Church sacraments in Christianity are not always clear not only to beginners, but also to those who have long been baptized and even regularly attend the temple with their loved ones. However, the priests consider such an approach to serving Christ unacceptable, because by accepting the faith, we, along with eternal life and blessings, receive a number of rules that we must fulfill. In Christianity, it is impossible to classify the sacraments in order of importance. All of them bring only benefit to the human soul, which means that every believer should take part in them. If you ask a clergyman a question about the sacraments and their sequence, then you will most likely be answered that the first step on the path to the Lord is baptism, but the second, which carries great cleansing power, can be considered communion. Preparation for it takes quite a long period of time and requires a serious approach. A believer who wants to take communion must perform a series of manipulations and rituals in order to be admitted to one of the great sacraments. Our article in fulldedicated to the preparation for the sacrament. For beginners, this text can become a quality guide that will help you do everything on time and in accordance with church canons.
Communion: the essence of the church rite
Preparing for the sacrament involves several steps, but any church leader will advise you not to go through them thoughtlessly. In this case, the sacrament loses its importance and becomes a useless ritual, and such an attitude towards communion is considered sinful. Therefore, those who are going to perform the ceremony for the first time are advised to learn more about the very essence of the sacrament and its features before studying the information on preparing for communion.
In general terms, communion is a special moment in the spiritual life of a believer, when he can unite with the Creator, thus receiving assurance of his eternal life. It can be said that during the ceremony, a Christian partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ in order to get closer to him. The beginning of this tradition was laid by Jesus himself, saying goodbye to his disciples at the Last Supper.
The gospel describes how he broke the bread and distributed it to those present, and then poured the wine into the bowls, calling it his blood. Each of the disciples tasted bread and wine, thus communing for the first time. Today, believers who want to have eternal life must regularly perform this ordinance. Without it, it is impossible to be saved. This moment was especially marked by Jesus Christ himself.
A cursory glance at the ritual we are describing will not allow us to understand its essence and depth. From the side it seems that the parishioners just eat bread and drinkwine, but in fact, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, these products are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is perceived as a real miracle that every true believer in God can touch.
The main meaning of the sacrament is that in the process a Christian receives spiritual food, as well as a guarantee of the immortality of his soul. It is written in the sacred texts that only those who managed to unite with Jesus during their lifetime can be sure of eternal life. Naturally, the soul will be able to do this even after death.
Preparing for communion without fail includes reading the Gospel to remember the very first communion of believers in the history of Christianity.
Holy Communion: preparation
As noted earlier, it is necessary to prepare for the ceremony in several stages. At the same time, each of them must be held consciously and evaluated from the point of view of the spiritual, and not the mundane. Unfortunately, not all believers approach the sacrament in this way, therefore, even after churching, they cannot always name all the items on the list of preparation for such an important Christian ritual.
We have compiled a list in which we have included all the manipulations and actions necessary in order to approach communion in full accordance with the rules prescribed by the church:
- home prayer (preparation for communion includes church prayers);
- fasting;
- gaining and maintaining spiritual purity;
- confession;
- attending liturgy.
Besides this,there are features of the communion procedure itself, as well as behavior after it. We will definitely mention all this in the future.
Number of communions: how many times you need to participate in the sacrament
Preparation for the sacrament and confession is very important, but usually for those who have only recently gained the faith, a reasonable question arises about the possible frequency of participation in the rite. Many guess that the sacrament can be performed more than once, which significantly distinguishes it from baptism. But it still remains unclear how regular a ritual should be that requires such careful preparation.
The priests advise doing this at least once a month. Even better, if you begin to take communion weekly. To some Christians, this number seems excessive, but in fact it is difficult to imagine how one can consider the opportunity to unite with Christ and feel his closeness as a burdensome duty. Of course, for beginners, preparing for communion and confession is not an easy job, requiring the exertion of all spiritual forces and, in part, being a real test of faith. However, over time, the feeling of goodness that engulfs a person after the ceremony becomes literally a necessity, without which it is difficult to exist in the world.
Therefore, newcomers can perform the ordinance four times a year. It is recommended to do this during great fasts, when the soul is ordered to work and voluntarily undergo certain restrictions. Especially important is the preparation for communion in the church on the eve of Easter. On this great feast, every believer must perform the sacrament. It is believed that without thisrite, a Christian cannot fully be imbued with the light that Jesus gave to all people on earth with his resurrection from the dead.
If you have just recently come to the temple, then know that in every action, the regularity of its performance is important. For example, many communion for the first time after baptism, and then for a long time forget about this need, believing that they have already fulfilled everything prescribed for believers. However, such an attitude to the sacrament is fundamentally wrong, so try not to lose the feeling of goodness, lightness and light received in the process of partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. Keep in mind that the Lord sees not only our actions, but also our intentions, and therefore we must not forget about their purity. In the modern world it is very easy to get dirty about gossip, intrigue, anger and envy, for example. It is possible to remove such a burden from oneself only through participation in the ritual described by us.
Prayer rule
In the process of preparing for communion, prayers are a very important element that sets a person in the right mood and vividly characterizes his intentions. Let's say right away that they are secretly divided into home and church. Both of them have great power, so the priests instruct the parishioners in such a way that they will definitely come to the temple, where the collective power of turning to the Lord increases several times, but at the same time they devote time to home prayer.
The fact is that in the church every person feels the presence of higher powers, and the vibrations caused by the words of the priest uttered in the service, and mental appealsordinary parishioners are a real energy flow. It is able to soothe and heal spiritual wounds, as well as literally “wash away” any negative energy from a person.
At home, prayer is built a little differently. She, of course, has some healing and cleansing power, but at the same time requires more concentration. After all, among worldly affairs and worries, it is rather difficult for an ordinary person to reject all affairs and completely surrender to communion with the Lord.
If your goal is to prepare for communion, you should read the canons daily. Some believers read them only the day before the Sacrament, but it would still be right to start doing this at least ten days before the ceremony. Three canons are important:
- to Jesus Christ;
- to the Mother of God;
- to the guardian angel.
The text of the listed prayers can be found in the prayer book or on the relevant information resources. But usually believers know them perfectly by heart, although they are quite difficult for beginners to understand. For example, the canon to the guardian angel includes eight songs, three troparions and a prayer - and this is far from all of its components. Therefore, at first, it is allowed to read the canons from a sheet during the process of home prayer.
If you find it difficult to pronounce all the lyrics in full, then try to take one song from each canon. You can pronounce them in any order, alternating with each other.
Among the prayers, it is customary to single out Follow-up. It consists of psalms and direct prayer texts. Start of thisturning to the Lord is as follows:
In the process of preparing for communion, the canons and the Follow-up are read every day at any time convenient for a Christian. But still, it would be better to do this in the evening hours just before going to bed, when it becomes possible to analyze the past day.
Fasting
At all stages of preparation for communion and confession, prayer, even daily, will not be enough. Therefore, a prerequisite for admission to the Sacrament is fasting. It must be observed by both men and women, but children under seven years old can take part in the ceremony without prior preparation. In addition, the little ones are admitted to communion first.
Fasting is a conscious action necessary to feel the importance of the upcoming ritual. Priests always condemn mechanical adherence to the rules, and they even recommend fasting to some parishioners in a special way. In the original understanding of the word "fasting" there is a limitation. For the sake of enlightenment and glorification of God, a person must give up what is necessary and important for him. In ancient times, food served as this value, so people fasted, limiting themselves in it. Today, church ministers recommend giving up what is very dear to you. For example, some should close all social networks for a certain period of time, while others should give up the Internet or purchases.
However, preparation for communion and confession includes the classic version of fasting. Three days before the Sacrament under the bandairy and meat products, as well as eggs and dishes with their use. In order to support yourself, you can eat vegetables and fish. However, in the evening hours before communion, seafood is also forbidden. From midnight, believers must give up all food and liquids. It is believed that the Body and Blood of Christ cleanse a person and sanctify him only under the conditions described above.
A few words about spiritual purity
Preparing for confession and communion involves abstaining from all sorts of recreational activities. The Church does not forbid its parishioners to have fun and be in a good mood, but, unfortunately, in the process of preparing for the sacrament, any such events do not contribute to maintaining spiritual purity.
Believers should not only refrain from going to visits, theatre, cinema, but also significantly limit their TV viewing. It's best if you manage to avoid television entirely.
You should pay special attention to your mood and state of mind. In the process of preparing for confession and communion, it is important to keep the purity of thoughts. Believers must control feelings such as envy, anger, censure, and so on. Avoid condemning your loved ones and unfamiliar people, negative statements and swear words. Nothing should come out of your mouth that could offend any other person. It is usually the hardest thing to control your mood. Try to be in an even and calm mood, avoiding outbursts of emotions.
Free timeit is recommended to spend in prayer and reading church books. How much effort to spend on this activity, the person decides. There are no special regulations or rules in the church on this issue. Preparation for communion also implies the rejection of intimacy between spouses on the eve of the ceremony. The ban does not apply to the time slot prior to this evening.
Confession
Repentance and awareness of one's imperfection is an indispensable condition for the performance of the Sacrament. In the process of preparing for communion, everyone who plans to take part in the ceremony should voice sins before the priest. Reconciliation with the Lord is possible only in the process of confession, which can be imagined as listing one's sins before a priest. He, in turn, will pray for their redemption, which significantly distinguishes confession from an ordinary conversation with a church minister. If you have accumulated a lot of questions to the minister of the church, then try to arrange a meeting and conversation in advance. Usually a lot of people gather for confession, and therefore a detailed conversation may not work out. Therefore, beginners who prepare for communion and confession for the first time remember the sins committed over the years of their lives in advance and come to the temple with full awareness of their evil deeds.
Any person who thinks about confession for the first time understands that he does not always do the right thing. The commandments given by the Lord to Moses list all the aspects that a Christian must adhere to. If you do not complyat least one of them, then sinful behavior is close to you, which means that the time has come to come to the temple with repentance.
It is interesting that in the process of preparing for confession and communion, many people think about how to make a complete list of sins. However, the ministers of the church strongly condemn this approach to the sacraments. The fact is that in the modern world of information technology it is customary to treat everything mechanically. Therefore, ready-made registers of sins are often used. In the process of preparing for confession and communion (many do not even think about how to make such a list on their own), such an attitude to the great sacrament is condemned and cannot be a characteristic of a worthy Christian.
Keep in mind that in the process of confession you do not need to be embarrassed and come up with the correct names of sins. Oddly enough, but many try even during confession to "keep up the mark" and not lose face in front of the priest. However, this is not the way to behave. From century to century, the list of sins practically does not change, and the ministers of the church managed to hear about various sins, so it is difficult to surprise or amaze them with anything.
Practical Advice for Confession
Even those who make preparations for confession and communion more than once (prayers, fasting, confession of sins, and so on) cannot always put together all the rules that will help confess to the Lord in full understanding of what they have done.
First of all, it is worth understanding that in the literal sense of the word, confession or repentance sounds like a “change of mind”. That's whyyou need to understand that changes in your life begin even before you come to the temple. If you are willing to take the time to realize the unrighteousness of life, then by the time you meet with the priest, the changes have already begun.
Remember that repentance is mainly about mortal sins such as adultery, theft, renunciation of one's faith, and so on. Of course, at confession, it is also necessary to list minor sins that we commit every day and do not even always realize that we are doing wrong. Rest assured that we will make such mistakes all the time, and we must be prepared for this. Quite often, church ministers advise accepting your sinfulness humbly, because only the Lord does not have sin, and everyone else is more or less prone to mistakes.
Keep in mind that it is impossible to fully repent of sins if you are in a quarrel with someone. Of course, the priest will accept repentance from you, and you will be able to take communion, but in reality the confession will be incomplete. Try to resolve all conflict situations before going to the temple. If this cannot be done due to the categorical refusal of the other person, then mentally ask for his forgiveness and forgive him for everything yourself.
Keep in mind that after confession, the priest may assign you a penance. Many see it as a punishment, but it is in reality an opportunity to cleanse and prepare for the sacrament. Penance is appointed for a certain period of time and can be abstinence, reading special prayers, or, for example, performing certain acts associated withcharity.
When we talk about communion, then confession must be made on the eve of the sacrament. In extreme cases, this can be done on the morning of the day of communion. But in this situation, you must know for sure that the clergyman will be able to devote time to you. Otherwise, you will not partake of the sacrament.
Divine Liturgy
After fulfilling all the above conditions, believers must come to the liturgy. This service is held from the very early morning and those who plan to take communion come to it with an empty stomach. You need to endure the service to the end and, in its final part, accept the gifts, which will symbolize the Blood and Body of Christ.
Rules of conduct during and after communion
Having defended the liturgy, the faithful accept the gifts with reverence. At the same time, you should not be baptized near the bowl, but it will be more convenient and more correct to fold your hands on your chest with a cross. In the process of accepting gifts, it is important to say your name. And keep in mind that it must be the one you were baptized with.
After you move away from the bowl, approach the table with prosphora. Take one and eat it right away. Then it is recommended to move away from the table so as not to interfere with the rest of the parishioners to bring the sacrament to its logical conclusion.
However, after performing all the manipulations, the church cannot be left. No less important than the acceptance of gifts is the pronunciation of thanksgiving prayers, as well as the kissing of the cross. With him, the priest walks around the flock at the very end of the service.
Only after all this can we assume thatthe mystery has been completed. The ministers of the church recommend that by all means try to preserve the feeling received in the process of communion. Moreover, they argue that each next communion makes it easier and easier. In the future, the believer will be able to maintain spiritual purity and light after communion literally daily.
Communion ban: listing the categories of Christians who will be denied participation in the sacrament
Not everyone will be able to take part in communion. And everyone who plans to start preparing for the sacrament needs to know about these categories of people. For example, believers who have neglected confession will not be allowed to receive gifts. They are not given the opportunity to touch the great Christian sacrament.
The ceremony will also be denied to those who are in an insensible state. Also, spouses who had intimacy the day before will have to forget about communion. This hinders the preservation of spiritual purity, and therefore cannot be considered a charitable deed.
Women with monthly menstrual bleeding should also wait for communion. The same applies to people who are recognized as demon-possessed. If during seizures they fall into unconsciousness and carry blasphemy, then the clergy will issue a ban on their participation in the sacrament.
Preparing for the Eucharist: Reminder
So, we think that you have already fully realized how difficult the process of preparing for communion is. Therefore, it is quite easy to get confused in the rules established by the church for those who plan to take part in the sacrament. To sum up ourarticle, we have compiled a small memo.
Before going to the temple, work on the awareness of your sins and classify them. Sincerely repent of your deed and only then go to confession. Be sure to keep spiritual purity before the sacrament through prayer and fasting, as well as after it with good deeds.
In church, do not push around and do not try to be the first to receive gifts. Women must carefully observe a certain style of clothing: closed shoulders, long skirts, head covered with a scarf. Don't wear bright makeup or lipstick.
A few prayers of thanksgiving are recommended at home on the day of communion. Even if you did it in church, do not be too lazy to pray when you return home. Such zeal will not be superfluous.
Remember that fellowship with the Lord is a very valuable gift that every Christian can use. The sacrament can completely change your life, so don't waste your time and take this important step towards light and spiritual rebirth.
