There are seven sacraments in Orthodoxy, and none of them is superfluous. These are baptism, chrismation, confession, communion, unction (also called unction), marriage of spouses and anointing to the kingdom. A Christian throughout his life meets with six sacraments, uses them for salvation and spiritual healing (anointing to the kingdom is also a sacrament, but is used only at the coronation). Most of these ordinances are used only a few times in a lifetime, if not once.
Baptism and chrismation, in which a person receives the grace of the gift of the Holy Spirit, are sacraments for a single use, it is permissible to get married today two or even three times, but still not every month, unction is usually used in preparation for death, sometimes during special repentance (fasting). Therefore, the two main Christian sacraments, which can be resorted to almost at any time, are confession and communion. In Lent, especially in Great Lent, a lot of people come to take communion, at normal times the flow of those who wish is somewhat weakening.
Not everyone knows how to properly confess and receive communion whencoming to church and what to do there.
Communion is the main sacrament of Christianity. It was commanded by Christ on the day of the Last Supper. After His death and ascension, the disciples celebrated it daily and received communion.
What is a sacrament? This is the impact on an object of the Holy Spirit, in which it is enlightened, filled with new grace. It is called a sacrament because everything that happens remains a secret from disinterested others, nothing changes outwardly.
Communion is the partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, that is, the Body and Blood of Christ. At the Last Supper, before the disciples, the Lord turned bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Communion, a person unites with Christ, receives strength for a further righteous life, for the fight against his sins. But most importantly, you need to know how to properly confess and take communion.
Why is this so important?
The connection of human nature with the nature of God cannot be indifferent to man. The soul must be prepared for such a meeting, the conscience must be cleansed.
Before confession and communion, it is customary to fast for several days (at least 3), even if there is no general church fast during this period. There is also a prayer rule that is customary to read before these important events. How to properly confess and take communion is covered in detail in a large amount of Christian literature. The most important thing in this preparation is sincere repentance for your sins. And the best optionthere will be not only repentance, but also correction, a conscientious attempt to renounce sins.
The concept of sin is completely alien to modern man. How to understand what is sin and what is not? The best way to do this is to read the Gospel and patristic literature. But this is not available to everyone, so in the temple you can buy small brochures with detailed explanations of what is sin and why. There you can usually learn how to properly confess and receive communion.
Spiritual life is unthinkable without the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries, it is necessary to start the sacrament at least once a month, but at the same time it is necessary to keep reverence in the heart.
