A churched person is a full member of the Orthodox Church who attends church services at least once a month, regularly confesses, takes communion, observes all church regulations, fasts and takes part in events related to the life of the Church (processions of the cross, etc.. P.). Churched are also people who are forced or voluntarily living in places remote from Orthodox churches and for this reason deprived of the opportunity to regularly attend services and take part in the Sacraments, but adhere to the Orthodox Christian worldview.
What is the Church
What does churched mean? Let's find the answer to this question together. Churching takes place during the Sacrament of Baptism. This rite symbolizes the dedication of the baby to God. But this word can be understood in another way. Its root is the word Church, the Body of Christ, the union of all Christians of one denomination. That is, churching is the entry of a baby into this Body, joining him to a great common Soul - the Church. Such unity impliescommon understanding of the foundations of faith, prayer life, observed rules.
Church Girl
A churched girl should strive to become a model of chastity, decency, politeness. By this, she indirectly leads a sermon among the unbelieving people around her. She most often does not use cosmetics, tries to look neat. Clothing implies modesty, taste, measure, the absence of any pretentiousness, vulgarity. It is good if she is always dressed in such a way that she can safely enter the temple. Sometimes this desire arises spontaneously. It is not necessary to dress in all black, shapeless. But we must try not to embarrass the appearance of the people present at the church service. Girls usually have more free time than married women, so they often become members of charitable organizations, volunteers.
What unites people in the Church
A churched person is an Orthodox Christian who considers himself a part of the Church, and her - his life, strives to live according to the New Testament commandments. He can be a businessman, an athlete, the father of a large family, but he always puts faith in Christ at the forefront. Participation in services and sacraments is a necessity for him. He must understand the meaning of what is happening in the temple during the service. Most churched people observe the fasts established by the Orthodox Church, consider it necessary to read certain literature, know and read daily the morning and evening prayers of the Orthodox Prayer Book. A believer must knowa sense of spiritual unity with other members of the Church. During the holidays, it is especially acute. People are united by the desire to share joy and everything that fills the soul.
How to church another person
What does it mean to church a person? If we return to the symbolic meaning of the word "churching", then this means bringing a person into the Church. Not just take him by the hand and lead him to all the "strong" icons and relics, not hand him a Prayer Book, but help to truly feel the unity of all believers - the living and the dead. He must see that the Church is a real family. The word "church" should not be understood as a building for worship. A person who does not communicate with anyone in the temple may actually be a member of the Church, and one who shakes hands with all the parishioners and the clergy may turn out to be a stranger to Her. That is, to go to church means to give an understanding of the basics of the Orthodox dogma, to help take the first steps in a new life and master the basic church institutions, the rules of conduct in the temple. This should be done by a priest or a person with a special spiritual education. If a simple parishioner undertakes the churching of another person, he should consult with the priest. He will competently tell you how to do it right, what literature to read.
The gospel and the works of the Holy Fathers - the alphabet of the Orthodox Church
A churched person is a Christian who firmly knows the basic gospel commandments, who is familiar with the content of the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church. Mandatorythe condition is not only to know by heart, but to clearly understand and confirm with all your life the content of the text of the Creed. The beginning of acquaintance with the Church should be the reading and careful study of the New Testament. It is good if a priest or a believer who carefully studies it himself can help with this. But, unfortunately, now it is almost impossible to find a leader in the spiritual life. Therefore, it is necessary to resort to prayer and the help of the Holy Fathers. Then God Himself becomes the guide on this important path. A beginner can start with the book: "Philokalia. Favorites for the laity".
Why the Holy Fathers? You need to try to imagine that a person is skiing through an unfamiliar forest. In front of it is an excellent ski track, and next to it are numerous powdered branches. What would a reasonable person choose? A good ski track is a path paved by the Holy Fathers. They seem to call us from the other end of the forest and say: "Son, follow in my footsteps, I have safely reached the goal." Each of them went this way and carefully fixed the ski track. A smart one, of course, will boldly go down the track, a fool will begin to look for his own, new path and will surely pay for his arrogance by getting lost soon.
But in order to correctly understand the patristic works, a helper is also needed. Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) expounded their teaching in a language understandable to modern man. His book "Letters on Spiritual Life" contains correspondence with his spiritual children, in which, at the everyday level, it is stated how to understand and apply the patristic teaching in practice. A little more complicated, in the magnificent language of the 19th century, this teaching is expounded inworks of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). Quite simply and understandably, the works of the Holy Fathers and the gospel commandments for modern man are explained by the professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A. I. Osipov. You can get acquainted with his understanding on his personal website. What does a churched person mean? This is the one who shares the views of the faithful children of the Church on the foundations of Orthodoxy, loves and respects her, believes in the truth of her teachings.
Family and Church
It is much easier for a believer to lead a spiritual life if all members of his family consciously believe in God and feel the need for church fellowship. A churched family is formed when two believers create a couple. Less often, a believing husband or a believing wife manages to attract their soul mate to the Church.
In every churched family, children are certainly brought up in the Orthodox faith. The norm is a common morning and evening prayer with the whole family, reading the biographies of saints at the dinner table and, of course, regular general attendance at services, participation in the Sacraments. All this contributes to the affirmation in the faith of each of the family members individually. A churched person understands this and makes sure that all his relatives strive for spiritual life.
