What is a church ordinance?

For many people, the church life is limited to rare trips to the temple in cases where things do not turn out as successfully as we would like. Usually we put a couple of candles and can leave a donation. After that, we are waiting for some relief or serious positive changes in life, sincerely believing that they received some kind of grace at the time of the church. But in fact, spiritual feeding can not be limited to superficial and often thoughtless actions. If you really want to experience the grace of the Holy Spirit, then you need special rituals - church ordinances. Our article will be devoted to them.

Sacraments of the Church: Definition and General Characteristics

Everyone who has even encountered the Christian religion at least occasionally has heard such a phrase as "a church sacrament". It is understood as a certain priesthood, which should give a person grace from the Holy Spirit.

It is necessary to clearly understand the differences between ordinary church services and rituals from sacraments. The fact is that most rituals were invented by people and only eventually became mandatory for those who lead a spiritual life. But the mystery of the sacraments of the church is that they were established by Jesus Christ himself. Therefore, they have a special divine origin and act on a person at a psychophysical level.

Why is it necessary to take part in the sacraments?

The church sacrament is a special action that guarantees a person the grace of the higher powers. Quite often, to ask for healing or well-being for our loved ones, we come to the temple and take part in the service. Also quite common in Orthodoxy is the transfer of notes with names for clergymen who pray for people indicated in the paper. But all this can be effective, and maybe not. It all depends on the will of God and his plans for you.

But the church ordinances in Orthodoxy give an opportunity to receive grace as a gift. If the sacrament itself is properly conducted and a person is set up to receive a blessing from God, then he falls under the grace of the Holy Spirit, and already depends on himself how to take advantage of this gift.

The number of sacraments of the church

Now Orthodoxy has seven church ordinances, initially there were only two. They are mentioned in the Christian texts, but over time, five more sacraments are added to them, which together formed the ritual basis of the Christian religion. Each clergyman can easily list seven church ordinances:

• Epiphany.
• Chrismation.
• The Eucharist (communion).
• Repentance.
• Anointing.
• The Sacrament of Marriage.
• Sacrament of the Priesthood.

Theologians maintain that Jesus Christ himself established baptism, anointing and communion. These sacraments were mandatory for any believer.

Classification of the Sacraments

Church ordinances in Orthodoxy have their own classification, every Christian who must take the first steps on the way to God must know about this. Sacraments can be:

• Mandatory;
• Optional.

The first category includes the following rituals:

• Epiphany;
• Anointing;
• participle;
• repentance;
• Anointing.

The sacrament of marriage and the priesthood are the free will of man and belong to the second category. But it is worth bearing in mind that in Christianity only the marriage that is consecrated by the church is recognized.

Also, all the sacraments can be divided into:

• Single-shot;
• Repeatable.

A single church sacrament can be performed only once in life. This category is suitable for:

• Epiphany;
• Anointing;
• Sacrament of the Priesthood.

The rest of the rites can be repeated many times depending on the spiritual needs of man. Some theologians still consider the Sacrament of Marriage to be one-time ceremonies, for a wedding in the church can be performed once in a lifetime. Despite the fact that many now speak of such a ritual as debunking, the official position of the Church on this issue has not changed for many years - the marriage concluded before God can not be canceled.

Where are the church ordinances studied?

If you do not plan to associate your life with the service of God, then it is enough for you to have a general idea of what the seven church ordinances of the Orthodox Church are. But otherwise you will need to carefully study each rite, which occurs during the training in the theological seminary.

Ten years ago, as a textbook for seminarians, the book "Orthodox Teaching on Church Ordinances" was published. It reveals all the secrets of the rituals, and also includes materials from various theological conferences. By the way, this information will be useful to anyone who is interested in religion and wants to penetrate deeply into the essence of Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular.

Sacraments for children and adults: is there a separation

Of course, there are no special church ordinances for children, because they have equal rights and responsibilities with adult members of the Christian community before God. Children take part in baptism, chrismation, sacrament and anointing. But repentance arouses certain difficulties for some theologians when we are talking about a child. On the one hand, children are born practically sinless (with the exception of original sin) and do not have actions behind them, for which they must repent. But, on the other hand, even a little child's sin is a sin before God, therefore it requires awareness and repentance. It is not necessary to wait, when a series of minor misconduct will lead to the formation of a sinful consciousness.

Naturally, the sacrament of marriage and the Priesthood is inaccessible to children. Participation in such ceremonies can take a person who, according to the laws of the country, is recognized as an adult.

Epiphany

The Church Sacraments of Baptism become literally the gate through which a person enters the Church and becomes a member. For the performance of the sacrament, water is always necessary, for Jesus Christ himself was baptized in the Jordan to set an example to all his followers and show them the shortest path to the atonement of sins.

Baptism is performed by a clergyman and requires some preparation. If we are talking about a church sacrament for an adult who consciously came to God, then he needs to read the Gospel, and receive instructions from the clergyman. Sometimes, before the baptism, people attend special classes, during which they receive basic knowledge of the Christian religion, church rites and God.

Baptism is held in the temple (when it comes to a seriously ill person, the ceremony can be performed at home or in the hospital) by a priest. A person is facing east and listening to cleansing prayers, and then, turning to the west, he renounces sin, Satan and former life. Then he is thrice immersed in the font under the priest's prayers. After this the baptized is considered born in God and as a confirmation of his membership in Christianity receives a cross that must be worn constantly. It is customary to keep the baptismal shirt for life, it is a kind of amulet for a man.

When the sacrament is held over the infant, then for him all the questions are answered by parents and recipients (godparents). In some churches, one godfather may participate in the rite, but he must necessarily be of the same sex as his godson. Keep in mind that becoming a godfather is a very responsible mission. After all, from now on you are responsible for the soul of the child before God. It is the godparents who must lead him along the path of Christianity, instruct and admonish. It can be said that the recipients are spiritual teachers for a new member of the Christian community. Fulfilling these duties improperly is a grave sin.

Chrismation

This sacrament is performed immediately after baptism, it is the next stage in the churching of a person. If baptism rinses all of his sins from a person, the chrismation gives him the grace of God and the strength to live a Christian by obeying all the commandments. Chrismation occurs only once in a lifetime.

For the ceremony, the priest uses miro-special consecrated oil. In the process of the sacrament, the world is applied in the form of a cross on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, hands and feet of a person. Priests call this the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. From that moment a person becomes a real member of the Orthodox Church and is ready for life in Christ.

Repentance

The Sacrament of Penance is not simply the confession of one's sins to a clergyman, but the realization of the unrighteousness of one's path. Theologians maintain that repentance is not a word, but an act. If you come to the realization that you are doing something sinful, then stop and change your life. And in order to become stronger in your decision, repentance is needed, cleansing from all the committed unrighteous deeds. After this sacrament, many people feel refreshed and enlightened, they are easier to avoid temptations and adhere to certain rules.

Only a bishop or priest can accept a confession, since they have received this right through the Sacrament of the Priesthood. During repentance, a person kneels and lists all his sins to the priest. He, in turn, reads cleansing prayers and overshadows the confessing cross of the cross. In some cases, when a person repents of any serious sins, penance is imposed on him - a special punishment.

Consider, if you have repented and again commit the same sin, then think about the meaning of your actions. Perhaps you are not strong enough in faith, and you need the help of a priest.

What is the sacrament?

The sacrament of the church, which is considered one of the most important, is called the "sacrament". This rite connects man with God on the energy level, he purifies and heals the Christian spiritually and materially.

The church service, on which the Sacrament of the Sacrament is celebrated, passes on certain days. In addition, not all Christians are allowed to join it, but only those who have received special training. Preliminary it is necessary to talk with the clergyman and declare his desire to take the sacrament. Usually a minister of the church appoints a post, after which it is necessary to pass repentance. Only to those who have fulfilled all the conditions, the church service on which the Sacrament of the Sacrament is performed becomes available.

In the process of the sacrament, a person receives bread and wine, transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This enables the Christian to join in the divine energy and be cleansed of all sinful things. Church officials say that the sacrament heals a person at the deepest level. He is reborn spiritually, which always has a positive effect on human health.

The Church Sacrament: Sobor

This sacrament is often called an "anointing," since in the process of ritual, oil is applied to the human body (oil is most often used). The sacrament received its name from the word "cathedral", meaning that the ceremony should be conducted by several clergymen. Ideally, there should be seven.

The Sacrament of Baptism is performed on seriously ill people who need healing. First of all, the rite is aimed at healing the soul, which directly affects our physical shell. During the sacrament the clergy read seven texts from various sacred sources. Then, the oil is applied to the face, eyes, ears, lips, chest and limbs of a person. At the conclusion of the rite, the Christian is placed on the head of the Christian, and the priest begins to pray for the remission of sins.

It is believed that it is best to conduct this ordinance after repentance, and afterward to receive communion.

The Mystery of Marriage

Many newlyweds think about the wedding, but few of them realize the seriousness of this step. The Sacrament of Marriage is a very responsible church rite, which forever connects two people before God. It is believed that from now on there are always three of them. Invisibly, Christ accompanies them everywhere, supporting in difficult moments.

It is important to know that there are some obstacles to the performance of the sacrament. These are the following reasons:

• Fourth and subsequent marriages;
• Disbelief in the God of one of the spouses;
• Refusal of baptism by one or both spouses;
• Finding spouses in kinship before the fourth tribe.

Keep in mind that it takes a long time to prepare for the wedding and to approach it very thoroughly.

Sacrament of the Priesthood

Sacrament Ordination to the church order gives the priest the right to conduct services and independently perform church rites. This is a rather complicated procedure, which we will not describe. But the essence of it is that through certain manipulations on the minister of the church, the grace of the Holy Spirit descends, which gives him special power. And, according to the church canons, the higher the church order, the greater the power descends on the cleric.

We hope that our article has given you some idea of the church ordinances, without which the life of a Christian in God is impossible.