Communion, communion, confession: What is it and how to properly prepare for them?

What are confession and communion?

Confession is punishment for sins.

Confession is the “second Baptism.” Baptism of fire, in which, thanks to shame and repentance, we regain spiritual purity and receive forgiveness of sin from the Lord God Himself.

Confession is a great sacrament.

Confession is the flagellation of one’s own sins through their open, frank recognition in order to feel a feeling of deep disgust towards them and towards one’s sinful life and not repeat them in the future.

Confession is a cleansing of the soul, and a healthy spirit gives a healthy body.

Why confess in church to a priest? Isn't it enough that I repented?

No, not enough. After all, sin is a crime for which one must be punished. And if we punish ourselves with our own repentance (which, of course, is very important and necessary), it is clear that we will not be too strict with ourselves.

Therefore, for the final and complete reconciliation of a person with the Lord, there is a mediator - a priest (and earlier - the apostles, on whom the Holy Spirit descended).

Agree, it is much more difficult and shameful to tell a stranger about all your many sins in all their glory than to tell yourself.

This is the punishment and the meaning of confession - a person finally realizes the full depth of his sinful life, understands his wrongness in many situations, sincerely repents of what he has done, tells the priest about his sins, receives remission of sins, and next time he himself will be afraid of unnecessary things sin once.

After all, sinning is easy, pleasant and even joyful, but repenting of one’s own sins and confessing is a heavy cross. And the point of confession is that each time our cross becomes lighter and lighter.

We all sin in our youth - it is important to stop in time before it is too late.

How to properly prepare for confession and confess?

1. You must fast (fast) for at least 3 days, because... do not eat fast food - eggs, meat, dairy products and even fish. You should eat bread, vegetables, fruits, and cereals in moderation.

You should also try to sin less, not to enter into intimate relationships, not to watch TV, the Internet, not to read newspapers, not to have fun.

Be sure to ask for forgiveness from those you have offended. Make peace with your enemies, if not in real life, then at least forgive them in your soul.

You cannot begin confession and communion with anger or hatred towards someone in your soul - this is a great sin.

2. You need to write down all your sins on a piece of paper.

3. You must attend and stand through the entire evening service in church on Saturday, go through the rite of unction, when the priest uses oil (oil) to place a cross on the forehead of each believer.

Women are not allowed to go to church in trousers, with lipstick or makeup in general, in short skirts that go well above the knees, with bare shoulders, back and neckline, without a headscarf covering their heads.

Men are not allowed to enter the church in shorts, with bare shoulders, chest and back, in a hat, with cigarettes or booze.

4. After the church evening service, you need to read the evening prayers for the night to come, 3 canons - the Penitential, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, and also read the canon located inside the Follow-up to Holy Communion and consisting of 9 songs.

If you wish, you can read an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.

After 12 midnight you cannot eat or drink anything until communion.

6. You must be in time for the beginning of the morning service in the church at 7-30 or 8-00 in the morning, light a candle to God, the Mother of God or the saints, take a turn in the confessional and confess.

Upon entering the temple, bow to the ground (bend over and touch the floor with your hand), ask the Lord, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

7. You must confess out loud so that the priest hears your sins and can understand whether you repent or not. It’s best if you talk about your sins from memory, but if there are a lot of them and you’re afraid you won’t remember them all, you can read from a note, but the priests don’t really like that.

8. During confession, one must speak candidly and openly about one’s sins, remembering that the priest is also a human being and also a sinner, and that he is forbidden to divulge the secret of confession under pain of deprivation of the priesthood.

9. During confession, you cannot justify yourself and engage in self-apology; it is even more sinful to blame other people for your sins - you are only responsible for yourself, and condemnation is a sin.

10. Do not wait for questions from the priest - tell him honestly and sincerely about what torments your conscience, but do not indulge in long stories about yourself and justify your shortcomings.

Say - “guilty of deceiving his mother, insulting his father, stole 200 rubles,” i.e. be specific and concise.

If after committing a sin you have corrected yourself, say so: “In childhood and adolescence I did not believe in God, but now I believe,” “I used to use drugs, but it has been 3 years since I corrected myself.”

Those. Let the priest know whether this sin of yours was committed in the past or recently, whether you have actively repented of it or not yet.

Check yourself or just talk about what you have done and what is now tormenting your soul.

Try to tell honestly and without concealment about all your sins. If you forgot about one or can’t remember everything, say so - I’m guilty of other sins, but which ones exactly - I don’t remember them all.

11. After confession, sincerely try not to repeat the sins you repented of, otherwise the Lord may be angry with you.

12. Remember: you need to confess and receive communion once every 3 weeks, although the more often the better, the main thing is with a clear conscience and sincere repentance.

13. Remember: the presence of physical or mental illness is a sign of great unrepentant sin.

14. Remember: during confession, the person of the priest is not important, what is important is you and your repentance before the Lord.

15. Remember: those sins that you told in confession will not be repeated in subsequent confessions, for they have already been forgiven.

Exception: if, after confessing a certain sin, your conscience continues to torment you and you feel that this sin has not been forgiven you. Then you can confess this sin again.

But this does not mean that you can forget about these sins and sin again. Sin is a scar that, even when healed, forever leaves a mark on a person’s soul.

16. Remember: the Lord is merciful and able to forgive us everything. The main thing is that we do not forgive ourselves for our sins, remember them and correct ourselves.

17. Remember: tears, as a sign of repentance, bring joy to both the priest and the Lord. The main thing is that they are not crocodile.

18. Remember: weak memory and forgetfulness are not an excuse in confession. Pick up a pen and prepare for confession according to all the rules, so that you don’t forget anything later.

Sins are debts, and debts must be paid. Don't forget about it!

19. Children from 7 years of age can and should go to confession and receive communion. From this same age, you must remember all your sins and repent of them in confession.

How to properly prepare for communion and receive communion?

Preparing for confession is the same preparation for Holy Communion. After confession you must remain in the church.

You should not be afraid of communion, because... We are all people - unworthy of holy communion, but the Lord God created communion for us, and not us for communion. Therefore, none of us is worthy of these holy mysteries, and that is why we need it so much.

You cannot receive communion:

1) people who do not wear a cross all the time;

2) who have anger, enmity or hatred towards someone;

3) those who did not fast the day before, who did not attend the evening service the day before, who did not confess, who did not read the Rules for Holy Communion, who ate in the morning on the day of communion, who were late for the Divine Liturgy;

4) women during menstruation and after 40 days after the birth of the child;

5) women and men in open clothes with bare shoulders, chest, back;

6) men in shorts;

7) women with lipstick, cosmetics, without a scarf on their heads, in trousers;

8) sectarians, heretics and schismatics and those who attend such meetings.

Before Communion:

1. You can’t eat or drink from 12 o’clock at night.

2. You need to brush your teeth.

3. Do not be late for the morning service.

4. When the priest brings out the Holy Gifts before the rite of Communion, you must bow to the ground (bend down and touch the floor with your hand).

5. Once again bow to the ground after the prayer read by the priest “I believe, Lord, and I confess...”

6. When the Royal Doors open and communion begins, you must cross yourself, and then place your left hand on your right shoulder, and your right hand on your left shoulder. Those. You should get a cross, with your right hand on top.

7. Remember: the first to receive communion are always church ministers, monks, children, and then everyone else.

8. You cannot arrange a stampede and a fight in the queue in front of the Holy Chalice, a showdown, otherwise your entire fast, reading the canons and confession will go down the drain!

9. As you approach the Chalice, say to yourself the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or sing a song with everyone in the temple.

10. Before the Holy Chalice, you need to bow to the ground; if there are a lot of people, you need to do it in advance so as not to disturb anyone.

11. Women need to wipe lipstick off their faces!!!

12. Approaching the Chalice with the Holy Gifts - the Blood and Body of Christ, say your name loudly and clearly, open your mouth, chew and swallow the Holy Gifts, be sure to kiss the lower edge of the Chalice (symbol of the rib of Jesus pierced by a warrior, from which water and blood flowed).

14. You cannot kiss the priest’s hand at the Chalice or touch the Chalice with your hands. You cannot be baptized at the Chalice!!!

15. After the Chalice, you cannot kiss icons!

After Communion you must:

1. Make a bow before the icon of Jesus Christ.

2. Go to the table with cups and finely chopped prosphora (antidor), you need to take one cup and drink warm tea, then eat antidor. If desired and possible, you can put money in a special saucer.

3. Only after this can you talk and kiss the icons.

4. You cannot leave the church before the end of the service - you must listen to the prayers of thanksgiving.

If your church did not read prayers of thanksgiving for Communion after the Eucharist, you should read them yourself when you return home.

5. On the day of Communion, one does not kneel, except for special fasting days (when reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian and bowing on Holy Saturday before the Shroud of Christ) and the day of the Holy Trinity.

6. After communion, you should try to behave modestly, not sin - especially the first 2 hours after receiving the Holy Gifts, not eat or drink too much, and avoid loud entertainment.

7. After communion, you can kiss each other and venerate the icons.

Of course, it is not advisable to break all these rules, but it will be better if you do not intentionally forget them, but in the end you sincerely confess and take communion.

Only the Lord is sinless, and we, because we are sinners, must not forget about the need for regular confession and communion.

As a rule, after a good confession, a person’s soul becomes a little easier; in some subtle way he feels that all or part of his sins have been forgiven. And after communion, even in a very tired and weak body, a feeling of strength and inspiration usually arises.

Try to go to confession and communion more often, get sick less and be happier thanks to God and faith in Him!

Is it fair to pay for demands?
Hello! I recently heard that in our churches it is forbidden to set prices for prayers, candles and any church products. But in many churches they are still appointed. Why is that? What if I don’t have the required amount, but I need to get married or baptize a child? Is it possible to complain and where to go? Thank you. Ksenia

Answers priest Leonid KALININ, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Clement the Pope (Moscow):
— I knew a man who could not be baptized as a child because of the high cost of baptism (he grew up in a large family). At first he sometimes went to church, then he began to attend services regularly. And take communion! Then there were few young people in the Church, and the rector noticed a young man regularly coming to the church, somehow got into a conversation with him after the service and found out that he had not been baptized: “How do you receive communion?” “I have not been baptized, because baptism is very expensive for you,” the guy answered. The priest repented and baptized him. Apparently, I remembered the 1st canonical answer of St. Timothy of Alexandria, father of the 2nd Ecumenical Council. It says that if an unbaptized person receives communion according to his faith, then “he must be enlightened by Baptism: for he is called of God.”

It is unacceptable to demand money for the sacraments; we have no right to trade in grace. These are remnants of Soviet times. Then it was impossible not to set prices - the state completely controlled the Church, all demands were registered, the church paid taxes on them. In many churches today, due to inertia, such orders are preserved. This is, of course, a temporary phenomenon. I think parishioners should be tolerant and treat this as human weakness (people also work and serve in the church). But if they do not have the opportunity to pay for a church service, they must tell the rector about this, who is obliged to provide people with access to everything related to their spiritual needs. If he doesn’t do this, then, I think, you can complain to the ruling bishop.

On the other hand, the Church exists on donations. Remember the Gospel: “When He looked, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; He also saw a poor widow who had put two mites there, and said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than anyone else; for all of them out of their abundance gave as a gift to God, but out of her poverty she gave in all the food she had” (Luke 21:1-4). And today, many lonely old women donate from their meager pensions to the temple. Even if such an old woman only puts change in the church box, her sacrifice will be pleasing to God. But when rich people sew an expensive baptismal shirt for their child, invite many guests, celebrate the christening at home or in a restaurant, and leave a crumpled fifty-ruble note in the church after the sacrament - is this fair? The result of all of the above can be summed up as follows: price tags have no place in the temple, but parishioners must donate to the temple voluntarily. Remember that donations to the temple are your sacrifice to God.

Piercing and tattoo
Hello! I can’t calmly watch how today’s youth disfigure themselves with tattoos or some kind of rings - even in the nose! And some even enter the temple of God in such an indecent form! What to do with them? And in general, what motivates a person when he does this to himself? Sergey Fedorovich, Ekaterinburg

The priest answers. Dimitry STUEV, Chairman of the Department for Work with Youth of the Lipetsk and Yeletsk Diocese, Head of the Ecclesiastes Youth Spiritual Center, Assistant to the Department of Theory and History of Culture of the Lipetsk Pedagogical University:
- Our attitude towards cosmetics, sophistication in clothing and other liberties of appearance should be based on the words of the Apostle Peter: “Let your adornment not be the external braiding of hair, not gold jewelry or elegance in clothing, but the hidden person of the heart in the imperishable beauty of the meek and silent spirit, which is of great value in the sight of God” (1 Pet. 3:3-4). However, this is more difficult to apply to piercings, scarring and other “body art”. If only because those who disfigure their bodies care least about beauty in the generally accepted sense. Their task is to create from their body a certain image different from the one that the Lord gave them. For a Christian, this idea itself is sinful, but there is no point in reproaching for the distortion of the human appearance, and in it the image of God, those who are hung with iron and painted, because they simply do not think about the image of God, for them this very concept is an empty phrase. It is important for us to trace the motivation for this deformation. Not the explanations that teenagers give to themselves, but subconscious motivation. In my opinion, this is the desire to hide, disguise your inner world, the true content of your soul. With eye-catching ultra-modern paraphernalia, a “problem” young man or girl distracts the attention of others from his eyes. It is more difficult to look into a person’s soul if on the way to it there is a pile of mohawks, chains, tattoos, rings and weights stuffed into the flesh. “No, no, you won’t find such souls anywhere. Only in my city. Armless souls, legless souls, deaf-mute souls, chained souls, cop souls, damned souls. Do you know why the burgomaster pretends to be mentally ill? To hide the fact that he has no soul at all. Leaky souls, corrupt souls, burnt souls, dead souls. No, no, it’s a pity that they are invisible,” these are the words of the Dragon from the play by Evgeniy Schwartz. Is it not the need to make genuine illnesses of the soul “even more invisible”, instead of making efforts to heal them, that forces young people to disfigure their bodies, to hide their real “I” behind threatening colors and kilograms of metal?

What should those who managed to disfigure themselves and then come to faith do? The need to distort one's appearance in a person who begins to pray falls off like a husk. You can lift the weights and rings - although traces of them will remain, they will not be so noticeable; tidy up your hair - even if you have to cut it, sooner or later new ones will grow. Tattoos are more difficult. I saw on Father Ioann Okhlobystin’s hand a terrible mark from the burning of a fragment of a tattoo (whoever saw his hands in films will remember how they were painted - this is not a fake coloring for the role, the tattoos are real), and he said that he noticed this mark attention to the Patriarch, who said: “There is no point in engaging in self-harm! Go now as you are—painted.” It is difficult to disagree with this statement of Patriarch Alexy II. However, for readers, I would also make a reservation, which does not apply to Father John: if someone has blasphemous images, or texts, or demonic symbolism on their body, then it is precisely such things that it is advisable to either try to deduce, or, if this is difficult, at least get another tattoo. It’s more difficult with scarring: I’ve heard a lot, for example, about the fashion of carving three sixes on your own skin. Even for those who are “blown away” by such stupidity, the doors of repentance are not closed; however, it is impossible to remove traces of such madness without “self-mutilation,” and perhaps this is not so necessary—it is more important to heal the soul through repentance. We, clergy and parishioners of Orthodox churches, need to create such conditions in our parishes that children who have foolishly made an outrage out of their appearance will not be afraid to cross the thresholds of our churches. I had to witness the unbridled aggression of the “church grandfather” (a complete analogue of the “grandmother”, only male) towards the young guys who entered the temple in youth clothes, with long hair and piercings. They didn’t talk, didn’t interfere with the service in any way, they just didn’t please us with their appearance. It took a lot of work to calm grandfather down. Re-educating such grandparents is even more difficult than cutting off all the “hairy” youth, but it is important that there is someone in the church who can neutralize the aggression of older parishioners.

Is it possible to confess in one church and take communion the next day in another?

On the eve of the Twelfth Feast, I did not have time for the all-night vigil at the church I usually go to, and went to service in the one closest to my work. There she confessed, and came to her church for the liturgy. Before communion, the priest asked if I had confessed. Having learned that he was in another church, he told me that this time he would take communion, but in principle you should take communion where you confess. Is it really unacceptable to confess in one church in the evening and take communion in another in the morning? Zinaida

Archpriest Konstantin OSTROVSKY, rector of the Assumption Church in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, dean of the churches of the Krasnogorsk district of the Moscow diocese, answers:
- The Church is one, and in all churches we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore, there can be no reason to demand that a Christian who confesses in the evening in one church must also take communion in the same church. There is no reason to insist that a person who came to receive communion, having received a blessing for communion from the priest of another church the day before, should confess again. Confession before communion was established so that a person would open his conscience to the priest and he would either bless him to receive communion, or - if there are canonical grounds for this - impose a temporary ban on him. In the Russian Orthodox Church (unlike, by the way, some Local Churches), all parish priests (except for individual cases, which always have the nature of punishment on the part of the clergy) are entrusted with accepting the confession of the laity before communion. And for a priest to think that he himself or the priests of his parish are better able to exercise the God-given power of the priesthood to bind and decide is a manifestation of pride or a misunderstanding of the essence of the matter.

Fasting and prayers before Communion

Until this year, I had confessed and received communion only once in my life, in adolescence. I recently decided to take communion again, but forgot about fasting, prayers, confession... What should I do now?

According to the canons of the Church, before communion it is mandatory to abstain from intimate life and take communion on an empty stomach. All the canons, prayers, fasting are simply means to tune yourself into prayer, repentance and the desire to improve. Even confession, strictly speaking, is not obligatory before communion, but this is the case if a person regularly confesses to one priest, if he has no canonical obstacles to communion (abortion, murder, going to fortune-tellers and psychics...) and there is the blessing of the confessor is not always necessary to confess before communion (for example, Bright Week). So in your case, nothing particularly terrible happened, and in the future you can use all these means of preparing for communion.

How long should you fast before communion?

Strictly speaking, the Typikon (rules) states that those who wish to receive communion must fast for a week. But, firstly, this is a monastic charter, and the “Book of Rules” (canons) contains only two necessary conditions for those wishing to receive communion: 1) the absence of intimate marital relations (not to mention fornication) on the eve of communion; 2) the sacrament must be taken on an empty stomach. Thus, it turns out that fasting before communion, reading the canons and prayers, and confession are recommended for those preparing for communion to more fully induce a repentant mood. In our time, at round tables devoted to the topic of communion, priests came to the conclusion that if a person observes all four major fasts throughout the year, fasting on Wednesday and Friday (and this time takes at least six months a year), then for such a person it is enough Eucharistic fasting, i.e. taking communion on an empty stomach. But if a person has not gone to church for 10 years and has decided to take communion, then he will need a completely different format for preparing for communion. All these nuances must be agreed upon with your confessor.

Can I continue to prepare for communion if I had to break my fast on Friday: I was asked to remember a person and was given non-fast food?

You can say this in confession, but this should not serve as an obstacle to communion. For breaking the fast was forced and in this situation justified.

Why are kakons written in Church Slavonic? After all, they are so difficult to read. My husband doesn't understand anything he reads and gets angry. Maybe I should read it out loud?

It is customary in the Church to conduct services in Church Slavonic. We pray in the same language at home. This is not Russian, not Ukrainian or any other language. This is the language of the Church. There are no obscenities or swear words in this language, and in fact, you can learn to understand it in just a few days. After all, he has Slavic roots. This is to the question of why we use this particular language. If your husband is more comfortable listening when you read, you can do that. The main thing is that he listens carefully. I advise you to sit down in your free time and analyze the text with a Church Slavonic dictionary in order to better understand the meaning of the prayers.

My husband believes in God, but somehow in his own way. He believes that it is not necessary to read prayers before confession and communion; it is enough to recognize your sins and repent. Isn't this a sin?

If a person considers himself so perfect, almost a saint, that he does not need any help in preparing for communion, and prayers are such help, then let him take communion. But he remembers the words of the Holy Fathers that we then receive communion with dignity when we consider ourselves unworthy. And if a person denies the need for prayers before communion, it turns out that he already considers himself worthy. Let your husband think about all this and with heartfelt attention, reading prayers for communion, prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Is it possible to attend an evening service in one church and attend communion in the morning in another?

There are no canonical prohibitions against such practices.

Is it possible to read the canons and the order of communion during the week?

It is better to carefully, pondering the meaning of what you read, so that it is truly a prayer, distribute the recommended rule for communion over a week, starting with the canons and ending with prayers for communion on the eve of receiving the Mysteries of Christ, than to read it thoughtlessly in one day.

How to fast and prepare for communion while living in a 1-room apartment with non-believers?

The Holy Fathers teach that you can live in the desert, but have a noisy city in your heart. Or you can live in a noisy city, but there will be peace and quiet in your heart. So, if we want to pray, we will pray in any conditions. People prayed both in sinking ships and in trenches under bombing, and this was the prayer most pleasing to God. He who searches finds opportunities.

Children's Communion

When to give communion to a baby?

If the Blood of Christ is left in a special Chalice in churches, then such babies can be given Holy Communion at any moment, at any time, as long as there is a priest. This is especially practiced in big cities. If there is no such practice, then the child can be given communion only when the liturgy is celebrated in the church, as a rule, on Sundays and on major holidays. With infants, you can come to the end of the service and give him communion in the general manner. If you bring babies to the beginning of the service, they will begin to cry and thereby interfere with the prayer of the rest of the believers, who will grumble and be indignant at their unreasonable parents. Small amounts of drinking water can be given to a baby of any age. Antidor, prosphora is given when the child is able to consume it. As a rule, infants are not given communion on an empty stomach until they are 3-4 years old, and then they are taught to take communion on an empty stomach. But if a 5-6 year old child, out of forgetfulness, drank or ate something, then he can also be given communion.

The daughter has been receiving the Body and Blood of Christ since she was one year old. Now she is almost three, we have moved, and in the new temple the priest gives her only Blood. In response to my request to give her a piece, he made a remark about the lack of humility. Resign yourself?

At the level of custom, indeed, in our Church, infants under 7 years of age receive communion only with the Blood of Christ. But if a child is taught to receive communion from the very cradle, the priest, seeing the adequacy of the baby when he grows up, can already give the Body of Christ. But you need to be very careful and control so that the child does not spit out a particle. Usually, full Communion is given to infants when the priest and the baby get used to each other, and the priest is confident that the child will fully consume Communion. Try to talk with the priest once on this topic, motivating your request by the fact that the child is already accustomed to receiving both the Body and Blood of Christ, and then humbly accept any reaction from the priest.

What to do with clothes that a child has burped on after communion?

Part of the clothing on which the sacrament came into contact is cut out and burned. We patch the hole with some kind of decorative patch.

My daughter is seven years old and will have to confess before communion. How can I prepare her for this? What prayers should she read before communion, what should she do with the three-day fast?

The main rule in preparing for the reception of the Holy Sacraments in relation to young children can be concluded in two words: do no harm. Therefore, parents, especially the mother, must explain to the child why to confess and for what purpose to receive communion. And the prescribed prayers and canons should be read gradually, not immediately, perhaps even with the child. Start with one prayer, so that the child does not overwork, so that this does not become a burden to him, so that this coercion does not push him away. In the same way, with regard to fasting, limit both the time and the list of prohibited foods, for example, give up only meat. In general, first the mother needs to understand the meaning of the preparation, and then, without fanaticism, gradually teach her child step by step.

The child has been prescribed a course of vaccinations against rabies. He cannot drink alcohol for a whole year. What to do with the sacrament?

Believing that the sacrament is the best medicine in the universe, when we approach it, we forget about all restrictions. And according to our faith we will heal both soul and body.

The child was prescribed a gluten-free diet (no bread allowed). I understand that we eat the Blood and Body of Christ, but the physical characteristics of the products remain wine and bread. Is Communion possible without partaking of the Body? What does wine contain?

Once again I repeat that communion is the best medicine in the world. But, given the age of your child, you can, of course, ask that he be communed only with the Blood of Christ. The wine used for communion may be real wine, made from grapes with added sugar for strength, or it may be a wine product consisting of grapes with the addition of ethyl alcohol. You can ask the priest what kind of wine is used in the church where you receive communion.

Every Sunday they gave the child communion, but the last time, when approaching the Chalice, he began to have a terrible hysteria. The next time, in another temple, everything happened again. I'm desperate.

In order not to aggravate the child’s negative reaction to communion, you can try simply entering the church without receiving communion. You can try to introduce the child to the priest, so that this communication will smooth out the child’s fear, and over time he will again begin to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Communion on Easter, Bright Week, and last weeks

Is it necessary to observe a three-day fast, read the canons and follow in order to receive communion on Bright Week?

Starting from the night liturgy and throughout all the days of Bright Week, communion is not only permitted, but also commanded by the 66th rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Preparation these days consists of reading the Easter Canon and going to Holy Communion. Starting from the week of Antipascha, one prepares for communion as during the whole year (three canons and succession).

How to prepare for communion during continuous weeks?

The Church, like a loving mother, takes care not only of our soul, but also of our body. Therefore, on the eve of, for example, the rather difficult Lent, it gives us some relief in food through a continuous week. But this does not mean that we are forced to eat more fast food these days. That is, we have a right, but not an obligation. So, prepare as you wish for communion. But remember the main thing: first of all, we prepare our soul and heart, cleansing them with repentance, prayer, reconciliation, and the stomach comes last.

I heard that one can receive communion on Easter, even if one has not fasted. Is it true?

There is no special rule that allows communion on Easter without fasting and without preparation. The answer to this question must be given by the priest after direct communication with the person.

I want to take communion on Easter, but I ate soup with non-Lenten broth. Now I'm afraid that I can't receive communion. What do you think?

Remembering the words of John Chrysostom, which are read on Easter night, that those who fast do not condemn those who do not fast, but we all rejoice, you can boldly approach the sacrament of communion on Easter night, deeply and sincerely realizing your unworthiness. And most importantly, bring to God not the contents of your stomach, but the contents of your heart. And for the future, of course, we must strive to fulfill the commandments of the Church, including fasting.

During communion, the priest in our church scolded me for not coming to communion on the days of fasting, but coming on Easter. What is the difference between communion at Easter service and “ordinary” Sunday?

You need to ask your father about this. For even the canons of the Church welcome communion not only on Easter, but throughout Holy Week. No priest has the right to prohibit a person from receiving communion at any liturgy, if there are no canonical obstacles to doing so.

Communion of the elderly and sick people, pregnant and nursing mothers

How to properly approach communion for the elderly at home?

It is advisable to invite a priest to visit sick people at least during Lent. It wouldn't hurt to add it to other posts either. Mandatory during an exacerbation of the disease, especially if it is clear that things are heading towards death, without waiting for the patient to fall into unconsciousness, his swallowing reflex disappears or vomiting. He must be of sound mind and memory.

My mother-in-law recently fell ill. I suggested inviting the priest home for confession and communion. Something was stopping her. Now she is not always conscious. Please advise what to do.

The Church accepts a person’s conscious choice without forcing his will. If a person, being in memory, wanted to begin the sacraments of the Church, but for some reason did not do this, then in case of clouding of his mind, remembering his desire and consent, it is still possible to make such a compromise as communion and unction (this is how we give communion infants or the insane). But if a person, being of sound consciousness, did not want to accept the sacraments of the church, then even in the event of loss of consciousness, the Church does not force the choice of this person and cannot give him communion or unction. Alas, it is his choice. Such cases are considered by the confessor, directly communicating with the patient and his relatives, after which a final decision is made. In general, of course, it is best to clarify your relationship with God in a conscious and adequate state.

I am diabetic. Can I take communion if I took a pill and ate in the morning?

In principle, it is possible, but if you wish, you can limit yourself to a pill and take communion at the first services, which end early in the morning. Then eat to your health. If you absolutely cannot go without food for health reasons, then discuss this in confession and take communion.

I have a thyroid disease, I can’t go to church without drinking water and having a snack. If I go on an empty stomach, it will become bad. I live in the provinces, the priests are strict. It turns out I can’t take communion?

If this is required for medical reasons, there are no prohibitions. In the end, the Lord looks not into the stomach, but into the heart of a person, and any competent, sane priest should understand this perfectly well.

For several weeks now I have not been able to take communion due to bleeding. What to do?

This period can no longer be called a normal female cycle. Therefore it is already a disease. And there are women who experience similar phenomena for months. Moreover, not necessarily for this reason, but for some other reason, during such a phenomenon, the death of a woman may occur. Therefore, even the rule of Timothy of Alexandria, which prohibits a woman from receiving communion during “women’s days,” nevertheless, for the sake of mortal fear (threat to life), allows communion. There is an episode in the Gospel when a woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years, wanting healing, touched the robe of Christ. The Lord did not condemn her, but on the contrary, she received recovery. Considering all of the above, a wise confessor will bless you to receive communion. It is quite possible that after such Medicine your bodily ailment will be healed.

Is preparation for confession and communion different for pregnant women?

For military personnel participating in hostilities, their service life is considered to be three years. And during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet army even gave front-line soldiers 100 grams, although in peacetime vodka and the army were incompatible. For a pregnant woman, the time of bearing a child is also “war time,” and the Holy Fathers understood this very well when they allowed relaxation in fasting and prayer for pregnant and lactating women. Pregnant women can also be compared to sick women - toxicosis, etc. And the rules of the church (29th rule of the holy apostles) for the sick also allow a relaxation of fasting, up to its complete abolition. In general, each pregnant woman, according to her conscience, based on her state of health, determines the extent of fasting and prayer. I would recommend taking communion as often as possible during pregnancy. The prayer rule for communion can also be done while sitting. You can also sit in the church; you can come before the beginning of the service.

General questions about the sacrament

In recent years, after Sunday liturgy, I have started to have severe headaches, especially on communion days. With what it can be connected?

Similar cases in various variations occur quite often. Look at all this as a temptation in a good deed and, naturally, continue to go to church for services without succumbing to these temptations.

How often can you receive communion? Is it necessary to read all the canons before communion, fast and confess?

The purpose of the Divine Liturgy is the communion of believers, that is, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ so that they can be eaten by people, and not just by the serving priest. In ancient times, a person who was at the liturgy and did not take communion was then obliged to give an explanation to the priest why he did not do so. At the end of each liturgy, the priest, appearing at the Royal Doors with the Chalice, says: “Approach with the fear of God and faith.” If a person receives communion once a year, then he needs a preliminary week-long fast in food, and canons with prayers, and if a person observes all four major fasts, fasting every Wednesday and Friday, then he can receive communion without additional fasting, fasting the so-called Eucharistic fast , i.e., take communion on an empty stomach. As for the rule for communion, we must realize that it is given in order to evoke repentant feelings in us. If we often take communion and we have this feeling of repentance and it is difficult for us to read the rule before each communion, then we can omit the canons, but it is advisable to still read the prayers for communion. At the same time, we must remember the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian: “I am afraid to receive communion, realizing my unworthiness, but even more so - to be left without communion.”

Is it possible to receive communion on Sunday if you did not attend the all-night vigil on Saturday because of obedience to your parents? Is it a sin not to go to church on Sunday if your family needs help?

The best answer to such a question will be given by a person’s conscience: was there really no other way out not to go to service, or is this an excuse to skip prayer on Sunday? In general, of course, it is desirable for an Orthodox person, according to God’s commandment, to attend divine services every Sunday. Before Sunday, it is generally advisable to be at the Saturday evening service, and especially before communion. But if for some reason you were unable to attend the service, and your soul longs for communion, then, realizing your unworthiness, you can receive communion with the blessing of your confessor.

Is it possible to take communion on a weekday, i.e. after communion go to work?

You can, at the same time, protect the purity of your heart as much as possible.

How many days after communion do you not make bows or bows to the ground?

If the liturgical regulations (during Lent) prescribe prostrations to the ground, then starting from the evening service they can and should be made. And if the charter does not provide for bows, then on the day of communion only bows from the waist are performed.

I want to take communion, but my father’s anniversary falls on the day of communion. How to congratulate your father without offending him?

For the sake of peace and love, you can congratulate your father, but do not stay long at the holiday, so as not to “spill” the grace of the sacrament.

Father refused to give me communion because I had makeup on my eyes. Is he right?

Probably, the priest considered that you are already a mature enough Christian to realize that they go to church not to emphasize the beauty of their body, but to heal the soul. But if a beginner has come, then under such a pretext it is impossible to deprive him of communion, so as not to scare him away from the Church forever.

Is it possible, by taking communion, to receive a blessing from God for some matter? A successful job interview, IVF procedure...

People take communion for the healing of soul and body, expecting through communion to receive some kind of help and God's blessing in good deeds. And IVF, according to church teaching, is sinful and unacceptable. Therefore, you can take communion, but this does not mean at all that this communion will help in the unpleasing task you have planned. Communion cannot automatically guarantee that our requests will be fulfilled. But if we generally try to lead a Christian lifestyle, then, of course, the Lord will help us, including in earthly matters.

My husband and I go to confession and communion in different churches. How important is it for spouses to receive communion from the same Chalice?

No matter in which Orthodox canonical church we receive communion, all the same, by and large, we all receive communion from the same Chalice, consuming the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It follows from this that it does not matter at all whether spouses receive communion in the same church or in different ones, for the Body and Blood of the Savior are the same everywhere.

Prohibitions for communion

Can I go to communion without reconciliation, for which I have neither the strength nor the desire?

In the prayers before communion there is a kind of announcement: “Although, O man, the Lord’s Body, first reconcile you to those who have grieved you.” That is, without reconciliation, a priest cannot allow a person to receive communion, and if a person decides to arbitrarily receive communion, then receiving communion will be his own condemnation.

Is it possible to receive communion after desecration?

You can’t, you are only allowed to taste the prosphora.

Can I receive communion if I live in an unmarried civil marriage and confessed my sins on the eve of communion? I intend to continue such a relationship, I’m afraid, otherwise my beloved will not understand me.

It is important for a believer to be understood by God. But God will not understand us, seeing that people’s opinions are more important to us. God wrote to us that fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and according to the canons of the Church, such a sin excludes a person from communion for many years, even if he reforms. And the cohabitation of a man and a woman without registration in the registry office is called fornication, this is not a marriage. People who live in such “marriages” and take advantage of the condescension and kindness of their confessor actually expose them very much to God, because the priest has to take on their sin if he allows them to receive communion. Unfortunately, such promiscuous sex life has become the norm of our time, and shepherds no longer know where to go, what to do with such flocks. Therefore, have pity on your priests (this is an appeal to all such prodigal cohabitants) and legitimize your relationship at least in the registry office, and if you are mature, then receive a blessing for marriage through the sacrament of wedding. You need to make a choice what is more important to you: the eternal fate of your soul or temporary bodily consolations. After all, even confession without the intention to improve in advance is hypocritical and resembles going to the hospital without the desire to be treated. Let your confessor decide whether to admit you to communion or not.

The priest imposed penance on me and excommunicated me from communion for three months because I had an affair with a man. Can I confess to another priest and receive communion with his permission?

For fornication (intimacy outside of marriage), according to the rules of the Church, a person can be excommunicated from communion not for three months, but for several years. You do not have the right to cancel the imposed penance from another priest.

My aunt read her fortune on a nut and then confessed. The priest forbade her to receive communion for three years! What should she do?

According to the canons of the Church, for such actions (in fact, involvement in the occult), a person is excommunicated from communion for several years. So everything that the priest you mentioned did was within his competence. But, seeing sincere repentance and a desire not to repeat anything like this again, he has the right to reduce the period of penance (punishment).

I have not yet completely gotten rid of my sympathy for Baptistism, but I want to go to confession and receive communion. Or should I wait until I am completely confident in the truth of Orthodoxy?

Anyone who doubts the truth of Orthodoxy cannot begin the sacraments. So try to be completely established. For the Gospel says that “it will be given to you according to your faith,” and not according to formal participation in the sacraments and rites of the church.

Communion and other sacraments of the Church

I was invited to be the child's godmother. How long before baptism should I take communion?

These are not related sacraments. In principle, you should receive communion constantly. And before baptism, think more about how to be a worthy godmother who cares about the Orthodox upbringing of the person being baptized.

Is it necessary to confess and receive communion before unction?

In principle, these are unrelated sacraments. But since it is believed that in unction, forgotten and unconscious sins that are the cause of human illnesses are forgiven, there is a tradition that requires us to repent of those sins that we remember and know, and then collect unction.

Superstitions about the sacrament of communion

Is it possible to eat meat on the day of communion?

A person, when going to see a doctor, takes a shower, changes his underwear... Similarly, an Orthodox Christian, preparing for communion, fasts, reads the rules, comes to services more often, and after communion, if it is not a fast day, you can eat any food , including meat.

I heard that on the day of communion you should not spit anything out or kiss anyone.

On the day of communion, any person eats food and does it with a spoon. That is, in fact, and, oddly enough, by licking the spoon many times while eating, a person does not eat it with food :). Many people are afraid to kiss the cross or icons after communion, but they “kiss” the spoon. I think you already understand that all the actions that you mentioned can be performed after drinking the sacrament.

Recently, in one of the churches, before communion, the priest instructed those confessing: “Do not dare to approach communion for those who brushed their teeth or chewed gum this morning.”

I also brush my teeth before service. And you really don’t need to chew gum. When we brush our teeth, we take care not only of ourselves, but also that those around us do not smell an unpleasant odor from our breath.

I always approach communion with a bag. The temple worker told her to leave her. I got irritated, left my bag and took communion in a state of anger. Is it possible to approach the Chalice with a bag?

Probably the demon sent that grandmother. After all, the Lord does not care what we have in our hands when we approach the Holy Chalice, for He looks into a person’s heart. But, nevertheless, there was no need to be angry. Repent of this in confession.

Is it possible to contract any disease after taking communion? In the temple where I went, it was required not to lick the spoon; the priest himself threw the particle into his wide open mouth. At another church they corrected me that I was taking the sacrament incorrectly. But this is very dangerous!

At the end of the service, the priest or deacon consumes (eats) the remaining communion in the Chalice. And this despite the fact that in the absolute majority of cases (about what you wrote, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a priest “loading” the sacrament into his mouth, like an excavator), people take communion by taking the sacrament with their lips and touching the spoon. I myself have been using the remaining Gifts for more than 30 years, and neither I nor any of the other priests have ever suffered from any infectious diseases after that. When going to the Chalice, we must understand that this is a Sacrament, and not an ordinary plate of food from which many people eat. Communion is not ordinary food, it is the Body and Blood of Christ, which in fact initially cannot be sources of infection, just as icons and holy relics cannot be the same source.

My relative says that communion on the day of the feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh is equal to 40 sacraments. Can the Sacrament of Communion be stronger on one day than on another?

Communion at any Divine Liturgy has the same power and meaning. And there can be no arithmetic in this matter. He who receives the Mysteries of Christ must always be equally aware of his unworthiness and be grateful to God, who allows him to receive communion.

We are publishing an excerpt from a book published by Vecherka - “10 rules you need to know when visiting a temple.”

You need to carefully prepare for confession: remember your sins, you can write them down on paper, read the prescribed prayers, try to confess regularly.

Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev, priest of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Sokolniki, says:

How to prepare for the sacrament of confession?

The sacrament of confession requires careful preparation. A person must understand that confession is made not before a priest, but before Christ himself, and the minister of the church is only a witness of confession. A person’s task in confession is to blame himself, and not to justify himself, as we often do in ordinary, everyday life. The moment we blame ourselves, God becomes our justification. He begins to justify us, seeing such our humility.

It is better to prepare for both confession and Holy Communion. Because if you get rid of sins in confession, but do not fill your soul with the presence of Christ, it can be filled with unclean spirits. A churchgoer needs to fast for three days. Those who are fasting for the first time and who find it difficult to fast are given concessions - they can fast for one day. That is, do not eat meat, dairy, protein and read prayers. It is necessary! Also, do not forget about three days of chaste behavior.

However, if you are going to church for the first time and have not read the required prayers, you need to know that in the church they read prayers especially for such people! A person just has to listen to them.

In the morning, do not eat or drink anything, not even coffee or tea. You need to come to confession on time, not be late, approach the priest in advance, and if this is your first time, tell him about it. Because in this case the priest will have to show more attention. Some are advised to write down their sins so as not to forget, then this paper is given to the priest.

After confession, she is burned. That is, you are allowed not to say your sins out loud, by giving the piece of paper to the priest, who will read it.

After confession, the priest reads a prayer of permission, after which the one who confessed kisses the cross and the Gospel. Then he asks for a blessing for Communion and waits for the Chalice with Holy Communion to be brought out.

It is important to know that, despite the fact that you need to prepare for confession, it happens that a person has committed a sin and his soul is heavy. In this case, it is permissible to come and confess, without Communion, and ask the priest when he should come to receive Communion.

- Is it necessary to decipher the sins that you name or write down on paper?

A laconic note on paper is enough. If we talk about common sins now, let’s take, for example, adultery.

It is written here like this: if this is betrayal of a wife or husband - adultery, if a single person had sexual relations, but without giving them a sacred character (sanctified relationships are those from which children are born), such relationships are called fornication. No details needed here.

- Is it possible to ask for forgiveness for sins that you do not remember?

In Christianity there is a very special sacrament - unction. It is usually performed on sick people. A person cannot always understand why he needs this or that disease, because he may simply not remember. And illness is probably associated with sins. It is at unction that forgotten sins are removed. A person becomes better, his body and soul are healed.

- If sins are repeated from confession to confession, do they need to be confessed each time?

You should never think that sin cannot be dealt with. The more regularly a person confesses and receives communion, the less will be his tendency to sin. Many people have a question - why take communion if you have already confessed and have no sins? And the point is that at Communion the very inclination, the craving for sin, is eradicated. After all, sin is a product of a certain predisposition, mental emotions and experiences. Therefore, Communion is a radical means in the fight against sins.

- And if a person does not feel sins behind him, should he confess?

We consider not seeing our sins to be a painful spiritual state. There are two extremes. Let me give you an example. A man comes to confession and says: “I am a sinner in everything!” I ask him: “Whom did you kill with an ax and drown?” He replies: “What are you talking about! Of course not". And then what? And the confession begins.

There is another extreme. A man comes: I don’t feel any sins behind me. To which I answer: Then go, and there are other religious groups where people do not practice at all (I mean other religions). For us Christians, everything is based on deliverance from sins - baptism, confession, communion - each sacrament is associated with the remission of sins. The man is perplexed: “I’m a Christian!” I answer him: “Then let’s see what kind of Christian you are. Do you keep fasts? No. “Do you often go to church?” No. “When was the last time you visited your mother? Do you communicate on the phone? This means you are not fulfilling the commandment of honoring your father and mother.” The priest is precisely obliged to show that there are no sinless people. You did not kill, but you committed adultery. You did not commit adultery, but you stole. I didn’t steal - I was so jealous. And the Scripture says: guilty of one thing, guilty of all.

- At what age can children confess?

Recommended for children from the age of seven. The approach to children is completely different. A priest cannot ask a child, say, about adultery. He will ask whether the boy treats girls well, whether he pulls their braids, and the girl whether she fights with boys, does not swear, normal relations in the classroom, on the street. That is, for a child, confession has a different format. And when we finish a child’s confession, we always ask him: what are you doing to improve? And children respond differently. But we need to get him to say that he asks for forgiveness. If he says that, for example, I pray, that’s good. Or I go to church - that's good too. But if you offended someone, quarreled with your parents, how do you resolve this issue? If he says that he asks for forgiveness, then the confession ends there.

- Is it possible to confess and not receive communion and, conversely, to receive communion without confessing?

It is not recommended to receive Communion without confession, because Communion is a special sacrament that requires preparation. There are cases when a person dies after receiving communion without prior confession. Communion without confession is a comical case when a person declares himself sinless. But you can confess without communion, for example, if something is urgent.

- Many, when coming to confession, first ask forgiveness from the parishioners in the church. Is it necessary to do this?

They do this, but if a person is shy, then he may not do this.

- Is there a general confession?

In Christianity, the secret of confession is observed by the priest. In ancient times, there was a custom when people joined a community, they openly listed all their sins. Just like in monasteries.

Now the traditions of general confession remain. Where did they come from? Imagine a Sunday holiday when two hundred people lined up for confession, but only one priest confesses. He needs to confess everyone before the Lord’s Prayer, so that he can then go to the Altar. And how to do this? It is for such a case that there is a general confession. It looks like this: the priest names all the sins, for example: “I was in oblivion, I did not always remember my God. Sinful?” he asks. And people answer in chorus: “Sinful!” Further: “I trusted in my strength and my friends more than in my God. Sinful? He is a sinner, they will answer him. “Have you taken the name of God in vain? Didn't pray? Haven't read the Scripture? Did you violate fasting and holidays? Did he take poor care of his children and subordinates?” This is how the moment of open confession occurs.

If a person confessed a sin once to a priest, does he need to confess this sin, if it has not been repeated, in another church, with another priest?

In no case! Sin is confessed only once. If the same sin is confessed several times, it defiles the sacrament of confession. The second time a sin is confessed is if, God forbid, it is repeated.

Confession is considered a Christian rite in which the person confessing repents and repents of his sins in the hope of forgiveness by God Christ. The Savior himself established this sacrament and told the disciples the words that are written in the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 18, verse 18. This is also spoken of in the Gospel of John, ch. 20, verses 22 – 23.

Sacrament of Confession

According to the holy fathers, repentance is also considered a second baptism. Man during baptism cleansed from sin the firstborn, who was passed on to everyone from the first ancestors Adam and Eve. And after the rite of baptism, during repentance, personal thoughts are washed away. When a person performs the sacrament of repentance, he must be honest and aware of his sins, sincerely repenting of them, and not repeat the sin, believing in the hope of salvation by Jesus Christ and His mercy. The priest reads a prayer and cleansing from sins occurs.

Many who do not want to repent of their sins often say that they have no sins: “I didn’t kill, I didn’t steal, I didn’t commit adultery, so I have nothing to repent of?” This is stated in the first Epistle of John in the first chapter, verse 17 - “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” This means that sinful events happen every day if you understand the essence of God's commandments. There are three categories of sin: sin against the Lord God, sin against loved ones and sin against oneself.

List of sins against Jesus Christ

List of sins against loved ones

List of sins against yourself

All listed sins are divided into three categories, in the final analysis, all this is against the Lord God. After all, a violation of the commandments He created is carried out, therefore, a direct insult to God occurs. All these sins do not produce positive fruits, but on the contrary, the soul will not be saved from this.

Proper preparation for confession

It is necessary to prepare for the sacrament of confession with all seriousness; for this purpose, one should engage in early preparation. Enough remember and write down on a piece of paper all the sins you have committed, and also read detailed information about the sacrament of confession. You should take a piece of paper for the ceremony and read everything again before the process. The same sheet can be given to the confessor, but grave sins must be spoken out loud. It is enough to talk about the sin itself, and not list long stories, for example, if there is enmity in the family, and with neighbors, one should repent of the main sin - condemnation of neighbors and loved ones.

In this ritual, the confessor and God are not interested in numerous sins, the meaning itself is important - sincere repentance for sins committed, a sincere feeling of a person, a contrite heart. Confession is not just awareness of one’s sinful past deeds, but also desire to wash them away. Justifying oneself for sins is not cleansing, it is unacceptable. Elder Silouan of Athos said that if a person hates sin, then God also asks for these sins.

It will be great if a person draws conclusions from each passing day, and each time truly repents of his sins, writing them down on paper, and for serious sins it is necessary to confess to a confessor in the church. You should immediately ask for forgiveness from people who have been offended by word or deed. There is a rule in the Orthodox prayer book - the Penitential Canon, which must be read intensively in the evenings before the sacrament of confession itself.

It is important to find out the church schedule and what day you can go to confession. There are many churches in which daily services are held, and the daily sacrament of confession also takes place there. And in the rest you should find out about the schedule of church services.

How to Confess to Children

Children under seven years of age are considered infants and can receive communion without prior confession. But it is important to accustom them from childhood to a sense of reverence. Without the necessary preparation, frequent communion causes reluctance to engage in this matter. Preferably prepare children for the sacrament in a few days, an example is reading the Holy Scriptures and children's Orthodox literature. Reduce TV viewing time. Observe the morning and evening prayers. If a child has done bad things over the past few days, then you should talk to him and instill in him a feeling of shame for what he has done. But you always need to know: the child follows the example of his parents.

After the age of seven, you can begin confession on the same basis as adults, but without the preliminary sacrament. The sins listed above are committed in large numbers by children, so children's communion has its own nuances.

To help children sincerely confess, it is necessary to give a list of sins:

This is a superficial list of possible sins. There are many personal sins for each child based on their thoughts and actions. An important goal of parents is to prepare the child for repentance. Need a child he wrote down all his sins without the participation of his parents- you shouldn’t write him down. He must understand that it is necessary to sincerely admit and repent of bad deeds.

How to confess in church

Confession falls on morning and evening time days. It is considered unacceptable to be late for such an event. A group of repentants begins the process by reading the rites. When the priest begins to ask the names of the participants who came to confession, you need to answer neither loudly nor quietly. Latecomers are not accepted for confession. At the end of confession, the priest reads the rite again, receiving the sacrament. Women during natural monthly cleansing are not allowed to participate in such an event.

You need to behave with dignity in church and not disturb other confessors and the priest. It is not allowed to embarrass the people who came to this event. There is no need to confess one category of sins and leave another later. Those sins that were named last time are not re-read. It is advisable to perform the sacrament from the same confessor. In the sacrament, a person repents not before his confessor, but before the Lord God.

In large churches many penitents gather and in this case it is used "general confession". The point is that the priest pronounces common sins, and those confessing repent. Next, everyone must come to the prayer of permission. When confession takes place for the first time, you should not come to such a general procedure.

First time visit private confession, if there is none, then at general confession you need to take the last place in line and listen to what they say to the priest during confession. It is advisable to explain the whole situation to the priest; he will tell you how to confess for the first time. Next comes true repentance. If during the process of repentance a person kept silent about a serious sin, then he will not be forgiven. At the end of the sacrament, a person is obliged, after reading the prayer of permission, to kiss the Gospel and the cross, which lie on the lectern.

Proper preparation for communion

On the days of fasting, which last seven days, fasting is established. The diet should not include fish, dairy, meat and egg products. On such days, sexual intercourse should not be performed. It is necessary to attend church frequently. Read the Penitential Canon and follow the prayer rules. On the eve of the sacrament, you must arrive for the service in the evening. Before going to bed, you should read the canons of the Archangel Michael, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. If this is not possible, such prayer rules can be shifted by several days during the fast.

Children have a hard time remembering and perceiving prayer rules, so you should choose the number that is within your power, but you need to discuss this with your confessor. To prepare gradually you need increase the number of prayer rules. Most people confuse the rules of confession and communion. Here you need to prepare step by step. To do this, you should ask for advice from a priest, who will advise you on more precise preparation.

Sacrament of Communion carried out on an empty stomach, you should not consume food and water after 12 o’clock, and you should also not smoke. This does not apply to children under seven years of age. But they need to be accustomed to this a year before the adult sacrament. Morning prayers should also be read for Holy Communion. During morning confession, you must arrive at the right time without being late.

Participle

The Lord God established the sacrament during the hours of the Last Supper, when Christ broke bread with his disciples and drank wine with them. Participle helps you enter the Kingdom of Heaven, therefore incomprehensible to the human mind. Women are not allowed to attend communion wearing makeup, and on ordinary Sundays they should wipe off anything from their lips. On menstrual days, women are not allowed to participate in the Sacrament., as well as those who have recently given birth, for the latter you need to read the prayer for the fortieth day.

When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, participants are required to bow. Next, you need to listen carefully to the prayers, repeating to yourself. Then you should cross your arms across your chest and approach the bowl. Children should go first, then men, and then women. Near the cup one’s name is pronounced and thereby the communicant receives the Gifts of the Lord. After communion, the deacon treats his lips with a plate, then you need to kiss the edge of the cup and approach the table. Here the person takes a drink and consumes the prosphora part.

At the end, participants listen to prayers and pray until the end of the service. Then you should go to the cross and listen carefully to the prayer of thanks. At the end, everyone goes home, but in church you cannot speak empty words and disturb each other. On this day you need to behave with dignity and not defile your purity with sinful deeds.