Target Christian life- knowledge of God, unity with Him to the extent that it can be achieved on earth. But since here a person is burdened with sin and bodily weakness, the Lord provides miraculous help in the Church Sacraments. This article explains in detail how to prepare for the main one - Communion.

Installation of the Sacrament

Everyone who has read the Gospel knows that the day before death on the cross Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. The plot has been depicted many times by different artists; this scene is present above the altar of any Orthodox church. That evening Jesus established a new bloodless sacrifice, replacing the sacrifices that existed among the Jews. That's why Easter is sometimes called New Testament Easter. There are significant differences, although the Jewish holiday is a prototype of the current Christian one.

• Instead of an innocent lamb, the Lamb of God was slain on the Cross. His blood redeemed Christians, who are the New Testament firstborn, by analogy with the Israelis.
• Going through sea ​​waters symbolizes Baptism, which frees Christians from subjection to sins.
• Walking in the desert is an analogy to earthly life filled with suffering.
• The prototype of Communion was manna from heaven. Instead, Christ gave the apostles consecrated bread and wine.

The Jews prepared themselves to receive God's gifts by spending their lives following His direct instructions given through Moses. They also observed many rituals. Modern people need to prepare for Communion according to different rules. Communion is available only to members of the Church, that is, to those who were baptized in Orthodox church. Baptism at home is only allowed if a person is dying. Sometimes a priest is called to the intensive care ward. Immediately after Baptism, Communion is served without preparation.

Abstinence of the body

Man consists of soul, spirit and body. It happens that the desires of the flesh become more important than spiritual needs. Such a life is no longer Christian. To avoid slavery to a weak body, members of the Church are obliged to keep this element of themselves under control. An important step proper preparation Communion is accompanied by fasting. It will tell you exactly how to fast church calendar. It depends on the period - sometimes fish is allowed, sometimes only vegetable oil and uncooked food.

Number of days - no less than 3. To participate in the Eucharist on Sunday morning, you must begin your fast on Thursday. Although no official documents, approved by the Church in this regard, simply do not exist. In the Greek Orthodox Church they receive communion without any preparation at all. But in Russia this is widespread practice.

If a person is a regular parishioner and observes all existing fasts (and there are more than half of them in a year), then the highest church clergy recommends not imposing additional fasts on such Christians before the Sacrament. However, the final decision rests with the parish priest.

For people who visit the temple quite rarely, 3 or 7 days of fasting will only be beneficial. Difficulties can be caused by the need to fast on Saturday, when the whole family is at home and adheres to their usual diet. You should take care of your diet in advance - buy nuts and dried fruits, which help maintain the required level of energy. You can drink soy or coconut milk. But in everything you should adhere to moderation.

It is also highly advisable to abstain from marital relations during this period, at least before Communion. However, if the husband is not baptized, the situation should not lead to confrontation. If the spouse sharply objects, then you should tell the priest in confession - he should advise how to behave so as not to aggravate relations in the family.

How to prepare for confession

At the same time, it is necessary to prepare for confession. If it is coming for the first time, it is advisable to read special literature - it can be borrowed from the church library or from friends who have been visiting the temple for a long time. This sacrament is intended for cleansing from sins, sometimes it is compared to re-baptism. God's mercy is like the waters of Jordan.

Many people believe that without committing theft, adultery, etc. terrible sins, have no need for repentance. But this is self-deception. God's brief commandments must be understood fully. To prepare for confession and communion, you need to remember your sins well and write them down. Deviations from the commandments are divided into two types:

Against the Lord: murmuring against God, idle chatter, idleness, lack of faith, passion for magic, gambling, failure to attend temple, failure to fast, rarely reading the Bible, despair, etc.

Against neighbors (all people, not just friends and relatives): irritation, neglect of Christian upbringing of children, pride, vindictiveness, quarrels, abortion, slander (gossip), greed, etc.

How to prepare a list of sins? There is no need to describe all those offensive words, which were said to a friend. Just writing is slandering your neighbor. You should not go into detail and describe all your misdeeds, much less justify yourself with various circumstances, or blame others for provoking you. Thus, another sin is committed - condemnation.

During Lent (including Lent), preparation for communion does not require any additions. You must fast according to church regulations and attend services. That is why most parishioners receive communion during the fasting weeks. But if you want to start the Chalice during the holidays, you need to consult with your confessor.

How to prepare children for communion?

A child under 7 years old does not have to fast; he simply cannot be fed in the morning before the Liturgy so that the sacrament can be taken on an empty stomach. But parents must prepare him mentally:

• read the Holy Scriptures together;
• reduce the amount of entertainment, including watching television;
• pray morning and evening;
• talk to your child about his behavior.

When a child turns 7 years old, he must go to confession while preparing for Communion. It is necessary to analyze his behavior in more detail. Does he miss services, Sunday school? Does he always pray morning and evening? Does he know the obligatory prayers - the Creed, the Lord's Prayer? You should not put too much pressure; the priest will conduct the Sacrament on his own. The task of parents is to lead the child, to set the right example.

For pregnant women, preparation for communion is the same as for everyone else. But expectant mothers do not have to fast - it is voluntary. The clergy advises in a special situation to approach the Sacrament as often as possible, although in general this is purely individual question, which must be resolved with the confessor.

Prayers

The natural way to communicate with God is through prayer. Therefore, when preparing for communion, you need to devote more time to them than usual. What exactly should you read and when?

• 3 canons (Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel);
• Consequence (special prayers before communion);
• Morning and evening rule(as usual).

If you read everything on the day before the sacrament, to an unprepared person it will seem very ordeal. Not only do you need to attend the evening service, go to confession, but also devote 2-3 hours to prayers! Therefore, the canons can be distributed over several days. Then they prepare as follows - after the evening service, the rule, the sacramental canon, is read. The remaining prayers are postponed until the morning.

Will they be allowed to take communion if it is not possible to attend the service the night before? The priest must be informed about this; if a person has prepared (confessed, fasted, prayed), then usually this does not become an obstacle.

Communion in the church takes place at the end of the Liturgy, a morning service that occurs on Sundays and Saturdays. It can also take place on other days; you can usually read about this in the temple schedule, which hangs at the entrance. All questions regarding participation in the Sacrament of Communion should be asked to the priest without hesitation.

May the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ lead to the salvation of the soul and eternal life!

How to prepare for confession and communion - video answer

This is the Sacrament in which, under the guise of bread and wine, an Orthodox Christian eats (partakes) of the very Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and through this mysteriously unites with Him, becoming a partaker eternal life. Comprehension of this Sacrament surpasses human understanding.

This Sacrament is called the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving.”

How and why was the Sacrament of Communion established?

The Sacrament of Communion was established by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself at the Last Supper with the Apostles on the eve of His suffering. He took bread into His Most Pure hands, blessed it, broke it and divided it to His disciples, saying: “Come, eat: this is My Body” (Matthew 26:26). Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and, giving it to the disciples, said: “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). Then the Savior gave the apostles, and through them all believers, the commandment to perform this Sacrament until the end of the world in remembrance of His suffering, death and Resurrection for the unity of believers with Him. He said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

Why is it necessary to take communion?

The Lord Himself speaks about the obligatory nature of communion for all who believe in Him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:53-56).

He who does not partake of the Holy Mysteries deprives himself of the source of life - Christ, and places himself outside of Him. A person who seeks union with God in his life can hope that he will be with Him in eternity.

How to prepare for Communion?

Anyone who wishes to receive communion must have heartfelt repentance, humility, and a firm intention to improve. It takes several days to prepare for the Sacrament of Communion. These days they prepare for Confession, try to pray more and more diligently at home, and abstain from amusements and idle pastimes. Fasting is combined with prayer - bodily abstinence from modest food and marital relations.

On the eve of the day of Communion or in the morning before the Liturgy, you must go to confession and attend the evening service. After midnight, do not eat or drink.

The duration of preparation, the measure of fasting and prayer rules are discussed with the priest. However, no matter how much we prepare for Communion, we cannot adequately prepare. And only looking at the contrite and humble heart, the Lord, out of His love, accepts us into His fellowship.

What prayers should you use to prepare for Communion?

For prayerful preparation for Communion, there is a usual rule, which is found in Orthodox prayer books. It consists of reading three canons: the canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, the canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, the canon to the Guardian Angel and the Follow-up to Holy Communion, which consists of the canon and prayers. In the evening you should also read prayers for the coming sleep, and in the morning - morning prayers.

With the blessing of the confessor, this prayer rule before Communion can be reduced, increased, or replaced by another.

How to approach Communion?

Before the start of Communion, those receiving communion come closer to the pulpit in advance, so as not to rush later and not create inconvenience to other worshipers. In this case, it is necessary to let the children who receive communion first go ahead. When the Royal Doors open and the deacon comes out with the Holy Chalice with the exclamation: “Come with the fear of God and faith,” you should, if possible, bow to the ground and fold your arms crosswise on your chest (right over left). When approaching the Holy Chalice and in front of the Chalice, do not cross yourself, so as not to accidentally push It. One must approach the Holy Chalice with the fear of God and reverence. Approaching the Chalice, you should clearly pronounce your Christian name given at Baptism, open your lips wide, reverently, with the consciousness of the holiness of the Great Sacrament, accept the Holy Gifts and immediately swallow. Then kiss the base of the Chalice, like the rib of Christ Himself. You cannot touch the Chalice with your hands and kiss the priest’s hand. Then you should go to the table with warmth and wash down Communion so that the holy thing does not remain in your mouth.

How often should you take communion?

Many holy fathers call for communion as often as possible.

Usually believers confess and receive communion during all four multi-day fasts church year, on twelve, great and temple holidays, on Sundays, on their name days and births, spouses - on their wedding day.

The frequency of a Christian's participation in the Sacrament of Communion is determined individually with the blessing of the confessor. More commonly - at least twice a month.

Are we sinners worthy to receive communion often?

Some Christians receive communion extremely rarely, citing their unworthiness as the reason. There is not a single person on earth worthy of Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. No matter how much a person tries to purify himself before God, he will still not be worthy of accepting such a greatest Shrine as the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. God gave people the Holy Mysteries of Christ not according to their dignity, but out of His great mercy and love for His fallen creation. “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick” (Luke 5:31). A Christian should accept the Holy Gifts not as a reward for his spiritual deeds, but as a Gift from the Loving Heavenly Father, as a saving means of sanctifying the soul and body.

Is it possible to take communion several times on one day?

Under no circumstances should anyone receive Communion twice on the same day. If the Holy Gifts are given from several Chalice, they can only be received from one.

Everyone receives communion from the same spoon, is it possible to get sick?

There has never been a single case of someone becoming infected through Communion: even when people receive communion in hospital churches, no one ever gets sick. After Communion of believers, the remaining Holy Gifts are consumed by a priest or deacon, but even during epidemics they do not get sick. This is the greatest Sacrament of the Church, given, among other things, for the healing of soul and body.

Is it possible to kiss the cross after Communion?

After the Liturgy, all those praying venerate the cross: both those who received communion and those who did not.

Is it possible to kiss icons and the priest’s hand after Communion and bow to the ground?

After Communion, before drinking, you should refrain from kissing icons and the priest’s hand, but there is no rule that those receiving communion should not kiss icons or the priest’s hand on this day and not bow to the ground. It is important to keep your tongue, thoughts and heart from all evil.

How to behave on the day of Communion?

The Day of Communion is a special day in the life of a Christian when he is mysteriously united with Christ. On the day of Holy Communion, one should behave reverently and decorously, so as not to offend the shrine with one’s actions. Thank the Lord for the great blessing. These days should be spent as great holidays, devoting them as much as possible to concentration and spiritual work.

Can you take communion on any day?

Communion is given on all days when the Divine Liturgy is served. Liturgy is not served on Friday during Holy Week.

During Lent, services are held according to a special schedule.

Is Communion paid for?

No, in all churches the Sacrament of Communion is always performed free of charge.

Is it possible to receive communion after Unction without Confession?

Unction does not cancel Confession. Confession is needed. Sins that a person is aware of must necessarily be confessed.

Is it possible to replace Communion by drinking Epiphany water with artos (or antidor)?

This is a misconception about the possibility of replacing Communion Epiphany water with artos (or antidor) arose, perhaps, due to the fact that people who have canonical or other obstacles to Communion of the Holy Mysteries are allowed to use for consolation Epiphany water with antidor. However, this cannot be understood as an equivalent replacement. Communion cannot be replaced by anything.

Can an Orthodox Christian take communion in any non-Orthodox church?

No, only in Orthodox Church.

How to give communion to a one-year-old child?

If the child is not able to remain calmly in the church for the entire service, then he can be brought to the time of Communion.

Is it possible for a child under 7 years old to eat before Communion? Is it possible for sick people to receive communion without an empty stomach?

This issue is resolved individually in consultation with a priest.

Before Communion, small children are given food and drink as needed so as not to harm their nervous system and bodily health. Older children, from the age of 4-5, are gradually accustomed to the usual fasting before Communion and, in general, to an “adult” diet and life.

In some exceptional cases, adults are blessed to receive communion without an empty stomach.

Can children under 14 years of age receive communion without Confession?

Only children under 7 years old can receive communion without Confession. From the age of 7, children receive communion after Confession.

Is it possible for a pregnant woman to receive communion?

Can. It is advisable for pregnant women to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, preparing for Communion through repentance, confession, prayer and fasting, which is relaxed for pregnant women.

It is advisable to begin the churching of a child from the moment the parents find out that they will have a child. Even in the womb, the child perceives everything that happens to the mother and around her. At this time, participation in the Sacraments and prayer of parents is very important.

How to give communion to a sick person at home?

The patient's relatives must first agree with the priest about the time of Communion and consult on how to prepare the patient for this Sacrament.

When can you take communion during the week? Lent?

During the period of Great Lent, children receive communion on Saturdays and Sundays, when the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served. Adults, except Saturday and Sunday, can receive communion on Wednesdays and Fridays, when the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. There is no Liturgy on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday during Lent, with the exception of the days of remembrance of certain saints.

Why are infants not given communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?

At the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Chalice contains only blessed wine, and the particles of the Lamb (the Bread transposed into the Body of Christ) are pre-saturated with the Blood of Christ. Since infants, due to their physiology, cannot be given communion with a part of the Body, and there is no Blood in the Chalice, they are not given communion during the Presanctified Liturgy.

Can the laity receive communion during the continuous week? How should they prepare for communion at this time? Can a priest prohibit communion on Easter?

In preparation for communion during the continuous week, it is allowed to eat fast food. At this time, preparation for communion consists of repentance, reconciliation with neighbors and reading the prayer rule for Communion.

Communion on Easter is the goal and joy of every Orthodox Christian. The entire Holy Pentecost prepares us for communion on Easter night: “let us be led to repentance, and let us purify our feelings, against which we fight, creating the entrance to fasting: the heart is aware of the hope of grace, not worthless, not walking in them. And the Lamb of God will be carried away by us, in the sacred and luminous night of the Resurrection, for our sake the slaughter brought, the disciple received on the evening of the sacrament, and the darkness destroying ignorance with the light of his resurrection” (stichera on the verse, on the Meat Week in the evening).

Rev. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain says: “those who, although they fast before Easter, do not receive communion on Easter, such people do not celebrate Easter... because these people do not have in themselves the reason and occasion for the holiday, which is the Sweetest Jesus Christ, and do not have that spiritual joy that is born from Divine Communion."

When Christians began to shy away from communion on Holy Week, the fathers of the Trullo Council (the so-called Fifth-Sixth Council) with the 66th canon testified to the original tradition: “from the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God until the new week, throughout the entire week, the faithful must holy churches to continually practice psalms and chants and spiritual songs, rejoicing and triumphant in Christ, and listening to the reading of the Divine Scriptures, and enjoying the holy mysteries. For in this way we will be resurrected together with Christ and ascended.”

Thus, communion on Easter, on Holy Week, and in general on continuous weeks None of the Orthodox Christians who may be admitted to Holy Communion on other days of the church year is prohibited.

What are the rules for prayerful preparation for communion?

Volume prayer rule before communion, the canons of the Church are not regulated. For the children of the Russian Orthodox Church, it should be no less than the Rule for Holy Communion available in our prayer books, which includes three psalms, a canon and prayers before communion.

There is, in addition, a pious tradition of reading three canons and an akathist before receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ: the canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, canon to the Mother of God, canon to the Guardian Angel.

Is confession necessary before every communion?

Mandatory confession before communion is not regulated by the canons of the Church. Confession before each communion is a Russian tradition, caused by the extremely rare communion of Christians during the synodal period of the history of the Russian Church.

For those who came for the first time or with serious sins, for new Christians, confession before communion is mandatory, since for them frequent confession and the instructions of the priest have important catechetical and pastoral significance.

Currently “Regular confession should be encouraged, but not every believer should be required to confess without fail before every communion. By agreement with the confessor, for persons who regularly confess and receive communion, observe church rules and fasts established by the Church, an individual rhythm of confession and communion can be established,” - Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev).

Confession (repentance) is one of the seven Christian Sacraments, in which the penitent, confessing his sins to the priest, with visible forgiveness of sins (reading a prayer of absolution), is invisibly absolved from them. By the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was established by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (untie) on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, their sins are forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him” (Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 22-23). The apostles transferred the power to “bind and loose” to their successors - the bishops, who in turn, when performing the Sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.

The Holy Fathers call repentance the second baptism: if at baptism a person is cleansed from the power of original sin, transmitted to him at birth from our first parents Adam and Eve, then repentance washes him from the filth of his own sins, committed by him after the Sacrament of Baptism.

In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to be accomplished, the following are necessary on the part of the penitent: awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, the desire to leave the sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has the power to cleanse and wash away, through the prayer of the priest, sincerely confessed sins.

The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st Epistle of John, chapter 1, verse 7). At the same time, you hear from many: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t

I commit adultery, so what should I repent of?” But if we carefully study God’s commandments, we will discover that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Ingratitude to God.

Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying one's disbelief through an atheistic upbringing.

Apostasy, cowardly silence when they blaspheme the faith of Christ, failure to wear pectoral cross, visiting various sects.

Taking the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer or in pious conversation about Him).

Oath in the name of the Lord.

Fortune telling, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

Thoughts about suicide.

Playing cards and other gambling games.

Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules.

Failure to visit the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

Light (non-daily) reading Holy Scripture, soulful literature.

Breaking vows made to God.

Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in God's Providence, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

Absent-mindedness during prayer, thoughts about everyday things during worship.

Condemnation of the Church and its ministers.

Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

Continuation of a sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy, that is, excessive trust in God.

It’s a waste of time watching TV shows and reading entertaining books to the detriment of time for prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature.

Concealing sins during confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Arrogance, self-reliance, i.e. excessive hope in one’s own strength and in someone else’s help, without trusting that everything is in God’s hands.

Raising children outside the Christian faith.

Hot temper, anger, irritability.

Arrogance.

Perjury.

Mockery.

Stinginess.

Non-repayment of debts.

Failure to pay money earned for work.

Failure to provide assistance to those in need.

Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

Disrespect for elders.

Lack of diligence in your work.

Condemnation.

Appropriation of someone else's property is theft.

Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

Killing your child in the womb (abortion), inducing others to commit murder (abortion).

Murder with words is bringing a person through slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

Drinking alcohol at funerals for the dead instead of intense prayer for them.

Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,

Reasonless laughter.

Foul language.

Self-love.

Doing good deeds for show.

Vanity.

The desire to get rich.

Love of money.

Envy.

Drunkenness, drug use.

Gluttony.

Fornication - inciting lustful thoughts, unclean desires, lustful touching, watching erotic films and reading such books.

Fornication is the physical intimacy of persons not related by marriage.

Adultery is a violation of marital fidelity.

Unnatural fornication - physical intimacy between persons of the same sex, masturbation.

Incest is physical intimacy with close relatives or nepotism.

Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, ultimately they are all sins both against God (since they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against their neighbors (since they do not allow true Christian relationships and love to be revealed ), and against themselves (because they interfere with the salvific dispensation of the soul).

Anyone who wants to repent before God for their sins must prepare for the Sacrament of Confession. You need to prepare for confession in advance: it is advisable to read literature on the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, remember all your sins, you can write them down on

a separate piece of paper to review before confession. Sometimes a piece of paper with the listed sins is given to the confessor to read, but the sins that especially burden the soul must be told out loud. No need to tell your confessor long stories, it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of judging your relatives or neighbors. What is important to God and the confessor is not the list of sins, but the repentant feeling of the person being confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. We must remember that confession is not only an awareness of one’s own shortcomings, but, above all, a thirst to be cleansed of them. In no case is it acceptable to justify yourself - this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains what real repentance is: “This is a sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord forgave you your sins.”

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with your confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from everyone who was offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule by reading the Canon of Repentance, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

To confess, you need to find out when the Sacrament of Confession takes place in the church. In those churches where services are performed every day, the Sacrament of Confession is also celebrated every day. In those churches where there are no daily services, you must first familiarize yourself with the service schedule.

Children under seven years of age (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary from early childhood to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great

Sacrament. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the ordinariness of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare infants 2-3 days in advance for the upcoming Communion: read the Gospel, lives of saints, and other soul-helping books with them, reduce, or better yet completely eliminate, television viewing (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations in the child with preparation for Communion ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bed, talk with the child about the past days and lead him to a feeling of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than the personal example of parents.

Starting from the age of seven, children (adolescents) begin the Sacrament of Communion, like adults, only after first performing the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics. To motivate children to sincere repentance, you can pray for them to read the following list of possible sins:

Did you lie in bed in the morning and therefore skip the morning prayer rule?

Did you not sit down at the table without praying and did you not go to bed without praying?

Do you know the most important ones by heart? orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice”, prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

Did you go to church every Sunday?

Have you been interested in various amusements in church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

Did you behave properly at church services, did you not run around the church, did you not have empty conversations with your peers, thereby leading them into temptation?

Did you pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

Are you performing the sign of the cross correctly, are you not in a hurry, are you not distorting it? sign of the cross?

Were you distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?

Do you read the Gospel and other spiritual books?

Do you wear pectoral cross and aren't you ashamed of him?

Aren't you using a cross as a decoration, which is sinful?

Do you wear various amulets, for example, zodiac signs?

Didn’t you tell fortunes, didn’t you tell fortunes?

Didn’t you hide your sins before the priest in confession out of false shame, and then receive communion unworthily?

Were you not proud of yourself and others of your successes and abilities?

Have you ever argued with someone just to gain the upper hand in the argument?

Did you deceive your parents for fear of being punished?

During Lent, did you eat something like ice cream without your parents’ permission?

Did you listen to your parents, didn’t you argue with them, didn’t you demand an expensive purchase from them?

Have you ever beaten anyone? Did he incite others to do this?

Did you offend the younger ones?

Did you torture animals?

Did you gossip about anyone, did you snitch on anyone?

Have you ever laughed at people with any physical disabilities?

Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue or using drugs?

Didn't you use foul language?

Didn't you play cards?

Have you ever engaged in handjobs?

Did you appropriate someone else's property for yourself?

Have you ever had the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

Weren't you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

Was he pretending to be sick to evade his responsibilities?

Were you jealous of others?

The above list is only a general outline of possible sins. Each child may have his own, individual experiences associated with specific cases. The task of parents is to prepare the child for repentant feelings before the Sacrament of Confession. You can advise him to remember his misdeeds committed after the last confession, write his sins on a piece of paper, but you should not do this for him. The main thing: the child must understand that the Sacrament of Confession is a Sacrament that cleanses the soul from sins, subject to sincere, sincere repentance and the desire not to repeat them again.

Confession is performed in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. Under no circumstances should you be late for the start of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rite, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rite, the priest turns to the penitents so that they say their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the start of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of confession reads the rite for them again and accepts confession, or schedules it for another day. Women cannot begin the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

Confession usually takes place in a church with a crowd of people, so you need to respect the secret of confession, not crowd next to the priest receiving confession, and not embarrass the person confessing, revealing his sins to the priest. Confession must be complete. You cannot confess some sins first and leave others for next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in pre-

previous confessions and those that were already released to him are not mentioned again. If possible, you should confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a feeling of false shame prevents your familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this by their actions try to deceive God Himself: in confession, we confess our sins not to our confessor, but together with him to the Savior Himself.

In large churches, due to the large number of penitents and the inability of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists out loud the most common sins and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone takes turns to come up for a prayer of absolution . Those who have never been to confession or have not gone to confession for several years should avoid general confession. Such people must undergo private confession - for which they need to choose either a weekday, when there are not many people confessing in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed. If this is not possible, you need to go to the priest during a general confession for a prayer of permission, among the last, so as not to detain anyone, and, having explained the situation, open up to him about your sins. Those who have grave sin.

Many devotees of piety warn that a grave sin, which the confessor kept silent about during general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

After confessing sins and reading the prayer of absolution by the priest, the penitent kisses the Cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern and, if he was preparing for communion, takes a blessing from the confessor for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises intended to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, expressed through the priest, requiring mandatory fulfillment for the healing of the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible for various reasons to perform penance, you should contact the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.

Those who wish not only to confess, but also to receive communion, must prepare worthily and in accordance with the requirements of the Church for the Sacrament of Communion. This preparation is called fasting.

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and watching television. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is celebrated in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading prayers for bedtime, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to perform such a prayer rule in

one day, take a blessing from the priest to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to follow all the prayer rules for preparing for communion. Parents need to, together with their confessor, choose the optimal number of prayers that the child can handle, then gradually increase the number necessary prayers necessary to prepare for communion, up to the complete prayer rule for Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess or receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice. We need to pray to the Lord to help us overcome difficulties and give us strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock at night they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years, and if possible earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

In the morning, they also don’t eat or drink anything and, of course, don’t smoke, you can only brush your teeth. After reading morning prayers prayers for Holy Communion are read. If reading prayers for Holy Communion in the morning is difficult, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If confession was made the night before, then the person confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a Sacrament established by the Savior Himself during the Last Supper: “Jesus took bread and, blessing it, broke it and, giving it to the disciples, said: Take, eat: this is My Body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verses 26-28).

During the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed - bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ and the communicants, receiving Them during Communion, mysteriously, incomprehensible to the human mind, are united with Christ Himself, since He is all contained in every Particle of the Sacrament .

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks about this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day...” (Gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 53 - 54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary cleansing by the Sacrament of Repentance; the only exception is infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation required for the laity. Women need to wipe off lipstick from their lips. Women should not receive communion during the period of monthly cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the cleansing prayer of the fortieth day is read over them.

When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one prostration (if it’s a weekday) or a bow (if it’s a Sunday or holiday) and listen carefully to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers

private traders, folding their hands on their chests crosswise (right over left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let children go to the Chalice first, then men come up, and then women. You should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having said his name out loud, the communicant, with his lips open, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the communicant’s mouth with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the Holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes the drink (warmth) and eats a piece of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting the warmth, you cannot venerate either the icons, the Cross, or the Gospel.

After receiving the warmth, the communicants do not leave the church and pray with everyone until the end of the service. After the emptiness (the final words of the service), the communicants approach the Cross and listen carefully thanksgiving prayers after Holy Communion. After listening to the prayers, the communicants decorously disperse, trying to preserve the purity of their souls, cleansed from sins, for as long as possible, without wasting empty talk and things that are not good for the soul. On the day after communion of the Holy Mysteries, bows to the ground are not made, and when the priest gives a blessing, they are not applied to the hand. You can only venerate icons, the Cross and the Gospel. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoid verbosity (it is better to remain silent in general), watch TV, exclude marital intimacy, it is advisable for smokers to abstain from smoking. It is advisable to read prayers of thanksgiving at home after Holy Communion. It is a prejudice that you cannot shake hands on the day of communion. Under no circumstances should you receive communion several times in one day.

In cases of illness and infirmity, you can receive communion at home. For this purpose, a priest is invited to the house. Depending

Based on his condition, the sick person is adequately prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can receive communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of dying people). Children under seven years of age do not receive communion at home, since they, unlike adults, can only receive communion with the Blood of Christ, and the reserve Gifts with which the priest administers communion at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ, saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on weekdays during Great Lent.

Each Christian either himself determines the time when he needs to confess and receive communion, or does this with the blessing of his spiritual father. There is a pious custom of receiving communion at least five times a year - on each of the four multi-day fasts and on the day of your Angel (the day of remembrance of the saint whose name you bear).

How often it is necessary to receive communion is given by the pious advice of the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain: “True communicants are always, following Communion, in a tactile state of grace. The heart then tastes the Lord spiritually.

But just as we are constrained in body and surrounded by external affairs and relationships in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual taste of the Lord, due to the splitting of our attention and feelings, is weakened day by day, obscured and hidden...

Therefore, zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are tasting the Lord again.”

Published by the Orthodox parish in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Novosibirsk.

Don't wait until you become better, come to God like that as you are now: He loves and waits for you.

You came to the temple for the first time. You want to confess, pour out your soul, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. But how to do that? Everything is unfamiliar, new and therefore even seems scary.

It’s rare that when someone comes to church for the first time, they immediately go to confession. Usually, at first a person simply goes to church, stands, prays, thinks, watches those around him. Gradually he begins to feel the desire to come up, talk to the priest, and confess. When such a desire arose, the convert simply needs to follow it, for it the voice of the Guardian Angel calling for the Sacrament of Repentance. If not listen to this voice, then the desire for repentance that arose under the influence calling on the grace of God may depart, and it is unknown when else The Holy Spirit will again begin to call the sinner to salvation. Therefore, when the need for confession arises, you need to immediately begin to her to prepare.

It is best to agree in advance with the priest about the time of confession. It is advisable to come on a weekday when there are few confessors at the service. Or find out from the clergy the day and time when you can Confess completely.

When you start going to church and go to confession, you the people closest to you may unexpectedly attack. For example, through my father, the enemy of the human race will try in every possible way to dissuade the mother or other loved ones from going to church, saying that this is the work of dark, stupid or weak people, ask them not to do this. On the day of the first confession maybe an unimaginable number of urgent matters will arise, including economic. The day before, long-forgotten friends may start calling you, inviting you to meet and have a drink. Your health may deteriorate painful symptoms may appear. On the eve of confession, disbelief, blasphemous thoughts, despair may also appear; someone may subconsciously inspire you that your efforts are useless, that it is better to leave everything is as it is. It is possible that severe irritation and especially lustful thoughts. Never mind, know: the fight is for your soul has begun! When you come to church for confession, also be prepared to temptations. Firstly, it may seem to you that everything about you is somehow different. they look special. Secondly, everything may start to irritate you. They said it wrong, they treated it wrong, they bowed wrong. Besides everything other things, they may really start to “get” you, let’s say, gently, older women. They will make comments, push, mutter. Be courageous! Remember who is behind all this, don’t give in and don’t leave the temple under any circumstances. When you overcome these obstacles and approach confession, silently pray to the Lord and ask Him, so that He will open your soul to your confessor, so that the priest will say everything that God wants to tell you today. And know that according to your faith it will be done for you. When you come to confession, do not rely on your memory. Remember: from worries, fear of the unknown and simply under the influence of fallen spirits, you can forget everything you prepared at home. Therefore, keep in front of you a list of your sins compiled in advance. Don’t mumble or stammer, try to clearly and clearly confess your sins. Take care of the time of the priest and other confessors, remember that, Besides you, many more people want to join this Sacrament.

Repentance is born from love for God: it is standing before Someone, and not thinking about something. This is an appeal to the Personality, and not an impersonal assessment of what happened. The son in the parable of the prodigal son does not just talk about his sins, he repents. Here is love for the father, and not just hatred of oneself and one’s deeds.

Confession is reconciliation with God, when we say to Him: « Lord, I came to open myself before You, to tell You about everything dark, unclean, gloomy, vicious that is in me; and I ask You to heal me.”

The enumeration itself out loud (and this is exactly what the Slavic word means "confession") of his spiritual illnesses and fall before his confessor has great benefit, because in it pride and despondency from the consciousness of the hopelessness of one’s correction are overcome.

However, the meaning of repentance is not in admitting oneself as a sinner, that would be too simple, but in changing one’s lifestyle. According to St. Basil the Great, “It is not he who confesses his sin who said: “I have sinned,” and then remains in sin, but the one who has acquired his sin and hated it."

Repentance is a Sacrament in which a Christian, upon repenting of his sins and confessing them to a priest, receives through himGod's forgiveness and resolution of sins.

Thus, to perform the Sacrament, two actions are needed: 1) repentance and Confession and 2) forgiveness and resolution of sins by a clergyman who has the power from God to forgive sins.

Confession is the moment of a person’s meeting with God, and the priest, like him He himself tells people before confession, he is only a witness.

All Church Sacraments create a person as a member of the Body of Christ, as the Church; this especially applies to the Sacrament of Penance. Sin separates a person from God and His Church; in the Sacrament of Repentance occurs forgiveness of sins and reunification of man with the Church. Therefore, it is not enough to limit ourselves to internal repentance. It is necessary to repent of sins to God in the presence of a priest. After all, the Lord gave the power of forgiveness sins not to the person himself during mental confession before God, but The Church in the person of the Apostles and their successors, i.e. bishops and priests.

Only a person who has received Baptism, is a conscious believer (who accepts the fundamentals of Orthodox doctrine and recognizes himself as a child of the Orthodox Church) can participate in the Sacrament of Confession. repentant of his sins. For the Church there is no unforgivable sin, but only unrepentant sin.

When preparing for the Sacrament of Confession, it is important to examine your conscience, feel your sins in your heart, and ask yourself the question: what is in me? unworthy of myself, of God Whom I confess, of the Church to which Do I belong to the people who surround me? You can also recognize your sin by answering the question: what am I ashamed of in my life? What I want hide from the face of God and from the judgment of one’s own conscience? What do my loved ones usually accuse me of? Almost always their accusations, reproaches, attacks have grounds.

It is useful to distinguish between basic sins and derivative sins, symptoms from internal reasons. Any sin is a form of loss of love. At the same time, sins against God and the Church are highlighted (blasphemy, lack of faith, murmuring against God’s Providence, turning to fortune-tellers, “grandmothers” and healers, etc.), against our neighbors they hurt our soul (malice, envy, bad thoughts, etc.). It should be remembered that sinners are not only our actions (theft) and words (slander), but also human thoughts (condemnation), his motives and desires (consent to sin).

When confessing, one should avoid the temptation of self-justification, attempts explain “mitigating circumstances”, mentions of names of third parties and, even more so, shifting the blame onto loved ones.

It should be remembered that what more people considers himself “good” the further one moves away from God. The statement in Confession that “nothing didn’t do anything bad” is identical to admitting one’s own sinlessness, which is a great delusion.

At Confession there is no need to wait for questions; you just have to make the effort yourself. It is necessary to speak precisely, calling each sin by name, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions “I am a sinner in everything,” “like all people I sin.”

On the other hand, you should beware of details and verbosity. Confession is not a sorting out of sins and a “report on what has been done”; it is not interrogation, where they ask for all the details of the experience. Lord knows in advance everything we can say to Him. And He doesn’t just listen to our words, how many listen to the movements of our heart and mind.

When preparing for confession, you can use manuals "To help the penitent" St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) or "Building experience confession"Archimandrite John (Peasant). Sins committed can be briefly outlined on paper so as not to miss something important.

Having waited his turn, the confessor approaches the priest standing at the lectern - a high inclined table on which the Cross and the Gospel are located. This external arrangement expresses the fact that in Confession it is not the priest who judges, but God, to whom confession of sins is made.

If you came to Confession for the first time, it is better to say so right away. priest - he will tell you what you should pay attention to and what need to repent.

At the end of Confession, the penitent bows his head, the priest covers her with an epitrachelion and reads a prayer of permission. When the priest visibly expresses forgiveness, the penitent is invisibly forgiven By God: “Once you have broken down and repented, forgiveness is already awarded to you in Heaven, and at the moment of confession this heavenly decision is announced to you.”(St. Theophan the Recluse).

After this, you need to reverently cross yourself, kiss the Cross and Gospel lying on the lectern, thereby promising to trust in Christ Crucified and fulfill the gospel commandments. After this you need to take blessing from the priest.

Having become familiar with the state of the sinner’s conscience, the priest can give it to him helpful advice, indicate ways to correct it, warn him against repetition of sins.

The Secret of Confession is protected by church canons and Russian legislation. Under no circumstances can the priest reveal what he heard during Confession to third parties.

Children's confession

Dear Parents! Our children are growing up in an extremely dangerous time, when society is abandoning the ideals accepted by Christian peoples, and, above all, the ideals of sacrificial love. Instead, the spirit of our time implants a cult of selfishness and pleasure in the hearts of children. This is precisely what current secular education is aimed at, Mass culture, print, radio and television. Without God's help, without participation in the grace-filled and saving Sacraments of the Holy Church, we cannot withstand this onslaught.

It requires a lot of effort from us, constant attention to the life of a child. “Do not leave children without attention regarding eradicating from their hearts the weeds of sins, nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts, sinful habits, inclinations and passions,” wrote righteous John Kronstadt, - the enemy and sinful flesh do not spare children, the seeds of all sins are in children; present to your children all the dangers of sins on the path of life, do not hide sins from them, so that, out of ignorance and lack of understanding, they do not become established in sinful habits and addictions, which grow and bear corresponding fruits as children reach age.”

A matter of paramount importance in the Christian, moral education of children is the conscious confession of sins in the Sacrament of Repentance. By confessing their sins, children, through the priest with the power given to him from above, receive not only forgiveness of sins, but also instruction in moral life. It is very important to teach a child to be aware of his bad deeds and strive for everything good.

When helping a child prepare for confession, especially if he is entering this saving Sacrament for the first time, parents must adhere to the following rules.

Children need to be prepared for confession with love, meekness, and warm sympathy, emphasizing that they are coming and confessing to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; questions can only be asked about sins that are characteristic of their age.

One should be especially careful in questions regarding the seventh commandment of the Law of God, offering them in the most delicate form, so as not to embarrass the child and not leave a dirty stain on the child’s conscience. Parents should know that the Church prescribes that children must receive communion with confession from the age of six or seven, depending on the child’s level of development and ability to recognize and confess their sins.

The day of confession and Holy Communion should be a festive and joyful day for a child. Advise, offer to go to church, prepare for confession and Communion, but under no circumstances force the child.

You cannot be forced to confess - repentance must be sincere and completely free.

Submitting to parental authority, the child will fulfill your demands for some time, but if he himself does not have living faith, a sincere desire to cleanse himself from the sin he has committed, sooner or later there will be a painful gap, a conflict between your pressure and his free will.

If a child is very worried and lost when approaching the lectern, you can offer him at home, before the start of the service, to answer the questions given in writing, so that he can then read them in confession before the priest. It is important that confession is not limited to finding out what the child did and did not do. But each time it was done with sincere contrition for sins and was experienced by him as the tragedy of awareness of sin, combined with the joy of forgiveness from God. Help in preparing for confession in no way implies mediation between parents and the priest.

Parents should under no circumstances try to find out the sins of their children and what the priest told them in confession. Even the slightest attempts and questions of this kind can break trust in the greatest Sacrament in a child’s soul. Parents should also not tell the priest what to ask the child. Entrust the confessor and the confessor with the grace of God, which will make them wise and instruct them.

Preparing for Holy Communion

In every Sacrament, a person is given grace, but in the Sacrament of Communion, the closest union of a person with God occurs that is possible for a person on earth. In Greek, this Sacrament is called the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving.”

But the grace of the Sacrament does not act forcefully: a good disposition and undoubted faith are required from the person himself. Without faith that this bread is the True Body of Christ, and the wine dissolved in water in the Chalice, after its consecration, is the True, Honest Blood of Christ - without such firm, absolutely necessary faith, you better not approach the Chalice. Received without faith, Communion will go to a person, alas, in judgment and condemnation.

Avoiding Communion deprives a person of spiritual strength and opens the devil’s access to him. Church rule commands a layman to receive communion four times a year, during all four fasts (in extreme cases, at least once a year). It is good to take communion on the day of your Angel, on the day of Baptism (who remembers), and for spouses on the day of their wedding. In case of illness or other sorrow, those who wish to churchize their lives, as well as to strengthen spiritual strength, are blessed with more frequent Communion, up to once a week (this is determined by your confessor).

Infants, after their baptism, up to the age of seven can partake of the Holy Mysteries not only every week, but also every day (if the Liturgy is served), and, moreover, without confession. Give Holy Communion to babies as often as possible: there is a lot of evil in today’s world, but spiritual weapons protect against spiritual danger.

Anyone who wants to receive communion worthily must begin to prepare for this at least a week in advance: such preparation is called fasting. It includes fasting, prayer and repentance. If fasting falls on a meat-eater (as well as for other valid reasons), it is allowed to reduce it to three days, but in extreme cases ( sudden illness, death of loved ones, etc.) - up to one day.

The fasting person is not allowed to eat meat, eggs, milk and products made from them, and also, since fasting is more strict during fasting, fish is also excluded. On the eve of Communion, from 6 o'clock in the evening one must keep a particularly strict fast, and after midnight not consume a crumb of bread, not a drop of water and not smoke: one must come to Communion strictly on an empty stomach, this also applies to children. Only an exception can be made for an infant, but not immediately before Communion. It should also be remembered that physical fasting will be worth nothing without spiritual fasting. On the days of fasting, they do not attend entertainment events, do not listen to music, and try to protect themselves from anger, obscene thoughts and conversations. Make peace with both those who have offended you and those who have offended you, humbly asking everyone for forgiveness (this is a necessary condition for confession), and do works of mercy (charity, alms, visiting the sick, etc.).

Try to learn more about Divine services, behavior in church, etc., so as not to overshadow this joyful day with any absurd mistake. It is best to spend the time of fasting in reading spiritual books. On these days, it is also necessary to remember about marital fasting: those who had marital communication the day before are not allowed to receive Communion. During the days of fasting, prayer preparation prepares the soul to receive the Holy Mysteries and understand the importance of the upcoming Sacrament. To do this, you need to read the canons from the Prayer Book: the repentant prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, as well as the Follow-up to Holy Communion, which it is advisable to read in the morning on the eve of Communion. In addition, it is necessary to pray more and more diligently at home in the morning and evening and attend all church services.

Without Confession, no one can be admitted to Holy Communion, except for children under 7 years of age and in cases of mortal danger.

Those who wish to receive communion must verbally confess their sins to God the day before in the presence of a witness - a priest, sincerely opening their soul, not hiding a single sin they have committed, and have a sincere intention to correct themselves. It is also advisable to warn the priest if you have never confessed sins before. During Confession, it is better not to wait for the priest’s question, but to express everything that burden titutes the soul, without justifying himself in anything and without shifting the blame to others. It is more correct to confess on the eve of Communion, before or during the evening service, in order to participate in the Liturgy in the morning, devoting all the time to prayerful preparation for Holy Communion.

After singing “Our Father,” you need to approach the steps of the altar and wait for the Holy Gifts to be taken out. When proclaiming “Come with the fear of God and faith,” a bow to the ground is required (only from Easter to Trinity and on Christmastide prostrations not allowed). Then you need to fold your hands crosswise on your chest, the right one on top of the left one, and from the right side of the temple, one by one, approach the priest standing with the Chalice on the pulpit, with children approaching first, then adults (only those whom the priest has allowed to receive Communion). Approaching the Chalice, you need to clearly pronounce your christian name, open your mouth wide, reverently accept the Body and Blood of Christ and immediately swallow. Having accepted the Holy Mystery, without being baptized, kiss the bottom of the Chalice and immediately go to the table with warmth, eat the antidor and drink the warmth, and only after that can you talk. First words true Christian at this moment words of gratitude to the Lord for His great mercy appear (“Glory to Thee, O God!”), repeated three times. Until the end of the Divine service (until you venerate the Cross), do not leave the church, listen to prayers of thanksgiving (or read them at home yourself), pray on this day with special blessing, for the Lord Himself dwells in you.

At the end of the Liturgy, come and venerate the Cross given by the priest. After kissing the Cross, you are supposed to kiss the priest’s hand.

In addition, in order not to make annoying mistakes on this solemn day, it is necessary to remember: on the day after Communion until the evening they no longer bow to the ground, with the exception of bowing before the Shroud of Christ on Holy Saturday and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity;

- during Communion you must not touch the Chalice with your hands or kiss the priest’s hand;

It is forbidden to be baptized at the Chalice!

- having moved away from the Chalice, until you have accepted the antidor and warmth (it is also called “drinking”), you cannot talk -

wat, take money out of your wallet, kiss icons, etc.

— before going to church, check whether you have a cross on your body.

- You cannot approach Communion with lipstick on your lips.

It must also be remembered that a woman cannot participate in the sacrament during the period of monthly cleansing.

We must preserve the gracious gift of Communion in our souls as much as possible. for a long time. Therefore, it is best to spend the day of Communion without unnecessary fuss, if possible without dealing with everyday worries, devoting time to prayer and good deeds charity. On the day of Communion, do not spit, do not eat too much, do not have marital intercourse, and generally behave decently, in order to “honestly keep Christ received within you.” It will be very good if you pray for your loved ones: on this day the communicant and his prayer are closest to God.

The Orthodox faith teaches Christians how to confess correctly. This ritual is associated with ancient events, when the Apostle Peter left the bishop's house and retired into seclusion after realizing his sin before Christ. He denied the Lord and repented for it.

Likewise, each of us needs to realize our sins before the Lord and be able to present them to the priest in order to sincerely repent and receive forgiveness.

To learn how to confess correctly in church, it is necessary to prepare the soul and body, and then we will tell you how to do this.

Before you go to church, try to understand a few things for yourself important points . Especially if you decide to confess for the first time. So, what questions most often arise in a person on the eve of confession?

When can I go to confession?

Confession means a sincere conversation with God through the mediation of a priest. According to church canons, people are attracted to confession from childhood, from the age of seven. Believers confess after the main service, near the lectern. People who decide to be baptized or get married also begin confession before God.

How often should you go to confession?

It depends on a person’s true desire and his personal willingness to talk openly about his sins. When a Christian came to confess for the first time, this does not mean that after that he became sinless. We all sin every day. Therefore, the awareness of our actions lies with us. Some people confess every month, some before major holidays, and some during Orthodox posts and before your birthday. Here The main thing is to understand why I need this, what positive lesson this can teach me in the future.

How to confess, what to say?

Here it is important to address the priest sincerely, without false shame. What does this statement mean? A person who has decided to sincerely repent must not just list what sins he has committed for lately and even more so, immediately look for an excuse for them.

Remember, you came to church not to hide your bad deeds, but to to receive the blessing of the holy father and begin your new, spiritual life.

If you have been wanting to confess for a long time, you can calmly think about what to say to the priest at home in advance. Better yet, write it down on paper. Place the “10 Commandments” in front of you, remember the 7 deadly sins.

Don't forget that anger, adultery, pride, envy, and gluttony are also on this list. This also includes visiting fortune tellers and clairvoyants, watching television programs with inappropriate content.

How should you dress for confession?

The robe should be simple, meeting all the laws of Christianity. For women - a closed blouse, a skirt or dress no higher than the knee, and a headscarf is required. For men - trousers, shirt. Be sure to remove your headdress.

Is it possible to confess at home?

Of course, God hears our prayers everywhere and, as a rule, forgives us in case of true repentance. However in church we can receive that very grace-filled power, which will help us fight temptations in subsequent situations. We are embarking on the path of our spiritual rebirth. And this happens precisely during the Sacrament called confession.

How to confess for the first time?

The first confession, like all subsequent times when you decide to confess in church, requires some preparation.

First, you need to prepare yourself mentally. It would be right if you spend some time alone with yourself, turn to the Lord in prayer. It is also recommended to fast on the eve of confession. Confession is like a medicine that heals both body and soul. A person is spiritually reborn and comes to the Lord through forgiveness. You can start confession without communion, but your faith in the Lord must be unshakable.

Secondly, it is best to agree on the holding of the Sacrament of Confession in advance. On the appointed day, come to the church for the Divine service, and at the end of it, go to the lectern, where confession usually takes place.

1. Warn the priest that you will be making confession for the first time.
2. The priest will read opening prayers, which serve as some preparation for the personal repentance of each of those present (there may be several of them).
3. Next, everyone approaches the lectern where the icon or crucifix is ​​located and bows to the ground.
4. After this, a personal conversation between the priest and the confessor takes place.
5. When your turn comes, tell about your sins with sincere repentance, without going into unnecessary details and details.
6. You can write down on a piece of paper what you would like to say.
7. Do not be afraid and do not be embarrassed - Confession is given in order to gain God's grace, repent for what you have done and never repeat it again.
8. At the end of the conversation, the confessor kneels down, and the priest covers his head with an epitrachelion - a special fabric - and reads a prayer of permission.
9. After this, you must kiss the Holy Cross and the Gospel as a sign of love for the Lord.

How to take communion in church?

To modern man it is also very important to know how to take communion in church, since the Sacrament of Communion in the Holy Chalice connects a Christian with God and strengthens true faith in Him. Communion was established by the Son of God himself. The Bible says that Jesus Christ blessed and divided the bread among His disciples. The apostles accepted the bread as the body of the Lord. Then Jesus divided the wine among the apostles, and they drank it as the blood of the Lord shed for the sins of mankind.

Going to church the night before big holiday or before your name day, you need to know how to properly confess and receive communion. This spiritual sacrament plays the same important role in a person’s life as the rite of wedding or baptism. You are not supposed to take communion without confession because their relationship is very strong. Repentance or confession clears the conscience and makes our soul bright before the eyes of the Lord. That's why communion follows confession.

During confession, it is necessary to sincerely repent and decide to begin a humble, pious life in accordance with all Christian laws and rules. Communion, in turn, sends God's Grace to a person, revives his soul, strengthens his faith and heals his body.

How to prepare for the sacrament of communion?

1. Before communion it is necessary to pray fervently, read spiritual literature and keep a three-day fast.
2. The night before, it is recommended to attend the evening service, where you can also make confession.
3. On the day of communion, you must come to the morning Liturgy.
4. After singing the Lord's Prayer, the Holy Chalice is brought to the altar.
5. Children receive communion first, then adults.
6. You must approach the Chalice very carefully, crossing your arms over your chest (right over left).
7. Then the believer says his Orthodox name and reverently accepts the Holy Gifts - drinks water or wine from the Chalice.
8. After which the bottom of the Cup should be kissed.

Living in modern society Everyone should confess and receive communion from time to time Orthodox man who wants to cleanse his soul and draw closer to the Lord.