How best to prepare for receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ?

Only Orthodox Christians approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion, those who constantly go to church, strictly observe all fasts, are married, pray, live in peace with everyone, repent of sins - such people, with the permission of their confessor, begin the Chalice.

It is necessary to prepare both soul and body in advance in order to unite with the Lord. Fast for 3-4 days, do not eat fast food, abstain from dinner the day before, replace it with the rule: read two akathists - to the Savior and Mother of God, four canons - the Savior, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel and the canon for Holy Communion. Those who do not have such an opportunity - 500 Jesus prayers and 150 times “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” But even after reading this rule, even if we had been preparing for a thousand years, we cannot think that we are worthy to receive the Body of Christ. We must rely only on the mercy of God and His great love for mankind.

Before Communion, you must repent sincerely in the presence of a priest. You must have a cross on your chest. Under no circumstances should you approach the Chalice if your confessor forbids it or if you are concealing a sin. In bodily and monthly uncleanness you also cannot begin the Sacrament of Communion. Before and after Communion, one must abstain from marital relations.

We must remember that before or after Communion there will certainly be temptation. After Communion until morning prostrations are not done, the mouth is not rinsed, nothing can be spit out. We must protect ourselves from idle talk, especially from condemnation, read the Gospel, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, and Divine books.

How often should you take communion? How do you know that you have received communion worthily and not to condemnation?

If a person is married, observes fasts, Wednesday, Friday, reads morning and evening prayers, lives with everyone in peace, if he reads the entire rule before Communion and considers himself unworthy, approaching Communion with faith and fear, then he partakes of the Mysteries of Christ worthily. The soul will not immediately, suddenly feel worthy of receiving communion. Maybe the next day or the third the soul will feel peace and joy. Everything depends on our preparation. If we pray intensely, try to let every word of prayer penetrate our hearts, fast and consider ourselves sinful and unworthy, then we can immediately feel the presence of the Lord in us. After Communion we will have peace and joy. Temptation may come immediately. You must be prepared for it, having met it, not be tempted and not sin. This means the devil knows that we are prepared. But the most important thing is to consider yourself sinful and unworthy. Of course, if we live in such a way that we will be forcibly forced to read the canons, morning and evening rule, and we will do it carelessly, this feeling of sinfulness will not be born in our souls. We have enough time to chat, run around, see what is where, who is doing what. We have enough energy for this. Or we’ll hold out, beat the clock: “Oh, three minutes left until midnight! We need to go eat!” This is not an Orthodox spirit. This is the spirit of Satan. It should not be. An Orthodox person must do everything with reverence and fear of God. The soul of an Orthodox Christian feels God both after communion and between communions. The Lord is nearby, standing at the door of our hearts and knocking: what if they open it and hear His knock? The Holy Fathers honored reverence and fear in their souls and supported this grace with prayer. They, feeling that their prayer was weakening, confessed and approached the Chalice, and the Lord strengthened them! Again the soul was on fire. Communion is the only sacrament of the Church where a person’s soul can ignite with the flame of divine love; because in Communion we take into ourselves the Living Fire, the very Creator of the universe.

Is the infection transmitted through a cross, a communion spoon, or an icon?

In the church we are already dealing with Heaven. Here we are no longer on earth. The Church is a small piece of Heaven on earth. When we step over the threshold of the temple, we must forget about everything earthly, including disgust (disgust is usually lascivious, say the Holy Fathers). The infection is transmitted only through sinful means. Many people work in infectious diseases departments, in tuberculosis hospitals, but do not suffer from these diseases. The priests also come there and give communion. And no one has ever become infected. People become infected only through sin.

When they approach the Chalice, they accept from one small spoon - a liar - the Creator of the Universe, the Living Christ, the Body and Blood of Christ. Here there is Sami Cleanliness and Sterility. Everything here is so clean that believers don’t even think about infection. Through the hands of the priest, Christ Himself enters into man. Not a part of His Flesh and Blood, but as a whole, the Lord enters into each communicant. The angels are in trembling, present in fear. And what can we say about some kind of infection. There was a time, in 62-63, atheists came to church and taught that after each communicant a spoon should be dipped into a special solution. Well, this is for them... They don’t understand anything. And the fact that their soul has already become a vessel of Satan is normal, no big deal!

When Righteous John of Kronstadt served in the cathedral, two young people came to him. They gathered to take communion. One read the rule, but the second, very tired, could not. And both came to church. The one who read it calmly approached Communion, and the righteous John of Kronstadt did not allow him. And the other with a contrite heart said to himself: “Lord, I so want to receive You; but I didn’t read the rule, I’m so vile, so disgusting...” Condemning himself, he approached the Chalice, and Righteous John of Kronstadt gave him communion. The most important thing for the Lord is our contrite heart, the awareness of our unworthiness. St. John Chrysostom says: “If we prepare for a thousand years, we will never be worthy - we must hope for the mercy of God. If the Lord does not help, we will not be able to receive communion worthily.”

When you take communion, you feel light in your soul, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, and your soul is heavy again. You feel the absence of God. The same passions arise again. What do we have to do?

You need to prepare yourself the day before. You need to fast well - “this kind of demons is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), so you need to pray well the day before, warm up your soul, fast - the passions will subside. After Communion, we must try to remain in prayer and maintain peace of mind. Those who like to be arbitrary and rebel do not value Communion. They took communion - and immediately there was resentment, hysteria, and rebellion. This is because everything happens not according to their will. We need to deal with them, break everything completely, all relationships. There are still many such people, they are called bottlers. They don't value anything, they don't value anything. The most important thing is that everything is according to their wishes. And if (God forbid) something is against them, everyone around them becomes enemies, and there will never be peace in the soul, until death. This is the most terrible state of the human soul. A person lives according to his own will and no one has the right to say anything to him. And everything is fine with them, just don’t touch them - they’ll sting...

Why then, when you receive communion, do the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that at some time you partake of eternal life, and at another time - into condemnation?

If a person feels that he accepts the Flesh, then the Lord gives it to strengthen faith. But it’s right to feel the taste of bread. The Lord Himself says: “I am the bread of Life” (John 6:35).

Many people told me about this. Just recently, one woman called from Kyiv and said: “Father, my faith is weak. When I went to Communion today, I was poorly prepared. Father gave me a small particle, and at the Chalice I thought: “What kind of Flesh can there be here? When I can’t even feel with my tongue that he put something in my mouth?" He gave me a little, a tiny bit. And I just couldn’t eat that piece. It stayed in my mouth like that. I came home - my mouth was full of meat. No way. I can swallow it. I cried for several hours, asked the Lord - it’s a pity to throw it away, but I just can’t swallow it! Then the Lord freed me - I swallowed it and now I’m calling. What, have I sinned terribly?” “Repent for doubting this,” I tell her.

We know that the Lord performed the first miracle when he transformed wine from water. It costs him nothing to transform His Blood from wine, or His Flesh from bread. A person does not receive part of the flesh, but the Living Christ enters entirely into each person who receives communion.

We know the word of the Apostle Paul about receiving the Holy Gifts “without reasoning.” I would like to know whether it is possible to give such recommendations to a person who does not believe in God?

Only believers can approach the Chalice and receive communion; those who believe in the crucified Jesus Christ as the Son of God and sincerely confess their sins. And to the “raw material” who doesn’t go to church, doesn’t pray to God, doesn’t keep fasts and strives to take communion “just in case,” we usually say: “It’s too early for you to take communion. You need to get ready.” Some defend such “parishioners” and say: “If they are not allowed in, then who should be allowed in?” God does not need quantity, God needs quality. It is better for one person to receive communion worthily than twenty unworthily. Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “I would rather give my body to be torn to pieces by dogs than the Body of Christ to the unworthy.”

You need to have reasoning. We know from experience: everyone who came to church to be baptized and did not prepare remains outside the Church. Therefore, we ask you to seriously prepare your soul for this Sacrament, go to church services, and pray. When such a prepared person is baptized, he will become a faithful member of the Church and will constantly be in the temple. These are the real Orthodox Christians. In a day Last Judgment on the left side of our Judge there will be a lot of baptized, “Orthodox” people. They will prove that they are believers, but the Lord will say: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

After communion I almost got hit by a car. I escaped with a bruise... I want to understand why this happened?

This may be different reasons. The Holy Fathers say that before or after communion, the enemy will certainly create a temptation: he will try to prevent communion, or after communion he will take revenge. He strives with all his demonic machinations to create an obstacle so that a person cannot receive communion worthily. A Christian prepares, prays, reads the rule for Holy Communion and suddenly... someone meets him on the way, scolds him, or his neighbors start a scandal at home, all so that the person sins and loses heart. These are obstacles from the devil.

It happens differently. The man is in enmity, has not reconciled, has not asked for forgiveness and goes to the Chalice. Or He has secret unrepentant sins in his soul.

If a person went through formal confession, did not repent of anything and approached the Chalice more than once, he received communion unworthily, to his own condemnation. About such the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says that “... many of them are dying” (1 Cor. 11:30).

If we repented of everything, hid nothing, left nothing on our conscience, then we are under the special protection of God. Then, even if we are hit to death by a car, it’s not scary: on the day of communion all Orthodox Christians would like to die, because for the sake of the Holy Gifts the soul immediately admires the Angels in Heaven and it does not go through the ordeal. The soul will not go to hell on the day of communion.

And if such a nuisance happened, but the person “got away with fright” and remained alive, then this can be regarded as a reminder from God of the inevitable death that can come today or tomorrow. Life is short term. This means that we need to intensify our deeds and pay more attention to the spiritual side of our life. Any illness, any such case is news from the other world. The Lord constantly reminds us that our earthly refuge is temporary, that we do not live here forever and will go to another world.

No matter how well a person lives on earth, he will not build a kingdom here. Only once was he given the opportunity to live in paradise under the cover of God's grace. Man could not resist, fell into sin, and sin shortened the days of man’s life. Along with sin, death entered man's life. The devil has distorted consciousness so much that sin has become the norm, and virtue is trampled underfoot.

But we have hope of entering the Kingdom of Heaven through a righteous life in Christ and cleansing the soul through repentance. And in Heavenly Kingdom there is no despondency, no illness, no despair, no sorrow. There is fullness of life, fullness of joy, and for this we must constantly prepare, remember every second: our whole life is only preparation for eternity. How many billions of people there were on earth, everyone moved into the world of the majority. And now we stand on the threshold into that world.

Is it possible for unmarried people to receive communion?

This issue is very complex, and it must be resolved with the confessor. An unmarried marriage is not blessed by God. For example, a woman lives in Moscow. She has an apartment. A man comes to her from the other end of Moscow and lives with her. Well, so how: can such people be allowed to receive communion?" Many will exclaim: "Father, this is fornication. They live illegally."

Fine. Then this man collects his things and moves over to her, thinking: “Why am I going to go back and forth.” He came, began to live, and registered with her. We registered with the registry office, in case of divorce, in order to divide the things we had acquired together. Did the marriage then become legal? Nothing of the kind, it is just as illegal. They just moved in together.

This marriage will be legal when they have strong faith, make a promise to God to maintain purity in marriage, that is, during fasting not to indulge infantry desires, not to commit adultery on the side, and get married. Then this marriage will be “registered” in Heaven. This marriage is blessed by God.

Now many people get married at the insistence of their parents. A mother says to her son or daughter: “You definitely need to get married!” And children, to please their parents, get married in church. The mother is calm, comforted. And they lived for two or three months, there was a scandal, and they fled. Soon they find another couple and begin to live new family. Thus they commit adultery and trample on the holy bonds of a married, God-blessed marriage.

By the law given by God, these people are bound by marriage as long as one of the spouses is alive. The husband dies, the wife can get married, and vice versa. But while both spouses are alive, none of them can live with another person. And no priest has the right to marry them.

What God has joined together, let no man separate. “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery” (Luke 1b:18). “To those who are married, I do not command, but the Lord: a wife must not divorce her husband, and a husband must not leave his wife” (1 Cor. 7:10).

If it has become unbearable to live with your spouse and you separated, then you need to keep yourself pure; but it is better to reconcile with the one whom the Lord has given you.

We give communion to a baby, but for some reason he becomes irritable after communion.

Much depends on the parents. The child is sinless, holy, and the parents are often unrepentant, and this is their internal state affects the child. Mentioned in the life righteous John Kronstadtsky: when babies were brought to him to give communion, some of them did not want to accept the Holy Gifts - they waved their hands, twisted, and twirled. And the righteous man prophetically said: “These are the future persecutors of the Church.” They were already opponents of God from birth.

Grandmother gives Holy Communion secretly from parents small child, she is embarrassed that it is secret.

There's nothing wrong here. On the contrary, it is very good that someone in the family is doing a good deed for the soul of this child. A child must live a spiritual life. If he does not receive communion, his soul may die and small man will grow with dead soul. Subsequently, he can be possessed by an evil force even to the point of mental illness, to the point of demonic possession. And if this, by the grace of God, does not happen, a person with an evil character will simply grow up.

A small planted flower requires care and attention. It needs watering, loosening and freeing from weeds. Likewise, a child must be given communion with the Holy Mysteries - the Blood and Body of Christ. Then his soul lives and develops. She falls under the special protection of the Lord's grace.

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 once again sin.

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 engage in intimate relationships, do not watch TV, the Internet, do not read newspapers, do not have fun.

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

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 visit and stand for a whole 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 old can and should go to confession and receive communion. From this same age, you need to 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 unworthy of these holy mysteries, and that is why we need it so much.

You cannot receive communion:

1) people who do not wear pectoral cross constantly;

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. should be a cross right hand- above.

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 thanksgiving prayers.

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 occasions. fast days(while reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian and bowing to 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!

How to behave before Holy Communion? Is it possible to brush your teeth and take medicine in the morning? What should you not do after the Eucharist? Should I continue to fast? Why shouldn't you bow to the ground? Is it allowed to kiss icons? Is there a ban on foods with seeds? Read the answers to the questions in the article.

The sacrament that connects man with God

Communion (Eucharist) is the central Sacrament of the Church. Thanks to him, a person can already unite with Christ on earth. After all, when we approach the cup, we eat not bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of Christ, thus accepting the Savior into our hearts.

And this is not some symbolic action, but reality. So that people are not literally afraid when they see Flesh and Blood in the chalice, the Lord vouchsafes us to partake of the Holy Gifts under the guise of bread and wine. But in the history of Christianity you can find many cases when those who approached the cup with doubts were horrified at some point. They saw the bloody liquid with their own eyes and even felt the taste of flesh in their mouths. Anyone can familiarize themselves with such examples in Christian literature; many cases are described in the book of Archpriest Vyacheslav Tulupov “The Miracle of Holy Communion.”

But we would like to draw the reader’s attention to a slightly different topic - how to behave on the day of Communion - and talk about some myths.

We have already written about preparation for the Eucharist in the article “Communion for the first time - how to prepare?” . Here you can learn in detail how to fast, what prayer rules to read and generally how to behave the day before.

How to behave in the morning before the Sacrament of the Eucharist?

On the day of Communion one should not just “subtract” morning rule and “finish” the sequence. First of all, it is worth praying carefully so that the Lord will vouchsafe us to receive communion. We are all unworthy of the Body and Blood of the Savior, so we must gratefully accept this life-giving gift.

Should I brush my teeth?

The question is often asked: is it possible to brush your teeth in the morning? Some “orthodox” believe that it is impossible. But many priests answer: it is possible. Why?

If it is unpleasant for a person to go to work or communicate with people because of the unpleasant smell from his breath, then how can he approach the Chalice in this form and with such a feeling? We must come to Christ with a pure heart and clean lips. In all senses.

Communion and taking medications

Another problematic question: how to take communion if you have to take pills in the morning?

Bishop Mark Golovkov says that the pills are not food, but medicine. If you have serious problems With your health and it is dangerous for you to interrupt the course of some drug, then you should not refuse both pills and Holy Communion.

If you take some vitamins or nutritional supplements, and nothing serious will happen when you take them not in the morning, but in the afternoon, then why panic? You can calmly take communion, and when you get home, take vitamins or medications.

If everything is more or less clear with behavior before Communion, then many questions remain with what is possible and not possible after receiving the Holy Gifts.

What is possible and what is not allowed after Holy Communion?

Should I bow to the ground? Is it possible to spit? Is it possible to kiss on this day? Should you brush your teeth in the evening? These questions will seem funny to many, but nevertheless, they often worry participants.

You can't sin

If you ask a priest what you cannot do after Communion, he will probably answer in one word: “Sin.”
Why? Because you have accepted Christ into your heart. And God is sinless. It cannot be combined with sin. Therefore, if we begin to break the commandments, then literally we drive the Savior out of our hearts.

That is why after the Sacrament of the Eucharist it is advised to be especially careful so as not to lose the received grace. It is believed that one should talk a little, pray more, thank God, and, if possible, avoid empty talk and company.
After all, if the demon cannot tempt us directly, then he will try to do it through family and friends or even random people.

Always give thanks

If a person does something kind or pleasant to us, we just want to thank him. But how can we thank the Lord, who for our salvation accepted death on the cross and gave us the opportunity to unite with him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist? No earthly words will suffice. But this does not mean at all that you should not try.

To bow or not to bow?

It is believed that on the day of Holy Communion one should not bow to the ground. Why?

Kneeling is a sign of repentance, crying for sins. And the person receiving communion rejoices, and does not cry or mourn. He accepted Christ into his heart.

Should I continue to fast?

Some confessors bless their spiritual children to abstain from fast food and wine throughout the day. It is worth saying that there are no such regulations. Where did this custom come from then?

After Holy Communion it is very easy to dissipate grace. And a hearty meal can contribute to this. You had a good lunch, then you wanted to sleep. Thoughts about prayer and the meaning of the Sacrament faded into the background. This is why some priests do not bless eating heavy fatty foods and drinking wine.

But a moderate meal, even if it contains meat, dairy products and wine, will not harm. So main emphasis in this matter it is moderation.

Is it possible to spit and eat berries with seeds?

Surely you have heard from believers or even priests that after the Sacrament of the Eucharist you cannot spit out anything. How to understand this and is it worth adhering to this rule?

This prohibition is associated with pious fear, so as not to accidentally spit out a piece of the Holy Gifts. But in order to minimize this risk, after Communion we always take a drink - holy water or diluted wine and pieces of prosphora.

Moreover: during Holy Communion it is advised to swallow the piece completely without chewing it. Then you won’t be afraid that I might accidentally spit out a particle along with food while brushing your teeth in the evening.

Some priests still, to be on the safe side, advise not to eat certain foods that will cause us to “spit”: fish with bones, berries with seeds, and so on. If you had to use them, they are often advised to carefully collect the seeds and burn them.

In general, the opinions of priests on this issue differ: some say that there is a point in such actions, while others call not to strain out the mosquito.

What should you do? Either consult the priest you are confessing to, act according to your conscience, or avoid altogether possible situations. It is not necessary to eat foods with seeds on the day of Holy Communion.

Is it possible to brush your teeth, kiss icons and relatives?

If you received Communion by swallowing a piece without chewing, then you hardly need to worry that you will accidentally clean out a piece of the Holy Gifts. If any concerns remain, then perhaps you should refrain from evening dental care.

AND last question from this category: is it possible to venerate icons and kiss relatives?

The ban on kissing crosses and icons looks like a manifestation of excessive piety. After the Sacrament of the Eucharist, you can and should venerate holy objects.

There are no specific prohibitions on kissing relatives or marital kisses. But the person receiving communion should, if possible, refrain from sensory experiences and devote more time to prayer. In general, this is purely individual.

Priest Maxim Kaskun also talks about what not to do after Communion:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

Preparation for the rite of communion

Any church minister will tell you that you cannot just come to church and receive communion. The ritual includes both spiritual and physical communion, so it is impossible to do without preparation. If you want, but don’t know how to properly receive communion in church, talk to the priest first. He will explain to you that at least a week before the expected event you should refrain from worldly pleasures and entertainment. This applies to holidays in noisy companies in public places, libations and overeating, fun entertainment and idle talk. Of course, there can be no talk of any atrocities.

You need to look for strength and support in the church. Come here every day and pray. And the day before communion you need to attend the service.

The physical side of communion consists not only in observing fasting, but also in refusing sex life. At least three days before the sacred sacrament, you must completely abstain from food of animal origin, alcohol and sex. And the day before the ceremony, it is advisable to generally fast.

How does the ceremony take place?

The agreed day has arrived. What to do?

Come to church cleansed spiritually and physically before starting Divine Liturgy and be sure to confess. Confession is not needed only for children under 7 years of age.
Next you need to endure the service. In the final part, all believers must approach the pulpit. There should already be a priest there with the Chalice in his hands.
After the priest addresses you, you cross your arms over your chest and say your name. You are given Bread and Wine. At this moment, reunification with God occurs. Then you should kiss the base of the bowl and step aside.
At the end of the service, the priest will give you a note. It cannot be lost and must be carefully preserved as a holy gift.
Then, feeling peace and tranquility in your soul, you can go home.

On this special day, it is advisable to reflect on God and your faith in him, on life and actions. Entertainment is best avoided.

When you can and when you can’t take communion

After completing the first rite, the question always arises - when can you take communion in church again. The first Christians took communion every day after church service. In this case, after midnight, nothing was allowed to eat or drink, make noise or have fun. Modern man can hardly afford it. Therefore, it’s not bad if you find the time and desire to receive communion at least once a week. Let it be even once a month. The main thing is that you understand the meaning of this ritual, so that it becomes a true support for you in life.

Many are also interested in how to take communion in church while pregnant. And is it possible at all, is it not considered a sin. No, quite the opposite. IN interesting position a woman should go to church for communion to receive the support and blessing of the Lord for herself and her unborn child. At the same time, pregnant women are allowed not to fast. Priests teach that the churching of a child should begin from the moment the parents become aware of his conception. It is advisable that both the mother and father of the unborn child undergo the ceremony. So more of the Lord’s grace will descend on him.

In any case, any ritual in the church must be performed with pure thoughts and true faith. Only then will you truly feel support and participation from above in difficult times.

How to prepare for your first confession? This question worries many beginning Orthodox Christians. You will find out the answer to this question if you read the article!

Using the following below simple tips you can take your first steps.

How to confess and receive communion for the first time?

Confession in church

The only exception may be the briefest “memo” of major sins, which are often not recognized as such.

An example of such a memo:

A. Sins against the Lord God:

– disbelief in God, recognition of any significance for other “spiritual forces”, religious doctrines, in addition to Christian faith; participation in other religious practices or rituals, even “for company,” as a joke, etc.;

– nominal faith, not expressed in any way in life, that is, practical atheism (you can recognize the existence of God with your mind, but live as if you were an unbeliever);

– the creation of “idols,” that is, placing something other than God in first place among life values. Anything that a person really “serves” can become an idol: money, power, career, health, knowledge, hobbies - all this can be good when it occupies the appropriate place in the personal “hierarchy of values”, but when it comes first , turns into an idol;

- appeal to various kinds fortune tellers, sorcerers, sorcerers, psychics, etc. - an attempt to “subdue” spiritual forces magically, without repentance and personal effort to change life in accordance with the commandments.

b. Sins against one's neighbor:

– neglect of people, resulting from pride and selfishness, inattention to the needs of one’s neighbor (a neighbor is not necessarily a relative or acquaintance, it is every person who happens to be next to us in this moment);

– condemnation and discussion of the shortcomings of your neighbors (“By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned,” says the Lord);

– prodigal sins of various kinds, especially adultery (violation of marital fidelity) and unnatural sexual relations, which are incompatible with being in the Church. The so-called so-called, widespread today, also refers to prodigal cohabitation. “civil marriage”, that is, cohabitation without marriage registration. It should, however, be remembered that a registered but unmarried marriage cannot be regarded as fornication and is not an obstacle to remaining in the Church;

– Abortion is the taking of the life of a human being, essentially murder. One should repent even if the abortion was done for medical reasons. Inducing a woman to have an abortion (by her husband, for example) is also a serious sin. Repentance for this sin implies that the repentant will never knowingly repeat it again.

– appropriation of someone else’s property, refusal to pay other people’s labor (ticketless travel), withholding wages subordinates or hired workers;

- lies of various kinds, especially - slandering one's neighbor, spreading rumors (as a rule, we cannot be sure of the veracity of rumors), inability to keep one's word.

This is an approximate list of the most common sins, but we emphasize once again that you should not get carried away with such “lists”. When further preparing for confession, it is best to use the Ten Commandments of God and listen to your own conscience.

Talk only about sins, and your own.

In confession you need to talk about your sins, without trying to minimize them or show them as excusable. It would seem that this is obvious, but how often do priests, when accepting confession, hear, instead of confessing sins, everyday stories about all their relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. When in confession a person talks about the grievances caused to him, he evaluates and condemns his neighbors, essentially justifying himself. Often in such stories, personal sins are presented in such a light that it would seem completely impossible to avoid them. But sin is always the fruit of personal choice. It is extremely rare that we find ourselves in such conflicts when we are forced to choose between two types of sin.

Don't invent a special language.

When talking about your sins, you shouldn’t worry about how to call them “correctly” or “church wise”. We must call things by their proper names, in ordinary language. You are confessing to God, who knows even more about your sins than you do, and calling sin as it is will definitely not surprise God.

You won't surprise the priest either. Sometimes penitents are ashamed to tell the priest this or that sin, or there is a fear that the priest, having heard the sin, will condemn you. In fact, over the years of ministry, a priest has to listen to a lot of confessions, and it is not easy to surprise him. And besides, all sins are not original: they have practically not changed over thousands of years. Being a witness to sincere repentance of serious sins, the priest will never condemn, but will rejoice at the person’s conversion from sin to the path of righteousness.

Talk about serious things, not trifles.

There is no need to start confession with such sins as breaking the fast, not going to church, working on holidays, watching TV, wearing/not wearing certain types of clothes, etc. First of all, these are definitely not your most serious sins. Secondly, this may not be a sin at all: if a person has not come to God for many years, then why repent of not observing fasts if the “vector” of life itself was directed in the wrong direction? Thirdly, who needs endless digging into everyday minutiae? The Lord expects from us love and giving of the heart, and we told him: “I ate fish on a fast day” and “embroidered on a holiday.”

The main attention should be paid to the relationship with God and neighbors. Moreover, by neighbors, according to the Gospel, we mean not only people who are pleasant to us, but everyone who has met us in our lives. life path. And above all, our family members. Christian life for family people it begins in the family and is checked by it. Here best field to cultivate Christian qualities in oneself: love, patience, forgiveness, acceptance.

Start changing your life even before confession.

Repentance on Greek sounds like “metanoia”, literally “change of mind”. It is not enough to admit that you have committed such and such offenses in life. God is not a prosecutor, and confession is not a confession. Repentance must be a change of life: the penitent intends not to return to sins and tries with all his might to keep himself from them. Such repentance begins some time before confession, and coming to church to see the priest already “captures” the change taking place in life. This is extremely important. If a person intends to continue sinning after confession, then maybe it’s worth postponing confession?

It is necessary to stipulate that when we talk about changing life and renouncing sin, we mean first of all the so-called “mortal” sins, according to the word of the Apostle John, that is, incompatible with being in the Church. With such sins Christian church Since ancient times, she considered renunciation of faith, murder and adultery. Sins of this kind can also include the extreme degree of other human passions: anger towards one’s neighbor, theft, cruelty, etc., which can be stopped once and for all by an effort of will, combined with the help of God. As for small, so-called “everyday” sins, they will largely be repeated after confession. One must be prepared for this and accept it humbly as an inoculation against spiritual exaltation: there are no perfect people among people, only God alone is sinless.

Be at peace with everyone.

“Forgive and you will be forgiven,” says the Lord. - “By whatever court you judge, you will be judged.” And even more strongly: “If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” . If we ask God for forgiveness, then we ourselves must first forgive the offenders. Of course, there are situations when asking for forgiveness directly from a person is physically impossible, or this will lead to an aggravation of an already difficult relationship. Then it is important to at least forgive on your part and not have anything against your neighbor in your heart.

Some practical recommendations. Before you come to confession, it would be a good idea to find out when confession is usually held in the church. In many churches they serve not only on Sundays and holidays, but also on Saturdays, and on large temples and monasteries - and on weekdays. The greatest influx of confessors occurs during Lent. Of course, the Lenten period is primarily a time of repentance, but for those who come for the first time or after a very long break, it is better to choose a time when the priest is not very busy. It may turn out that confession is held in the church on Friday evening or Saturday morning - on these days there will probably be fewer people than during Sunday services. It’s good if you have the opportunity to personally contact the priest and ask him to set a convenient time for you to confess.

There are special prayers that express a repentant “mood.” It is good to read them the day before confession. Penitential canon The Lord Jesus Christ is printed in almost any prayer book, except the shortest. If you are unfamiliar with praying in Church Slavonic, you can use the Russian translation.

During confession, the priest may assign you penance: abstaining from communion for a while, reading special prayers, prostrations or acts of mercy. This is not a punishment, but a means to overcome sin and receive complete forgiveness. Penance can be prescribed when the priest does not meet the proper attitude towards serious sins on the part of the penitent, or, conversely, when he sees that the person has a need to do something practically to “get rid of” the sin. Penance cannot be indefinite: it is appointed for a certain time, and then must be terminated.

As a rule, after confession, believers take communion. Although confession and communion are two different sacraments, better preparation combine for confession with preparation for communion. We will tell you what kind of preparation this is in a separate article.

If these small tips helped you prepare for confession - thank God. Do not forget that this sacrament must be regular. Don't delay next confession for many years. Confession at least once a month helps you to always be “on your toes” and treat your life attentively and responsibly. Everyday life, in which, in fact, our Christian faith should be expressed.

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