The sacrament of baptism. Theological-dogmatic justification and canonical structure of the Church of John the Theologian. About the sacrament of baptism
The Holy Fathers, Ecumenical and Local Councils constantly took care of the observance of church and liturgical discipline. Bearing in mind the gospel example of the Savior, who expelled the merchants from the temple, as well as the instruction of the Apostle “Cast out the corrupt from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13), they were guided by them in imposing punishment on clergy and laity for violating the Church Charter and especially liturgical discipline.
In the Church, everything must be based on the instructions of the church canons and the liturgical Rules: everything must be done “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40).
Pastors and laity must zealously follow the canons and the Charter, so as not to stray from the path of grace-filled obedience to the path of self-will and self-interest.
Having created the Church of Christ in different parts of the world on the principles bequeathed by the Savior, the holy apostles demanded from pastors and all Christians unquestioning obedience to their instructions and instructions, but always imbued with the spirit of Christian love and paternal care, as evidenced by the epistles of the Supreme Apostle Paul.
The primates and archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church strictly monitored the observance of liturgical discipline. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy (1877-1970) said in one of his speeches to students of theological schools: “A shepherd has two sacred duties - prayer and feat... Prayer and feat are like two wings that lift the shepherd from earth to heaven areas. He accompanies each of his sacred acts in the temple with prayer; through prayer he prepares at home for the performance of the Divine service. And the deeper this solitary prayer is, the more earnestly the shepherd fulfills his cell rule, the more accurately he fulfills the requirements established by the Church, the more effective the power of his sacred rites is... A Russian Orthodox person is well versed in whether the shepherd is praying when performing this or that prayer, or only outwardly fulfills what is written in books.”
An Orthodox Christian needs a prayer pastor. The sincerity of a shepherd's prayer is always gratefully received by those praying.
To perform divine services, to converse with the Lord God Himself, to whom even the angels stand with fear and trembling, must be done with great reverence and zeal, since service is performed to God. The whole thought of a priest when performing a divine service should be directed towards the Master and Lord, Whom he stands before and serves and whose image he carries within himself. Therefore, clergy should read prayers with all attention and reverence, without omitting or adding anything, and read from the book so that there are no stutters.
The heart of a shepherd, when he prays for the living and the dead, must be given to prayer, ardently and sincerely benevolent to those for whom prayers are offered. And the more people he asks for benefits from the Lord and the higher these benefits, the stronger the enemy of salvation opposes him. The shepherd must fight temptations by patiently remaining in prayer, defeating the bodiless enemy by the power of God.
All movements of clergy during worship should be sedate, their gait free and leisurely. Incense should be performed smoothly, slowly, but also without delay. According to church regulations, during prayer requests the clergyman must earnestly make the sign of the cross, as well as bowing to the ground and bowing to the ground.
The pastor should pay special attention to his behavior at the altar. Uninitiated people should not be allowed into the altar, and deacons or psalm-readers should be entrusted with cleaning it. According to canonical rules, only bishops and presbyters can sit in the altar during the readings of parimia and the Apostle. Walking along the altar, as well as exits from the altar that are not prescribed by the Charter, are prohibited. After communion, the clergy should open the holy gates and wear out the Holy Gifts for the communion of the faithful. Only the words of the Holy Scriptures and church liturgical books can be heard in the altar.
The pastor is called upon to know the ancient liturgical traditions, to observe them and to instruct his flock to behave reverently in church. It should not be allowed during services or to apply to shrines. The priest must explain that during the evening entrance with the censer, the six psalms, the polyeleos, the akathist, the singing of “The Most Honest,” the great doxology and the Eucharistic canon of the liturgy, walking around the church is not permissible.
The sincerity of worship, its external and internal spiritual beauty, primarily depend on the clergy themselves. The simplicity and rigor of worship are the best decorations that contribute to its full comprehension. Everything should be simple, but with a warm feeling and reverence.
The devout performance of worship places the shepherd highly in the eyes of believers and brings him their love. “The flock will forgive another pastor for some, perhaps, dryness and severity... they will forgive him even his weaknesses, but a Russian Orthodox person will never forgive a priest for unbelief and irreverent, careless, outwardly formal performance of his pastoral duties.”
Abbreviations in worship are unacceptable: the beauty of the Orthodox service is fully revealed only if its structure, imbued with deep spiritual meaning, is observed. You cannot make unauthorized changes in the words of prayers, litanies and exclamations. There is no need to introduce non-church chants into use during non-liturgical times, for our church chants were created by St. John of Damascus (VII-VIII centuries), St. Andrew of Crete (VII-VIII centuries) and many other church hymn writers.
The commemoration during the Great Entrance, especially on Holy Saturday, when “all human flesh remains silent, contemplating nothing earthly within itself” at the sight of their Lord and Savior in the tomb, the clergy are supposed to pronounce quietly, reverently, “to hear each other very much.” There cannot and should not be a division of divine services into solemn and simple: every Orthodox service, as the service of God, by its very idea is inherent in solemnity, behind every Orthodox service the venerable name of our God is solemnly glorified, so that everyday services should be performed according to the Rules, without contractions and leisurely.
The furnishings of the temple should promote the prayerful mood of the believer: “The Holy Fathers, who established not only the liturgical rite in the temples, but also their appearance and internal structure, everything was thought out, everything was provided for and arranged to create a special mood in those praying, so that nothing in the temple would offend neither hearing, nor sight, and so that nothing distracts from the aspiration to heaven, to God, to the heavenly world, the reflection of which should be the temple of God. If in a hospital for physical ailments everything is provided to create for the patient the conditions necessary for his health, then how should everything be provided in a spiritual hospital, in the temple of God,” wrote His Holiness Patriarch Alexy.
Electric lighting of the temple has no symbolic meaning. Electricity cannot replace lamps and candles in a church. Oil and wax have symbolic meaning in the Orthodox Church: according to the explanation of Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica (XIV-XV centuries), oil is an image of Divine mercy; wax, composed of many colors, as our all-perfect offering and sacrifice from all. Therefore, one should not replace candles and lamps in front of icons, on the throne and the altar with electric light bulbs, and do not use multi-colored light bulbs in chandeliers and candelabra. Chandeliers lit with artificial light are acceptable; but in no case should one place electric light bulbs in a seven-branched candlestick and illuminate revered icons with many lamps. Any kind of light, and especially electrical effects during services are unacceptable. Lamps must be well charged before the service.
According to the instructions of the Charter, at all vespers “it is appropriate to burn a candle from the beginning” in front of the image of the Savior, the Mother of God and the temple icon “in the right land” of the iconostasis, and at small and great vespers a candle is also lit in front of the lectern on which the holiday icon is placed. In addition, at Great Vespers, another candle is lit “before the image of the Savior on the tibla” - part of the iconostasis above the royal doors, where previously in front of the Deisis (the icon with the image of the Savior in the center, the Mother of God and John the Baptist on the sides) there was a candlestick that descended and rose with a cord.
In the altar, candles are lit at the altar, and “according to the 1st antiphon of the kathisma,” at the beginning of “Lord, I have cried,” all other lamps are lit. At daily vespers, the lamps in front of the lectern, in the tibla and in the altar near the throne are lit “according to verse,” at the beginning of the singing “Lord, I have cried,” and at Great Vespers at this time “other candles must be lit.” The lamps are extinguished at Small Vespers, at Dismissal Vespers, and at other Vespers - according to the final Trisagion (Charter, chapters 24-25). At Compline, Midnight Office and the Hours, lamps are lit in front of the images of the Savior and the Mother of God. At the beginning of Matins, lamps are also lit in front of the temple icon.
When singing “God is the Lord,” the lamps are lit in front of the lectern and in the tibla, at the beginning of the polyeleos “all the candles” are lit, which burn “until the end of the 3rd song” of the canon, and then, since at the 3rd and 6th In the songs, statutory readings are given, they are extinguished, and on the 8th they are lit again and burn until the end of the great doxology.
In many churches, candles burn out at the beginning of the service, and during the most important parts of it, one or two candles flicker. The lighting of candles should be distributed so that there are enough of them for the polyeleos, the singing of the “Most Honest”, the Great Doxology - the most important parts of Matins after the All-Night Vigil, and necessarily for the Eucharistic canon after the Liturgy. According to the instructions of the “Teacher News” under the Service Book, at least two candles should burn on the altar behind the main services of the daily liturgical circle - evening, matins and liturgy.
An integral element of the Orthodox liturgical service is the icon. Icons and murals in the temple must be of ancient Orthodox writing and placed in accordance with the rules long accepted in the Orthodox Church. By the 11th century, a certain order of placing iconographic images in the altar and temple was established in Byzantium. This order in its main features was adopted in Rus', and in ancient temples it can be observed to this day. From the point of view of iconography and liturgics, this order is very important, because it reflects the idea of the Church in its entirety in the forms of iconography. You should avoid decorating icons with artificial flowers, which offend the honor of the shrine: “They are reprehensible in church use - not because they are of little value, but because they contain lies,” said His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. Fresh flowers can be placed or placed near icons, but in moderation. You should not place pots or tubs with indoor plants in the altar and temple.
The Russian Orthodox Church tirelessly takes care of the preservation of churches. She carefully treats the heritage of her ancestors - the temples of ancient architecture. Any repair of the temple is carried out with the knowledge and permission of local authorities, and restoration work in temples - monuments of ancient architecture with the permission and under the supervision of state authorities for the protection of ancient monuments and the Society for the Protection of Monuments by specialist restorers.
The area of church and liturgical discipline includes instructions on the daily appearance of a pastor: a pastor must always have a neat appearance, he must wear only clothing befitting his spiritual rank. Clothing made from expensive fabrics is not appropriate for clergy. According to ancient traditions, it is necessary to prefer dark-colored clothing.
During the service, one must ensure that vestments do not move from the shoulders or to the side and that trousers and boots are not visible from under the cassock and surplice. During divine services, subdeacons and readers should be dressed in surplices of the same color as the vestments of the clergy, and from the same, and not from worse, fabric. When choosing the color of vestments on holidays, it is necessary to comply with the traditions that have long been accepted in church practice.
If every divine service for a priest is a bold opening of the future Kingdom of Glory, then the Divine Liturgy, when the great sacrament of offering the Bloodless Sacrifice is performed, into which the holy angels only wish to penetrate, is for the priest the greatest opening of the future Kingdom. And what kind of holiness, innocence and purity of soul and body should a priest possess, standing before the holy throne, which marks the Throne of God, and performing the bold offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice during the Divine Liturgy.
Therefore, before celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the priest must especially carefully observe the purity of his soul and body in order to appear before the Throne of God with a clear conscience and receive what he asks from the Lord. Otherwise, he must immediately clear his conscience in the sacrament of Penance. The Old Testament priest Uzzah was punished with death only for unworthily touching the Holy Icon (2 Kings 6, 6-7).
All clergy and clergy must appear for divine services fully prepared, sober, decently and neatly dressed and have a good appearance. Each of them bows with prayer before entering the temple, and upon entering - in front of the iconostasis, revered icons and other shrines. Before the start of the service, the psalmist must make sure that everything is ready for the service. The priest does the same. In order to avoid stops and confusion in the church service, the psalmist must not only know the Rule well, but also carefully prepare for each service: find the daily conception of the Apostle, kathisma, look through the stichera that he will sing, make all the notes and arrangements of the main stanzas. For help, he must turn to the abbot or another priest. After the prayer in front of the royal doors, the priest turns his face to the pilgrims and bows to them, then passes through the southern door into the altar, and the psalmist and deacon bow to him, and when he venerates the throne, they receive his blessing.
You should not open the doors and curtains of the altar and look at the people. You cannot lean on the throne and the altar. During the service, the priest should not give orders out loud to anyone, much less interrupt, even if some mistake was made on the choir. A remark or instruction must be made discreetly so that the mistake does not become a temptation for those praying. When censing a priest and a deacon around the altar, the table during the blessing of water, ecumenical memorial services and at the coffin of the deceased, incense should begin when the deacon with a candle stands on the opposite side. At the same time, both bows are done at the same time. Neither deacons, when standing on the pulpit, nor psalm-readers from the choir should turn around and look at those standing in the church. Psalm-readers and singers on the choir should read or sing without leaning on the lectern.
Church elders oversee the maintenance of order during worship, and in all their actions they are called upon to strictly observe decorum and decency.
According to the modern regulations on the structure and management of the Russian Orthodox Church, the church elder is the chairman of the executive body of the temple, which includes an assistant to the elder, if there is one, an accountant, the chairman of the audit commission and the treasurer. The executive body is responsible for conducting all financial and economic activities of the temple.
The pastor is obliged to accompany each church service with the preaching of the Word of God for spiritual guidance in the salvation of believers, and the administration of services must be preceded by a conversation with the shepherd, explaining the essence and meaning of the upcoming sacred rites and prayers.
It is important for an Orthodox pastor to maintain a reverent attitude towards the Church’s liturgical regulations.
Both the Jerusalem and Studian editions of the Orthodox liturgical Rule were created in monasteries: the first - in the Lavra of St. Sava the Consecrated, near Jerusalem, the second - in the Studian monastery, near Constantinople. In the Russian Orthodox Church, there has long been a high level of respect for the liturgical Rule, shrouded in holiness by its compilers.
The requirements of the Church Charter were strictly fulfilled for a long time. In order to bring the implementation of the Rule closer to the conditions of parish life, over time a special liturgical technique was used, known as polyphony - the simultaneous reading and singing of various, successive parts of the service. But the very content of the Charter remained unchanged. The instructions of the Charter on the procedure for performing liturgical services and their number, as before, were respected and fulfilled.
At the end of the 17th century, polyphony was prohibited. Then a new method of bringing the Charter closer to practice arose, which differed significantly from polyphony: the list of requirements of the Charter began to be reduced. This did not happen right away. The tradition of punctual attitude towards the Charter was observed for a long time. But gradually the Charter began to be treated loosely and the high goals of the Charter began to be forgotten.
The liturgy of the Orthodox Church, in accordance with the dogmatic teaching about the connection between the triumphant Heavenly Church and the militant earthly Church, attaches special importance to the fact that the thoughts of believers are constantly aimed at strengthening this connection in religious consciousness. The content of divine services constantly mentions it as an immutable path to salvation. This is recalled in litanies, dismissals and other parts of the successions. The introduction of the prayer “Save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance” into the ritual of Matins at the all-night vigil is also aimed at the assimilation of this thought by believers, which is a euchological (German “evhy” - prayer, “logos” - word = prayer) revelation of the dogma about the connection between the Heavenly and earthly Churches. The Heavenly Church, to whose intercession believers prayerfully turn, intercedes for them before God. The prayer contains the liturgical catalog of saints as an obligatory part. Without it, first of all, the dogmatic character of prayer is weakened. On the other hand, through this catalogue, the thematic connection between the prayer book and the subsequent content of the all-night vigil (canon) is preserved, revealing the patristic thought that “it is dear to the angels and men of the memory of the saints” (St. Ephraim of Syria; † 373). All this determines the dogmatic and liturgical essence of prayer, although sometimes it is completely rejected by our liturgical practice. The catalog of saints is usually skipped, and the text of the prayer is sometimes shortened so much that only the opening and closing phrases remain.
Facts can be cited where departure from the instructions of the Charter does not shorten, but lengthens the duration of worship services. The practice, for example, included the singing of the prayers “Grant, O Lord, this evening”, “Now you let go” and the verses before the Six Psalms “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” and “Lord, open my lips.” In the latter case, not only is the reading of the Six Psalms delayed, but also the vocal preludes are in complete contradiction with the intention of the compiler of the study to provide the psychological side of the reading of the Six Psalms - “the conversation of the human soul with God,” as the Church calls the Six Psalms - achieving deep concentration of those praying while listening to the reading of the Six Psalms. . The singing that we hear before the psalms has a certain element of entertainment. The basis of prayerful concentration is destroyed, and it cannot be restored until the very end of the reading.
Undoubtedly, difficulties in statutory worship exist, since the existing Charter, when it was drawn up, was intended for monasteries, and not for parish churches. But when solving them, one must remember that Orthodox worship has a great impact on the religious mood of those praying, and it is especially strong in the statutory service.
Orthodox worship attracts worshipers with words. The Monks Savva the Sanctified († 532) and Theodore the Studite († 829), together with the continuers of the work they began - drawing up the Rules - used the wealth of ancient Christian literature. What can compare with the canons of St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete († 712), St. Cosmas, Bishop of Maium († c. 787), St. Theophan, Bishop of Nicaea († 850), who created a “crown” in honor of his brother St. Theodore the Inscribed, confessor († c. 840), or with the stichera of nun Cassia (IX century) and other hymn writers, with wondrous prayer texts included in Orthodox liturgical sequences?! All this is the inexhaustible liturgical wealth of Orthodox theology, to which the Rule attracts those praying in the church.
And this moral side of Orthodox worship is especially clearly revealed during the persistent performance of divine services in accordance with the Charter.
The Charter of the Orthodox Church prescribes certain rules for the external expression of the prayerful state of a Christian during public worship and in private prayer. This expression of Christian prayer is the making of the sign of the cross, various bows and admiration of the shrine.
When praying individually, performed in private, every Christian, prompted by his personal religious feeling and state of soul at the moment, is free to use one or another external sign. But the behavior of the person praying, and especially the clergyman, during public worship is strictly determined by the Church Charter, which serves both as the law of performing the service and external behavior in the church, and as the rule for instilling the internal spiritual discipline of an Orthodox Christian. Here are the most important of his instructions in this regard.
An Orthodox Christian must enter a church quietly and reverently, as into the house of God, into the mysterious dwelling of the Heavenly King; noise, conversation, and especially laughter, when entering the church, insult the holiness of the house of God and the greatness of the God who dwells in it - “I will go into Your house, I will bow to Your holy temple, in Your passion” (Ps. 5:8).
Upon entering the temple, you need to stop, make three bows (on ordinary days - earthly, and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays - zone ones) with the prayer “God, cleanse me, a sinner” and bow to the right and left to the people who entered the church before you .
Having stood in place, it is necessary to pray with reverence and the fear of God with the words: “God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me!”, “He who created me, Lord, have mercy on me!”, “I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me!”, “We bow to Your Cross, Master, and glorify Your Holy Resurrection!”, “It is worthy that You are truly blessed, the Mother of God, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. Most honorable Cherub and most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, we magnify the true Mother of God!”, “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen". "Lord have mercy!" (three times), “Bless.” “Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us” (prayer with bows).
The same prayers are said when leaving the temple.
The church service is performed with many great and small bows. The Holy Church requires bowing with inner reverence and outer decorum. Before making a bow, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross and then bow. The sign of the cross must be depicted correctly, with reverence and slowly. The church charter strictly requires us to do everything in the temple of God not only earnestly and orderly, but in a timely and leisurely manner, that is, where indicated.
In general, bows should be made at the end of each short petition; for example: “Lord, have mercy” or prayer, and not during its performance. “Not together with prayer,” as the Typikon says.
Before the start of any service, three bows must be made from the waist. Then, during all services, at every “Come, let us worship”, at “Holy God”, at “Glory to you, who showed us the light”, at the threefold “Alleluia” and at “Be the name of the Lord”, waist bows with the sign of the cross are relied on.
At all litanies, one must listen carefully to each petition, mentally lift up a prayer to God and, making the sign of the cross while shouting: “Lord, have mercy” or “Give, Lord,” bow from the waist. When singing and reading stichera, verses and other prayers, bowing is due only when the words of the prayers encourage this, for example, with the words “let us fall,” “we bow down,” “we pray to You,” etc.
When reading the akathist, a bow from the waist is required at each kontakion and ikos.
On the polyeleos, after each magnification there is one bow.
Before reading the Gospel and after reading it, “Glory to Thee, Lord,” one bow from the waist is always required.
When starting to read or sing the Creed on the words “I Believe”, “And in the One Lord Jesus Christ”, and “And in the Holy Spirit”, when pronouncing the words “By the power of the honorable and life-giving Cross”, when starting to read the Apostle, the Gospel and parimies, you need make the sign of the cross without bowing.
When the clergyman says: “Peace to all” or proclaims: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” one should bow, but without the sign of the cross; the same bow is required during any blessing by the clergyman of all those praying, as well as during dismissal, if such is performed without the Cross. When dismissal is said by a clergyman with the Cross, with which he overshadows those praying, the bow should be made with the sign of the cross.
When proclaiming “Bow your head to the Lord,” you should bow your head.
One should venerate the Holy Gospel, the Cross, relics and icons as follows: approach in the proper order, without haste and without disturbing others, do not push or push anyone aside; make two bows before kissing and one after kissing the shrine. When kissing the icon of the Savior, one should kiss the feet; to the icon of the Mother of God and saints - a hand. As you venerate the Holy Gospel, you can silently say the prayers “With fear and love I come to You, Christ, and I believe in Your words,” “Christ God, help me and save me.”
When praying for the living and the dead and calling them by name, one should pronounce the names with love, for out of the duty of Christian love they require from us heartfelt sympathy and love.
You should pray for the departed like this: “Remember, Lord, the souls of your departed servants (names) and forgive them their sins, voluntary and involuntary, grant them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal blessings and Your endless and blissful life of pleasure.”
When the clergy censes the worshipers, respond to it by bowing your head.
While reading the Gospel, stand with your head bowed, as if listening to Jesus Christ Himself.
While singing the Cherubic Song, one should carefully read to oneself the repentant psalm “Have mercy on me, O God”; at the end of the first half of the Cherubic Song, a bow is required. During the great entrance, when commemorating His Holiness the Patriarch and other persons, one must stand reverently, with a bowed head, and at the end of the commemoration, with the words “All of you Orthodox Christians,” say: “May the Lord God remember your bishopric in His Kingdom” - during the service of the bishop; when serving other clergy, it is said: “May the Lord God remember your priesthood, or your priestly monasticism, or your priesthood in His Kingdom,” then with a deep feeling of repentance and a prayerful spirit one must say: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom.”
During the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist itself, one should pray with special attention and, at the end of the song “We sing to You,” bow to the ground to the Body and Blood of Christ. The significance of this moment is so great that nothing in our lives can compare with it. In it lies our salvation and God’s love for the human race, for “God appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16).
While singing “It is worthy to eat” or the worthy, the priest prays for the living and the dead and remembers them by name, and especially those for whom the liturgy is served; Those present in the temple should at this time remember their loved ones, living and dead.
After “It is worthy to eat” or the worthy person - a bow to the ground. With the words “And everyone and everything,” say to yourself, “Through the prayers of all Your saints, Lord, visit and have mercy on us.”
At the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” - make the sign of the cross and bow to the ground.
At the opening of the royal doors and the manifestation of the Holy Gifts, meaning the appearance of Jesus Christ after the Resurrection, at the exclamation “Come with the fear of God and faith!” - bow to the ground.
At the last appearance of the Holy Gifts (which depicts the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven), at the words of the priest “Always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” there is also a bow to the ground.
When starting to receive the Holy Mysteries - the body and Blood of Christ, you need to bow to the ground, fold your hands on your chest in a cross shape and, slowly, reverently and with the fear of God, approach the holy chalice, loudly calling your name. After receiving the Holy Mysteries, one should kiss the edge of the chalice, as if the very side of Christ, and then calmly walk away, without making the sign of the cross or bowing, but mentally thanking the Lord for His great mercy: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!”
Prostrations to the ground on this day are not performed until the evening. The holy antidoron and blessed bread must be received reverently and the priest’s giving hand must be kissed. The antidoron is distributed to those present at the liturgy to bless and sanctify the soul and body, so that those who have not received the Holy Gifts may taste the consecrated bread.
From Holy Easter to the Day of the Holy Trinity and from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany of the Lord and on all the Lord's holidays in general, prostrations to the ground by the Holy Church are completely abolished.
When people in a church are overshadowed by the Cross, the Gospel, an icon or a chalice, everyone should be baptized, bowing their heads, and when people are overshadowed with candles, a hand, or incense, there is no need to be baptized, but only bow. Only on the Holy Week of Easter, when the priest censes with the Cross in his hand, everyone crosses themselves and, responding to his greeting “Christ is Risen!”, they say: “Truly He is Risen!”
When accepting the blessing of a priest or bishop, Christians kiss his right hand and do not cross themselves beforehand.
While in the temple of God, you need to remember that you are in the presence of the Lord God, and therefore stand as before His very Face, before His eyes, in the presence of the Mother of God, the Holy angels and all the saints, for it is said: “In the temple stands Your glory ΄, in heaven΄ stand imaginary” (Sequence of Matins).
The saving power of church prayers, chants, and readings depends on their effect on our hearts, minds and feelings. Therefore, we need to understand everything that happens in church worship, to be imbued with and nourished by it. Doing everything gracefully and according to the church order, we must glorify our Lord and God in our bodies and souls.
His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II:
Formalism is also preserved in the approach to the Sacrament of Baptism. In many churches, in pursuit of income, the “conveyor belt method” is retained, when the first, main and last part of the preparation for Baptism is the registration of the candle box - payment of money, and the priest is placed in the position of executor of demands. In every church it is necessary to ensure that the priest has at least one preliminary meeting with those applying on the issue of Baptism.
Baptism itself must be performed in accordance with the rules and tradition of our Church, that is, through complete immersion. It is unacceptable to perform it in a small amount of water.
Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. A true elder treats every person with care // Church and Time. No. 2, 1999. P. 15. Full text on www.synergia.itn.ru
In some parishes, catechetical conversations with adults are not held, even before the celebration of the Sacraments. The sacrament of Baptism for adults is often performed together with infants, which creates an atmosphere of chaos and haste. Despite our repeated warnings about the baptism of adults in baptisteries, in a number of churches adults continue to be baptized in children's fonts. Upon receipt of annual reports, dean fathers should check how many adults in each of the parishes of their deanery were baptized per year and whether there is a baptistery in the church.
Address of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' to the participants of the annual Diocesan meeting of the clergy of Moscow, 2000
It is extremely important to get rid of the cases of formal fulfillment of demands that are still encountered, to call on clergy to reverently and thoughtfully perform the Sacraments and rituals, especially Baptism, Repentance and Marriage, as well as the rite of burial, for at these moments the human heart is especially open to the saving action of God’s grace. Therefore, it is important not to push away anyone who comes to the temple with a cold, soulless approach or excessive unjustified severity, but, on the contrary, we must attract him with heartfelt participation and spiritual sensitivity. Before performing the Sacrament of Baptism, preliminary preparation is required, catechesis, which can take the form of either a lengthy announcement or, in certain cases, one or more conversations with a priest. Baptism must be performed in accordance with the rules and tradition of our Church, striving where possible to use complete immersion.
Report of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' at the Council of Bishops in 2000
Vologda diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Circular No. 8 dated August 3, 1998
His Holiness Patriarch and All Rus' Alexy II said: “In the foundations of faith, piety, traditions, everything must remain unchanged. As our fathers and grandfathers believed, as they preserved and protected this faith, as they laid down their lives for its purity and integrity, so it should be now.” I consider it necessary to remind o.o. deans and rectors that by Journal Resolution No. 13 of December 26, 1957, His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod draw the attention of the diocesan Right Reverends to the inadmissibility of non-canonical immersion Baptism: Baptism must be performed only through immersion.
The Holy Synod invites the diocesan Right Reverends to explain to the priests of their diocese the inadmissibility of pouring Baptism and the canonical reprimands to which all pastors who incorrectly perform Baptism must be subjected.
For the baptism of adults, each church should have a large font in which baptism by immersion could be performed.
And His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II has repeatedly spoken about the need to perform the Sacrament of Baptism through immersion.
O.O. Deans and rectors are required to implement the Journal Resolution as accurately as possible.
Message from Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail to the clergy of the diocese on the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism, 2004
To the clergy of the Odessa diocese
All-honorable fathers!
As a duty of archpastoral service, we are obliged to observe everything that relates to Orthodox teaching, so that it is preserved soundly and undamaged. And, first of all, we draw your attention to holy Baptism, which is the door of all sacraments, the beginning of our salvation, remission of sins and reconciliation with God. It is the gift of adoption, because in Baptism we become sons of God and joint heirs with Christ, putting on Christ our Lord, according to the word of the holy Apostle Paul: “As many as were baptized into Christ, put on Christ.” Without this, no one can be saved, according to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Amen, I say to you: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
Speaking about this holy Sacrament, I must note the following to you.
1. The very word “baptism,” translated from the Greek language in which the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament were written, means “immersion,” and not pouring or sprinkling.
2. The first Legislator of baptism, our Lord Jesus Christ, was baptized by entering the Jordan River and immersing himself.
3. The holy Apostle Philip descended into the water together with the eunuch to baptize him: “They both descended into the water,” says the Holy Scripture, “Philip and the priest and baptized him” (Acts 8:38).
4. The Orthodox Church has always baptized through immersion, strictly following the Apostolic Tradition. This is clear from Rule 7 of the Second Ecumenical Council, which speaks of immersion; from 2 secret teachings of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, which also accurately says: “You confessed the saving confession, and having immersed yourself three times in water, you emerged again”; and from the words of St. Basil the Great: “The great sacrament of baptism is accomplished by three immersions and as many invocations.”
5. Immersion in water, and, moreover, three times, and three times the ascent from water was established not arbitrarily or by chance, but in the image of the mystery of the three-day Resurrection of Christ.
6. The Orthodox Church has always and everywhere baptized and baptizes through threefold immersion in water and raising from water. This is how the Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian, etc. Churches baptize. This is how the Russian Church baptizes. The so-called “pouring” baptism, which contradicts Holy Scripture and Tradition, appeared in Ukraine from the Uniates, who adopted it from the Latins. It is precisely under the Uniate influence coming today from Western Ukraine that many priests of the Odessa Metropolis continue the blasphemous practice of baptism through dousing. Some are so entrenched in this sin that when performing baptism they do not even remove the onesies from the person being baptized.
7. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II repeatedly pointed out the need for baptism through immersion and the inadmissibility of pouring baptism. “Now,” says His Holiness, “many adults are being baptized, and they need to create all the conditions for this Sacrament to be performed in accordance with the Apostolic rules, through complete immersion...; Incoming complaints indicate that baptism is performed carelessly, hastily, and that its sacramental parts are often shortened...; Most of all complaints and petitions are received about bringing the performance of Orthodox sacraments and requirements into canonical conformity. First of all, this is Baptism, sometimes performed by pouring only the head of the person being baptized instead of complete immersion. Some churches have built baptisteries for the baptism of children and adults, but a number of churches are in no hurry to do this. I believe that adults should not be baptized in such churches, but for catechesis they should be sent to the church where there is a baptistery...; A priest must be an example for his flock in everything.”
In view of the above, on the basis of Holy Tradition and the canonical rules of the Holy Orthodox Church, I bless.
I. In each church of the Odessa Metropolis, purchase and install a baptismal font of the proper size, in which infants can be baptized only through complete triple immersion.
II. Baptism through pouring or sprinkling should be completely excluded. Priests who arbitrarily perform douses should be subject to prohibition from the priesthood unless they stop this disastrous practice of negligence, as inviting the curse of God. “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord carelessly” (Jeremiah 48:10). “Therefore, for you, priests, this is a commandment: if you do not obey and if you do not take it to heart... says the Lord of hosts, then I will send a curse on you and curse your blessings... because you do not want to set your heart to it" (Malach. 2, 1-2).
III. In the city of Odessa, adults should be sent to perform the Sacraments of Baptism and preliminary catechesis only in churches that have large baptisteries, such as: the Holy Assumption Cathedral, the Holy Trinity (Greek) Church, the Church of the Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia.
IV. In each regional center of the Odessa Metropolis, create baptism centers that allow baptism of adults through complete immersion.
V. The announcement and Sacrament of Baptism should be performed reverently, without shortening the rites and prayers in any way.
Those who refuse to comply with this decree will be subject to the strictest canonical measures.
To all who reverently, according to the order, perform the holy Sacraments and immaculately observe the pledge of grace received upon ordination to the priesthood, I impart the archpastoral blessing. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (Rom. 16:24).
Published: http://www.sedmitza.ru, http://www.odseminary.orthodox.ru
Address by Bishop Evlogiy of Sumy and Akhtyrsky, 2010. Order No. 2 for the Sumy Diocese of the UOC “On the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism in accordance with canonical norms”
I consider it my archpastoral duty to remind all clergy of the Sumy diocese about the need for reverent and accurate celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Baptism is the door of all sacraments, the beginning of our salvation, remission of sins and reconciliation with God. It is the gift of adoption, because in Baptism we become sons of God and joint heirs with Christ, putting on Christ our Lord, according to the word of the holy Apostle Paul: “As many as were baptized into Christ, put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Without this, no one can be saved, according to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Amen, I say to you: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
I believe that there is no need to cite biblical evidence and the canons of the Holy Church, which point only to the immersive manner of performing Baptism, allowing only in extreme cases (for example, in the case of mortal danger) pouring Baptism.
The so-called “pouring” Baptism, contrary to Holy Scripture and Tradition, appeared in Ukraine from the Uniates, who adopted it from the Latins. It is under the Uniate influence that many priests continue today the blasphemous practice of baptism through pouring. Some are so entrenched in this sin that when performing baptism they do not even remove the onesies from the person being baptized.
The Holy Fathers condemn priests who perform pouring Baptism, calling it “bad pouring.” His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II repeatedly pointed out the need for baptism through immersion and the inadmissibility of pouring baptism. “Now,” says His Holiness, “many adults are being baptized, and they need to create all the conditions so that this sacrament is performed in accordance with the Apostolic rules, through complete immersion... The incoming complaints indicate that baptism is performed carelessly, hastily, is often abbreviated, moreover, its sacramental parts... Most of all complaints and petitions are received about bringing the performance of Orthodox sacraments and requirements into canonical conformity. First of all, this is Baptism, which is sometimes performed by pouring only the head of the person being baptized instead of complete immersion. In some churches, baptisteries have been built for the baptism of children and adults, but a number of churches are in no hurry to do this. I believe that adults should not be baptized in such churches, but for catechesis they should be sent to the church where there is a baptistery... A priest should be an example for his flock in everything."
Unfortunately, some clergy of the Sumy diocese are careless about the performance of this Sacrament, turning it into a ten-minute requirement, arbitrarily omitting a number of prayers and performing baptism through pouring and even sprinkling, which is categorically unacceptable! Such a negligent attitude towards the shrine of the sacrament indicates a violation of the priestly oath and a loss of the fear of God.
In view of the above, guided by the Holy Scriptures and the canons of the Church, BLESS:
- perform the prayers of announcement and the Sacrament of Baptism exactly according to the breviary, without abbreviations; before the announcement, it is necessary to read a prayer for naming, entrusting the future Christian to the heavenly patron; It is unacceptable to name names that are not in the Orthodox calendar (for example, Arthur, Albert, Vladlen, Oktyabrina, Snezhana, etc.);
- in each church of the Sumy diocese, purchase and install a baptismal font of the proper size, in which infants can be baptized only through complete triple immersion;
— baptism through pouring or sprinkling should be completely excluded; priests who arbitrarily perform pouring should be subject to prohibition from the priesthood unless they stop this fatal practice of negligence, as inviting the wrath of God;
- immerse infants with extreme caution, covering their mouths and noses with their hands;
- create baptisteries (baptisteries) in each deanery center, allowing adults to be baptized by immersion (the water should be drained into an untrodden place);
- to perform the Sacrament of Baptism, adults should be sent to churches in which baptisteries are installed, or in the warm season to perform baptism in open reservoirs, protecting the shrine of the sacrament, if possible, from prying eyes;
- the baptism of adults must be preceded by a time of catechism and catechesis, and immediately before the Sacrament, those preparing for Baptism confess their sins to the priest (the priest does not read the prayer of permission);
- allow only Orthodox Christians to obey the recipients, conducting a preliminary announcement with them; Under no circumstances should we allow people who deny the existence of God, who do not recognize themselves as Orthodox, or who have been baptized in heretical societies (Catholic, Uniate so-called churches, so-called UOC-KP, UAOC, etc.) to become successors.
The strictest canonical measures will be applied to those who do not comply with this Order.. To all who reverently, according to the order, perform the holy sacraments and immaculately observe the pledge of grace received upon ordination to the priesthood, I impart the archpastoral blessing. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (Rom. 16:24).
About the sacraments. Sacrament of Baptism
One of the important departments of liturgics is the study of the sacraments. Here we preface the presentation of the actual liturgical side of each sacrament with a brief disclosure of the essence of the sacrament, an explanation of its moral and dogmatic meaning based on the liturgical text of the rites.
The teaching about this or that sacrament in theology usually comes down to giving an explanatory summary of all the biblical and patristic passages that speak about it. At best, these places are placed in a historical connection, which gives some picture of the development of the Church’s view of a well-known sacrament. But the questions of theology are too deep, and in each of them there is something that is not amenable to the very word, thought, a hidden secret that exceeds the powers of ordinary reason and is comprehended differently, by another action (act) of mental life, namely what we would call creatively -religious inspiration, creative and religious penetration.
Therefore, for the sacraments, one of the surest ways to reveal their meaning, to understand their “mystery” as far as possible, is through their so-called rite, that is, the divine service that accompanies the performance of the sacrament.
The divine service, or the rite of the sacraments, is not an incoherent random selection of prayers and chants, but a complete prayerful and religious work - the result of centuries-old creativity of many songwriters, under the direct supervision of the entire Church, with its close participation. Or rather, the Church itself created these integral works, these rites through the mouths of its best sons. And as works of religious inspired creativity of blessed and holy hymnals and Church Fathers, they are capable of more deeply illuminating the most important issues of life and existence in general than purely rational constructions. That is why the rite of the sacraments, like other liturgical rites, when performed earnestly and without unnecessary abbreviations, produces such a highly edifying and touching impression on the soul.
Both the sacraments and other sacred rites are accompanied by corresponding rituals. The Holy Fathers, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, understood well that a person immersed in sensory life needs external stimuli in order for him to rise to invisible, Divine objects. For this purpose, they established various rituals during the performance of the sacraments and in general worship, in order to more clearly depict the greatness of the Divine mysteries, to arouse the minds of believers through visible signs to the contemplation of spiritual objects, to awaken feelings of faith, reverence, tenderness and gratitude to God for His gracious gifts and blessings revealed in Atonement.
But the benefits of performing rituals will only be when they are performed not mechanically, but meaningfully, earnestly, with insight into their spirit and meaning. Therefore, priests, aware of the full height and significance of the sacraments performed and the rituals accompanying them, must guard themselves from careless, inattentive performance of them, from haste and unreasonable shortcuts. “Godliness is profitable for everything” (1 Tim. 4:7). It will necessarily be the norm and guide to the reverent and dignified performance of these sacraments. It is enough to remember the priest’s prayer for himself when performing one of the sacraments (the sacrament of Baptism). It shows with what feelings and mood a priest should begin to perform the sacrament of Baptism and other sacraments. The prayer says:
“O gracious and merciful God, tormenting hearts and wombs, and the secret of man is the only one who knows, not for there is a thing not revealed by You, but all naked and naked before Your eyes: He who knows about me, do not detest me, turn away from me below Your face: but despise my sins at this hour, despise the sins of men in repentance, and wash away my bodily defilement and spiritual defilement, and sanctify me entirely with Your all-perfect invisible power and spiritual right hand: do not proclaim freedom to others, and grant this with perfect faith, Your ineffable love for mankind I myself, as a slave of sin, will be unskilled (rejected). Neither, Lord, Good and Humane, may I not return humble (may I not be punished by deprivation of grace): but send me strength from on high, and strengthen me for the service of Your present sacrament, great and heavenly, and imagine Your Christ in the one who wants to be born again, my curse."
This zeal for the work of God and its humble fulfillment, the memory that “cursed is everyone who does the work of God with negligence” - should be unremitting in the shepherd throughout his life.
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
“As we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death.
We were therefore buried in Him by baptism into death, so that even as Christ arose
from the dead in the glory of the Father, so we too will begin to walk in newness of life.”
(The Apostle on the occasion of baptism - Rom.
zach. 91st). We were baptized “into the death of the Lord.”
Dogmatic and moral significance of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.
According to His good Providence for man, the Lord arranged it in such a way that we become involved in the salvation He accomplished, not by a literal repetition of His Cross, His death on the cross, but in a different way, by baptism into His death, without disturbing the natural flow of our life on earth, but at the same time laying the foundations of a new life in Christ (“we put on Christ”), a new being (“re-being”).
How is this accomplished? According to the law of nature, each of us is destined to die at a certain time, and whether we want it or not, it always and certainly overtakes people. But to die a natural death does not mean to become involved in the saving death and resurrection of the Lord Savior. By Divine goodness and wisdom, out of condescension towards the “poverty of our nature,” in the sacrament of Baptism we have been given a certain way of imitating the Author of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, “putting into action what He had previously accomplished” (St. Gregory of Nyssa), i.e. saving death and resurrection. Grafted into Christ by faith, we and Him, “who voluntarily died for us, die in a different way, namely: by being buried in the mystical water through baptism, for “we were buried with Him,” says Scripture, “by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:4), so that after the likeness of death there should also be likeness to the resurrection” (St. Gregory of Nyssa).
All the dead have their place - the ground in which they are buried. The earth has water as its closest element. And since the death of the Savior was accompanied by burial in the earth, our imitation of the death of Christ is depicted in the element closest to the earth - water. We, being by the nature of the body in unity with our Principal, the Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ, having in mind through the death of the Lord to be cleansed from sin, to achieve rebellion to life, what are we doing? Instead of earth, we pour water and, immersing ourselves three times in this element (in the name of the Holy Trinity), “we imitate the grace of the resurrection” (St. Gregory of Nyssa).
The prayer for the consecration of water during baptism says that in this sacrament a person puts aside the old man, puts on the new man, “renewed in the image of Him who created him: so that, having been united in the likeness of death (Christ) by baptism, he will be a partaker of the resurrection and, having preserved the gift of the Holy One... Spirit and having increased the guarantee of grace, he will receive the honor of a high calling and will be numbered among the firstborn, who are written in heaven in God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thus, our assimilation of the death and resurrection of Christ in baptism has mainly an effect in the ontological sense (i.e., it changes the entire existence of man, his entire nature), and not only moral and symbolic (as Protestants and sectarians teach): in man a change takes place, accomplished by the grace of God, in his entire being and being. In prayer 1st and 2nd on the 8th day after baptism, it is said that the one baptized “by water and the Spirit” is given life of the second birth and forgiveness of sins (“the remission of sins through holy baptism was granted to Thy servant, and life was given again to him”, “again begotten of Thy servant, newly enlightened by water and the Spirit”); now he is in such close unity with Christ that he is called “clothed in Christ and our God.”
Why is baptism followed by confirmation (for Catholics, confirmation is separate)?
“In the image of killing,” says Gregory of Nyssa, “represented through water, the destruction of the mixed vice is carried out, although not complete destruction, but some suppression of the continuity of evil, with the confluence of two aids to the destruction of evil: the repentance of the sinner and the imitation of death (of the Lord) - by which a person somewhat renounces the union with evil, by repentance being brought into hatred of vice and alienated from it, and by death bringing about the destruction of evil.”
Vice now seems to nest on the periphery. I will struggle with it my whole life. And in the second sacrament, the sacrament of Confirmation - “life-giving anointing” - the baptized person receives “Divine sanctification”, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, increasing and strengthening in spiritual life: by the grace of the Holy Spirit the baptized person is given “confirmation in the faith”, deliverance from the snares of the “evil one” "(the devil), keeping the soul "in purity and truth" and pleasing God, in order to be "the son and heir of the Heavenly Kingdom." In the prayer for washing away on the 8th day, the Church prays for the newly enlightened one, so that the Lord, through grace
The sacrament of Chrismation made him worthy to remain an invincible ascetic in the fight against sin and the enemy the devil, showed him and us to the end as winners in the feat and crowned him with His incorruptible crown.
Liturgical side of the sacrament of Baptism. Definition of sacrament. Baptism is a sacrament in which the person being baptized, after preliminary instruction in the truths of the Christian faith and confession of them, is immersed three times in water with the words pronounced: “The servant of God (or the servant of God) is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen,” he is cleansed of sins and reborn to a spiritual, grace-filled life.
History of the rites of the sacrament. The sacrament of Baptism, like all other sacraments, was established by Jesus Christ, shortly before His ascension into heaven. The Lord gave the commandment to the apostles to first teach people the faith, and then baptize them in the name of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 18, 19). Based on the instructions given by Jesus Christ, the apostles determined the rite and order of baptism and passed it on to their successors. In the age of the apostles and apostolic men (I-II centuries), baptism was distinguished by its simplicity and uncomplicatedness and consisted of:
from instruction in the faith of Christ, or announcement,
repentance, or renunciation of previous errors and sins and open confession of faith in Christ and
baptism itself through immersion in water with the pronunciation of the words “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
At the end of the 2nd century and in the 3rd century, a number of new actions were introduced into the rite of baptism. Preparation for baptism and testing (catechumen) were carried out over a longer period of time (from several days to several years), due to persecution and caution in accepting new members, so as not to accept those weak in the faith, who during persecution could renounce Christ or betray Christians to pagans. In the 3rd century, spells were introduced before baptism, renunciation of Satan, combination with Christ, after which anointing the whole body with oil; Before the baptized person was immersed in water, the water was blessed. After baptism, the newly enlightened person was dressed in white robes and put on a crown (in the West) and a cross.
The replenishment of the rite of baptism, which began in the 2nd century, significantly intensified in the 3rd century, continued in the era of the 4th and 5th centuries, although not to the same extent as before. At this time, the liturgical side reached its most complete development and formation. In the IV-VIII centuries. Many prayers were compiled, which still exist in the rite of the catechumenate, the consecration of water and baptism.
Baptism was performed mainly on certain days, especially on the holidays of Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany, as well as on the days of remembrance of the apostles, martyrs and temple holidays. This custom existed already in the 3rd century, but in the 4th century it became especially widespread.
The antiquity of all rites and actions of catechumen and baptism is evidenced by the most ancient written monuments: Apostolic decrees, Rules of the Holy Apostles (49 and 50 Ave.) and councils (Second Ecumenical Council, 7 Ave.; Trullo, 95 Ave.), writings of the fathers and teachers of the Church (Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem - 2 occult words; Gregory the Theologian - Word on baptism, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom - Catechetical word and others), ancient Greek Breviaries, starting from the 7th-8th centuries. and so on.
NAME NAMING
Before baptism, on the baby’s first birthday, the priest reads “Prayers on the first day before a child’s wife gives birth.” Then, as a rule, the “Prayer to mark (with the sign of the cross) the boy who receives the name on his eighth birthday” is read in a row. According to the Charter, the naming of a name is supposed to take place on the eighth day after the birth of a baby in front of the gates of the temple, in the vestibule. The naming of a name on the 8th day is supposed to be done according to the example of the Old Testament church, sanctified by Jesus Christ (Luke 2:21).
“Signing,” the name of which means the sign of the cross and the adoption of a Christian name, is bringing the baby to the catechumen in order to teach him the grace of Baptism for some time.
Thus, the announcement begins with the sign of the cross and the naming of a name, as one of the rites preceding the sacrament of Baptism.
Before the beginning of the prayer, when naming the baby, the priest marks the baby’s forehead, mouth, chest (chest) with the sign of the cross and says the prayer: “Let us pray to the Lord.” “Lord our God,” etc. Usually, when pronouncing the words: “and let the light of Your face be signified... and the Cross of Your Only Begotten Son in his heart and thoughts,” the priest signs the baby (makes the sign of the cross). After this there is a dismissal, at which the name of the saint in whose honor the baby was given a name is remembered.
On the fortieth day after the birth of the baby, the priest in the vestibule (usually at the entrance to the temple) reads “prayers to the mother in childbirth” and, if the baby has already been baptized, then immediately after this he performs the “Rite of the Church of the Adolescent.” If the baby was stillborn, the mother's prayers are read shorter (indicated on the row in the Trebnik).
For a mother whose baby is alive and has already been baptized, in the penultimate prayer (of the youth) “Lord our God,” the words are released: “May I be worthy of holy Baptism,” and then up to the exclamation: “All glory befits you...”; in the last prayer, “God the Father Almighty,” the words are released: “and vouchsafe it in the time of need, and by water and the Spirit of birth...” before the exclamation.
The Church forbids Christian wives who have become mothers to enter the temple until the 40th day and begin communion of the Holy Mysteries, bearing in mind the example of the Mother of God, who fulfilled the law of purification (Luke 2:22). In the event of a serious illness, the mother is granted communion of the Holy Mysteries regardless of this prescription.
DISCLOSURE
Announcement of adults. Adults (and youth from 7 years of age) who wish to be baptized are allowed to receive Holy Baptism:
after testing their sincere desire to leave their previous errors and sinful life and accept the Orthodox Christian faith and after the announcement, i.e., teaching the faith of Christ.
Announcement of children. The announcement is also made at the Baptism of an infant. Then the recipients are responsible for him, who vouch for the faith of the baptized person.
The rite of catechumen performed in church over adults is more extensive compared to the rite of catechumen for infants.
During the Baptism of adults, the following is observed: the person wishing to be baptized is first separated from the society of non-believers through prayers and sacred rites, and at the same time he is given a Christian name. Then three announcements are made (in the vestibule, at the church doors).
In the first announcement, the person wishing to be baptized calculates in detail his previous errors regarding the true faith of Christ, renounces them and expresses a desire to be united with Christ.
In the second catechumen, he separately confesses the dogmas of the Orthodox Church and reads an oath that he renounces all previous errors, accepts the dogmas of the Orthodox Church not out of any misfortune, need, not out of fear, or poverty, or profit, but for the sake of the salvation of the soul, loving Christ the Savior with all my heart. Sometimes both of these announcements are made together, for example, when accepting persons from the Jewish faith and from Mohammedanism into Christianity (Great Trebnik, ch. 103-104).
The first and second announcement occurs only over adults. The third announcement is made over both adults and infants. In it, renunciation of the devil and union with Christ is accomplished.
This announcement (common for adults and infants) begins with sacred rites and prayers, which mainly drive away the devil.
The priest blows three times on the catechumen's face, marks his forehead and chest three times, places his hand on his head and reads first one preconciliatory prayer, and then four incantatory prayers. At the end of the incantatory prayers, the priest again blows crosswise on the baby three times, pronouncing the words: “Cast out from him every evil and unclean spirit hidden and nesting in his heart.”
All these rituals are very ancient. In ancient times, by blowing three times, blessing three times, and reading the preconception prayer, a pagan or Jew who wished to accept Christianity prepared for the catechumen, i.e., listening to Christian teaching. Just as when creating man, God “breathed into his face the breath of life” (Gen. 2:7), so when recreating him, at the very beginning of Baptism, the priest blows three times on the face of the person being baptized. The priestly blessing separates the baptized person from the infidels, and the laying of hands on him serves as a symbol of the fact that the priest teaches him the grace of God, which renews and recreates. Then, after reading the incantatory prayers, the person being baptized himself renounces the devil.
Renunciation of the devil constitutes the turning of the baptized person (an adult - “having grief on his hands”) and the recipient to the west, renunciation, blowing and spitting (at the enemy the devil).
The person being baptized turns to the west, to the country from which darkness appears, because the devil, from whom one must renounce, is darkness and his kingdom is the kingdom of darkness.
The renunciation itself is expressed by a threefold answer - “I deny” to the priest’s three times repeated questions:
“Do you deny Satan, and all his works, and all his angels, and all his ministry, and all his pride?”
Then to the threefold question: “Have you renounced Satan?” - the person being baptized answers: “I have renounced.”
This threefold renunciation ends with the baptized person or (if an infant) his recipient blowing as a sign that he is expelling the devil from the depths of his heart and spitting on him as a sign of contempt.
Combination of Christ. These include: turning to the east (an adult - “having a lot of hands”), expressing one’s combination to Christ, reading the Creed and worshiping God.
Union with Christ is the same as entering into a covenant or spiritual union with Christ and promising to be faithful and submissive to Him. Combining with Christ, the baptized person turns to the east, as a source of light, because paradise was in the east, and God is called the East: “His name is East.”
The combination itself is expressed as follows: to the priest’s three questions: “Are you compatible with Christ?” - the person being baptized answers three times: “I am combined.” Then, to the priest’s three questions: “Have you joined with Christ and believed in Him?”, he answers three times: “I have joined together and believe in Him as a King and God,” and reads the Creed. Finally, he answers three more times: “We are united,” to the same three-fold question of the priest and, at his invitation, bows to the ground, saying: “I bow to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible.” The priest reads a prayer for the person being baptized.
Note.
Until now, everything related to the announcement is carried out by the priest in the epitrachelion. After worshiping the Holy Trinity and praying for the person being baptized, the priest, according to the Rules, enters the temple with the person being baptized, dresses in a phelonion (white) and puts on armbands (“sleeves”) for the convenience of the sacred ceremony.
After the end of the announcement, the priest begins to perform the sacrament of Baptism itself. “With all the candles being burned, the priest takes the censer, goes to the font and burns incense around.” Usually three candles are placed at the font itself and candles are given to the recipients.
Both the white robe of the priest and the lighting of the lamps express the spiritual joy of a person’s enlightenment in the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is called enlightenment due to its grace-filled gifts.
A note about receivers.
There must be recipients for both the Baptism of adults and infants. According to the Charter, the person being baptized is provided with one recipient of the same sex as the person being baptized. It is customary to have two recipients (male and female).
The recipients must be persons of the Orthodox confession. Persons of non-Orthodox confession (Catholics, Anglicans, etc.) may be allowed to be recipients only as an exception; at Baptism they must recite the Orthodox Creed.
Recipients can be persons over 15 years of age.
Parents of their children, monks, cannot be the successors of their children.
In extreme cases, it is allowed to perform Baptism without recipients; in this case, the performer of the sacrament himself is the recipient.
BAPTISM
The priest begins the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism with the exclamation: “Blessed is the Kingdom...”.
And then follows the great litany for the blessing of water. The deacon pronounces the litany, and the priest secretly reads a prayer for himself, may the Lord strengthen him to perform this great sacrament.
Blessing of water is performed through a great litany and a special prayer, in which the Holy Spirit is called upon to sanctify the water and may it become impregnable to opposing forces. When reading the words from this prayer three times: “May all resisting forces be crushed under the sign of the image of Your Cross,” the priest “signs the water three times (depicting the sign of the cross), immersing his fingers in the water and blowing on it.”
Blessing of the oil. After the water is blessed, the oil is blessed. The priest blows on the oil three times and marks it three times (with a cross) and reads a prayer over it.
Anointing of water and the person being baptized with consecrated oil. Having immersed the brush in the consecrated oil, the priest draws a cross in the water three times, saying: “Let us hear” (if a deacon is serving, he pronounces this exclamation), the psalmist sings “Alleluia” three times (three times three times).
Just as the Lord sent an olive branch with a dove to those in Noah’s ark, a sign of reconciliation and salvation from the flood (see prayer at the consecration of oil), so over the water of Baptism a cross is made with oil as a sign that the waters of Baptism serve for reconciliation with God and that God's mercy is revealed in them.
After this the priest says:
“Blessed be God, enlighten and sanctify every person coming into the world...”
And the one being baptized is anointed with oil. The priest depicts the sign of the cross on the forehead, chest, back (“interdoramia”), ears, arms and legs of the person being baptized, saying the words -
When anointing the forehead: “The servant of God (name) is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen”;
When anointing the chest and back: “For the healing of soul and body”;
When anointing the ears: “For the hearing of faith”;
When anointing the hands: “Thy hands make me and create me”;
When anointing the feet: “Let him walk in the steps of Your commandments.”
This anointing with oil in purpose and inner meaning is the grafting of the wild olive - the baptized - to the fruitful olive - Christ, and indicates that in Baptism a person is born into a new spiritual life, where he will have to fight the enemy of salvation - the devil; This symbol is taken from ancient times, where wrestlers usually rubbed themselves with oil for success in wrestling.
Immersion of the baptized person in water. Immediately after anointing with oil, the priest performs the most essential thing in the sacrament - baptism itself (the Greek name for baptism baptisma means “immersion”) by immersing the person being baptized three times in water with the words pronounced: “THE Servant of GOD (name) IS BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AMEN, AND SON, AMEN, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, AMEN."
The recipients also pronounce the threefold “Amen”. Immersion in water should be complete, not partial or by dousing. The latter is permissible only for seriously ill patients.
During immersion, the person being baptized faces the east.
After completing the triple immersion, it is necessary to sing (three times) the 31st Psalm (at this time the priest washes his hands after Baptism). Immediately after Baptism, the priest dresses the baptized person in white clothes.
Dressing the person being baptized in white clothing and laying on the cross. At the same time, the priest pronounces the words: “The servant of God (name) is clothed in the robe of righteousness, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.”
At this time the troparion is sung: “Give me a robe of light, dress in light like a robe, O most merciful Christ our God.”
White clothing is a symbol of the purity of the soul acquired in the sacrament of Baptism, and at the same time the purity of life to which a person commits himself after Baptism. The laying of the cross is a constant reminder of the new service to Jesus Christ and of bearing one’s life cross according to the word of the Lord.
When laying a pectoral cross, the priest overshadows the baby with it, saying: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” after which, according to existing practice, he says the following words from the Gospel: “If anyone wants to walk after Me,” says the Lord, “let him be rejected.” himself, and will take up his cross, and come after Me.”
After putting on the clothes, the baptized person (if an adult) is given a lighted lamp, which signifies the glory of the future life and the light of faith with which believers, as pure and virgin souls, should meet the Heavenly Bridegroom.
At the end of these actions, the priest reads the prayer “Blessed are you, Lord God Almighty,” which serves as a transition to the sacrament of Confirmation, since it expresses, on the one hand, gratitude for the grace-filled rebirth of the newly baptized, on the other hand, a prayer for granting him the seal of the “Holy Gift” and the All-Powerful and Worshipful Spirit” and its establishment in a spiritually grace-filled life.
Note.
If, in the event of a mortal danger, a seriously ill baby is baptized by a layman, then the priest supplements Baptism with prayers and rituals that relate to Baptism and are shown in the Breviary after immersing the baby in water three times. There is no point in repeating the prayers and rituals preceding immersion in water after the Baptism itself; Baptism itself is not repeated.
Baptism performed by a layman is performed according to the following rite: “Blessed is the Kingdom,” the great litany placed at the beginning of the rite of Baptism, but without requests for the consecration of water. After the exclamation “Yako
befits You,” the 31st Psalm is sung, “Blessed are those whose iniquities have been abandoned,” and the rest of the sequence with Confirmation to the end. The image of the circle is performed near a lectern with a cross and the Gospel.
In the case when there is doubt whether the baby has been baptized and whether he has been baptized correctly, according to the explanation available in the Breviary of Peter the Mogila, Baptism should be performed on him, and the words “if he is not baptized” should be added to the perfect formula of Baptism, i.e. in full form: “The servant of God (name) is baptized, if he is not baptized, in the name of the Father...” and so on.
BRIEF RITE OF BAPTISM “FEAR FOR THE SAKE OF DEATH”
If there is a fear that the baby will not live long, the Charter commands that he be baptized immediately upon birth, and, moreover, in order to have time to perform Baptism while he is alive, Baptism is performed by the priest briefly on him, without announcement, according to the rite entitled in the Small Trebnik: “ The Prayer of Holy Baptisms in brief, like baptizing a baby, fear for the sake of death.”
Baptism is briefly performed as follows. The priest says: “Blessed is the Kingdom.” Reader: “Holy God,” “Holy Trinity.” According to the Our Father, the priest shouts, and an abbreviated prayer is read for the blessing of water. After reading it, the priest puts the oil into the water, then baptizes the baby, saying: “The servant of God is baptized,” etc.
After Baptism, the priest robes the baby and anoints him with Myrrh. Then he walks around the font with him according to order, singing: “As many as you have been baptized into Christ.” And there is a vacation.
The ritual is supposed to be performed in front of the temple gates in the vestibule. The choice of name for the baby is left to the parents. (Simeon of Thessalonica, ch. 59). Before Epiphany, adults choose their own name.
If the baby is very sick, then the Charter specifies that the naming and Baptism itself be performed immediately after the birth of the baby. In the Small Trebnik, a short rite of Baptism is given; it is entitled: “The prayer of holy baptisms in brief, as when baptizing a baby, fear for the sake of death.” See below for more details.
It usually happens that the same oil is used during Baptism, having once been consecrated according to the indicated rite. According to accepted practice, it is kept in a vessel with a corresponding inscription in the same reliquary with the World. The same reliquary contains a brush for oil.
The performance of infant baptism, especially by novice priests, requires attention and some training in the immersion itself, so that the baby does not take water into his mouth during immersion and choke. Experienced priests do this as follows. When immersing, the palm of the right hand covers the baby’s mouth and nose, and the outer fingers cover the ears. With the left hand, the baby is supported by the chest under the arms. The baby is immersed in water upside down. When the child's head is raised from the water, the palm at the mouth is lowered, and at this time the child instinctively takes a breath. And then again dive with your mouth closed with your hand. After some practice, all this is done quickly and smoothly.
Liturgics: Sacraments and Rites.
30 / 01 / 2006
The sacrament of Baptism is performed in accordance with the requirements of the rites set out in the breviary.
The sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation (performed, as a rule, at the same time) are carried out according to the following sequence:
The priest invites the person wishing to be baptized, godparents, parents, and guests to the baptismal sanctuary, explains where everyone can stand and, if necessary, gives other information.
The charter provides that the priest must read several prayers in the first (first days) after the birth of the child, the prayers are very important, THEY are addressed to God with heartfelt tenderness over the woman in labor and her child, who will be baptized only after some time. Unfortunately, few people know about this, but prayers are very necessary.
1. Cleansing prayers for mom
The first action is performed when a baby is baptized. The priest prays, saying cleansing prayers over the mother, which should be read on the 40th day after birth. Mom stands next to the priest. The priest turns to God, making the usual prayer beginning, and begins to pray very touching and important prayers. He asks for the present mother to cleanse her from all sin, from all defilement, and without condemnation she will be worthy to partake of the Mysteries of Christ.
Immediately after this, the priest begins to pray for the born child, asking him to bless, grow, sanctify, chaste, and bless the baby with its parents and adopters.
2. Naming the baby
The naming of the name is accompanied by a call to prayer for those present, the priest exclaims: “Let us pray to the Lord,” the people can and should respond, “Lord, have mercy,” and then the priest turns to God with a prayer: “Lord Our God, we pray to You and ask You, that light may be signified your face on this servant of yours... etc.”
If the civil name of the catechumen is non-Orthodox, for example: Yuri, Svetlana, Stella, Alisa, Olesya, etc., then accordingly he will be given a different name, and, of course, the wishes of the parents will be taken into account, with the new name the child will undergo all the sacraments and prayers in the future.
3. Prayer for the upcoming person before Baptism (about the catechumen)
The priest turns to the person being baptized, blows on his face three times (recalling that the Lord created man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his face the breath of life and man became a living soul), marks his head, his hands, places his hand on his head (the hand of the priest is the hand The Lord Jesus Christ Himself - a gesture of protection and blessing).
He calls on the people present to pray: “Let us pray to the Lord,” the people answer, “Lord, have mercy.” The priest turns to God: “In Thy name, O Lord God of Truth, and Thy only begotten son, and Thy Holy Spirit, I lay my hand on Thy servant (says his name), who has been vouchsafed to resort to Thy Holy Name...." The priest continues to pray for catechumen and asks that the baptized be under the protection of the Lord, keep his commandments, preserving and cultivating such virtues as faith, hope and love and others.
4. Restrictive prayers of the devil's power over the catechumen
After the end of the prayer, an important action begins: the priest exclaims: “Let us pray to the Lord,” the people respond, “Lord, have mercy,” and the priest begins to pray purely, forbidding the devil and his forces to rule over this person. He had this power before Baptism, and now, after the priest prays, the devil loses this power. But for this the priest needs to make an effort; he prays, turning to God with four prayers in which the devil is humiliated; in the prayers the calls “I forbid you, devil” are often heard...
“Holy God, terrible and glorious in all his deeds and strength, incomprehensible and unsearchable, who has predestined for you, the devil, the eternal torment of languor, us unworthy of his servants commands you and with all the haste of your strength, to retreat from the newly sealed name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, our true God. I rebuke you for all the evil, and unclean, and abominable, and abominable, and alien spirit, by the power of Jesus Christ, everyone who has authority in heaven and on earth...."
At the end of the four prohibitory prayers, the priest turns to the person being baptized and blows on the lips, head and hands with the words: “cast out from him every evil and unclean spirit hidden and nesting in his heart.”
5. Renunciation of Satan
The godparents turn their backs to the priest, facing west (i.e., facing the exit from the temple); if the person being baptized is an adult, then he himself turns to the west. The priest asks a question to the person being baptized; if it is a baby, then both godparents answer for him, repeating it three times.
“Do you deny Satan, and all his works, and all his angels, and all his ministry and all his pride?”
To each question, the correct answer is: “I deny”; with this answer, the godparents or the person being baptized themselves reject their previous sinful habits and lifestyle, renounce pride, realizing that they were previously a captive of passions and Satan. The person being baptized is not afraid to do this, since the expulsion of unclean spirits has made him free.
The priest asks three times: “Have you renounced Satan?”
The correct answer to each question is: “I renounced!”
The priest instructs: “And blow and spit on it!”
Thus, the priest says to blow down and spit (symbolically) down on Satan, thereby finally humiliating the devil and renouncing him.
Then the godparents and the person being baptized turn to face the priest and the altar and continue to answer questions.
6. Confirmation of your faith in Christ
Further actions can be regarded as the oath of a Christian.
The priest asks three times: “Are you compatible with Christ?”
The correct answer to each question is: “I match!”
The priest asks once: “Are you compatible with Christ?”
Correct answer: “Matched!”
The priest asks: “And do you believe him?”
Correct answer: “I believe in him as a King and God.”
Immediately after this, the person being baptized or his godparents begin to read the Creed: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth...”
The priest, after proclaiming the “Exclamation,” calls the worshipers again to prayer, “Let us pray to the Lord,” they answer him, “Lord, have mercy!”, and begins to pray: “Sovereign, Lord Our God, call your servant (name) to your holy enlightenment and grant him this great grace of your holy Baptism...” and this is the last direct preparatory prayer of the catechumen.
And after all the above prayers and actions, the procession to Holy Baptism itself begins, which is preceded by the fervent prayer of the priest and the people present.
7. The beginning of the sacrament of Baptism itself
The priest proclaims: “Blessed is Our God always - now and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen".
And a peaceful litany begins, supplemented by petitions for the blessing of water and the preparation of the baptized person to receive the sacrament. Let me remind you that a litany is a series of important petitions aimed at joint prayer between the priest and the people; the litanies are proclaimed by the priest clearly and legibly, so that everyone standing is imbued with prayer, because it is for the people that they are proclaimed.
Within the framework of this material, I will not describe the entire litany; I think that the petitions that I describe below will reveal the entire meaning of this litany, and the reader will be imbued with and surprised by the deepest meaning of each action. Next to the petitions that, in my opinion, are not entirely clear, I will add some explanations.
Let us pray to the Lord in peace! (i.e. all together, having reconciled, without having any anger in the soul towards anyone)
Lord have mercy!
Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and for the salvation of our souls!
Lord have mercy!
Let us pray to the Lord for the peace of the whole world, the prosperity of the Holy Churches of God and the unity of all!
Lord have mercy!
For this holy temple and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord!
Lord have mercy!
For sanctification of this water, let us pray to the Lord with the power and action and influx of the Holy Spirit!
Lord have mercy!
Let us pray to the Lord for the grace of deliverance and the blessing of the Jordan to be sent down to her!
Lord have mercy!
For the hedgehog to come to this cleansing water, the all-essential action of the Trinity, let us pray to the Lord!
Lord have mercy!
For us to be enlightened by the enlightenment of reason and piety, through the influx of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord
Lord have mercy! Let us pray to the Lord for the hedgehog who is now coming to holy enlightenment and for his salvation!
Lord have mercy!
For the Lord God to hear the voice of our prayer, let us pray to the Lord!
Lord have mercy!
Let us pray to the Lord for him and us to be delivered from all sorrows of anger and need!
Lord have mercy!
Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, God with Your Grace!
Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, having commemorated themselves and each other, and our whole life, Let us hand over to Christ our God!
As in any other sacrament, in Baptism there are prayers, the so-called secret ones, the priest can read them to himself, maybe in an undertone; there are not many such prayers here. And immediately after the litany, the priest begins to pray a secret prayer, which contains an exceptional meaning: the priest exposes his sinfulness and unworthiness before the Lord and asks to send down his power from above, strengthen him, make him worthy to perform this sacrament and give him the opportunity to perform this sacrament, He also asks for the baptized person, that the Lord will edify him throughout his life and with hope
After secret prayer, the priest glorifies the Lord with exclamations and prayers.
8. Blessing of water
The priest calls on the Grace of the Holy Spirit to descend and sanctify this water.
He asks the Lord to give the Grace of deliverance, to make it a source of healing, a source of forgiveness of sins, healing of diseases, all-destructive demons, impregnable to resisting forces, filled with angelic fortress.
Once again the priest offers an important prayer, with deep, varied content; here petitions are mentioned to preserve the water in angelic purity; he asks that the evil spirit and darkness of thoughts descend during Baptism. Again, the prayer mentions requests that the Lord give water purifying properties and show us it as the water of deliverance, the water of sanctification, the cleansing of the flesh and spirit, the water of the remission of sins, the enlightenment of souls, the source of life. This prayer is truly broad and deep, and in this material we have examined only a small part of what it reveals.
9. Blessing of the oil
(From ancient times, oil symbolized healing, light and joy, and was a sign of reconciliation between God and man)
After long, attentive prayer, the sacrament smoothly transitions into the consecration of the oil. The priest reads a prayer for the consecration of the oil, after finishing with the oil, he passes through the water 3 times in a cross shape, singing “Hallelujah” also three times.
In the anointing of water and the body of the baptized person with oil, the oil signifies the fullness of life and the joy of reconciliation with God.
10. Anointing with holy oil
Immediately after this consecration of the oil, the priest anoints the person being baptized on the forehead, chest, ears, hands, and feet. After anointing with holy oil, the priest immerses the person being baptized into the font three times.
11. Baptism - immersion in the font
Accompanying the first immersion with the words: “The servant of God is baptized (says his name) in the name of the Father, Amen!” Second dive: “And the Son, Amen!” Third immersion: “And the Holy Spirit, Amen!” The deepest mystery has been accomplished: the renewal of human life, from sin, the unity of the Divine and Human. Spiritual birth. The priest independently removes the child from the font and hands him over to his godparents. The godparents wipe the baby from the remaining water and put a baptismal set (white clothes) on him. The priest washes his hands while reading Psalm 31.
12. Vestments of the person being baptized
Next, the priest accompanies the child’s vestment with the exclamation: “The servant of God (names) is dressed in the robe of righteousness, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen!” Dressing in white robes symbolizes a person's return to wholeness, innocence, and purity. The priest puts a Cross on the child, having previously blessed him. Reads the troparion to the Cross.
13. Sacrament of Confirmation
Myrrh is oil that has been prepared and blessed in a special way. After the baptized person is dressed in white vestments, the priest begins to pray for the baptized person to be given the Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit, thus preparing the newly enlightened person for the sacrament of confirmation, asks to preserve him in Divine sanctification, confirm him in the Orthodox faith, deliver him from the evil one and all his undertakings, and saving fear God protects the soul of the baptized person in purity and truth. At the end of the prayer, the priest anoints the forehead, eyes, nostrils, lips, chest, both ears, arms, legs with myrrh and says for each anointing: “Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen!" As a rule, the godparents say “Amen.” The Sacrament of Confirmation has great meaning - this is the gift of the Holy Spirit that is already given to a baptized person, i.e., the Descent of the Holy Spirit onto the soul of the baptized person. Different parts of the body are anointed in order to sanctify the body and soul of a person, namely to sanctify the soul, eyes, feelings, hearing, to bless hands for blessed work and feet on the path to God.
14. Three-time solemn procession around the font
The priest gives lighted candles to the godparents, and after that the three-fold walk around the font immediately begins: The priest is the first with the cross, then the person being baptized and the godparents. The priest or (if there is a choir) the choir sings: “If you are baptized into Christ, put on Christ. The solemn circumambulation of the font is an expression of the joy of the Church about the birth from it of the Spirit of God. The circle is a symbol of eternity, and the procession symbolizes the desire to serve the baptized God. After the third round, everyone falls into place.
15. Prokeimenon, Apostle, Gospel
The solemn part begins, the prokeimenon is proclaimed. After the prokemne, the reading of the Apostolic Epistle begins immediately. Next, read the Gospel. I would like to especially note this important solemn moment, which, as a rule, goes unnoticed by those present; all emotions and attention of people remain at the moment of immersion, anointing, and even walking around the font, and to the important apostolic epistles and the Gospel on the occasion of Baptism there is no interest left at all, and yet the Church, precisely in the apostolic readings and in the Gospel, tries to convey to those present at Baptism very important points of reference, the entire semantic meaning of Baptism, as well as the call of the Lord himself, reflected in the historical moment: the need to be baptized and learn through priests. After the reading of the Gospel ends, a short litany begins, in which the priest turns to God and tells everyone present to pray for the recipients and the newly enlightened.
16. Ablution
Next, the priest offers two prayers and washes the parts of the body that have been anointed with the holy world (washing off the holy world). Let's pray to the Lord! - Lord have mercy! The priest reads a prayer before tonsure (tonsure has been a symbol of sacrifice, readiness to serve since ancient times), blesses the person being baptized and places his hand on him, having finished, turns to the newly enlightened one, tonsures him crosswise and proclaims: “The Servant of God is tonsured (says his name) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." After which a small litany is proclaimed again, mentioning the recipients and the newly enlightened one. Following this, the priest administers the dismissal, turning to the people with the cross. After the end of the sacrament of Baptism, if the Baptism took place in the baptism, they go to the temple and perform churching. This happens very quickly and there is no point in dwelling on this for long; it is only important to know that at the church service the priest takes the child in his arms. The girl is carried to the Royal Doors, and the boy is carried into the altar. After which the baptized person is returned to his mother. And finally, if there are gifts, the priest will take the chalice with gifts from the altar and give the baby communion for the first time.
At the end of the sacrament, do not forget to pick up the Certificate of Baptism, which must be signed by the priest performing the sacrament.
If you have good feelings of gratitude towards the priest performing the sacrament, do not ignore them, often through you the Lord thanks the priest for his work, because just like that, out of nowhere, no one will help him, only through you, dear friends! It is better to thank in person, because if you put your gratitude in the church box, the funds will go exclusively to the maintenance of the Temple. And the priest also really needs your help.
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On December 28, 2011, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, the document “On religious, educational and catechetical service in the Russian Orthodox Church” was adopted. The rules for the Baptism of a person in the Orthodox Church, set out in detail in this document, are brought into stricter compliance with the Gospel teaching. Based on these provisions, which are mandatory for execution in all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, a person can begin the rite of Baptism only after undergoing special training, called in the church the announcement.
All adults and children over 12 years of age who wish to receive the sacrament of Baptism must undergo the announcement. It is unacceptable to perform the sacrament of Baptism on people who do not want to prepare to participate in the sacrament. Necessary conditions for accepting the sacrament of Baptism are the Orthodox faith (Mark 16:16) and repentance of those wishing to be baptized (Acts 2:38).
The faith of the catechumens must be expressed in their confession of Jesus Christ as the true God and Savior, in the firm intention to live according to the teachings of the Church and the Word of God, in the confession of the Creed. The sacrament of Baptism cannot be performed on a person who denies the fundamental truths of the Orthodox faith and Christian morality. People who wish to be baptized for superstitious reasons cannot be allowed to participate in the sacrament. In this case, it is recommended to postpone the sacrament of Baptism until the person understands the true meaning of the sacrament.
The ultimate goal of the catechumen is churching - the entry of the newly enlightened into the Church as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12; 27) and a holy people. (1 Pet. 2; 9) In each specific case, the duration and scope of the catechism must be determined by the clergy and lay catechist with love and prudence. The catechumen should, whenever possible, include a study of the Creed, selected passages of Holy Scripture, the foundations of Christian morality, including the concept of sins and virtues, and an introduction to the liturgical life of the Church.
In the absence of opportunities or conditions for a lengthy announcement, the following requirements for mandatory minimum announcement must be met: it is necessary to conduct at least two public conversations about the basic concepts of Christian morality, Orthodox teaching and church life. At the first conversation, special attention should be paid to clarifying the motives of a person’s request to the Church, helping him understand the Christian meaning of the sacrament, answering questions and initial instruction in the faith. At the second conversation, the catechumens should be given general instruction in the Christian faith and life through the interpretation of the Creed and biblical commandments.
The catechist must focus the attention of the catechumen on the need to change his life in accordance with the Gospel, and also make sure that he has correctly assimilated Orthodox truths about God, the world and man. After the second public conversation or immediately before the sacrament of Baptism, the priest must conduct a repentant and confessional conversation, the purpose of which is for the baptized person to recognize his sins and affirm his desire to renounce them and begin a new life in obedience to God and His Church.
In the case of performing the sacrament of Baptism on sick people or in conditions of danger to life, the announcement must be made after Baptism at the first opportunity.
The new rules of Baptism, according to Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, can lead to the following positive changes in church life: firstly, conscious membership in the Church will appear, with the prospect of nominal membership in parishes, which will give the laity the opportunity to actually participate in Church Councils. Another plus is that “Recently, a considerable number of more educated young people have appeared in the church; they do not have a calling to follow the path of the priesthood, but they want to serve the faith, people. And there are two types of service that the Church and the Patriarch offer. The first is merciful, the second is catechetical.” For young people, this is an opportunity to find themselves, an opportunity for self-realization.
The rules for the Baptism of a child, in accordance with the general meaning of the adopted document, also underwent a strict revision. When performing the sacrament of Baptism on infants and children under 12 years of age, it is necessary to remember that the baptism of infants is performed in the Church according to the faith of their parents and adoptive children. In this case, both parents and godparents must undergo minimal clerical training, except in cases where they regularly participate in church sacraments. Public conversations with parents and recipients should be conducted in advance and separately from the sacrament of Baptism.
“It is appropriate to urge parents and recipients to prepare for participation in the Baptism of their children by personal participation in the sacraments of Repentance and the Eucharist”- the document emphasizes. “The return of the sacrament of Baptism to its original place in the liturgical life of the Church is facilitated, in particular, by the solemn celebration of Baptism by complete immersion on the eve of Easter, the twelfth and great feasts.”
Before Baptism, it is advisable to prepare in advance the necessary baptismal accessories, clothes for baptism, and most importantly, you must have a special mood in your soul that something vital is happening.
For a boy or a girl, recipients from the font of the same gender as the person being baptized are needed. According to the canons of the Church, one godparent is enough, for a boy it is a godfather, for girls it is a godmother, but in Russia the tradition of having two godparents has taken root. The child’s parents must take the choice of godparents seriously and with full understanding of the responsibility of the godparent for the Christian upbringing of the godson. For the Baptism of children under seven years of age, the consent of the parents is required; from seven to fourteen years of age, the consent of not only the parents, but also the child himself is required. Teenagers over 14 years of age can be baptized independently; parental consent is no longer required.
You need to take with you to the temple:
1 Pectoral cross for the person being baptized
2 Documents
3 Kryzhma - A large new towel or baptismal diaper for the baby