"Taste the source of immortality. Accept the body of Christ" - this is how it is sung at the moment of the sacrament. What great words! Christ Himself at the Last Supper blessed wine and bread, turning these simple products into His own Blood and Body. Jesus commanded the apostles to receive His Body and Blood, and they passed this commandment on to Christians.
What is the sacrament?
It's pointless to talk about the meaning and preparation for the sacrament without knowing what it is. Orthodox Communion is a union with Jesus Christ through partaking of His Body and Blood. Under the guise of these are wine and bread (prosphora).
Why is this needed?
Communion - the communion of the soul to eternal life. This is the essence of the sacrament - to unite with Christ and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
An interesting moment: you can start the sacrament only of your own free will. That is, a person must want to partake, believe that only through the acceptance of the Blood and Body of Christ we become heirs of Eternal life.
How to prepare for the sacrament?
The most important question that worries neophytes is not an offensive word, but the name of those who are just starting their journey to Christ - preparation for the sacraments. As you know, there are seven of them. However, the main ones that Christians come into contact with regularly are confession and communion.
As we can see, confession comes first. The absolution of sins is closely interconnected with the sacrament, a person first confesses, only then comes to the Chalice. An exception - communion without confession - is possible in rare cases and only with the permission of the priest.
The second question, which worries no less than the first, is how to spend time after communion. Is it possible to sleep, talk, do some business after communion? We will definitely talk about this a little later. Now let's talk about preparing for the sacraments. Here is what you need to do before partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ:
- fast both physically and spiritually;
- carefully prepare for confession;
- to confess;
- subtract the communion order and the necessary canons.
Now let's talk about each item in more detail.
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Fasting is the voluntary rejection of animal products. There are four main fasts and one-day fasts. Four long fasts are made throughout the year, one-day - Wednesday and Friday. Orthodox fast on Wednesday, in memory of the Gospel events. On this day the Lord was betrayed by Judas, on Friday he was crucified.
The early Christians fasted for a week before taking the sacrament. Now fasting has been reduced to three days, although only the priest can set the exact time of abstinence. With the blessing of the priest, concessions are made to fasting for pregnant and lactating women, the sick, travelers and children.
During the fast, as mentioned above, refuse animal products. We list what is hidden under this name:
- Any kind of meat.
- Dairy products, this also includes cheeses.
- Muffins and pastries containing milk, butter.
- Eggs.
- It is advisable to refrain from eating fish before communion.
This is a bodily or physical fast. However, there is a spiritual fast. The person refuses entertainment activities, the spouses refrain from intimacy for three days before communion.
Entertainment events are loose concepts. These include going to a nightclub and reading a romance novel. Here's what to give up when preparing to begin the sacrament of the sacrament:
- Reading detective stories, romance novels, collections of jokes. It is permissible to read classical literature, but selectively. The Master and Margarita, for example, does not contribute to proper preparation for communion. But it is advisable to talk with the priest on this topic, because everything is individual. For example, a schoolchild was asked to read part of the novel by Monday, and on Sunday - communion. Reading by obedience (assigned by the teacher)perfectly acceptable.
- Watching TV, playing computer games, surfing the Internet aimlessly.
- Singing and dancing.
- Listening to worldly songs.
- Visit theaters, cinemas, exhibitions, discos, cafes and restaurants.
- Visiting.
Three days is a short time. A person is able to refuse the listed for this time.
Reading the canons and taking communion
Let's talk about what prayers to read before communion. In Orthodox prayer books there are the necessary canons and following. It is necessary to read three canons with an akathist - that's what they are called. The name makes it clear that the canons are large, in fact, reading takes about twenty minutes. Then we subtract the following to Holy Communion. In various prayer books, following is called either that, or prayers for communion. Here you have to stock up on time, proofreading takes thirty to forty minutes.
Ideally, the canons are read in the evening on the eve of communion, and the follow-up in the morning. However, this practice is gradually losing itself, people read the necessary prayers from the evening.
So we found out what prayers to read before communion. For those who, due to illness, are not capable of proofreading, we publish a video recording of the reading of the sequence.
Preparing for confession
Dear readers, be patient! Soon we will tell you what to do if you feel sleepy after communion, how to spend this day, what you can do, and fromwhich is desirable to abstain. Now let's pay attention to how to properly prepare for confession.
Sit down, pick up a piece of paper and a pen, dig deep into the "bowels" of memory. Surely there will be something that you are ashamed to admit to yourself. Feel free to write down an unpleasant memory. Better yet, get a booklet in the church shop on how to properly prepare for confession. The book of Father John Krestyankin "The Experience of Building a Confession" helps a lot in this, where our daily and more serious sins are explained in detail.
Note that it is advisable to come to confession on Saturday evening, on the eve of communion. As practice shows, on Sunday morning a whole crowd of those who want to confess and take communion leans on the priest's lectern. Batiushka is physically incapable of paying enough attention to everyone and listening to an hour-long confession (something like that happens). On Saturday evening, the priest has much more time for each confessor.
How to partake properly
Is it possible to sleep after communion and how to behave on this day? Let's figure out how to properly start the sacrament, and then answer these questions.
Before approaching the Chalice, hands are folded crosswise on the chest. It is advisable to read the prayers "Your Secret Supper" and "I believe and confess that You are truly the Christ …" to yourself. The priest pronounces these prayers from the pulpit, carrying out the Chalice with the holy Blood and Body of Christ. In the event that a persondoes not know the indicated prayers, just ask for the sacrament to benefit: "Not for judgment or condemnation, but for the remission of sins and eternal life."
When approaching the Chalice, clearly state your full name and open your mouth wide. After the priest has put a spoonful of wine and a piece of prosphora into his mouth, the lips of the communicant are wetted. This is necessary so that there are no traces of communion on the lips. The communicant kisses the bottom of the Chalice and goes to a special table to take a drink and eat a piece of prosphora.
After Communion
What do prayers read after communion look like? They are called thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion. They are printed in any Orthodox prayer book, quite short. Reading takes 7-10 minutes, depending on the speed of proofreading.
Many churches practice reading thanksgiving prayers at a time when believers come up to venerate the cross. The priest stands on the pulpit, holding a cross in his hands, people kiss the instrument of the crucifixion, then step aside and listen to prayers of thanksgiving.
Prayers after Communion are obligatory. In them, we thank God for allowing us to unite with Him through communion with the sacrament.
What can not be done after communion?
Very often you have to watch two gossips meet. Both have just taken communion, but talking is simply a vital necessity. The young ladies will stand in a corner of the temple and begin to share the news.
Dear readers,remember! The most important thing that cannot be done after Holy Communion is to talk just like that. The sacrament gives us grace, which is very easy to lose, but difficult to gain. Chatting about nonsense, pouring from empty to empty, people lose this valuable gift. As an open stove loses heat, so we, in vain chatter, are left without the most expensive thing.
How best to spend this day? Is it possible to sleep after communion? The answers to the last question are different, different priests have their own opinion on this matter. for example, the famous priest Dmitry Smirnov looks at a dream after communion absolutely calmly. Some priests believe that drowsiness is a sign of demonic attacks on a person. Sleep after communion has been compared to the loss of a warm spring day when the rest of the week was cold and rainy.
If possible, it is desirable to refrain from visiting guests on this day, idle talk, stupid jokes, discussion of neighbors. Postpone watching TV and playing computer games to another day, try to keep this grace.
The question is brewing, how to save it, given grace? Sunday is dedicated to God, it is customary to read spiritual literature, it is advisable to spend time in the temple. Often people rush home after the service, but you can offer your help and clean the candlestick, for example. Just try to refrain from idle talk, we remind you again.
Once again about prayer
Is there a prayer after communion in Russian? For those unable to read thanksgiving prayersindependently publishing videos. It is very short, only eight minutes. Prayers are read clearly, everything is simple and clear.
On behavior in the temple
We have sorted out the questions of interest. How to prepare for the sacrament, how to spend this day, is it possible to sleep after communion. There is very little time left, let's clarify some points regarding behavior in the temple.
Lovely women, information for you! Now many young priests are allowed to approach the sacrament of communion, being unclean (critical days). This practice is completely unacceptable, remember. A woman can receive communion, being unclean, only when it comes to life and death. Therefore, on the red days of the calendar, stay at home, refrain from visiting the temple.
They come to the service 10-15 minutes before the start. They calmly submit notes, put candles, and kiss the icons. During Divine services it is forbidden to walk around the temple (especially during the Cherubic Hymn and the reading of the Gospel). It is advisable to refrain from talking with your neighbors, not to stare around, examining the parishioners. Just quietly pray with everyone.
When approaching confession, one should refrain from talking about one's sins. There are times when confessors tell the whole church about what they are guilty of before God, and even in not entirely correct terms. Batiushka is a man, first of all, and a man. It is especially worth remembering this for women, because the fair sex is more likely to confess publicly.
Conclusion
So ourarticle. Now readers know what communion is, how to prepare for it and how to behave on this day, is it possible to sleep and talk after communion.
