In our time, one can often hear the phrase: “Why go to church? I have God in my heart! " It would seem that such a person can only be envied. Indeed, if you have God in your heart, then going to the temple looks like a kind of excess. But here the question arises: how justified is this confidence? Maybe this person has God in some other part of the body, for example, in the stomach? Or maybe the stomach itself has become a god for man, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: Their god is the womb(Phil. 3, 19).
A person can rest assured that he has become a temple of the Spirit of God, being a playhouse of unclean spirits
But if a person is right, and his heart has really become the abode of God, then can we be sure that this is the true God, and not the one who is trying to present himself as God, not being such? Here is what St. Theophan the Recluse says about this: “Demons sense the fasting man and the man of prayer from afar and run away from him so as not to receive a painful blow. Can you think that where there is no fasting and prayer, there is already a demon? Can. Demons, possessing a person, do not always reveal their possession, but hide, secretly teaching their master all kinds of evil. " In other words, a person can rest assured that he has become a temple of the Spirit of God, being a playhouse of unclean spirits.
Someone will say: "Look, I fast and pray, but I don't go to church." To this one can answer that praying and fasting is, of course, a good and necessary deed, but in itself insufficient.
If a Christian, even if he does not abandon personal prayer, voluntarily withdraws from church worship, then, according to the Holy Fathers of the Church, this is an indicator of spiritual ill health. The Monk Barsanuphius of Optina offers the following reasoning on this topic. One holy father was asked: “Are there any sure signs by which one can know whether a soul is drawing closer to God or moving away from Him? After all, with regard to everyday objects, there are certain signs - are they good or not. When, for example, cabbage, meat, fish begin to rot, it is easy to notice this, because spoiled foods give off a bad smell, change color and taste, and their appearance indicates spoilage.
Well, what about the soul? After all, she is incorporeal and cannot give off a bad smell or change her appearance. " To this question, the holy father replied that a sure sign of the mortification of the soul is evasion from church services. A person who grows cold towards God, first of all, begins to avoid going to church. At first, he tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops visiting the temple of God.
A Sign that God Dwells in the Heart - Love for Temple Worship
Thus, striving for church service is for a Christian that spiritual tuning fork with which we can always check the state of our soul. The sign that God is in the heart is love for temple worship.
This can be likened to human relationships. If we love someone, then we try to be close to him. If we say, for example, to our friend: “You are always with me, you are in my heart, so I didn’t come to wish you a happy birthday,” then it is unlikely that we will hear words of approval and understanding in response. It's the same with God. If God is in our hearts, if we love Him, or at least strive for this love, then how can we not honor the Birthday or Resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man, endured humiliation, pain and death for our salvation, how can we forget about the memorable date of the Mother of God, through Whom we gained access to the incarnate God, or will we neglect the days of celebration of the Heavenly Forces of the disembodied and saints who stand before the throne of God and tirelessly pray for us, lazy, sinful and strong only for words of self-justification?
The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism
In the center of the temple worship is the greatest Christian sacrament - the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The entire divine service is structured in such a way as to prepare us for this sacrament in the best possible way, and is already in itself the threshold and anticipation of our eternal stay with God. In the church service, the teaching of the Church as the Body of Christ is visibly manifested. The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism. Just as it is natural for the body to maintain unity, so it is natural for a Christian to strive for unity with the head of the Church - Christ and with all Christians united in Christ into one body. Therefore, participation in divine services is not a heavy duty for a Christian, not a harsh punishment or sophisticated torture, but a kind of natural and vital aspiration. The absence of such should serve as a signal to us that we are spiritually sick and are in serious danger, that our life requires an early correction.
Of course, it is not always easy for us to participate in public worship, we do not always want to. Everyone experiences states when they have to force themselves to go to the temple. But without this, spiritual life is impossible.
Where does this heaviness, this unwillingness come from in us? All from the same place - from our passions, which have entered our souls so much that they have become for us a kind of second nature ("habit is second nature"), from which you cannot get rid of without labor and without illness.
The effect of worship on passions can be compared to the effect of light on the inhabitants of a dark cave. Animals and insects, accustomed to the night and darkness, when light appears, start moving and strive to fly away, run away, crawl into familiar places, to dark, “safe” places, far from the light.
Likewise, the passions in us, while we are far from the Church, from the temple, from worship, doze in the familiar and comfortable spiritual darkness. But as soon as we come to church for service, it is as if all the forces of hell rise in our bodies and souls. Wadded legs, fog in my head, my back hurts ... Yes, and everything around is outraged: the readers read incomprehensibly, the singers get confused and out of tune, the priest or not, or he is in a hurry, the deacon looks defiant, in the church shop they answer unkindly, all sometimes they are gloomy, but if they joke and smile, then this is also annoying (“in a holy place!”), etc. etc. And, of course, the background thought: "What am I doing here?" And if you do not understand the need for temple prayer, then there is almost no chance of staying in the temple. Nevertheless, we will not receive true consolation anywhere except in the temple.
Many people are familiar with the state of despondency, or, as they say now, depression, when nothing pleases and everything loses its meaning. I also don’t want to go to the temple in this state. But Orthodox people know that if you still force yourself and get to the church and the service, then everything changes in some miraculous way. It seemed that I stood at the service stupidly, I almost did not hear prayers, I myself did not pray so much as I tried to cope with a spiritual storm or swarming thoughts, but you leave the church, and there is peace in your heart. It seems that outwardly nothing has changed, the circumstances are the same, but they no longer seem as insurmountable as before.
In the church, our prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ
And this is not surprising. Indeed, in the church, our imperfect prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ, in which The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings unspeakable(Rom. 8:26). Therefore, in most cases, even the deepest and most concentrated private prayer will not be as beneficial to the soul as even an imperfect church prayer.
The holy fathers often call the temple “heaven on earth”. In it we come into contact with the heavenly world, we enter, so to speak, into the space of eternity. Here we receive the pacification of passions and protection from the violent influence of evil spirits, making ourselves (at least temporarily) inaccessible to them. Each time we enter the space of the temple, we make our personal small exodus from the world, which lies in evil(1 John 5:19), and we avoid his deadly sting.
The action of public prayer is the reverse side of the double commandment of God about love for God and for one's neighbor, since the personal prayer of every Christian praying in church is strengthened, on the one hand, by the prayers of other worshipers, and on the other, by Divine energy.
Here is what our ancient Russian saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, wrote about this: “Do not be lying, do not leave the church meeting under the pretext of bodily weakness: as rain grows a seed, so the church draws the soul to good deeds. Everything is unimportant what you do in the cell: whether you read the Psalter, whether you sing the twelve psalms - all this will not be equal to one conciliar: "Lord, have mercy!" Here's what you must understand, my brother: the Supreme Apostle Peter himself was the church of the living God, and when he was seized by Herod and thrown into prison, was it not through the prayers of the Church that he was delivered from the hand of Herod? And David prays, saying: "I ask the Lord for one thing and only seek that, so that I can stay in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, contemplate the beauty of the Lord and it is early to visit his holy temple." The Lord Himself said: "My house will be called a house of prayer." "Where," he says, "two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." If such a council gathers, in which there will be more than a hundred brethren, then how can you not believe that the Lord our God is here ”.
Of course, sometimes there are objective circumstances that really prevent you from visiting the temple. But not everything that seems to us to be an obstacle is such in the eyes of God. In this respect, the case described in the life of the righteous Juliana of Murom is indicative: “One winter was so cold that the earth split from frost. And she did not go to church for some time, but prayed to God at home. And then one day the priest of that church came alone to the church early in the morning, and there was a voice from the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, saying: “Go, tell merciful Uliyaniya: why doesn’t go to church to pray? Although her home prayer is pleasing to God, everything is not like the church prayer. "
For a person who has established himself on the divine path, attending a church service becomes a need no less, and sometimes even more, than bodily nutrition. The saints feel this need especially keenly. Thus, the righteous John of Kronstadt confessed: "I fade away, I die spiritually when I do not serve in the church for a whole week, and I kindle, revive in soul and heart when I serve ...".
However, even today, probably, in every Orthodox church one can find at least one parishioner who, like the prophetess of the Gospel Anna (cf. Luke 2, 36-37), almost constantly stays in the church. Despite the fact that those around this usually do not contribute to this. And her relatives reproach her, and her own, the Orthodox, convince her to moderate her ardor, and she, overcoming years and illness, almost crawling, and all strives for a kindly sore heart "mass".
In conclusion, I would like to give an amazing example of the invincible love for the Divine service of one of the Greek ascetics of piety of the 20th century: “God-loving Keti did not want to miss a single Vespers and Liturgy. She wanted to go to services every day, so she looked for churches where the liturgy was performed on weekdays. She sacrificed her sleep, made many hours of walking, just not to miss the Divine Liturgy.<...>
Keti tried to get to know the priests of all neighboring villages so that she could invite them to serve the liturgy. I often went to the temple of Pantanassa. At night she crossed the Luros River on a rope bridge. It was often covered with ice in winter, and Keti always had several bags of food for the poor.
Once, when the bridge was blown away by water, an old shepherd helped her to cross to the other side. Sometimes she spent many hours on the road. Once Katie was attacked by dogs, another time she met a bear, but the animals did no harm to her.
It is difficult to describe everything that happened to Keti. There were no telephones then. Once, none of the priests she knew warned her about the Liturgy. After work, Keti still hit the road. First I got to Philippiada. Then she visited the villages of Kambi, Pantanassa, St. George. But there was no service anywhere, and in the meantime it got dark. Keti (still on foot) went to Kerasovo, and from there to Vulista, where the father's sister joined her. On the way, they stumbled and fell into a hole. Women fell knee-deep into asbestos. We put ourselves in order and went to the liturgy. In just the evening and night, Keti covered a distance of 30 kilometers. And so it happened quite often.
<...>Once in the temple, Keti fell from the chair she climbed on to light the lamps. She suffered a fractured hip. She was admitted to the hospital, where she was prescribed bed rest. But how could she then attend services? Limping, she left the hospital, stopped the car and drove to the church of St. George in the village of Filippiada, where her acquaintance, Father Vasily Zalakostas, served. There she lay down in the temple vestibule. She spent twenty days and nights in church. Every day a priest came and celebrated the Divine Liturgy.
One day in winter there was a bad weather. The wind uprooted the trees. But this did not become an obstacle for Keti. Without a moment's hesitation, she went to the liturgy, but did not return for a long time. Colleagues in excitement were waiting for Katie. Finally she showed up. Her face shone with joy, although all her legs (as far as they were visible under her long dress) were covered in blood. She explained that the delay was due to the fact that she had to climb over the fallen trees in her path.
So what did Keti feel during the Divine Liturgy? Perhaps it was something inexplicable if she, overcoming all difficulties, did everything possible and impossible to get into the service. She herself sang, gave gifts to priests, and carried heavy liturgical books with her.
Sometimes she went to the night service, and in the morning she hurried to another Divine Liturgy. And then, visiting her acquaintances and hearing the service broadcast on the radio, she began to pray for the third time. She knelt down and bowed to the ground. No noise could distract her.<...>
Her love for divine services was such that often, falling asleep, she whispered: "Church, Church ..." ".
It remains only to wish all of us to acquire at least a little bit of that love for church worship, which is described in these lines!
One often hears bewilderment and protest against the rules that an unchurched person encounters when he comes to the Church. These people want to prove (first of all to themselves) that it is possible not to go to church, and find a lot of reasons and arguments for this. This attitude towards the Church is caused by the fact that many do not understand its nature, the meaning of its existence. Unfortunately, the Church is often identified with secular institutions: schools, universities, hospitals.
And, based on this understanding, then, of course, these people are right. Indeed, education can be obtained at home, on your own or using the services of tutors. You can also treat various diseases at home, by yourself or by inviting doctors to your home. During the war, complex operations were sometimes carried out in field hospitals practically in the open air.
Why can't you pray at home, is it really necessary to go to church?
In order to answer the question posed, you need to figure out why a person comes to church. If you just pray, light a candle, venerate the icons, then you don't have to go to church for this. Candles and lamps can be lighted at home, there are also icons of the house.
Then why do people go to the temple? When, I repeat, there is no true understanding of the nature of the Church, then “winged”, but deeply erroneous in meaning, clichés are born: “God must be in the soul”, “I believe in God, but without fanaticism” and the like.
Let's try to understand the reasons for the "fanaticism" of believers, in matters of "dress code" and much more. Let's start with something simple, namely the so-called "dress code".
The fact that the Bible allegedly does not say anything about the appearance is not true. Quite a lot has been written, the format of a short note simply does not allow the opportunity to cite all the quotes from Holy Scripture, but read at least the messages of the first disciples of Christ - the holy apostles, and you will find in them quite a lot of words about what should be the appearance of a person entering to the temple.
Of course, what is always written can be understood in different ways and, in order not to fall into controversy, let's honestly answer the question: will we go to the wedding feast in shorts or a tracksuit? And what about an appointment with the management? To the president, for example. I sincerely cannot understand why a person entering the Church does not want to understand that he is entering the house of God, to visit God?
People ask: "But what about love, which should forgive everything?" Quite the right question! If I came to an anniversary to a close, beloved person in dirty work clothes or half-naked, is this not a manifestation of dislike and extreme disdain for the hero of the day and his guests?
Take my word for it, if you enter the temple in obscene clothing, then you distract the people standing in the temple from prayer.
It is not at all easy to enter the state of prayer, but you can “knock” out of it in an instant both by appearance and by an overly pungent smell of perfume - and in many ways.
And where, then, is the love for the people standing in the temple? Or let my understanding of freedom be tolerated? A strange situation is developing: we are calm about the fact that the dress code is introduced in secular institutions: at school, theater, even in a restaurant - but in the Church, it turns out, there should be no restrictions on appearance.
Why do people come to the Church?
An unbelieving person who denies the existence of God need not read further. But for the one who was baptized himself and brought his children to Baptism, who is trying to communicate with his Creator, all of the following is the most important thing for understanding.
Let's go back to basics. Man - the highest creation of God - was created in a special way in comparison with the rest of the material world. God revives a person with His breath, which a person assimilates, and therefore can accumulate.
Acquisition (accumulation) of the grace of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of deification is the main goal of human life. And man was created hierarchically: spirit - soul - body.
As you can see, the main thing was the spirit, which allowed the primordial man to be in direct union with God. After the Fall, human nature is distorted: the body comes to the fore, which crushes the soul and fetters the spirit. Everything! The graceful connection with God is severed. And thousands of years pass until humanity, in a battle with its disfigured nature, when carnal pleasures become the highest goal, gives birth to the Virgin, Who was able to accommodate the Creator of the Universe.
God descends to earth, enlightening humanity with a new spiritual teaching. The law of retribution "eye for an eye" is replaced by the commandment to love one's neighbor. But in order for the soul to have the strength to love, Christ leaves us the Sacraments, and the most important of them is the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion).
If our disfigured nature has made its flesh the main thing (a high temperature or an aching tooth will not allow us to pray with concentration, or solve a problem, or listen to music), then the grace of God comes to us through matter. The Upper Room of Zion, the Last Supper, the Lord blesses the bread and speaks to His disciples the secret words: “This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. " He blesses the Cup and says: "This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
The word "covenant" means a contract. Agreement with God: You are for me, I am for You. I partake of Your Body and Blood, You give me Your grace that heals my nature.
As St. Gregory the Theologian wrote: "God becomes man so that man becomes God."
In other words, the grace of God (in secular language, Divine energy) is given to man only in the Sacraments of the Church, which take place only in the temple. And the Church is not a mediator, but a bridge that connects a person with Christ.
The grace of God nourishes, purifies and transforms the human soul. That is why he goes to the Church, even if there are sorrows, injustice or rudeness in her. Yes, unfortunately, this happens.
How to treat priests who do not always behave in a highly spiritual manner?
There are bribe-takers among university professors and among doctors, but does this really stop us recognizing science and medicine? If the headmaster is a drunkard, does that give us a reason to deny the role of education and not take our children to school?
Yes, among the clergy there is a lot of disorder - this can be judged by the moral state of society. Since it is in such a deplorable state, then we - the priests - are responsible for this before God first of all! And no one has freed us from this responsibility and will not release us, regardless of the form of secular power.
Without justifying our spiritual state and low spiritual level at all, I just want to explain its reasons. During the years of godless power, our ancestors destroyed more than 50 thousand churches and shot, tortured tens of thousands of priests and deeply religious people. We will not judge them for this, we have no right!
It is still far from clear how each of us would behave in those difficult years when the authorities publicly promised to put an end to “religious obscurantism”. And spiritual science (learning to love God, your neighbor, yourself) is very difficult. Highly! It is extremely difficult to study it on your own. Yes, actually, I'll give you a simple example. Let's send 30 thousand of the best surgeons out of the country and see how the rest will diagnose and operate on patients.
Young sincere priests come, and the sea of the most complicated spiritual problems of the modern fallen world falls on them, but there are no teachers! And the problems begin ...
Christ warned us about the end times in simple, clear words: "And because of the multiplication of iniquity in many, love will grow cold." Love first of all for the Creator, for it turns out that completely insignificant reasons prevent a person from coming to church, to visit God.
However, as it is written in the Bible, "the world is given free." "A slave is not a worshiper" - said our ancestors. No one can force a person to love God, his neighbor and himself, to follow the law that Christ left us.
Modern man himself decides how to correctly interpret and apply spiritual laws in his life, forgetting, however, that if "God must ..." then He is not the Almighty, but a subordinate.
The Creator owes nothing to anyone - this is a now forgotten theological axiom. But God does not take away our freedom, leaving it to us to reject His gifts. Otherwise, a person will turn into a biorobot, which is unacceptable with the Divine understanding of love.
Why is it important to keep the laws in spiritual life?
In the Sacrament of Baptism, a person (and for babies with godparents) is asked three times: "Are you consorting with Christ?" And three times a person makes a vow to God: "I am combined." In other words, I will unite with Christ. To warm your hands, you need to touch the warmth; in order to deify the soul, you need to touch God in the Sacrament of the Sacrament. The New Covenant between God and his creation is concluded in the upper room of Zion with the words: "Come, eat ..."
We all need love and comfort, especially when our souls are very bad. And many of us try to find comfort in God by going to the temple. But, unfortunately, not all of us were taught at one time how to go to church, what to do there, how to say, what to wear, and so on. That is why we are so scared. But what is to be done?
Ignorance of the rules of conduct in the church should not stop those who strive for God. For your visit to church to be successful, you need to prepare for it by studying the rules of conduct in it. So let's get started?
How to prepare
I hope that you know which church to go to, and if your church is Orthodox, then we will try to figure out the rules for visiting it.
Before going to church, you need to prepare and decide what to wear.
Women should attend church in modest clothing, preferably without flashy makeup. Deep neckline, open arms and knees are also not allowed. There should be a scarf on your head.
Do I have to go to church in a skirt, or can I wear trousers? As for the trousers, it is better not to wear them, although today many temples offer special capes, such as a large and wide apron, which you can tie around the waist.
Men should not go to church in shorts and T-shirts, and they must take off their headwear before entering the church.
How to behave in the temple
First of all, you must always remember that the church is the house of God, and when you come to this house, you must behave with respect:
- Before entering, you must cross yourself three times.
- Entering the temple, you must be quiet, you cannot talk on the phone, eat, laugh and look at the parishioners, stand with your back to the altar. Children should also be quiet and calm, explain to them the rules of behavior in advance.
- It is not encouraged if you came in a hurry during the service to light a candle, pushing the worshipers aside, and quickly leave. If you need to light a candle, wait until the end of the service or come early before it begins.
- How to be baptized, where to put candles, and so on, you can find in this article: "How to behave in church?"
Who can and cannot visit the temple
- Often pregnant women ask the question,. There is only one answer: it is possible, and even necessary. When the expectant mother visits the temple, her worries and worries about her condition disappear, she receives a blessing, thanks to which her pregnancy is resolved successfully. Therefore, pregnant women should not be afraid that she will not be welcomed in church.
- Many have heard that women should not go to church when they are menstruating. Priests consider it undesirable to go to church, and even more so to take Holy Communion, during menstruation. You can read more about this on this here: ""
- Questions are often asked, is it possible to go to church unbaptized or not? It is known that for the first time we all enter the temple unbaptized, so the church does not object to the fact that an unbaptized person came to them. Maybe he embarked on the path to God. You cannot ask him to leave a person’s church and tell him why go to church if he has not been baptized. On the contrary, an unbaptized person should be helped to come to God, and not drive him away from him.
Another question is whether he can participate in church rites and sacraments? You can pray for an unbaptized person yourself, private prayer for such people is not prohibited, but you cannot submit a note for mass or liturgy, neither for a living unbaptized person, nor for a deceased.
Also, an unbaptized person can neither receive communion, nor get married, nor confess.
How often should you go to church
People striving for God and wishing to visit the temple of God are often interested in how often to go to church? You are unlikely to find an exact answer, because the church is the place where you go at the behest of your soul, and not out of obligation or duty. Believers often visit church on weekends, as the opportunity to communicate with God is necessary for them all the time. They also go to church on major church holidays.
You can go to confession and communion in order to cleanse your soul, as often as you see fit. There are no exact recommendations, listen to your heart, your spiritual mentor, and choose when and how often you should visit the temple.
Don't be afraid to go to the temple
When deciding for yourself the question of how to go to church correctly, you should know that the church is not a strict and hostile organization, where for wrong behavior you will be denied attending.
This is, first of all, a place where you must find peace and faith, cleanse yourself from sins and find love and happiness. And in the church you will always be welcome, and if you do something wrong, they will prompt and correct you, you should not be afraid of it. And if you are overcome by certain questions, the answers to which you cannot find in any way, then here they will surely help you.
Questions and Answers Frequently Asked by Christian Newbies.
35 Quick Frequently Asked Questions by Christian Newbies about the Temple, Candles, Scrapbooks, and More
1. How should a person prepare to attend the temple?
For a morning visit, you need to prepare as follows:
Getting out of bed, thank the Lord, who gave you the opportunity to spend the night in peace and extended your days for repentance. Wash your face, stand in front of the icon, light a lamp (from a candle) so that it evokes a prayer spirit in you, put your thoughts in order, forgive everyone, and only then start reading the prayer rule (morning prayers from the Prayer Book). Then subtract one chapter from the Gospel, one from the Apostle and one kathisma from the Psalter, or one psalm if time is short. At the same time, one must remember that it is better to read one prayer with sincere heartbreak than the whole rule with the thought of how to end all this as soon as possible. Beginners can use an abbreviated prayer book, gradually ...
In ancient Russia, there was a close connection and interaction between the church and domestic life of our ancestors. Orthodox people paid great attention not only to what they cook for dinner, but also how they cook it. They did this with indispensable prayer, in a peaceful state of mind and with good thoughts. And they also paid special attention to the church calendar - they saw what day it was - fast or fast.
The rules were especially strictly observed in the monasteries.
The ancient Russian monasteries owned vast estates and lands, had the most comfortable farms, which gave them the means to make vast food supplies, which in turn gave them abundant means for wide hospitality bequeathed to the inhabitants by their holy founders.
But the business of hospitality in the monasteries was subordinated to both the general church and private regulations of each monastery, that is, one food was offered to the brethren, servants, wanderers and beggars on holidays and fodder (commemorated on ...
We all need love and comfort, especially when our souls are very bad. And many of us try to find comfort in God by going to the temple. But, unfortunately, not all of us were taught at one time how to go to church, what to do there, how to say, what to wear, and so on. That is why we are so scared. But what is to be done?
Ignorance of the rules of conduct in the church should not stop those who strive for God. For your visit to church to be successful, you need to prepare for it by studying the rules of conduct in it. So let's get started?
How to prepare
I hope that you know which church to go to, and if your church is Orthodox, then we will try to figure out the rules for visiting it.
Before going to church, you need to prepare and decide what to wear.
Women should attend church in modest clothing, preferably without flashy makeup. Deep neckline, open arms and knees are also not allowed. There should be a scarf on your head.
Do I need to go to church ...
ABOUT THE NEED TO VISIT THE CHURCH
Those who rarely visit the Temple of God lose a lot. Parents are sinning even more if they don’t care for their children to attend the Church. Remember the words of the Savior: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
Yes, on our sinful land the Holy Temple is the only place where we can hide from the bad weather of life, from moral filth. The temple is a semblance of heaven on earth, where the Lord of heaven and earth, our Lord Jesus Christ, mysteriously and incomprehensibly dwells; in the temple, as the hymn says, "invisibly the Forces of Heaven serve."
Our Savior said: “Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4: 4) - that is, spiritual food is just as necessary for the human soul as bodily food for maintaining bodily strength. But where will a Christian hear the word of God, if not where the Lord Himself invisibly instructs those gathered in His name? Whose teaching is preached in ...
Question: “Tell me, please, how many times a month is it recommended to visit the temple? Is it only on Saturday / Sunday? "
Archpriest Konstantin Parkhomenko answers:
- According to church canons, a person who does not receive communion for three weeks is excommunicated from the Church, carries some kind of penance. We, Christians, in fulfillment of the commandment: honor the Sabbath day, but for us it is Sunday - one of the days of the week, we must devote this day to the Lord and begin with prayer, with a visit to the temple. Every Christian should attend the temple once a week - this is the most ideal norm. Every Christian should come to church on Sunday, pray and unite with Christ in the sacrament of communion. This was the case in the ancient Church. Today, many priests say that it is often not necessary to receive communion, but for example, once a month. But this does not mean that we have to come to church once a month. We still have to come to church once a week, but we can receive communion once a month - this is how the confessor will bless. If a person…
Questions, questions, questions ... ..
1. How should a person be dressed when they decide to go to church?
2. Is it okay to eat before going to the temple in the morning?
3. Is it allowed to enter the temple with bags?
4. How many bows should one put in front of the entrance to the temple and how should one behave in the temple?
5. How long does it take to be on duty?
6. Is it possible to sit at the service if you do not have the strength to stand?
7. What is important about bowing and praying?
8. How to kiss icons correctly?
9. What does the candle placed in front of the image symbolize?
10. Does it matter what size the candles you put in front of the image?
11. What do the words “amen” and “hallelujah” mean in prayer?
12. What moment is considered the end of the morning worship service?
13.How to order a memorial and thanksgiving prayer service?
14. How many times a year do you need to receive Holy Communion?
15. What is unction?
16. How often should you go to the temple?
17. What is a spiritual leader for?
…
Orthodox Church The order of church services Visiting the temple Rules of address Rules for addressing the clergy How to behave in the parish refectory Church services Sacraments and ceremonies
Church attendance is a must for any Christian believer. In the church, a person, even not yet a believer, concentrates his attention on everything that is connected with God, that is, on spiritual things. This helps him to cope with emotional anxiety, fear, resentment, hatred, etc. When attending church, Christians receive comfort and spiritual relief, protection, protection and help. The sick or their relatives often come to church to pray for healing.
Recently, however, more and more people have appeared who consider themselves believers, would like to attend church, but do not know church etiquette.
Church etiquette is called not so much the rules as the very behavior of a believer. This behavior is inherent in him ...
The church is a special, holy place. The customs of behavior in temples professing any religions have come a long way of education. Each religious trend has its own canons that should be observed while in the abode of God. Of course, there are general norms of behavior in any churches: do not drink alcohol, do not smoke, do not make noise and behave respectfully in a holy place. The rest of the customs are very different.
People are deeply religious, they know exactly how to behave while in the church. But the doors of the church are open to everyone - both tourists and ordinary people who have felt the need of the soul or simple curiosity to come to the temple. In order not to get into an awkward situation, not to offend the feelings of the faithful of the parishioners and not to disturb the peace in the church, read the basic rules for visiting it.
Usually, in an Orthodox church, the main entrance is located on the west side. On the sides, there are two more entrances - north and south. The Bible says that paradise was in the east, in ...
# 35 (740) / September 16 ’13
Church life
Why is the temple called a church?
- The word "Church" (translated from Greek "the meeting of the elect") - means a gathering of people as a result of the call, invitation.
The apostles were chosen and called by Jesus Christ to unite in the congregation, that is, in the Church. Therefore, in the fullest sense, the concept of the Church of Christ means the gathering under one Head - the Lord Jesus Christ of all those who truly believe in Him in Heaven and earth, do His will, abide in Him, partaking of His Divine life.
The Church is a God-human organism, the unity of the Spirit dwelling in people trying to live according to the Gospel. Therefore, the Church is also called a community of people who believe in Christ, which has its own hierarchical and organizational structure.
The temple is also called a church because members of the Church (church community) gather in it for congregational prayer and communion with God. In this case, the word "church" is written with a small ...
Today, many people who consider themselves to be believers misunderstand not only the very meaning of the church and the true manifestation of their own faith, but also the true meaning of their life path, the implementation of which, unfortunately, does not always take place in accordance with the Law and the Will of the Lord Himself.
What is the essence of the church? In Holy Scripture, the word "church" has a much greater meaning than the one with which it is often and erroneously endowed by a certain part of believers. A church is not just a specific building. According to the Bible, the meaning of the word “church” itself is fully revealed by the Greek word “ecclesia,” meaning nothing more than a gathering and gathering of people called in the name of a common goal.
Those who have read the New Testament of the Bible know that Jesus Christ Himself created the church - His collection of those who passionately believe in Him and consider Him their Savior and all that is on Earth.
And so it happened - Christ established His society, and His followers to this day ...
About visiting the temple
1.1. Why go to the temple?
One of the purposes of man on earth is to glorify and glorify God - his Heavenly Father. This glorification is expressed most in the magnificent services of the Church. In the Church, people also find the completeness of mutual prayer communication and mutual prayer support. The Lord said: "If two of you agree on earth to ask for any deed, then whatever they ask will be from My Heavenly Father, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them" (Matthew 18 : 19.20). The Apostle Paul calls the Church “the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him filling all in all” (Eph. 1:23), as well as “the house of God,” “the pillar and confirmation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). The Church is a support for Christians, and it has a criterion for truth and is its keeper. Without the Church and participation in the Church Sacraments, a person cannot be saved. Those who do not attend the temple are in fact outside the Church.
1.1. Why go to church (temple)? One of the purposes of man on earth is to glorify and glorify God - his Heavenly Father. This glorification is expressed most in the magnificent services of the Church. In the Church, people also find the completeness of mutual prayer communication and mutual prayer support. The Lord said: “If two of you on earth agree to ask for any deed, then whatever they ask, it will be from My Heavenly Father, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18 : 19.20). The Apostle Paul calls the Church “the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23), as well as “the house of God,” “the pillar and confirmation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). The Church is a support for Christians, and it has a criterion for truth and is its keeper. Without the Church and participation in the Church Sacraments, a person cannot be saved. Those who do not attend the temple are in fact outside the Church.
1.2. What should be done before entering the temple?
- Before entering the temple, you must three times ...
FAQ
These are questions that are encountered in the practice of parish counseling, which are asked by people who rarely come to church or are just starting church life, and the answers that are available for understanding a person with little church life.
As answers to some of the questions, quotations from the Holy Scriptures are given to show the counselors a guideline for their answers, and those who are churches - the main source of doctrinal knowledge. Counselors are not encouraged to answer questions with memorized quotations, but if necessary, based on the situation, you can support the answer with the authority of Scripture.
It should also be remembered that there are no definite answers to some questions. Based on the spiritual state of the questioner and the established tradition in the parish, different answers can be given to the same question.
In church knowledge, one must distinguish between:
dogmas - truths of Christian teaching, truths of faith, deviation from ...
INSTRUCTION
About visiting the temple. Part 1
1. Why go to the temple?
One of the purposes of man on earth is to glorify and glorify God - his Heavenly Father. This glorification is expressed most in the magnificent services of the Church. In the Church, people also find the completeness of mutual prayer communication and mutual prayer support. The Lord said: "If two of you agree on earth to ask for any deed, then whatever they ask will be from My Heavenly Father, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them" (Matthew 18 : 19.20). The Apostle Paul calls the Church “the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him filling all in all” (Eph. 1:23), as well as “the house of God,” “the pillar and confirmation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). The Church is a support for Christians, and it has a criterion for truth and is its keeper. Without the Church and participation in the Church Sacraments, a person cannot be saved. Those who do not attend the temple are in fact outside the Church.
2. What to do before ...