The Bible says that a believer must attend the temple, which is the house of the Lord. It is in it that one can feel the holy presence of Christ and offer up words of praise to Him in the form of a prayer. There is a special atmosphere of grace in the churches, which is difficult to feel at home. Therefore, going to the temple is not only necessary, but also useful. And in order not to experience awkwardness and embarrassment, you need to clearly know how to behave within the holy walls and how to kiss the icon correctly.
History of icons
Church traditions say that the first icon was painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke. He depicted on a board from the dining table the image of the Most Holy Theotokos with a baby in her arms. When the Mother of God saw the creation, she said that with this icon there will always be graceHer Son. The physician and artist Luke is considered the first icon painter. With his light hand, the holy images of the Mother of God, God's saints and martyrs began to be depicted everywhere. And also the main church holidays were depicted on the icons. However, with the advent of the first paintings depicting saints, people still did not know how to properly kiss the icon. The rules for the behavior of believers in front of the holy images were established later.
Iconography
Each icon is created in accordance with church canons. This means that the holy image on it must be recognizable and have a decoding of the image or church event. Currently, there are more than a dozen schools of iconography. Each master has his own corporate style. Icon painters say that their work requires great dedication. After all, before the start of creation, during the painting of icons and at the end, certain prayers are read, that is, throughout the entire work of creating a holy image. Therefore, not only the creative approach is important here, but also the spirituality of the master.
Each icon must be consecrated. To do this, certain prayers are read over it, depending on the Saint depicted, and then the picture is sprinkled with holy water. Only after consecration does the image become Holy.
Rules for applying to icons
Reading a prayer in front of an icon, the Orthodox believe that it will be heard by the Saint immortalized on it. And it really is.
How to venerate an icon correctly? at firstyou need to cross yourself 2 times, then lightly kiss the edge of the icon with your lips, and then your forehead. Then step back and cross yourself again. Women must learn one rule: before approaching the icon, you need to remove lipstick from your lips.
You should not kiss the holy image several times and around the entire perimeter of the glass. In no case should you kiss the face of a saint. If the icon is “half”, you need to apply to the blessing hand. To the painted picture in full growth should be applied to the legs. If a believer is in doubt where to kiss the icon, it is better to venerate its edge.
At the icon of the miraculous image of the Savior Jesus Christ, the image of His hair should be venerated. When worshiping the cross, you need to kiss the feet of the Savior.
Can I kiss
Many doubt whether it is possible to kiss icons in a church. Here is how the church answers this question. In everyday life, with a kiss, people express their love, trust. It's the same with icons. When a believer kisses her, thereby expressing reverence for the image depicted on her.
However, more and more often people who are far from Orthodoxy are trying to teach others how to behave correctly in church, and prove that icons cannot be kissed. As an argument, they describe the results of experiments in which prints were taken from the icons. In them, scientists found a lot of dangerous bacteria that remained after numerous applications to the icon. However, the priests convince that a believer should not be afraid of this. The Lord protects the parishioners. But asAn alternative is to simply put your forehead on the edge of the icon as a sign of reverence and reverence for the holy image.
How to enter the church
People who attend church regularly know how parishioners behave in church. However, are their actions correct? Usually the clergy explain how to enter the church correctly. So:
- Before stepping over the threshold of the church, you need to cross yourself 3 times at its doors, accompanying the actions with bows from the waist.
- Men enter the temple without hats. Women are supposed to cover their heads.
- Parishioners buy candles and, if desired, order a prayer for he alth or for peace.
- How to dress for church? Men must have trousers and outerwear that does not expose their torso. For women, the main requirement is a skirt below the knee and also a closed top.
After these actions, believers approach the icons, light candles and listen to prayers read during the liturgy.
Which icons are best for
As soon as the believers enter the main part of the temple, they see a lectern with an icon of the Saint whose feast is being celebrated. There is a cross next to the Holy Image. In front of a high quadrangular table with a sloping top, you should cross yourself twice with a waist bow, and then kiss the icon itself and the cross.
Which icons should be approached first of all after the lectern? Here the choice depends on the desire of the parishioner. For example, a candle for he alth can be placed in front of him. It will not be a mistake if a believer comes toimage of a specific Saint with a request for he alth and put a candle there. It is better to find out from the priest which saints help with what, and then approach a specific icon with a prayer.
For example, in front of the icon "The Inexhaustible Chalice" they ask for deliverance from drunkenness. Prayer before the image of the Healer Panteleimon helps to get rid of serious ailments.
You need to commemorate the dead in front of a special icon. This place is called eve. It is located on the left side of the temple and is a table of 40 candles. It is allowed to commemorate the dead when leaving the church. One candle is enough for this.
Rules of conduct during worship
How to behave in church correctly? During worship, believers should stand quietly and listen to a prayer or read it together with a priest. You can not walk around the temple, walk between the royal gates and the lectern.
How do newcomers behave in church when the service has already begun? If a believer entered the temple during the service, it is better to participate in it, and then put candles to the Saints. Suppose a parishioner does not have such an opportunity, which means that he must move around the church very carefully so as not to distract others from prayer. At the end of the service, the faithful leave the temple, crossing themselves 3 times with a bow from the waist.
What clothes to choose for the temple
Earlier, men came to worship in formal suits, and women in elongated dresses. Now, more and more often, parishioners come to the House of God in informal clothes, for example, men allowput on shorts for yourself, and short skirts and trousers for women.
Modern youth believes that the main thing is not the appearance, but what a person has inside.
How to dress for church? How does God want us to be in His home? The first pages of the Bible say that clothing should cover a person's nakedness. Holy Scripture teaches people to dress piously. If parishioners come to the service in open clothes, they thereby show their disrespect for the shrine. It distracts from prayer. People just start looking at each other's bodies. Provocative and bright things are also unacceptable for the church, as they distract parishioners from worship. Clive Lewis wrote that fashion diverts a person's attention from true values. Even these words are enough to understand that you need to dress modestly in church. The body of the parishioners should be covered, and the woman should refuse trousers during the service.
Icons in the house
Even in ancient times, people had a tradition to bring icons into the house, as a rule, two - the image of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ. Often they were supplemented with icons of saints whose names were given to the owners of the house.
In the modern world, this custom has been preserved. Priests recommend setting up a prayer corner at home. There you can place icons, a small lamp in front of them. It is not advisable to acquire a lot of icons, because these are not paintings and each image will have to pray. If the home icon has faded, it must be set on fire. The holy image to which they pray must always be clear. And therefore it is impossible to pray distorted from old ageicons.
How to venerate the icon at home, and should I do it? Here the actions of the believer are similar to church rules. So we express respect for the Saint, whose image is depicted. Therefore, after a prayer, you can kiss the icon. In the house it is recommended to have icons with holy images of the Most Holy Theotokos, Nicholas the Wonderworker, martyrs Guriy, Samon and Aviv, whose prayer helps to find family well-being.
