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Should I go to church today? When to go to church? Can animals be in the temple

Should I go to church today? When to go to church? Can animals be in the temple

Sometimes it happens that the soul of a person reaches out to the temple, but many are not familiar with the basics of Orthodoxy, they do not know how to behave in church. But the temple of God is open to all.

An Orthodox Christian, first of all, needs precisely the desire for faith and the awareness of what a person receives through faith: the immutable true and perfect benefits of spiritual communion with God and eternal life. The essence of prayer is the filling of the mind and heart with the highest, which gives knowledge of God.

In addition to personal prayer, all Orthodox need to pray in the Temple during Divine Services.

How to behave in the Orthodox Church

A beginner who is just starting his spiritual path should feel free, watch the behavior of other people and do the same. In order not to unknowingly disturb the peace in the souls of other praying people and not to desecrate the greatness of the holy place, it is necessary to know and follow certain rules for finding a church.

Here are some highlights:

If a priest approaches, for example, while burning incense, you should not stand in his way, but you need to step aside.
You should not behave like in a museum, frankly consider others. As a rule, it is customary to stand with your head slightly bowed.
When you are in a small church, cathedral, or monastery, you should always conduct yourself with reverence.
If you want to attend a church service, then it is advisable to arrive a few minutes before the start of the service.
You can not enter the altar, as well as turn your back to the altar.
If there is a desire to sing along in prayer, then you need to do this in a quiet voice, making sure that your singing does not distract people standing nearby.
Sitting in the temple is allowed - in case of illness or with great fatigue, that is, in weakness. Sitting cross-legged is not allowed.
During kneeling prayers, which occur at various services, one should pray together with all the parishioners. At this moment, both the clergy in the altar and the parishioners kneel and unite in a single prayer (the priest reads special prayers aloud).
If you are on the territory of the temple, you can not smoke, and also take animals or birds with you.
If there is a reading of the Gospel, the Cherubic chants or the Eucharistic canon, you should just stand still and listen. You should not walk, talk, and also put candles at this time.
It is necessary to refrain from remarks to the neighbors so as not to cause them embarrassment, or to speak in a quiet and friendly voice. It is advisable to stay in place until the end of the service, you can leave if there is a need or if you feel unwell.

For beginners to get acquainted with Orthodoxy, it can be important in what order and which icons to approach in the church. In this case, there is no strict rule. Most often, at first they try to approach the icon, located on the lectern in the middle of the temple. This is an icon of the saint whose feast is celebrated on this day.

They cross themselves twice near it and apply it with their lips and forehead, and again they cross themselves. Then they approach the icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and those saints to whom there is a request or the soul has reached out.

How to go to church

Believing Christians go to church every Sunday - this is the commandment of God.

If you go to the morning service, it is not customary to have a hearty breakfast before this. A full stomach moves away from a prayerful mood, which is why many Christians do not have breakfast before going to church.

If you are going to confess and take communion, then you cannot have breakfast, drink water, smoke or take medicine. The shrine is taken on an empty stomach.

How to enter the church and what to say at the entrance

You need to enter with humility and meekness in your heart in order to bring justification out of the temple, like the gospel publican.

Entering the temple, you should cross yourself three times and bow at the waist. Each time you need to repeat to yourself the words of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (sinner).”

Rules of Conduct for the Church

For women:

Female representatives, from little girls to elderly women, go to the temple of God with their heads covered - this is a pious tradition. For this, a scarf, shawl or cape is used, in winter some people wear hats - this is not prohibited, but it will be hot. It is not recommended to wear wide-brimmed hats, as this will interfere with others.
Clothing is chosen discreet, clean, while arms, shoulders and chest are not exposed even in summer (especially strictly in this regard in monasteries).
If a woman enters in trousers, you can tie yourself with a long scarf before entering, they usually hang outside the front door and are intended for everyone.
Lipstick must be wiped off so as not to leave marks when applied to icons and the cross. If you are going to church, do not wear bright makeup, it will look out of place.

For kids:

If you brought a child to the temple, then you need to watch him. It is advisable to explain to him at home that you can’t run and play pranks in church.
If the child bursts into tears, you should try to calm him down or go outside with him so as not to interfere with the service and the parishioners.
If you want to give communion to a child, then you need to take into account that it can be difficult for him to endure the entire service, and therefore you can go outside with him or come later, closer to communion, so that the child does not get tired and starts to act up. As a rule, everyone brings children to the Cherubic Hymn - about 11 o'clock.

For men:

Men, entering the temple, take off their hats. In addition, they must not be in shorts or tracksuits. We are going to meet the Lord, this is a holiday of the soul, and therefore in the old days, going to church, we wore the most festive clothes.
For confession, communion, anointing with oil (performed at the evening service) - men, boys and women with male babies are the first to approach. This is a long tradition and in many temples they try to observe it.

Church etiquette of behavior in the temple

It is not allowed to behave loudly and noisily in the temple, to walk with hands in pockets, to chew, to interfere with other believers during their prayer. When meeting with acquaintances, you can greet each other with an Orthodox kiss, and postpone conversations until you leave the church.

Coming to church, we always want to join the Christian rite and make a small sacrifice - a candle. There is no specific order in which candles should be placed. You can put a candle to the icon of the Saint to whom you want to pray.

If you come to the candlestick and do not find a free place, you do not need to extinguish other people's candles, there are special employees for this. You need to wait a bit for the space to become available.

If you see that your candle has not yet burned out, and it has already been extinguished by a church minister, do not be embarrassed. Your sacrifice is accepted by God. You should not listen to various superstitions. The candle is symbolic.

How to pray in church

For all believers, prayer in the church is very important. Since it is common, such prayer is stronger and purer than home prayer. When a priest conducts a service, one should carefully listen to the words of the prayer, as if passing them through the heart.

It happens that the thought is scattered, and attention is lost. You can briefly ask God in prayer for strength, patience and understanding. If other parishioners distract you with their actions, try to move to another place in the temple without causing disturbance to others.

But, as a rule, believers come before the start of the service, have time to light candles and greet the parishioners, go to confession and take a seat as close to the altar as possible. Thus, all those who are late or just dropping in will not bother you - by that time they simply will not get to you because of the crowd of parishioners.

Conclusion

Any believer should know the church charters, and understand what happens during the service. Church shops sell books "Divine Liturgy" - it explains the main points, prayers and actions of priests at the Liturgy. This book is recommended for every Christian.

For those who go to God with a pure heart, strive for knowledge, everything is gradually revealed. The main thing is the desire and spiritual burning, our love for God and our neighbors.

The temple, in other words, the house of God, is a special room in which worship is performed. It is believed that there is a special grace sent to people from the Almighty through the clergy. talks about the fact that the Lord himself is invisibly present in holy places, and therefore one should behave there accordingly. Every parishioner should know how to properly enter the church and how to behave in worship.

Church rules when entering the temple and preparing for worship

Christians prepare in advance for the entrance to the temple. It is not recommended to eat before the service, all the sacred sacraments are taken on an empty stomach. Great importance has an appearance. Clothing should be clean, neat, modest, not bright and not flashy (for Easter and holidays, light colors of robes are suitable, on mournful dates it is better to choose dark colors). Women cover their hair with a scarf and always wear a skirt with a hem below the knee. The top of the dress or blouse must have long sleeves, covering the shoulders and without deep necklines. Applying makeup is also not recommended. Men are allowed to remain uncovered. Clothing is also meant to be modest and neat. No shorts or open legs, just dress pants. The remaining details of the attire, accessories and additional elements of the wardrobe should not attract the attention of others and distract from worship.

Having risen from sleep on the day of visiting the temple, you need to thank the Creator for a peaceful night and a new day, wash your face, light a lamp and read morning prayers. Remember, it is better to sincerely and wholeheartedly utter one appeal to God than to read a prayer book long and hard with thoughts of a speedy completion. On the way to church, you should say a prayer to Jesus Christ. And already on the threshold of the temple, three signs of the cross are made in front of the image of the Savior and three bows from the waist. The following prayers are said for each of the bows:

“God, be merciful to me a sinner” - to the first;
“God, cleanse my sins and have mercy on me” - to the second;
“I have sinned without number, Lord, forgive me” - to the third.

You should also be baptized during church hymns: with the words of an appeal to the Almighty, the Mother of God and other saints; at the beginning and end of prayers; with promises of "Amen" and proclamations of "Hallelujah"; when calling "Let's bow" and "Let's fall down." When taking out gifts, earthly bows are due.

Basic norms of conduct during service for adults and children

As mentioned above, a prayerful and holy place has its own rules of conduct. It is not enough to be able to competently enter the temple, you need to know how to properly behave in worship.

You need to come to the church in advance in order to have time to light candles, submit notes and venerate the icons before the start of the hymns (first of all, they kiss the main icon, which is located opposite the Royal Doors).
Parishioners should keep themselves quiet, modest and reverent.
Thoughts should be directed to God, everything earthly should be let go and everything bad should be forgiven.
It is strictly forbidden to talk, and even more so to laugh and behave in a defiant manner. It is a sin to try to draw attention to yourself and break the order of the hymns.
Never turn your back on the altar.
Moving from place to place, fussing and creating panic is also prohibited.
You can sit down if you feel unwell. If strength permits, it is better to spend time standing in the service. While the Royal Doors are open, both the sick and the infirm must stand.
Be sure to turn off your cell phone! And permission for video filming is requested in advance from the rector.

The rules apply to both adults and young children. If the mother fails to inspire the spoiled child with the rules of humility and humility, then the scoundrel should be taken out of the temple so as not to create inconvenience for the presence of other parishioners. And it’s better to have a conversation with the baby the day before and explain the importance of decent behavior in sacred places.

We must not forget that you should not leave the temple before the end of the service. It's not just bad manners, it's scornful. Perhaps those who came to worship for the first time or are just starting to visit holy places do not know how to enter the church correctly and other subtleties and nuances, but you can always turn to the clergy for help. Every church organizes Sunday schools for children and adults, where the basics of Orthodoxy are easily learned. Also, printed literature will always come to the rescue in an intractable situation. After all, it's not scary to turn to the older generation for advice. The main thing is to do everything with a pure open heart and sincere love for our Lord.

How to properly enter the church and how to behave in it.

Every day of life is a priceless gift from the Lord. And in what a fuss, sometimes, these days pass! We are in such a hurry to live that we forget about gratitude to God for the time given to us. Let's stop for a second, take a breather and go to the temple. How to enter the church correctly and how to behave in it is described in the article.

When to go to the temple?

There is a joke in church circles: do not wait for delivery to the temple, go there yourself. Delivery means a funeral service, and, as you know, it happens posthumously. Therefore, it is worth thinking about and visiting the church, while there is still strength and opportunity to go there on your own.

How to choose the time? In fact, everything is elementary. There are two options for visiting the temple: outside the service and coming to the service.

How to enter the church correctly if the first option is chosen?

Find out the opening hours of the nearest temple.
We choose the moment, we go to it.

Just one or two and you're done. The same goes for attending a church service. First, we find out when it starts, and then we just come to the temple at the appointed time.

We're going to church

The question of how to properly enter a church may seem outdated. All of us, more or less, but face Christian traditions. Women know that you need to go to the temple in a headscarf. And men, on the contrary, are supposed to enter under the vaults of the church without a headdress. You may not know about clothes and other additions, they say, they go to the temple to God, and He looks at our hearts, and not at jeans and T-shirts.

Let's look into this issue. The Lord said that a woman should not wear men's clothing. Our favorite trousers and jeans, although they have firmly entered the ladies' wardrobe, were not originally women's clothing. They were meant for men. Therefore, if you are going to visit the temple, just follow these rules:

A woman must wear a skirt or dress. Moreover, the skirt should be long enough - knee-deep or lower.
It is worth dressing modestly, as closed as possible. Leave T-shirts with short sleeves, sweaters with a neckline, transparent blouses for publication. The church is the house of God, it is more appropriate to wear a closed long-sleeved shirt here than a defiant blouse.
Please refrain from using lipstick. If you decide to venerate the icons, but if you can’t, you will stain the image. Ideally, when visiting a temple, it is undesirable to use cosmetics at all.
How to enter the church for men, what to wear? No shorts, T-shirts, wrestling shoes and other open clothes. Jeans or trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, in the cold season - a sweater or jumper. Modestly, simply and without any problems, because any man has the listed clothes.
And again about women. During impurity (critical days) you can not go to the temple. Wait a week, as required by the church charter, and then boldly go to the house of God.
When going to the service, come early, 15-20 minutes before the start. You will have time to calmly write and submit notes, buy candles, venerate the icons. If you are late for the service, then quietly stand in one place, do not walk around the temple, kissing the icons. This can be done after the service.

Learning to enter the temple

How can a woman, a man and a child enter the church? The rules are the same for everyone. Approach the temple and see the domes - cross yourself three times and make three waist bows. At this moment, it is necessary to pray internally or turn to the Lord in your own words. For example, thank Him for bringing you to church.

Opposite the entrance to the monastery is most often an altar. You can immediately recognize him by the beautiful gates and being on a hill. Cross yourself three times again, make three waist bows. After that, you can go to the church shop for candles.

Behavior during worship

How to enter the church, we found out. Now let's talk about how to behave during worship.

We have already pointed out that being late for it is disrespect for God. It pays to arrive early so that you can do everything you need to do. When lighting candles, pray in your own words. Make requests to God, the Mother of God and the saints, in front of whose images you put candles.

By the way, how do you set them up? First, lightly scorch the bottom of the candle, this is necessary so that the wax melts a little, and it stands evenly in the candlestick. Then light the wick itself, put a burning candle in a candlestick. Cross yourself twice, make two bows (half bows), kiss the image. Move away, again make the sign of the cross on yourself, make one bow and talk with the saint.

As soon as the priest at the altar pronounces the words: "Blessed be our God, always, now and forever, and forever and ever," know that the service has begun. And you can’t move around the temple until the end of the service. Choose a place for yourself, stand, listen to the singing, pray to God along with the rest of the people.

child in the temple

How to enter the church correctly, we have already told. How to behave in the service, also found out. But what about when you come to the temple with a child? If everything is clear with the baby - he sleeps in the arms of his mother or father, then a preschooler and a younger student will not behave so calmly.

First of all, it is necessary to ensure that the descendant does not run around the temple, uttering loud cries. Alas, but this is just a scourge in the modern church. Parents pray - children run and scream until one of the parishioners or ministers reprimands their parents. Moms and dads, watch your kids. If they are naughty, do not want to obey, violate the majesty of the service with their cries and distract the worshipers, it is necessary to take them out of the temple.

Conclusion

We figured out how to enter the church and exit it correctly - crossing ourselves three times, making three bows from the waist. There is nothing complicated in this science.

How to cross correctly? How to enter the temple? How to behave in it? Why do we need candles and icons? You will find the answer to all these questions in this article!

How to Prepare for the Temple

“If you understand that the content of the temple is that silence, that depth in which God is, then it becomes clear why a person going to the temple, just starting out, is in the mood that he is not in the mood when he goes to work. or visit. You are going to the temple from the moment you wake up and you know: I am going to meet the Living God. And you dress differently, and you prepare differently, and you try not to have unnecessary conversations, so that nothing unworthy dissipates that depth in which you can only experience the contents of the temple. And on the road you go seriously; you go, as if to a meeting with a very significant or very beloved person, without being scattered by empty thoughts ...

When you reach the very temple, you stop for a moment: this is God's house, this is God's inheritance. And you are baptized before him not only on the icon, which is visible, but also on the temple itself: this is the place of God's settlement. Entering it, we say: I will enter Your house, I will bow to Your holy temple in Your fear. And, having crossed the threshold, you stop, you are not in a hurry to go anywhere, you stand for a moment, because you have entered the inheritance of God. All this space, all this place is dedicated to God in a world that denies Him, which does not know Him, in a world where He has no place to lay His head, no citizenship, no right of residence. In the temple He is at home; it is the place where He is with Himself and accepts us as a master; this is a holy place where you can enter only with such feelings that are worthy of both the person himself and God, whom you are going to meet. And so a person puts a cross on himself: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit ... I entered God's inheritance in the name of God, I will not bring anything unworthy of Him into this inheritance. Rather, everything that is unworthy must be cleansed here, washed by repentance and renewal of the soul. (. I will enter your house ... Klin: Christian life, 2002).

The appearance of a visitor to the temple must correspond to both the time and the place. The main thing in clothing is that it does not embarrass anyone and does not attract close attention to itself. Men should be without a headdress, and women with a covered head (in a rural or provincial church it is better to wear a headscarf, in a large city parish, hats and caps are also acceptable, but by no means extravagant ones). Shorts are unacceptable, sportswear for men is very undesirable (you won’t come to such an official reception or to work in an office - why allow this in the house of God?). Women should wear a skirt or dress, and if possible below the knees and without defiant cuts, thanks to this you will feel freer and avoid criticism from the outside, you will fit better into the environment. This is an argument for a start, and later a feeling of the organic nature of such clothes and its beauty will come.

Coming to the temple, women should minimize decorative cosmetics, and lipstick do not use at all - otherwise you simply will not be able to kiss the icons on which lipstick leaves traces that catastrophically destroy the paint layer. The opportunity to kiss an icon or another shrine is, after all, also freedom for you.

“A person who carefully monitors the state of his soul will surely notice that his behavior, thoughts, wishes also depend on clothing. Strict clothing obliges a lot. This was noted by many holy fathers. In addition, your indecent appearance can cause criticism and temptation from others. And you know that "woe to that person from whom temptation comes." There are things that are sometimes not worth proving, just as it is not worth proving an axiom in mathematics. However, if you simply do not want to accept this axiom, it is hardly possible to convince of its truth. And then the person will continue to convince himself that it is possible to be naked in the temple.” (Hieromonk Ambrose (Ermakov), Sretensky Monastery, Moscow).

How to cross correctly

Even on the way to the temple, it is customary to impose a sign on oneself - to be baptized.

The sign of the cross is our witness to the crucifixion of Christ; it was used in all circumstances of life by the first Christians. This sacred and terrible sign is full of great power, and it should be used clearly, carefully, without the slightest negligence.

The first three fingers of the right hand (thumb, index and middle) are folded together, as a sign of our faith in the One and Indivisible Holy Trinity. The ring finger and little finger are bent to the palm, which marks the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ (that he is true God and true Man).

Now with three folded fingers with the words "In the name of the Father ..." we touch the forehead, as a sign of consecration of the mind, then, with the words "... and the Son ..." - to the bottom of the chest (and even just below the chest, to the navel area, so that inscribed on body, the cross turned out to be proportional, and not “inverted”) as a sign of the consecration of the heart, then, with the words “... and the Holy Spirit!” - to the right and left shoulder, as a sign of the consecration of the works of our hands and all bodily forces. Finally, lowering the hand and bowing, we say: "Amen."

You should make the sign of the cross on yourself in such a way as to feel the touch of your own hand (and not “baptize the air”), and bow only after touching the right and left shoulder (without “breaking the cross” before it is inscribed). Lowering the hand, we make a waist bow, because we have just depicted the Calvary Cross on ourselves, and we bow to it.

The sign of the cross accompanies the believer everywhere. We are baptized, getting up in bed and going to bed, going out into the street and entering the temple; before eating, we ourselves are baptized and overshadow the food with the sign of the cross. The Cross of Christ sanctifies everything and everyone, and therefore the image of it by believers on itself is saving and soul-beneficial.

“The sign of the Cross must be made consciously, with reverence. This is not just an empty greeting that you give to God, this is a confession of your faith. If a dumb person were in danger of death from a persecutor and could not say anything about his faith, he could raise his hand above his head, showing the cross: this is what he believes in. Therefore, it is necessary to lay down the cross reverently, consciously: I really believe and ask God to sanctify both my mind and my insides, and give His strength to my weakness. At the same time, I believe in His help and, as it were, I hold the banner of His troops, I openly declare that I am Christ's, that I am a believer.

Crossing ourselves, we bow. We all know what it means to bow: bow your head or kneel before someone and bow to the ground. When we ask someone for forgiveness from the bottom of our hearts, when we cannot find words, when our soul is torn that - oh, how I would like to fully express my grief that I humiliated, insulted a person! - we kneel before the person and bow to him earthly. And so we bow before God; and not necessarily just asking for forgiveness: we seem to prostrate ourselves, fall on our knees before His majesty ... This bow to the ground is not a servile movement, this is a movement of ultimate love, ultimate admiration for Someone Who is so great, so holy, so loved so amazing and beautiful." (Anthony, Metropolitan of Surozh. I will enter Your house ... Klin: Christian Life, 2002).

How to enter the temple

Savior Almighty - Monastery of St. vmts. Catherine, Sinai

In front of the entrance to the Temple is located, which says that this place is holy. It, according to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, is a house of prayer. Having bowed before her and, slowly, signing himself three times with the sign of the cross, a person enters the inside of the temple and finds himself in the area in which the Living God lives and acts. Here you need to repeat the same thing, that is, make the sign of the cross three times with the words: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (if possible, feeling and understanding the words spoken to oneself). Then, without breaking the deep silence, we pass to the icon, which is located in the middle of the temple (this is either the icon of Christ, or the icon of the event being celebrated). Approaching the icon, and again crossing themselves three times, they kiss it. But for many people, especially newcomers, these actions are unusual and therefore unnatural. In the absence of a living feeling, external signs of reverence for the icon may be postponed to a later date.

“A person enters the temple through the porch. The vestibule is not only a door, but also a small space between it and the temple itself. Now this place has become passable; but in antiquity the narthex played an enormous role. In the vestibule stood those people who had not yet been baptized (they were called vociferous), and those who were excluded from church fellowship: who could not receive communion, because they violated some basic rules of Christian life ...

I used the word catechumens. The catechumens are people who have heard the sermon, heard about Christ, to whom this message has reached, a voice has reached (hence the word “catechumens”), and who have been kindled with interest or faith. In this regard, the vestibule is architecturally interesting because it is closed towards the church and open towards the street, that is, it is open to the whole world. Everyone who just hears about Christ, everyone whose heart trembles, who suddenly has a keen interest, can come there; but there they should have remained. Now we do not do this, but in ancient times it was strictly observed. They entered the temple not through the door, but through baptism, and until a person was baptized, he remained in the porch. But in order for people to be able to pray, part of the service was performed with open doors, so that those standing in the porch could hear that part of the service, which was a lesson.

Scenes were often depicted on the walls of the narthex doomsday, the judgment of God over a sinful soul; the porch was the place where a man stood before the court of his conscience. To say: Yes, I repent of everything in which I am unworthy of myself, and my neighbor, and the hope that people have placed on me, and the beauty that God created in me, and God Himself; people stood and realized it. And when their repentance matured, when they were ready, they could enter the temple through baptism.

But those who, after baptism, violated some basic Christian commandment, also stood in the narthex. Excommunicated from the Church, in essence, people who violated the law of love in an absolute way. Namely: a person who denied God and Christ publicly, there was no longer a place among those people who lived by Christ and faith. A person who killed his neighbor, that is, showed the utmost dislike, the absence of any compassion and love - had to leave the temple. And finally, people who committed adultery, that is, invaded someone else's love, broke existing love, destroyed this shrine - they also lost their place in the Kingdom, where only love reigns. Here they remained in the porch until the moment when their time passes, when they are renewed by this repentance.

Therefore, the porch is wide open to the street. From there, from the world, anyone can come who is touched by the consciousness of his unworthiness, who hears the voice of God's love. Formerly people stood in the porch, waiting for the gates of the temple itself to be opened and for them to enter into the region which is the house of God, the inheritance of God. This is the meaning of the vestibule, which, unfortunately, now is only a passage space.

Speaking about the fact that now the porch does not play the liturgical, liturgical, prayer role that it played at the beginning, I used the word "unfortunately." Is it really a pity for us, believers, that people who have just touched the edge of the robe of Christ have the opportunity to stand in the temple and attend the entire divine service? Of course not; this is not envy, and not a feeling of some kind of superiority. The fact is that gradual spiritual growth began precisely by hearing the word of God, from which the heart flared up, the mind brightened, which moved the will to change one’s whole life, to make it worthy of one’s own human greatness, worthy of one’s neighbor. And the person who experienced it came and knew that he still had to experience something, that he could not simply move from a state of savagery to an acceptable state. A person knew that he had to go through a crisis, to experience something almost tragic, because when you stand before the court of your conscience seriously, then there is nothing more terrible. A human court, even a civil court, even a field court cannot be as terrible as the court of conscience, when a person stands before his conscience and suddenly realizes that he is unworthy, that he has no right to call himself a man, let alone a Christian.

And the fact that now you can go from the street to the temple simply, almost out of curiosity, deprives people of this gradualness and consciousness that spiritual growth is given by a feat. By feat a person moves forward. When a person had to stand in the porch before the court of conscience, knowing that he was not yet ready - not only not worthy, but not ready to enter the realm of God - he had to pronounce over himself, day after day, Sunday after Sunday, new and new court. That is, deeper and deeper he went into his soul and became more and more aware of what at first he was not aware of in himself, but which was gradually revealed to him by this standing in front of the closed door. It also happens that we realize our guilt before a person only if he tells us: no, you have no right to be called my friend. A traitor, a person who betrayed me in my moment of extreme need, cannot be my friend; you must first prove to me that you have become a true friend again ... - That's why, it seems to me, this moment was so important: standing outside, in front of a closed door.

The Gospel tells us: knock on the door, knock, knock - it will open for you. And indeed, people knocked - not with their fists, of course, but with prayer, repentance, longing for renewal. And at the same time (of course, not during the service, but during the same period) they were taught, they were taught what it means to be a Christian. And then, perhaps more than now, they insisted that being a Christian means not only believing in God, believing in Christ as your Savior, the Son of God, but also knowing that if I believed Christ, then my whole life must change. My natural life will end the moment I am baptized; my animal life, my mere human life, will come to an end; another dimension will begin. People said: to live in Christ, or: Christ lives in me. This meant that in some respect the person felt: past life ended, a new life began, which already belongs to both time and eternity, because eternity - God - entered my life ...

... For a whole week, we, perhaps, did not live worthy of ourselves. And when on Sunday we enter the temple, put the cross on ourselves, we must stop and, like, say: Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner! I have come to a place where Your power can renew me, where Your love can embrace me, where You can teach me with Your word, cleanse me with Your action, change, renew to the end... that's what we should enter the temple with - everything, not only those who enter it by baptism, but also those who enter it every Sunday or even every service. Even a priest should come, stop and say: Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner! I enter an area that burns like fire; How can I not burn! I will pronounce words so holy that they can burn my lips, set my soul on fire - or incinerate it if I pronounce them unworthily, with lies and hypocrisy, with a lack of truthfulness ... I will meet Christ in this temple: I will go up to the icon, kiss this icon - how can I kiss it? How did Judas kiss Christ when he wanted to betray Him? or how a child kisses its mother? or how in reverence we kiss the hand of the person whom we respect most in the world? ..

This is the realm we are entering; with what feeling, with what trembling, inner fear, we must enter the temple. (Anthony, Metropolitan of Surozh. I will enter Your house ... Klin: Christian Life, 2002).

temple space

The entire temple is built around the Throne, located behind. The space that opens up behind these gates when they are open is the Mountain World, the Kingdom of Heaven. You come to the temple, first of all, as to the house of the Living God, and to Him, and through His saints, including, pray for health and repose. And He is not far away, but here, He is just waiting for your movement towards Him, your heart.

“We will see (perhaps with surprise) that the temple is divided into two areas, into two parts. All the people stand in one part, and somewhere in front there is a barrier beyond which the people do not enter. Behind the barrier is an altar. What does this mean? This means that we are all on the path to salvation, but have not yet reached that fullness, which is the Kingdom of God. It is as if striking that God came into the world, that we are standing where Christ came, that the Holy Spirit descended into this region, that God loves us, but that there is a region in which He lives in the fullness of His life, and where we are striving, but to which we have not yet reached.

The church is sometimes compared to a ship, and the most central part of the temple is even called a ship. This image is taken from the Old Testament. Some of you remember that the Old Testament tells about and how a small part of humanity, still retaining its true human features, was saved along with the animals in the ark. This image of a small number of people who were saved because they remained together in the name of God and in the unity of their humanity was also transferred to the Church ... The temple is a small area dedicated to God, which really was like a ship; this is a place where they were calm with God, confident in their fate. That is why this name of the ship is so precious. This is not only a place where people are safe. This is a place where people and God are together, but where - together with God, who became a man to live for the salvation of people and die for the salvation of people - His disciples are ready to both live and die in His name for the salvation of others.

The church ship, that is, the part in which all the people stand, represents the human world, those people who believed in Christ, gave Him their fidelity and their lives, and who are on the way to full spiritual growth, until the moment when they themselves enter into the depths of God, when, according to the word of the Apostle Peter, they become partakers of the Divine nature, partake of the eternity of God Himself, the life of God Himself. And the altar tells us that our path is not yet over, that not everything in us yet belongs to true humanity and deified humanity, that beyond the earth there is the mystery of God, which we have not yet comprehended, which we can only see sometimes from afar, sometimes very close, sometimes briefly, but which calls us.

... When the royal doors open, that is, the doors in the middle of the iconostasis, closing the central part of the altar for us, we see two things in front of us. We see a square table, which is called the throne, because God sits on it, and further, in the depths of the altar, the icon of the Resurrection of Christ: this is what we are called to. In some temples there are others; but in any case they say the same thing: this icon shows us what a person can become if he becomes like Christ the Savior.

But it's in front of us. Why? What is he talking about? The iconostasis does not separate us from the altar; on the contrary, it connects us to the altar. In Western temples there is sometimes just a light barrier; if there were only a forbidden feature - and this would be enough to indicate that we are in God's realm, but have not yet entered the mystery of eternal life. The iconostasis before us puts the images of our salvation. On one side of the royal doors is the icon of the Savior Christ, namely the Savior, God, who became a man so that a person could partake of the Divine and enter into the fullness, into the very depths of the Divine mystery. St. John Chrysostom says that if we want to know how great a person is, we should not look towards the royal thrones, but simply raise our eyes to heaven to see the Man Jesus Christ, Who is also our God, sitting on the right hand God and Father. On the other side of the holy gates is the icon of the Mother of God, which tells us that the Savior of the world, Christ, was indeed born from the Virgin; but not only: she also speaks of the fact that this became possible, because in the person of the Mother of God, all mankind responded to God's love, responded to what God said to us: I want to become one of you so that everyone enters into eternity and to my joy.

And on the right and left sides there are icons of various saints who tell us that this is not an empty promise, that thousands of people have gone this way before us and have really reached such a measure of God-knowledge, to such an amazing beauty of humanity, which is possible for us. The upper rows of the iconostasis present us with the images of the prophets, then the apostles, then the saints, and they all speak of the same thing. And this whole path ascends to the Cross of the Lord: this is the path. Christ told us: whoever loves Me, let him follow Me, and in another place He says that we must renounce ourselves, turn away from ourselves, lose interest in ourselves and take up the cross, that is, the feat of life, and follow Him wherever He goes. And where did he go? - First to the cross, but then - to eternal glory.

The middle doors of the iconostasis are called the royal doors, because through them enters the One whom we call the King of glory. The Lord Jesus Christ enters figuratively, in the form of the Gospel, which is brought in through these gates, and in the form of prepared bread and wine, which will then be consecrated and distributed to believers. When these gates open, the first thing we see is the throne. On the throne lies the Gospel, which is not only the word of Christ, but also the person of Christ; it is the Good News that God came into the world, became a man, and that salvation is now within the human race, and not somewhere outside of it. There is also a cross lying there, which speaks of the price at which our salvation is given to us ...

On the left side is another table called the altar. It contains the vessels that will be used during the liturgy ...

Who has the right to enter the altar? According to the ancient church charter- only those people who are consecrated to the service of the altar, to the service of the Church; that is, not everyone enters there with full rights. There enter the bishop, the priest, the deacon, and the ordained clergymen and clergymen, those who are chosen by the Church to perform this ministry. (Anthony, Metropolitan of Surozh. I will enter Your house ... Klin: Christian Life, 2002).

church candle

“What does a person do first when he crosses the threshold of the temple? Nine times out of ten, it goes to the candle box. With a small wax, our practical Christianity begins, initiation to the rite. It is impossible to imagine an Orthodox church in which candles are not lit...

The interpreter of the liturgy, Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica (XV century), says that pure wax means the purity and uncleanness of the people who bring it. It is brought as a sign of our repentance for stubbornness and self-will. The softness and suppleness of wax speaks of our readiness to obey God. The burning of a candle means the deification of a person, his transformation into a new creature by the action of the fire of Divine love.

In addition, a candle is evidence of faith, a person's involvement in the Divine light. It expresses the flame of our love for the Lord, the Mother of God, angels or saints. You can not light a candle formally, with a cold heart. External action must be supplemented by prayer, even the simplest one, in your own words.

A lit candle is present in many church services. It is held in the hands of the newly baptized and those who are combined with the sacrament of marriage. Among the many burning candles, the funeral service is performed. Covering the flame of the candle from the wind, the pilgrims go to the procession.

There are no binding rules on where and how much to put candles. Their purchase is a small sacrifice to God, voluntary and not burdensome. An expensive big candle is not at all more beneficial than a small one.

Those who regularly visit the temple try to put a few candles each time: to the festive icon lying on the lectern in the middle of the church; to the image of the Savior or the Virgin - about the health of their loved ones; to the Crucifixion on a rectangular candlestick table (eve) - about the repose of the dead. If your heart desires, you can put a candle to any saint or saints.

Sometimes it happens that there is no free space in the candlestick in front of the icon, everyone is occupied with burning candles. Then it’s not worth extinguishing another candle for the sake of your own, it’s more appropriate to ask the attendant to put it on at a good time. And do not be embarrassed that your unburned candle was extinguished at the end of the service - the sacrifice has already been accepted by God.

There is no need to listen to talk that a candle should only be lit right hand; that if it went out, then there will be misfortunes; that melting the lower end of the candle for stability in the hole is a mortal sin, etc. There are many superstitions around the church, and they are all meaningless.

God is pleased with the wax candle. But He appreciates the burning of the heart more. Our spiritual life, participation in worship is not limited to a candle. By itself, it will not free from sins, will not unite with God, will not give strength to invisible warfare. The candle is full of symbolic meaning, but it is not the symbol that saves us, but the true essence - Divine grace.

Candles should be placed before the start of the service, because as a symbol of prayer and as a lamp, a candle should burn during the service, and walking around the temple at this time is unacceptable. You can put a candle on the candlestick closest to you at some relaxed moment of the service, but it is also undesirable to pass the candles to the distant icons during the service (this creates a whole chain of people who are at least a little distracted from participating in the service). (Priest Konstantin (Slepinin). The Basics of Orthodoxy. St. Petersburg: Satis, 2002).

Icons

“And, after standing for a few moments, you go, as in any house, to the Host - to that icon that stands in the middle of the temple and represents the image of Christ the Savior. We go to Him first of all with a bow, kneel, bow to the ground as a sign of our deepest reverence, reverence, inner awe; we put a candle, which symbolizes our burning. The flame is pure, we are impure; it is the purity that burns before God, like a candle that has led us to meet Him. And we kiss this icon. In church language, this is called applying: a person applies his lips to the image, kisses him. Some people (including myself), kissing the icon, always say: Yes, no kissing to the ladies, like Judas! .. Let me kiss You, like a child kisses a mother, like you kiss a beloved, revered person, without deceit, without untruth. Moreover, in the Russian tradition of the Savior Christ, the Mother of God, the saints are not kissed on the face. They kiss either the hand or the Gospel that Christ is holding, but do not touch the face; just like in ordinary life We only kiss people who are very close to us on the face.” (Anthony, Metropolitan of Surozh. I will enter Your house ... Klin: Christian Life, 2002).

For a person who rarely or even more so for the first time entering the temple, the faces on its walls are a collection of strangers, the way is an image of beauty (and sometimes just strangeness, because you also need to get used to the language of the icon, understand it), but still you literally don’t know Who to contact.

When we approach an icon in order to express our attitude towards the saint depicted on it, the Mother of God or the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, we, according to the words of John of Damascus, turn not to wood and paints, but to the Archetype. We, touching the boards with our lips, address a kiss to Christ Himself, the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints depicted on the icons.

You can light a candle or stand in prayer even in front of the icon of a saint completely unfamiliar to you and say from your heart: “God’s saint, I don’t know you, I don’t know who you are, but pray for my misfortune so that the Lord will help.” Why not directly to the Lord? You can also directly - when the heart can directly shout to God, let it shout directly to Him! - but when we ask the saints, we also attract their love, they become family to us, and we to them, a kind of round dance of love is formed.

If it is still unusual for you, it is difficult to kiss icons, do not force yourself. It is better to stand silently in front of the image - this is even more important than lighting a candle. Look at him, and he, the image, let him look at you. This is not an artistic exaggeration. The icon is a window to the heavenly world, a window to eternity. Here, by the way, is the key to the nature of ancient icon images, their dissimilarity to "realism": they depict not earthly, but heavenly reality, depict events and personalities of saints in eternity.

It is necessary to venerate the icons before the start of the service or after it, so that by walking around the temple you do not violate the general structure of the service and do not interfere with people's prayers. When you wander around the temple, you interfere with those who are praying, it is difficult for them to concentrate. Your veneration of icons becomes a temptation for them. You will approach the rest of the icons at another time. “Let everything be decent and in order with you,” the Scripture instructs.

“The Church has its own, in secular terms, etiquette. Rendering worship to God and the saints glorified by Him before holy icons, it is customary to kiss the icons, kissing the images of hands, feet and clothes. Thus, a Christian is called to realize his sinfulness and unworthiness to act otherwise, to practice humility and reverence for the depicted saints. (Hieromonk Ambrose (Ermakov), Sretensky Monastery, Moscow).

“There are certain canonical requirements in the iconography of the Lord our Savior.

1. Name inscription: IC XC. A title is placed above each pair of letters (in the Church Slavonic language - a sign above the abbreviation of the word).

2. A cross halo pointing to the Calvary Cross, on which the Savior of the world brought the Expiatory Sacrifice.

3. On the halo on the right, left and top are three Greek letters - O (omicron), W (omega) and H (nu), forming the word Existing. This inscription is of a fundamental nature, since it points to the divinity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah is one of the names of God (Ex. 3:14). In the Greek tradition, the letters are arranged as follows: on the left is O (omicron), at the top is W (omega), and H (nu) on the right. On Russian icons, omega is sometimes replaced by the Church Slavonic letter Ot, and the order of the letters is different than on Greek icons: Ot on the left, O (he) on the top, and H (ours) on the right. (Hieromonk Job (Gumerov), Sretensky Monastery, Moscow).

Based on the book by Elena Trostnikova "First Steps in an Orthodox Church (Twelve Joint Journeys)".

Have you read the article How to cross correctly? How to enter the temple?

Often, people entering the temple for the first time and interested in the Christian tradition have similar questions about how to behave in church. We have selected the most common questions and asked them Archpriest Alexy Mityushin, Rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Kozhukhovo.

Can you take pictures in the church?

Indeed, this question comes up all the time. On the one hand, of course, you can. On the other hand, it is better to ask permission from the temple attendant. In general, photography is not allowed where the flash may degrade the image of the icon or fresco. For the same reason, you can not take pictures in museums. Flash destroys images.

If we come to the temple, we must observe the rules of decency and good manners. The temple is bigger and taller than the museum. This is a place of prayer and increased reverence, and photography is secular in nature, which can lead a person into embarrassment or indignation.

Photo by Vladimir Eshtokin

Are photography and videotaping permitted during the performance of the ordinances?

In all temples, this is treated differently. This is a moment that enters our lives, just as electricity, an electric chandelier, and microphones entered our worship. In any case, everything should be done with reverence. Photographing should not interfere, be intrusive.

On the one hand, this may not be very pleasant. But on the other hand, one should not forget that there are thousands of people who are sitting at home and for various reasons cannot leave their apartment, and it is very important for them to see what happened at the service, because for them it is a great consolation and great joy. Through such videos, they feel their belonging to the Church. Then filming the same worship or sermon is of great benefit.

Can animals be in the temple?

According to church practice, it is not allowed to let a dog into the temple. This animal is considered not quite clean. Therefore, in the church tradition there is a rite of lighting the temple if a dog runs into it. However, it is worth remembering that the dog is an excellent watchman, and today not a single temple can do without it.

But cats are present in our temples. This is not prohibited.

In Greece, for example, on one of the holidays, even snakes crawl into the temple.

Can the unbaptized go to church?

Yes, you certainly may. There is no prohibition. Speaking according to the canons, then unbaptized people cannot be present at the Eucharistic canon, in other words, at the liturgy of the faithful. This is the period after the reading of the Gospel until the end of the liturgy, including the communion of the Mysteries of Christ.

Can an unbaptized person touch holy things?

The unbaptized can kiss icons, holy relics, the life-giving cross. But to participate in the sacraments where the Holy Mysteries are taught, to partake of holy water or consecrated prosphora, it is impossible to go out to be chrismated. To participate in the sacraments, one must be a full member of the church, one must feel one's responsibility to God.

An unbaptized person should understand and accept such prohibitions with reverence. So that it doesn’t turn out like in one patericon, where a Jew pretended to be baptized in order to partake of the Mysteries of Christ. When he received a particle of the body of Christ in his hands, he saw that it had turned into a piece of meat with blood. Thus the Lord enlightened his sacrilege and immoderate curiosity.

Can Muslims and people of other faiths visit the temple?

Yes, you certainly may. Again, there is no restriction. We must remember that every soul is indeed a Christian by birth. Therefore, every person, regardless of his religion, can be in the church.

Can I eat before visiting the temple?

You can not eat before the sacrament of Christ's Mysteries. Before communion, fasting must be observed, which begins at midnight. From this time until the moment of communion, we do not eat or even drink water.

In the monastic charter it is necessary, even if you do not take communion, to go to the liturgy on an empty stomach. And since we, the laity, try to imitate the monks in their exploits, the majority of Orthodox Christians go to the liturgy on an empty stomach.

Exceptions are people with serious illnesses. For example, people with diabetes It is strictly forbidden to go to the temple on an empty stomach.

Who can't get married?

You can’t get married to someone who is not registered in the registry office. It is impossible to get married to those people who have some canonical obstacles to this, for example, it is forbidden to marry a blood relative. You can not get married if one of the spouses hides his mental illness. If one of the spouses cheats on his chosen one.

The most difficult questions are solved with the blessing of the bishop. There are cases that the parish priest cannot and does not even have the right to decide on his own.

What time can you not get married?

You can not get married in the posts: Great, Rozhdestvensky, Petrovsky and Assumption. You can not get married at Christmas time (in the period from Christmas to Epiphany). They don’t get married on Bright Week until antipascha. They do not marry on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. They do not crown on the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist. Also, they do not marry on parish patronal holidays.

Can you get married in a church?

AT Orthodox Church there is no debauchery. If people, due to their great sins, have not been able to preserve love, if they have destroyed a marriage, then a blessing is taken for entering into a second marriage from the diocesan bishop.

Such a situation is out of the ordinary, purely sinful, there is no definite scheme for it. If a person finds himself in such a misfortune, then the process of entering into a second marriage should begin with confession to his parish priest. It is advisable to repent before the priest who married you. If this is not possible, you should confess to your confessor and consult with him.

How should a woman look in church?

A woman should look modest and at the same time beautiful. In the temple you need to dress well, festively, but in such a way that a man who comes to church thinks about God, and not about female beauty.

Can a woman wear trousers to the temple?

As it was said in the film "17 Moments of Spring": "It is difficult for a pastor to go against the flock." Therefore, no matter how much we call people to a god-like being, the parishioners have their own character and willfulness. If the clergy drive all women in trousers out of the temple, then almost no one will remain. It should be remembered that trousers are different: there are modest, but there are not modest.

If a woman goes to the temple to receive communion, she should wear a skirt and a scarf. Of course, no one will kick out women in trousers and without scarves. But a scarf in Orthodox Russian churches is a must. To participate in the sacrament, one should look accordingly.

Is it possible to come to the temple with makeup?

The devil is trying in every possible way to distract us from prayer. If a “bright” woman who is replete with cosmetics stands in the middle of the temple, she will commit a double sin - not complying with the church charter and distracting others. Everything should be in moderation.

When can I confess in church?

The time of confession is indicated on the doors of the temple, on the bulletin board of the church.

If a person needs to confess outside of this schedule, then you can approach the priest on duty in the temple or call him with a request to confess at a special time. Such a confession can be made at any time of the day or night.

However, confession must be distinguished from conversation. Confession is concrete conscious repentance for sins. And a spiritual conversation is a time when a priest can slowly talk to a person.

When can I take communion in church?

Basically, the liturgy is performed daily. At what time - you can find out from the duty officer in the temple, by phone, in the schedule or on the temple website.

The time of communion depends on the temple, each has its own beginning of worship, and hence its own time for communion.

When can you visit the church?

You can visit the temple at any time. Since the 1990s, it has been allowed to keep the temple open all day, and not just during the liturgy. In the center of Moscow, some churches are open until 23:00. If it were possible, I think the temples would be open at night as well.

What is strictly forbidden to do in the temple? Is it permissible to cry in a temple?

It is forbidden to talk loudly, talk on abstract topics.

You can cry only in such a way that it does not interfere with others, does not turn into a theatrical performance.

What can be ordered and bought in the church?

Nothing is bought or ordered in the church. It is bought in a church shop on the territory of the temple. You can buy icons, icon case, church utensils.

Order magpie, various prayers and trebs.

In which church can you be baptized?

You can be baptized in any parish church, except for the monastery. In most monasteries, baptism is not performed.

I also advise you to be baptized in the church where there is a baptistery - a font for complete immersion.

Is it possible to get infected in a church?

If we are talking about the sacrament of the Eucharist - no, you cannot get infected during the sacrament of communion. This is proved by the thousand-year practice of the Christian tradition. The Sacrament of Communion is the greatest of the sacraments of Christ's Church.

Are pregnant women really not allowed to go to church?

Pregnant women not only need to go to church, but they also need to partake of Christ's Mysteries every week.

Is it true that women should not attend church during critical days?

There is a church tradition when women in their " women's holidays”, as Nifont, Metropolitan of Volyn and Lutsk called them, do not go to church.

But after all, a woman, even on these “holidays”, remains a person and does not become a second-class creature who cannot enter the temple.

The Church of Christ is a haven for people who are weak and grieving. And during her monthly infirmities, a woman often suffers not only physical, but also moral sorrows.

On such days, women do not proceed to the sacrament of communion and, according to tradition, do not kiss the icons.