil ones. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for [the boss] is God's servant, good for you. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, the avenger in punishment for the one who does evil. And therefore it is necessary to obey not only out of [fear] of punishment, but also according to conscience. For this you also pay taxes, for they are God's servants, constantly busy with this” (Rom. 13:1-6). From this passage of Scripture, it is clear to us that the rulers of the world, despite their obvious imperfection, are a kind of substitute [for the time being] for the King of kings, Christ, and maintain, well, at least some kind of order. But our Lord is not only a King, but also a Priest; and He is also, for the time being, replaced by the pastors of the churches, who are also worth obeying [if they follow the sound doctrine of virtue]. Collecting [as written in Romans 13:6.] offerings and tithes, they are required to keep the churches in proper order until the time comes, about which the prophet Daniel wrote: ''And he answered, 'Go, Daniel; for the these words until the end time: many will be cleansed, whitened, and refined [in temptation], but the wicked will do wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand” (Dan. 12:9,10).

So: ‘By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’(John 13:35). Today, too, the manifestation of love for God and neighbor remains an urgent matter, and those who do so will not stumble (Psalm 119:165.). Wait for the Lord friends, He will come again and teach us the truth; but not in the body, but through His “little brothers” (Matt. 25:31-35,40.). And in order not to miss His coming in truth, remember the principle: ‘Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, not knowing, have shown hospitality to Angels. Remember the prisoners, as if you were in bondage with them, and the afflicted, as you yourself are in the body” (Heb. 13:2,3). Peace to you.

S. Yakovlev (Bokhan)

Pay attention to these two pictures. Compare - what would you like more? To eat everything that, for example, accidentally falls on Internet forums? ..

Or still receiving spiritual verbal milk by providing shepherds at meetings? (1 Peter 2:1,2. Hebrews 13:17).

What is there in the Church that is not found anywhere else? Why does a person go to the temple?

Archpriest Alexy Uminsky: Why go to church?

"Why go to church?" It is impossible to answer this, because the question is asked too essentially. No matter how you answer this question, it is probably impossible to give an absolutely complete answer. It is impossible to answer this question completely, because the mystery of the church is inexhaustible, and what the church is is not so easy to explain.

Although the church has a lot of different external and internal signs, by which it is defined as a church, therefore it is recognizable, people know what a church is, but they do not fully understand what is happening in the church and, indeed, why you need to go in church?

The fact is that the church is presented by many of us, most of us, even by those who have been going to church for a long time, as a kind of place that, first of all, meets your needs. That is, you have to go to church in order to get what I cannot get anywhere except the church. Then in a sense the answer to this question "Why go to church?" can be given: in the church you will receive something that you will never receive anywhere else.

And, in fact, people go to church for this. They go to church, because nowhere like in church you can baptize your child, nowhere like in church you can sing the funeral service for your deceased relative, marry your marriage, submit notes for a prayer service, bless water and a lot of other things for which people go, or rather, do not go, but come to church.

But it turns out that at the same time, if a person puts the question a little deeper, then he can say: “But I just don’t need this from the church. I don't need holy water, I can do without it. I don't have to submit notes, I'll pray myself. I don’t need anything like that from an external God, because if I believe in God, then I myself can tell Him the main words without a church, read His Holy Gospel, understand how I should live. And he will be absolutely right.

Photo orthphoto.net

Because when a person begins to treat his faith a little deeper and more seriously and understand that, in fact, a lit candle in front of an icon is not yet faith, it is not yet the realization of your faith. That the ordered prayer service for the blessing of water is not yet your path to Christ.

Even the baptism that takes place in the temple, even those sacraments that take place in the temple (when a person perceives them for himself as such relationships that “I need it, and I will get it”), when the church becomes some kind of “combination for providing special services, spiritual services that no other institution or service complex in this world will provide.

But the church then turns out to be a very earthly combine for the provision of unearthly services. And then the question “Why go to church?”, on the one hand, gets its little answer, and, on the other hand, this question “Why go to church?” starts to sound more and more serious. Because if we go to church for this, then we don't go to church yet. So, in general, we don’t know something about the church, why it exists, why is it needed at all, what is it - the church?

Unfortunately for the greatest, this stereotype of our thinking has been developed over centuries, millennia. He is such that for the rendered service it is necessary to pay something. And, if I want to receive something, then this acquisition of mine should be thanked for something, something should be the equivalent of what I receive. And in the church, people somehow figured out very quickly how to find this equivalent to their spiritual needs. And the equivalent turned out to be the same – money, ordinary money.

And then it becomes interesting that when a person comes to church, the main place for him becomes not (because what happens there, firstly, is not clear to anyone in most cases, and, therefore, not very interesting, because , if it were interesting, it would immediately become clear), but a church box, only a church box!

It is there that the most active life in the church takes place, it is there that the most interesting things take place. It is there that they can explain something to you, tell you something, direct you somewhere, because there a person receives knowledge - in front of which icon to put a candle, to which saint in which case one should pray, where “for health”, where “for the repose ”, how much does a magpie cost ... And that’s it! And then it becomes the center of our life. This is exactly what some people want from the church. Unfortunately, for the majority of people, a huge number of people, this is exactly what the church needs most of all, and it is clear and obvious that if I come to church for this, I need to receive and take something in the church.

But there are people who do not need this, who want something else from God and want something else from their faith. And then they raise the question: “Why do I need a church, if I don’t really need it in the church, I can pray myself. I understand that if I put a candle in front of an icon in a church or if I light a lamp at home, the difference is small. Me and God. Why church? This question should be asked more often to all people - both believers and non-believers - and be sure to look for an answer to it.

Because the church does not exist so that we can acquire something here in this way. Nothing can be bought in the church for one simple reason: the church is the place where gifts are distributed. Not humanitarian aid, of course, not some special orders, no need to line up, take a seat in advance, there is no VIP zone, just the CHURCH - THIS IS WHERE CHRIST GIVES THE GIFTS.

When the Lord distributes His gifts, He does not require anything from a person, He does not need to be paid for this, one cannot pay for the most important thing in the church - for the mercy of God, for the love of God, for the opportunity to be heard, for the opportunity to be forgiven. YOU CANNOT PAY FOR THAT YOU ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST. But this is the most important thing when the Lord distributes gifts.

But the gifts of God are not like what we want to acquire. Because usually a person comes to church for exactly what he usually wants for his loved ones. New Year: good health, success in work and happiness in personal life. These three positions are indestructible positions, which, in fact, constitute the essence of our idea of ​​happiness, well-being, and the correctness of our life. Indeed, first of all, a person needs this: good health, good work and happiness in his personal life. What else does a person need? Do not need anything.

A person exhausts himself with these three requests, wishes, but God gives something completely different. The Lord can give happiness, health, and success to some extent, up to a certain period, for a certain time, when a person needs it, but in general He did not come into the world for this.

And if a person reads the Gospel, except for the fact that he submits notes for a box, then he, having learned the Gospel with surprise, will see that the Lord in the Gospel does not promise, guarantee or even desire anything like this to anyone. What kind of gifts, then, can a person receive from God, and does he want these gifts, does he want these gifts? Or does he always want from God only what he needs in this moment?

So most often it happens that a person comes to church not because he expects gifts from God, but because “I need this much today, but I don’t need everything else, that’s exactly how much I need to receive from You today, then You don’t interfere in my life, don’t knock on me any further.” And then it turns out, of course, complete absurdity, because the church is the place where God meets a person.

In fact, a person usually meets God outside the church. And most often it happens to us, with people who turned to God, having gone through some kind of life path, their mistakes, through some human sorrows, that we meet God not at all in church, but we meet God in the most unexpected places. . Sometimes in places about which unbelieving people can only say: "There is no God." But it is precisely often that a person meets God where it seems to others, to the majority, that God cannot be there or they ask: “Well, where are You, God?”

They meet God in terrible, terrible places where there is no place for God, but a person can meet God there, and this meeting with God can, and should, and it usually happens, turn him upside down, make his life completely different. And this is how a person after a meeting with God changes very much internally, if this meeting has taken place.

And it is clear that God hears man everywhere. You don't have to go to church to be heard, that's understandable. Will you fly in an airplane in the sky - God will hear you. If you are underground in a mine walled up with miners, God will hear you. If you are in a submarine, God will hear you. Wherever you are - on earth, underground, under water, on water, on another planet together with astronauts - God will hear you, because God is with you always and everywhere. And, of course, when people say that God is in my soul - yes, including ...

And the second moment, very important - God hears you, but how do you hear Him? Is it important for you to hear God now? Do you need to hear from God? Or is it now enough for you that God heard you, you met Him, and now, as it were, everything, period, the main thing in your life has been determined, everything is in its place?

Now we need to understand: what does it mean to hear God? What does it mean to go to Him? What does it mean to live in faith? And then the question “Why go to church, why do we need a church?” acquires its relevance, because the church is the place where God meets a person not in order for him to serve Him prayers, not in order for him to put candles in front of the icons, not in order to perform some attributes of rituals, attributes faith, from which a person can take something convenient, easy to bear, and now, at this moment, he needs.

And this is the place where God gives gifts to man. FIRST OF ALL, THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFT THAT GOD BRINGS TO MAN IS HE BRINGS HIMSELF. AN UNBEARABLE, DIFFICULT, IMPOSSIBLE GIFT FOR EACH OF US. GOD GIVES HIMSELF TO MAN. AND THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN THE CHURCH. And nowhere else. Because the church is the abode of Divine gifts and the place on earth that God himself has designated as the place where He gives Himself to people so that people can receive Him.

You can go to church all your life, as many people think about it, many look, and have absolutely nothing to do with it. Because when a person comes to God in this way, those words that Christ spoke at the Last Supper to his disciples, in prayer turning to His Father, when He says: "And all mine is yours, and all yours is mine" (John 17:10). And here is a person who comes to God for real, he cannot but say these words to God: “All that is mine is Yours.” These are the most important words that a person can say to God, give himself to God, into the hands of God, give himself to God.

But after all, Christ says such an answer to these words: “All that is Mine is yours.” And when it becomes obvious to a person that the Lord is ready to give him “everything that is Mine is yours,” then, in fact, very often a person usually answers: “But I don’t need everything that is Yours. All I need from You is this, this and this. And all of Yours is too hard. It's too scary. It's too unbearable." But these are the gifts of God. When a person comes to confession, the sacrament of repentance, what does the person think, what does the person say? “Do I get or do I give? Of course, the sacrament of confession exists so that I can remove my sins from myself, so that I can purify my soul.

In our time, you can often hear the phrase: “Why go to the temple? I have God in my heart!” It would seem that such a person can only be envied. Indeed, if you have God in your heart, then visiting the temple looks like some kind of excess. But here the question arises: how justified is this confidence? Maybe God is in this person in some other part of the body, for example, in the stomach? Or maybe the stomach itself has become a god for a person, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: Their god is the womb(Philippians 3:19).

A person can be sure that he has become the temple of the Spirit of God, being the plaything of unclean spirits.

But if a person is right, and his heart has really become the abode of God, then how can you be sure that this is the true God, and not the one who tries to present himself as God, not being such? Here is what St. Theophan the Recluse says about this: “Demons sense a fasting man and a prayer book from afar and run away from him so as not to receive a painful blow. Is it possible to think that where there is no fasting and prayer, there is already a demon? Can. Demons, moving into a person, do not always reveal their presence, but hide, stealthily teaching their master all evil. In other words, a person can be sure that he has become the temple of the Spirit of God, being the plaything of unclean spirits.

Someone will say: “Here, I fast and pray, but I don’t go to church.” To this one can reply that praying and fasting is a good and necessary thing, of course, but not sufficient in itself.

If a Christian, even without abandoning personal prayer, voluntarily withdraws from church worship, then, according to the holy fathers of the Church, this is an indicator of spiritual ill health. The Monk Barsanuphius of Optina offers the following discussion on this subject. One holy father was asked: “Are there any sure signs by which one can know whether the soul is approaching God or moving away from Him? After all, with respect to ordinary objects, there are certain signs - they are good or not. When, for example, cabbage, meat, fish begin to rot, it is easy to notice this, because the spoiled products emit a bad smell, change color and taste, and appearance their evidence of damage.

Well, what about the soul? After all, she is incorporeal and cannot emit a bad smell or change her appearance. To this question, the holy father replied that a sure sign of the mortification of the soul is evasion from church services. A person who grows cold towards God, first of all, begins to avoid going to church. At first, he tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops attending the temple of God.

A sign that God dwells in the heart is love for temple worship

Thus, the desire for church service is for a Christian that spiritual tuning fork with which we can always check the state of our soul. The sign that God dwells in the heart is love for temple worship.

It can be likened to human relationships. If we love someone, then we try to be close to him. If we say, for example, to our friend: “You are always with me, you are in my heart, so I didn’t come to wish you a happy birthday,” then we are unlikely to hear words of approval and understanding in response. So it is with God. If God is in our hearts, if we love Him or at least strive for this love, then how can we not honor the Birthday or Resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man, who endured humiliation, pain and death for our salvation, how can we forget about the memorable date Mother of God through whom we gained access to the incarnate God, or let us neglect the days of celebration Heavenly Forces incorporeal and saints, standing before the throne of God and tirelessly praying for us, lazy, sinful and strong only for words of self-justification?

The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism.

At the center of the church service is the greatest Christian sacrament - the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. The entire divine service is structured in such a way as to prepare us for this sacrament in the best possible way, and is in itself a prelude and anticipation of our eternal stay with God. In the church service, the doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ is visibly manifested. The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism. Just as it is natural for the body to maintain unity, so it is natural for a Christian to strive for unity with the head of the Church, Christ, and with all Christians united in Christ into one body. Therefore, participation in worship is not a heavy duty for a Christian, not a severe punishment or sophisticated torture, but a kind of natural and vital aspiration. The absence of such should serve as a signal to us that we are spiritually ill and in serious danger, that our life needs to be corrected as soon as possible.

Of course, it is not always easy for us to participate in public worship, we do not always feel like it. Everyone has states when you have to force yourself to go to the temple. But without this spiritual life is impossible.

Where does this heaviness, this unwillingness, come from? Everything comes from the same place - from our passions, which have entered our souls to such an extent that they have become for us, as it were, a second nature (“habit is second nature”), which you cannot get rid of without labor and without illness.

The effect of worship on the passions can be compared to the effect of light on the inhabitants of a dark cave. Animals and insects, accustomed to night and darkness, when light appears, set in motion and tend to fly away, run away, crawl away to familiar places, to dark, “safe” places, remote from the light.

So the passions in us, while we are far from the Church, from the temple, from worship, doze in the habitual and comfortable spiritual darkness. But as soon as we come to the temple for service, it is as if all the forces of hell rise up in our bodies and souls. My legs are wadded, my head is foggy, my back hurts ... Yes, and everything around is outraged: the readers read incomprehensibly, the singers go astray and out of tune, the priest or not, or he is in a hurry somewhere, the deacon looks defiant, in the church shop they answer unkindly, everyone sometimes they are gloomy, and if they joke and smile, then this is also annoying (“in a holy place!”), etc. etc. And, of course, the background thought: “What am I doing here?”. And if you do not understand the need for temple prayer, then there is almost no chance to stay in the temple. Nevertheless, we will not receive true consolation anywhere except the temple.

Many are familiar with the state of despondency, or, as it is now customary to say, depression, when nothing pleases and everything loses its meaning. I also don't want to go to the temple in this state. But Orthodox people they know that if you still force yourself and get to the temple and worship, then everything miraculously changes. It seems that he stood stupidly in the service, almost did not hear prayers, he himself did not pray so much as he tried to cope with a spiritual storm or with swarming thoughts, but you leave the temple, and there is peace in your heart. It seems that outwardly nothing has changed, the circumstances are still the same, but they no longer seem as insurmountable as before.

In the temple, our prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ

And this is not surprising. Indeed, in the temple, our imperfect prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ, in which The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings inexpressible(Rom. 8:26). Therefore, in most cases, even the most profound and concentrated private prayer will not be as beneficial for the soul as even imperfect church prayer.

The Holy Fathers often call the temple "heaven on earth". In it we come into contact with the heavenly world, we enter, so to speak, into the space of eternity. Here we receive the pacification of passions and protection from the violent influence of evil spirits, becoming (at least for a time) inaccessible to them. Every time we enter the space of the temple, we make our personal small exodus from the world, which lies in evil(1 John 5:19), and avoid its deadly sting.

The action of public prayer is the reverse side of God's twofold commandment of love for God and for one's neighbor, since the personal prayer of each Christian praying in the temple is strengthened, on the one hand, by the prayers of other worshipers, and on the other, by Divine energy.

Here is what our ancient Russian saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, wrote about this: “Do not be deceitful, do not leave the church meeting under the pretext of bodily weakness: as rain grows the seed, so the church attracts the soul to good deeds. It doesn’t matter what you do in your cell: whether you read the Psalter, whether you sing twelve psalms, - all this cannot be compared with one cathedral: “Lord, have mercy!” Understand this, my brother: the chief apostle Peter himself was the church of the living God, and when he was captured by Herod and put in prison, was it not through the prayers of the Church that he was delivered from the hand of Herod? And David prays, saying: “One thing I ask of the Lord, and that only I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, contemplate the beauty of the Lord, and visit his holy temple early.” The Lord Himself said: "My house will be called a house of prayer." “Where,” he says, “two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” But if such a cathedral is assembled, in which there will be more than a hundred brethren, then how can you not believe that the Lord our God is here.

Of course, sometimes there are objective circumstances that really prevent you from visiting the temple. But not everything that seems to us an obstacle is such in the eyes of God. In this regard, the case described in the life of the righteous Juliana of Murom is indicative: “One winter was so cold that the earth was cracked from frost. And she did not go to church for some time, but prayed to God at home. And then one day the priest of that church came early in the morning alone to the church, and there was a voice from the icon Holy Mother of God, saying this: “Go, tell the merciful Uliya: why doesn’t she go to church to pray? Although her home prayer is pleasing to God, everything is not the same as church prayer.

For a person who has established himself on the divine path, attending a church service becomes a need no less, and sometimes even more, than bodily nourishment. Saints feel this need especially keenly. So, the righteous John of Kronstadt admitted: “I fade away, I die spiritually when I don’t serve in the temple for a whole week, and I kindle, I revive my soul and heart when I serve ...” .

However, today, probably, in every Orthodox church you can meet at least one parishioner who, like the gospel prophetess Anna (cf. Lk. 2, 36-37), almost constantly stays in the temple. Despite the fact that the surrounding people usually do not contribute to this at all. And her relatives reproach her, and her own, the Orthodox, persuade her to moderate her ardor, and she, overcoming years and illnesses, almost crawling, but still strives for the “mass” that is dear to her sick heart.

In conclusion, I would like to give an amazing example of the invincible love for the Divine service of one of the Greek ascetics of piety of the 20th century: “God-loving Keti did not want to miss a single vespers and liturgy. She wanted to go to the service every day, so she looked for churches where the liturgy was celebrated on weekdays. She sacrificed her sleep, made many hours of foot crossings, just not to miss the Divine Liturgy.<...>

Keti tried to get acquainted with the priests of all the neighboring villages so that she could invite them to celebrate the liturgy. I often went to the temple of Pantanassa. At night, she crossed the Louros River on a rope bridge. Often in the winter it was covered with ice, and Keti always had several bags of products for the poor.

Once, when the bridge was swept away by water, an old shepherd helped her to cross to the other side. Sometimes she had to spend many hours on the road. One day Keti was attacked by dogs, another time she met a bear, but the animals did not harm her.

It is difficult to describe everything that happened to Katie. There were no telephones then. Once, none of the familiar priests warned her about the liturgy. After work, Katie still hit the road. First came the Philippiada. Then she visited the villages of Kambi, Pantanassa, St. George. But there was no service anywhere, and in the meantime it got dark. Keti (still on foot) went to Kerasovo, and from there to Vulista, where the father's sister joined her. On the way, they stumbled and fell into a hole. Women fell knee-deep into asbestos. They put themselves in order and went to the liturgy. In total, in the evening and night, Keti covered a distance of 30 kilometers. And so it often happened.

<...>Once in the temple, Keti fell from a chair, on which she climbed to light the lamps. She suffered a hip fracture. She was admitted to the hospital, where she was prescribed bed rest. But how would she then be able to attend services? Limping, she left the hospital, stopped the car and drove to the church of St. George in the village of Philippiada, where her friend, Father Vasily Zalakostas, served. There she lay down in the temple vestibule. She spent twenty days and nights in the church. Every day a priest came and celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

One winter there was a severe storm. The wind uprooted the trees. But this did not become an obstacle for Keti. Without a moment's hesitation, she went to the liturgy, but did not return for a long time. Colleagues were waiting for Keti in excitement. Finally she showed up. Her face beamed with joy, although all of her legs (as far as they were visible under her long dress) were covered in blood. She explained that the delay was due to the fact that she had to climb over the fallen trees that she met on the way.

So what did Keti feel during the Divine Liturgy? Probably, it was something inexplicable if she, overcoming all difficulties, did everything possible and impossible to get into the service. She herself sang, gave gifts to priests, carried heavy liturgical books with her.

Sometimes she went to the night service, and in the morning she hurried to another Divine Liturgy. And then, visiting her acquaintances and hearing how the service was broadcast on the radio, she stood up for prayer for the third time. She knelt down and made prostrations. No noise could distract her.<...>

Her love for worship was such that often, falling asleep, she whispered: "Church, Church ...".

It remains only to wish all of us to acquire at least a small fraction of that love for church worship, which is described in these lines!

Questions and answers frequently asked by beginning Christians.

35 short FAQs for beginner Christians about the temple, candles, notes, etc.

1. How should a person prepare to go to the temple?

To prepare for the morning visit, you need to prepare as follows:
Rising from bed, give thanks to the Lord, who gave you the opportunity to spend the night in peace and extended your days for repentance. Wash yourself, stand in front of the icon, light the lamp (from a candle) so that it evokes a prayerful spirit in you, put your thoughts in order, forgive everyone, and only then proceed to reading the prayer rule ( morning prayers from the Prayer Book). Then subtract one chapter from the Gospel, one from the Apostle, and one kathisma from the Psalter, or one psalm if time is short. At the same time, it must be remembered that it is better to read one prayer with sincere contrition of the heart than the whole rule with the thought of how to finish it all as soon as possible. Beginners can use an abbreviated prayer book, gradually adding one prayer at a time.

Before leaving, say:
I deny you, Satan, your pride and your service, and unite with you, Christ Jesus our God, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cross yourself and calmly go to the temple, not being afraid of what a person will do to you.
Walking down the street, cross the road in front of you, saying to yourself:
Lord, bless my ways and keep me from all evil.
On the way to the temple, read a prayer to yourself:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

2. How should a person who decides to go to church dress?

Women should not come to church in trousers, short skirts, with bright makeup on their faces, lipstick on their lips is unacceptable. The head must be covered with a headscarf or scarf. Men must remove their hats before entering the church.

3. Can I eat before visiting the temple in the morning?

According to the charter it is impossible, it is done on an empty stomach. Retreats are possible due to weakness, with self-reproach.

4. Is it possible to enter the temple with bags?

If there is a need, you can. Only when a believer approaches Communion should the bag be put aside, since during Communion the hands are folded crosswise on the chest.

5. How many prostrations should be made before entering the temple and how to behave in the temple?

Before entering the temple, having previously crossed yourself, bow three times, looking at the image of the Savior, and pray for the first bow:
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
To the second bow:
God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me.
To the third:
I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me.
Then do the same, entering the doors of the temple, bow on both sides, saying to yourself:
Forgive me brothers and sisters stand reverently in one place, without pushing anyone, and listen to the words of the prayer.
If a person came to the temple for the first time, then he needs to look around, notice what more experienced believers are doing, where their eyes are directed, in what places of worship and in what way they make the sign of the cross and bow down.
It is unacceptable during the service to behave as if in a theater or a museum, that is, with your head up, look at the icons and clergy.
During prayer, one must stand reverently, with a repentant feeling, slightly lowering his shoulders and head, as the guilty stand before the king.
If you do not understand the words of the prayer, then say the Jesus Prayer to yourself with contrition of heart:
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Try to make the sign of the cross and prostrations with everyone at the same time. Remember that the Church is the earthly Heaven. Praying to your Creator, do not think of anything earthly, but only sigh and pray for your sins.

6. How long do you have to be on duty?

Service must be upheld from beginning to end. Service is not a duty, but a sacrifice to God. Will it be pleasant for the owner of the house, to whom guests have come, if they leave before the end of the holiday?

7. Is it possible to sit in the service if there is no strength to stand?

To this question St. Philaret of Moscow answered: "It is better to think about God while sitting than about standing feet." However, while reading the Gospel it is necessary to stand.

8. What is important in bowing and prayer?

Remember that the matter is not in words and bows, but in the raising of the mind and heart to God. You can say all the prayers and put down all the aforementioned bows, but not remember God at all. And therefore, without praying - fulfill prayer rule. Such prayer is a sin before God.

9. How to kiss the icons?

Lobyzaya St. the icon of the Savior, you should kiss the feet, the Mother of God and the saints - the hand, and the Image Not Made by Hands of the Savior and the head of John the Baptist - in the sacks.

10. What does the candle placed in front of the image symbolize?

A candle, like prosphora, is a bloodless sacrifice. Candle fire symbolizes eternity. In ancient times, in the Old Testament Church, a person who came to God sacrificed to him the inner fat and wool of a slain (killed) animal, which were placed on the altar of burnt offering. Now, when we come to the temple, we sacrifice not an animal, but a candle symbolically replacing it (preferably a wax one).

11. Does it matter what size candle you put in front of the image?

Everything depends not on the size of the candle, but on the sincerity of your heart and your capabilities. Of course, if a wealthy person puts cheap candles, then this indicates his stinginess. But if a person is poor, and his heart burns with love for God and compassion for his neighbor, then his reverent standing and fervent prayer is more pleasing to God than the most expensive candle, set with a cold heart.

12. Who and how many candles should be placed?

First of all, a candle is placed for the Feast or a revered temple icon, then for the relics of the saint, if any, in the temple, and only then for health or for peace.
For the dead, candles are placed on the eve at the Crucifixion, mentally saying:
Remember, Lord, your deceased servant (name) and forgive his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.
About health or in what need, candles are usually placed on the Savior, the Mother of God, the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, as well as those saints to whom the Lord has given special grace to heal illnesses and give help in various needs.
Putting a candle in front of your chosen saint of God, mentally say:
Holy Pleaser of God (name), pray to God for me, a sinner (oh)(or name, for whom you ask).
Then you need to come up and kiss the icon.
We must remember: in order for prayers to succeed, the saints of God must pray with faith in the power of their intercession before God, with words coming from the heart.
If you put a candle to the image of All Saints, turn your mind to the entire host of saints and the entire host of Heaven and pray:
All saints, pray to God for us.
All the saints always pray to God for us. He alone is merciful to everyone, and He is always indulgent to the requests of His saints.

13. What prayers should be done before the images of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Life-Giving Cross?

Before the image of the Savior, pray to yourself:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (s) or I have sinned without number, Lord, have mercy on me.
Before the icon of the Mother of God, say briefly:
Holy Mother of God, save us.
Before the image of the Life-Giving Cross of Christ, say the following prayer:
We worship Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.
And after that bow to the Holy Cross. And if you stand before the image of Christ our Savior or the Mother of God, or the saints of God with humility and warm faith, then you will receive what you ask.
For where there is an image, there is the archetypal grace.

14. Why is it customary to put candles for the repose at the Crucifixion?

The cross with the Crucifix stands on the eve, that is, on the table for commemoration of the dead. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, the original sin - Adam's sin - and through His death, through the Blood that was shed innocently on the Cross (since Christ had no sin), reconciled the world with God the Father. Beyond this, Christ is the bridge between being and non-being. You can see on the eve, in addition to burning candles, also food. This is a very old Christian tradition. In ancient times, there were so-called agapies - meals of love, when Christians who came to worship, after it ended, all together consumed what they brought with them.

15. For what purpose and what products can be put on the eve?

Usually on the eve they put bread, biscuits, sugar, everything that does not contradict fasting (as there may be a fast day). You can also donate lamp oil, Cahors, on the eve, which will then go for the communion of believers. All this is brought and left for the same purpose with which a candle is placed on the eve - to commemorate their dead relatives, acquaintances, friends, not yet glorified ascetics of piety.
For the same purpose, a note of commemoration is also submitted.
It should be firmly remembered that the offering must come from a pure heart and a sincere desire to sacrifice to God for the repose of the soul of the commemorated person and must be obtained from one’s labor, and not stolen or acquired by deceit or other cunning.

16. What is the most important commemoration for the departed?

The most important thing is the commemoration of the deceased on the proskomedia, for the particles taken out of the prosphora are immersed in the Blood of Christ and cleansed by this great sacrifice.

17. How to submit a note of commemoration at the proskomedia? Is it possible to commemorate the sick at the proskomedia?

Before the start of the service, you need to go to the candle counter, take a piece of paper and write as follows:

About repose

Andrew
Mary
Nicholas

Custom

Thus, the completed note will be submitted for proskomedia.

About health

B. Andrey
ml. Nicholas
Nina

Custom

In the same way, a note on health is submitted, including those who are sick.

A note can be submitted in the evening, indicating the date on which the commemoration is expected.
At the top of the note, do not forget to draw an eight-pointed cross, and at the bottom it is desirable to attribute: "and all Orthodox Christians." If you want to commemorate a spiritual person, then his name is put first.

18. What should I do if, while standing at a prayer service or other divine service, I did not hear the name that I filed for commemoration?

It happens that the clergy are reproached: they say, not all the notes were read or not all the candles were lit. And they don't know what to do. Judge not lest ye be judged. You came, brought - everything, your duty is fulfilled. And as the priest does, so it will be asked of him!

19. What is the commemoration of the dead for?

The thing is that the dead cannot pray for themselves. It must be done for them by someone else alive today. Thus, the souls of people who repented before death, but did not have time to bear the fruits of repentance, can only be delivered by intercession for them before the Lord from living relatives or friends and by virtue of the prayers of the Church.
The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church agree that it is possible for sinners to be liberated from torment and that prayers and almsgiving, especially church prayers, and especially bloodless sacrifice, that is, commemoration at the Liturgy (proskomidia), are beneficial in this respect.
“When all the people and the Holy Council,” asks St. John Chrysostom - stand with outstretched hands to heaven, and when a terrible sacrifice lies ahead, how can we not propitiate God, praying for them (the dead)? But this is only about those who died in the faith” (St. John Chrysostom. Conversation on the last to Philp. 3, 4).

20. Is it possible to enter the name of a suicide or an unbaptized person in a memorial note?

It is impossible, since persons deprived of a Christian burial are usually deprived of church prayers.

21. How should you behave when you incense?

When burning, you need to bow your head, as if you are receiving the Spirit of Life, and say the Jesus Prayer. At the same time, one should not turn one's back to the altar - this is the mistake of many parishioners. You just need to turn around a little.

22. What moment is considered the end morning service?

The end, or completion, of the morning service is the exit of the priest with the Cross. This moment is called a break. During the holidays, believers approach the Cross, kiss it and the priestly hand holding the Cross as its footstool. Moving away, you need to bow to the priest. Pray to the Cross:
I believe, Lord, and I worship Your Honorable and Life-Giving Cross, as if on Him I made salvation in the midst of the Earth.

23. What do you need to know about the use of prosphora and holy water?

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, when you come home, prepare a meal of prosphora and holy water on a clean tablecloth.
Before eating a meal, say a prayer:
Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities through Your infinite mercy through the prayers of the Most Pure Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen.
Prosphora is taken over a plate or a blank sheet of paper so that the holy crumbs do not fall to the floor and are not trampled on, for prosphora is the holy bread of Heaven. And it must be accepted with the fear of God and humility.

24. How are the feasts of the Lord and His saints celebrated?

The feasts of the Lord and His saints are celebrated spiritually, with a pure soul and an undefiled conscience, obligatory attendance at church. At will, believers order thanksgiving prayers in honor of the Feast, bring flowers to the icon of the Feast, distribute alms, confess and take communion.

25. How to order a prayer service for memorial and thanksgiving?

A prayer service is ordered by submitting a note, drawn up accordingly. The rules for designing a custom prayer service are posted at the candle counter.
In different churches there are certain days when prayers are performed, including blessings of water.
At the prayer service for water, you can consecrate a cross, an icon, candles. At the end of the prayer service for water, believers with reverence and prayer take holy water and take it daily on an empty stomach.

26. What is the sacrament of repentance and how to prepare for confession?

The Lord Jesus Christ said, addressing His disciples: Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(Matthew 18:18). And in another place the Savior breathed and said to the apostles: Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven, on whom you leave, they will remain (Jn. 20, 22-23).
The apostles, fulfilling the will of the Lord, transferred this power to their successors - the pastors of the Church of Christ, and to this day everyone who believes in Orthodoxy and confesses sincerely before Orthodox priest his sins can receive permission, forgiveness, their complete remission through his prayer.
This is the essence of the sacrament of repentance.
A person who is accustomed to watch over the purity of his heart and the neatness of his soul cannot live without repentance. He is waiting and longing for the next confession, like a parched earth waiting for life-giving moisture.
Imagine for a moment a man who has been washing off the bodily dirt all his life! So the soul requires washing, and what would happen if there were no sacrament of repentance, this healing and cleansing “second baptism”. The accumulated sins and sins that have not been removed from the conscience (not only major ones, but many minor ones as well) burden it so that a person begins to feel some kind of unusual fear, it begins to seem to him that something bad is about to happen to him; then suddenly he falls into some kind of nervous breakdown, irritation, feels general anxiety, does not have internal firmness, ceases to control himself. Often he himself does not understand the reasons for everything that happens, and it is that there are unconfessed sins on the conscience of a person. By the grace of God, these mournful sensations remind us of them, so that we, puzzled by such a plight of our soul, come to the realization of the need to expel all the poison from it, that is, we turn to St. the sacrament of repentance, and thus would be delivered from all those torments that await after the Last Judgment of God every sinner who has not been cleansed here, in this life.
Almost the entire sacrament of repentance is performed as follows: first, the priest prays with everyone who wants to confess. Then he makes a brief reminder of the most common sins, talks about the meaning of confession, about the responsibility of the confessor and that he stands before the Lord Himself, and the priest is only a witness to his mysterious conversation with God, and that the deliberate concealment of any sins aggravates the guilt. penitent.
Then those already confessing, one at a time, approach the lectern on which the Holy Gospel and the Cross lie, bow to the Cross and the Gospel, stand in front of the lectern, bowing their heads or kneeling (the latter is not necessary), and begin to confess. It is useful at the same time to draw up a rough plan for yourself - what sins to confess, so as not to forget later in confession; but it will be necessary not just to read from a piece of paper about your ulcers, but with a sense of guilt and repentance to open them before God, take them out of your soul, like some nasty snakes, and get rid of them with a feeling of disgust. (Compare this list of sins with those lists that will keep evil spirits at ordeals, and note: the more thoroughly you expose yourself, the fewer pages will be found in those demonic writings.) At the same time, of course, each extraction of such an abomination and bringing it into the light will be accompanied by some sense of shame, but you know for sure: The Lord Himself and His servant, the priest who confesses you, no matter how disgusting your inner sinful world may be, they only rejoice when you resolutely renounce it; in the soul of a priest there is only joy for the repentant. Any priest after a sincere confession is even more disposed to the confessor, much closer and more caring begins to relate to him.

27. Does repentance erase the memory of past sins?

The answer to this question is given in an essay on the Gospel theme - "The Prodigal Son".
“... He got up and went to his father. And when he was still far away, his father saw him and took pity; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him.
The son said to him: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” And the father said to his servants: “Bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring a fattened calf and slaughter it; let us eat and be merry!” (Luke 15:20-23.)
The feast ends in the house of a good, merciful father. The sounds of jubilation subside, the invited guests disperse. Yesterday's prodigal son leaves the hall of the feast, still full of the sweet feeling of love and forgiveness of his father.
Outside the door, he meets with his older brother standing outside. In his eyes - condemnation, almost indignation.
The heart of the younger brother sank; joy disappeared, the sounds of the feast died out, the recent, difficult past rose before the eyes ...
What can he say to his brother in justification?
Isn't his indignation justified? Did he deserve this feast, this new clothes, this golden ring, these kisses and forgiveness of his father? After all, quite recently, quite recently...
And the head of the younger brother bows low before the stern, condemning gaze of the elder: the still quite fresh wounds of the soul ache, ache...
With a look begging for mercy, the prodigal son falls on his knees before his elder brother.
“Brother... Forgive me... I didn’t make this feast... And I didn’t ask my father for these new clothes, and shoes, and this ring... I didn’t even call myself a son anymore, I only asked to accept me into mercenaries ... Your condemnation of me is just, and there is no excuse for me. But listen to me, and perhaps you will understand the mercy of our father...
What are these new clothes covering now?
Here, look, the traces of these terrible (mental) wounds. You see: there was no healthy place on my body; there were continuous ulcers, spots, festering wounds (Is. 1, 6).
They are now closed and “softened by the oil” of the father’s mercy, but they still hurt excruciatingly when touched and, it seems to me, they will always hurt ...
They will constantly remind me of that fateful day when, with a callous soul, full of conceit and proud self-confidence, I broke with my father, demanding my part of the estate, and went to that terrible country of unbelief and sin ...
How happy you are, brother, that you have no memories of her, that you do not know that stench and corruption, that evil and sin that reign there. You did not experience spiritual hunger and did not know the taste of those horns that in that country have to be stolen from pigs.
Here you have preserved your strength and health. But I no longer have them ... Only the remains of them I brought back to my father's house. And it's breaking my heart right now.
Who did I work for? Who did I serve? But all the forces could be given to serve the father ...
You see this precious ring on my sinful, already weak hand. But what I wouldn’t give for the fact that these hands did not have traces of the dirty work that they did in the land of sin, for the knowledge that they always worked only for their father ...
Ah, brother! You always live in the light and you will never know the bitterness of darkness. You don't know the things that go on there. You have not met closely with those who have to deal with there, you have not touched the dirt that those who live there cannot avoid.
You do not know, brother, the bitterness of regrets: what did the strength of my youth go to? What are the days of my youth dedicated to? Who will return them to me? Oh, if life could be started all over again!
Do not envy, brother, this new garment of the father's mercy, without it the torments of memories and fruitless regrets would be unbearable ...
And do you envy me? After all, you are rich in wealth, which you may not notice, and happy with happiness, which you may not feel. You don't know what irretrievable loss is, the consciousness of wasted wealth and ruined talents. Oh, if it were possible to return all this and bring it back to the father!
But the estate and talents are given out only once in a lifetime, and you can’t get your strength back, and time has gone irrevocably ...
Do not be surprised, brother, at the mercy of the father, his indulgence towards the prodigal son, his desire to cover the miserable rags of the sinful soul with new clothes, his hugs and kisses, reviving the soul devastated by sin.
Now the feast is over. Tomorrow I will return to work and work in father's house next to you. You, as the elder and blameless, will rule and guide me. I like the work of a junior. I need her. These dishonored hands deserve no other.
This new clothes, these shoes and this ring will also be removed before the time: in them it will be indecent to do my menial work.
During the day we will work together, then you can relax and have fun with your friends with a calm heart and a clear conscience. And I?..
Where will I go from my memories, from regrets about wasted wealth, ruined youth, lost strength, scattered talents, soiled clothes, about yesterday's insult and rejection of my father, from thoughts about gone to eternity and forever lost opportunities? .. "

28. What does Communion of the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ mean?

If you do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you (John 6:53).
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him(John 6:56).
With these words, the Lord pointed out the absolute necessity for all Christians to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The sacrament itself was instituted by the Lord at the Last Supper.
“... Jesus took bread and, having blessed, broke it and, distributing it to the disciples, said:
Take, eat, this is My Body. And he took the cup and, giving thanks, gave it to them and said: Drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.» (Mt. 26, 26-28).
As the Holy Church teaches, a Christian, accepting St. Communion is mysteriously united with Christ, for in every particle of the fragmented Lamb the Whole Christ is contained.
Immeasurable is the significance of the sacrament of the Eucharist, the comprehension of which surpasses our reason.
It kindles the love of Christ in us, lifts the heart to God, engenders virtues in it, and holds back the attack on us. dark force, gives strength against temptations, revitalizes the soul and body, heals them, gives them strength, returns virtues - restores in us the purity of the soul that the original Adam had before the fall.
In his reflections on the Divine Liturgy, ep. Seraphim Zvezdinsky, there is a description of the vision of an ascetic elder, which vividly characterizes the significance for the Christian of Communion of the Holy Mysteries. The ascetic saw “... a sea of ​​fire, the waves of which rose and churned, presenting a terrible sight. On the opposite bank stood a beautiful garden. From there came the singing of birds, the fragrance of flowers spilled.
The ascetic hears a voice: Cross this sea". But there was no way to go. For a long time he stood thinking about how to cross, and again he hears a voice: “ Take the two wings that the Divine Eucharist gave: one wing is the Divine Flesh of Christ, the second wing is His Life-Giving Blood. Without them, no matter how great the feat, it is impossible to reach the Kingdom of Heaven».
As writes about. Valentin Sventsitsky: “The Eucharist is the basis of that real unity that is tea in the universal Resurrection, for both in the transubstantiation of the Gifts and in our Communion is the guarantee of our salvation and Resurrection, not only spiritual, but also bodily.”
Elder Parthenius of Kyiv once, in a reverent feeling of fiery love for the Lord, repeated the prayer in himself for a long time: “Lord Jesus, live in me and let me live in You,” and he heard a quiet, sweet voice: Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me and Az in him.
So, if repentance cleanses us from the filthiness of our soul, then the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord will infuse us with grace and prevent the return of the evil spirit, expelled by repentance, into our soul.
But it should be firmly remembered that, no matter how necessary the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is for us, we should not proceed to it without first cleansing ourselves with confession.
The Apostle Paul writes: “Whoever eats this Bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Let a man test himself, and thus let him eat from Bread this and drink from the cup this.
For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many die” (1 Cor. 11:27-30).

29. How many times a year should one take communion?

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov commanded the Diveyevo sisters:
“It is inadmissible to confess and commune at all fasts and, in addition, the twelfth and major holidays: the more often, the better - without tormenting yourself with the thought that you are unworthy, and you should not miss the opportunity to use the grace bestowed by the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible.
The grace bestowed by communion is so great that no matter how unworthy and no matter how sinful a person is, but only in a humble consciousness of his great sinfulness will he come to the Lord, who redeems all of us, even if from head to toe covered with ulcers of sins, then he will be cleansed by the grace of Christ, become more and more bright, completely enlightened and saved.
It is very good to receive communion both on the days of your name day and on birthdays, and for spouses on the day of their marriage.

30. What is unction?

No matter how carefully we try to remember and write down our sins, it may happen that a significant part of them will not be said at confession, some will be forgotten, and some are simply not realized and not noticed, due to our spiritual blindness.
In this case, the Church comes to the aid of the penitent with the sacrament of Unction, or, as it is often called, "unction." This sacrament is based on the instructions of the Apostle James - the head of the first Jerusalem Church:
“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).
Thus, in the sacrament of the Unction of the Unction, sins are forgiven us that are not said at confession due to ignorance or forgetfulness. And since sickness is a consequence of our sinful state, liberation from sin often leads to healing of the body.
At present, during Great Lent, all Christians zealous for salvation take part in three sacraments at once: Confession, Consecration of the Unction, and Communion of the Holy Mysteries.
For those Christians who, for whatever reason, could not take part in the sacrament of the Unction of the Unction, the Optina elders Barsanuphius and John are given the following advice:
“What creditor can you find rather than God, who knows even that which was not?
So, lay on Him the account of the sins you have forgotten and say to Him:
“Lord, since it is a sin to forget one’s sins, I have sinned in everything to You, the One Who Knows the Heart. Forgive me for everything according to Your loving-kindness, for it is there that the splendor of Your glory is manifested, when You do not repay sinners according to sins, for You are glorified forever. Amen".

31. How often should I go to the temple?

The duties of a Christian include attending the temple on Saturdays and Sundays, and always on holidays.
The establishment and observance of holidays is necessary for our salvation, they teach us the true Christian faith, excite and nourish in us, in our hearts, love, reverence and obedience to God. But they also go to church to perform rites, rituals, in order to simply pray, when time and opportunities allow.

32. What does attending the temple mean for a believer?

Each visit to the temple for a Christian is a holiday, if the person is truly a believer. According to the teachings of the Church, when visiting the temple of God, there is a special blessing and success in all the good undertakings of a Christian. Therefore, it should be done so that at this moment there is peace in the soul and order in clothes. We don't just go to church. Having humbled ourselves, our soul and heart, we come to Christ. Precisely to Christ, who gives us the good in relation to us, which we must earn by our behavior and inner disposition.

33. What divine services are performed daily in the Church?

In the name of the Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Holy Orthodox Christian Church daily performs evening, morning and afternoon services in the churches of God, following the example of the holy Psalmist, who testifies of himself: “In the evening and in the morning and at noon I will beg and cry, and He (the Lord) will hear my voice” (Ps. 54:17-18). Each of these three services is composed, in turn, of three parts: the evening service - it consists of the Ninth Hour, Vespers and Compline; morning - from the Midnight Office, Matins and the First Hour; daytime - from the Third Hour, the Sixth Hour and the Divine Liturgy. Thus, nine services are formed from the evening, morning and afternoon services of the Church: the Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, the First Hour, the Third Hour, the Sixth Hour, and the Divine Liturgy, just as, according to the teaching of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, from three ranks of Angels are formed nine faces, day and night glorifying the Lord.

34. What is fasting?

Fasting is not only some changes in the composition of food, that is, the rejection of fast food, but mainly repentance, bodily and spiritual abstinence, purification of the heart through fervent prayer.
Saint Barsanuphius the Great says:
“Bodily fasting means nothing without the spiritual fasting of the inner man, which consists of protecting oneself from passions. This fast is pleasing to God and will reward for you the lack of bodily fasting (if you are weak in body).
The same is said of St. John Chrysostom:
“Whoever limits fasting to one abstinence from food, he greatly dishonors him. Not only the mouth should fast - no, let the eye, and hearing, and hands, and feet, and our whole body fast.
As writes about. Alexander Elchaninov: “There is a fundamental misunderstanding of fasting in hostels. It is not fasting in itself that is important as not eating this or that or as depriving oneself of something in the form of punishment - fasting is only a proven way to achieve the desired results - through exhaustion of the body to reach the refinement of spiritual mystical abilities darkened by the flesh, and thus facilitate your approach to God.
Fasting is not hunger. A diabetic, a fakir, a yogi, a prisoner, and just a beggar are starving. Nowhere in the services of Great Lent is Lent isolated in our usual sense, that is, as non-eating of meat, etc. Everywhere there is one call: “Let us fast, brethren, bodily; let us fast also spiritually.” Consequently, fasting only then has a religious meaning when it is combined with spiritual exercises. Fasting equals refinement. A normal zoologically prosperous person is inaccessible to the influences of external forces. Fasting shakes this physical well-being of a person, and then he becomes more accessible to the influences of another world, his spiritual filling goes on.
According to ep. Herman, “fasting is pure abstinence in order to restore the lost balance between body and spirit, in order to restore to our spirit its supremacy over the body and its passions.”

35. What prayers are performed before and after eating food?

Prayers before eating food:
Our Father, Who is ecu in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You in women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as the Savior gave birth to the ecu of our souls.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. bless.

Prayers after eating food:
We thank Thee, Christ our God, O sated ecu us of Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as if in the midst of Your disciples came ecu, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.
It is worthy to eat as if truly blessed Theotokos, Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

36. Why is the death of the body necessary?

As Metropolitan Anthony Blum writes: “In a world that human sin has made monstrous, death is the only way out.
If our world of sin were fixed as unchanging and eternal, it would be hell. Death is the only thing that allows the earth, along with suffering, to escape from this hell.”
Bishop Arkady Lubyansky says: “Death for many is a means of salvation from spiritual death. So, for example, children who die at an early age do not know sin.
Death reduces the amount of total evil on earth. What would life be like if there were eternally murderers - Cains, betrayers of the Lord - Judas, people-beasts - Nero and others?
Therefore, the death of the body is not “absurd”, as the people of the world say about it, but is necessary and expedient. - Collection of some Orthodox literature.

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