What should you do to go to church? How often should an Orthodox person attend church?

Sometimes it happens that a person’s soul is drawn to church, but many are not familiar with the basics of Orthodoxy and do not know how to behave in church. But the temple of God is open to everyone.

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 filling the mind and heart with the highest, giving knowledge of God.

In addition to personal prayer, all Orthodox believers need prayer in the Temple during Divine services.

How to behave correctly in the Orthodox Church

A beginner who is just starting his spiritual path should feel free, monitor 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:

1. If a priest approaches, for example, during the burning of incense, you cannot stand in his way, but you need to step aside.
2. You shouldn’t behave like you’re in a museum and openly look at those around you. As a rule, it is customary to stand with your head slightly bowed.
3. Whether in a small church, a cathedral or a monastery, one should always behave with reverence.
4. If you want to attend a church service, it is advisable to arrive a few minutes before the start of the service.
5. You cannot enter the altar, nor turn your back to the altar.
6. If you want to sing along in prayer, then you need to do this in a quiet voice, making sure that your singing does not distract the people standing nearby.
7. It is permitted to sit in church if you are ill or if you are very tired, that is, in weakness. It is not allowed to sit cross-legged.
8. During kneeling prayers, which occur at various services, you 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).
9. If you are on the temple grounds, you are not allowed to smoke or take animals or birds with you.
10. If there is a reading of the Gospel, chants of the “Cherubim” or the Eucharistic Canon, you should just stand still and listen. You should not walk, talk, or light candles at this time.
11. You need to refrain from making comments to your neighbors so as not to cause embarrassment to them, or speak in a quiet and friendly voice. It is advisable to remain in place until the end of the service; you can leave if there is a need or if you feel unwell.

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

Near her they cross themselves twice and apply their lips and forehead, and cross themselves again. Then they approach the icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and those saints to whom there is a request or the soul is drawn.

Why go to an Orthodox church every Sunday?

The content of the article

A week has 168 hours; Of these, God has appointed only one for Himself - and you spend it on worldly pursuits. ... you neglect this occasion in order to attract the grace of your God to yourself.

St. John Chrysostom, "On the Holy Eucharist."

You cannot work on holidays unless absolutely necessary. The holiday should be cherished and honored. This day should be dedicated to God: be in church, pray at home and read the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers, do good deeds.

Venerable Nikon of Optina

Every Sunday is a small Easter; That’s why this day is called the day of the Resurrection. Let us fill our hearts with the joy of the Resurrection and let us now leave the church with light in our hearts, with light in our souls, with a bright mind, so that everyone who meets us will be illuminated by this light of the Resurrection of the Lord. Saint Seraphim of Sarov said: take care that every soul around you is joyful, because it is easier for a joyful soul to find God, but it is difficult for a bitter soul... If only we knew how to go into the world, into the sorrowful world in which we live, with joy, if every heart around us became quiet, every tension subsided, if there was light around us, then they would talk about us, like the early Christians: “How they love each other!” - and they would ask themselves: what do these people have that makes them incomparable, makes them what another person cannot be? Where do they get this joy, which neither the cold nor the grief of life can extinguish - where do they get this?.. If only, looking at us, people could ask themselves this question, the Lord would give them the answer.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Sunday is both day one and day eight. The first is inside the sevenfold cycle, the eighth is like breaking the ring and going beyond. On that first day, the day of creation, the Lord created light and separated the light from the darkness. How joyful it is to notice the similarity with Sunday. After all, the Risen Christ conquered darkness, made it visible and gave man the opportunity to emerge from it into the light. As for the eighth day, the liturgical celebration of Sunday makes us partakers of blessed eternity, that ever-lasting wedding feast of which the Gospel speaks. It is the eighth day that the Fathers call the future age. The seventh day of creation, on which God does not create anything new, but controls what has already been created, continues to this day. With the coming of Christ and His righteous Judgment, a new day will begin—the eighth—and the Kingdom of Christ will begin, and there will be no end to it. Thus, in the celebration of Sunday, both ends of history are united - its creative beginning and its grandiose conclusion. And all the luxury of this theological meal is available to every person participating in Sunday prayer.

******

The redemption of the world is a work of greater love than the creation of the world. The fact that God, without getting tired, created a wonderful world speaks of His omnipotence and intelligence. And the fact that He sent the Only Begotten Son so that the world could be saved in Him speaks of His love. What do we do? What should we thank God for more? For omnipotence - or for love for us, the fallen? The Church says: for love. The Church does not abolish the Sabbath, calls it a holiday, and fills it with prayer. But above Saturday, the Church places the first day - Sunday. We celebrate it more, and for us it is an eternal reminder of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

So, Easter has come and will go in its turn, but life will continue. How long will Easter be gone? For a week only. Every Sunday is Easter day. A true admirer of the Risen Lord is not the one who comes to a long and special Divine Service once a year, weighing down his hands with baskets of food, but the one who every week on Sunday honors and glorifies the Conqueror of death - Jesus Christ.

Archpriest ANDREY TKACHEV

The most important spiritual blessings given to us by God in the Church are faith, prayer, confession and communion of the Holy Sacraments. Fasting and doing good to others are also important.

right John of Kronstadt

Orthodox priest about Sunday

Reward for going to Church on Sunday

How many of the highest, purest and holy consolations we receive from the Lord for going to the Church of God! If we spend Sundays and holidays holy, according to God’s law, then God’s grace will be not only on our souls, but also on all our enterprises and circumstances of our lives. Where, if not from the temple of God, come from all the gifts of God, heavenly and earthly? Where is it easiest to hide from all danger and from all troubles, if not under the shadow of the temple of God? What grace of God we deprive ourselves of when we are not in the church of God! How much grace-filled consolation and joy a Christian soul can receive in the temple of God! What peace and joy our hearts are filled with from the grace-filled visit to the temple of God! And this blessed feeling remains in our hearts for a long time. It renews our soul, refreshes and strengthens our strength, tired by everyday work. Only in God, in prayerful communication with Him, do we find true joy. Only in prayer does our soul become peaceful and brighten with spiritual joy. Then worldly worries are abandoned, worldly affairs are forgotten. Only in one temple of God does everything remind us of the Divine, the heavenly.

The Temple of God is our heaven on earth. There our mind and heart are raised to God, inflamed with feelings of repentant tenderness and heartfelt contrition, thanksgiving and glorification. The world cannot give us true comfort. Only in joy in God, according to Blessed Augustine, can one find true, eternal peace and joy. Worldly joys are temporary and quickly give way to sorrows and disasters. Only those who are lazy and careless about their salvation should never go to the Church of God on a holiday. If a true Christian does this, his heart will be heavy, his soul will be gloomy, his conscience will be restless. Without going to church, he will feel like he has lost something. Who has not experienced the sweet consolation of visiting the temple of God and the reproach of conscience for omission? Nothing sweetens our lives more than the consolation we receive in church. In church our grief is lessened.

In church, our sadness is replaced by spiritual joy and consolation. In church, those burdened with labor receive rest and tranquility. Then the Lord calls us all to himself: “... come to me, all you who labor and are burdened with earthly sorrows and illnesses, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Did family grief kill you? Is your heart oppressed and tormented by melancholy and inconsolable sadness? Do your chest hurt from heavy sadness? Hurry quickly to the temple of God. Tell all your sorrows to the Savior. There, at the foot of the Cross of Christ, you will receive relief from sorrows and sorrows...

From the collection of edifying stories "Spiritual Niva"

The Lord prays in the desert, in secluded places, but together with believers He also comes to church. Not because he needs it, but to show us how we should act. Every Sunday and holiday we must be in church. This commandment, along with the most important ancient ones, which set a limit to the decay of human life, is the same as “do not kill,” “do not steal,” “do not fornicate.”

This is what today's Gospel is about. The Lord heals a woman from a serious illness. She was possessed by a spirit of infirmity, bound by Satan, and bent to the ground for eighteen years. She could hardly move. And yet she came to the temple of God. How surprised we were at this before, when there were mostly grandmothers in the church. Weak, decrepit, they really can barely walk, but they don’t miss a single service! Both in the morning and in the evening - because the soul is drawn to where the Lord is, where true life is revealed. And no weakness is an obstacle for them. We should be all the more ashamed, when God has not yet taken away our health, to blatantly violate one of His main commandments—to miss holiday and Sunday services.

The Lord performs a miracle on this woman for the sake of her fidelity to the commandment of God. Although she no longer hopes for anything, she is ready to bear the yoke of her weakness until death. But it is important for her to come to where the word of the Lord is proclaimed, where the most important thing for a person is given. In an instant, this woman is healed, straightened, and praising God.

And her condition was truly terrible. Bent to the ground, she walked almost on all fours. From a distance one could think that it was some kind of animal moving. This is the spiritual state of man after he has fallen away from God. He cannot straighten up, raise his face to the sky, or see the face of another person. Only what is below nourishes and inspires him. All his joy is in what the earth gives. But what is higher, eternal life, heavenly joy, is unattainable for him. Man has become like an animal, bent to death, although physically he can sometimes raise his head very high.

St. Nicholas (Velimirović), a Serbian saint recently glorified by the Church, says that, looking at this miracle, we can understand the absurdity of the teaching of materialists who argue that man descended from a monkey: he walked for thousands of years on all fours and then gradually straightened up. In an instant, the Lord straightens a man bent to the ground. And in an instant He creates man as he must be in order to participate in the life created for him by the Lord.

Everyone sees this woman straighten up and praise the Lord. And we see, in addition to the phenomenon of light, the phenomenon of darkness. How darkened is the ruler of the synagogue, the guardian of God's Law! Fearing to expose Christ Himself (because he does not find the inner strength for this), he turns to the people: “There are six days on which you can heal, and the seventh is a day of rest, the Sabbath day; and no one can violate it.”

Look what's happening. The light of the miracle blinds this teacher of faith, and he wants to close it off from other people. It is not clear to anyone that God Himself is at work here. But the leader of the synagogue wants to turn God’s miracle into an ordinary, meaningless event. External observance of the rules is more valuable to him than anything in the world, and he is ready to forbid God Himself to perform works of mercy on the Sabbath.

The woman no longer hoped for anything. But the Lord Himself called her. And Himself, before she turned to Him, performed this miracle. If the Lord does not come to us, we will perish in our sins. “Truly I tell you,” He says Himself, “if you do not know that it is I—that My grace, My power, My love is at work in these signs and wonders—you will perish in your sins.”

Godliness and love are one and the same thing. The meaning of piety is love, compassion for another person. The Lord says: if any of you has any cattle, a donkey or an ox, will you not untie it on the Sabbath day and take it to water? Every person does this; it would be wild and cruel to an animal not to give it something to drink. Is it really possible that this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound and has been torturing for eighteen years, cannot be freed from suffering! Isn't that what the rest of the Sabbath is for? The mystery of God’s mercy, eternal life—that’s what this “peace” is. And only through compassion, through true piety, can we enter into it.

The Lord exposes the sin of hypocrisy. Of all sins, this is the most heinous. We remember with what anger the Lord repeatedly repeats: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” He does not say these words to any of the ordinary people: “Woe to you” - only to the Pharisees. Because “external appearance with internal emptiness” will be the “secret of lawlessness” in the Church. “Hear the word of the Lord,” warns the prophet Isaiah. “I can’t stand your holiday gatherings—they are lawless.” My soul hates your holidays - they are a burden for Me, It’s hard for Me to bear them. And when you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself, cleanse yourself, stop doing evil, learn to do good. Seek righteousness, save the oppressed, defend the orphan, intercede for the widow” (Isa. 1: 14-18). And then the mercy of the Lord will appear and a miracle will happen. God is fire, says St. Seraphim, not rituals, not fasting and prayer, not good deeds, but the fire hidden in them. It is not our external presence at the holiday, but the presence of the holiday within us.

The secret of the miracle lies, says the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, in unfeigned, sincere prayer. When they asked him: “Why is the Lord giving you such an amazing gift?”, he answered: “This is the grace of God. I just always try to pray sincerely, with all my heart, and not allow a single drop of falsehood in my relationships with God and with people.” Where there is directness of these relationships, there is the light of Christ, there the miracle of God’s love is revealed, there souls bent to the ground by sin are straightened.

The woman, having accepted the gift of healing, thanks the Lord. And all the people are amazed at what the Lord has done. A person who has received healing by the grace of God cannot help but thank God. It's natural for him. And this is a sign of his healing, because no one is able to bring praise to the Lord until his sick soul is healed. The grace of Christ can straighten everything that sin has twisted in our lives.

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

Look, rarely will any church have as many people on St. Nicholas Day as on an ordinary Sunday. As a rule, there will be fewer people on an ordinary Sunday, and more on St. Nicholas. And what should we call it? What name should I give to this walking on my head and turning my life upside down? If we want to honor the saints, we must first honor the Lord, who sanctified His chosen ones. We must honor Him before Whom all holiness fades, for He alone is Holy! Before Him “twenty-four elders fall down and worship, and lay their crowns before the Throne, saying: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and by Thy will all things exist and were created” (Rev. 4:10–11)

Nicholas can ask all his unreasonable readers: “Why do you go to church on my day, but not on the day of the Resurrection of the Lord? Why do you honor me, and not worthily honor the One whom I serve in deed, word, and thought? Why do you know how to read, but are not diligent in reading the Gospel?” And so on.

On the day of memory of Nicholas, you need to take the Holy Book from his hands. As soon as we take it from him, he will immediately have another one just like it in his hands, so there will be enough for everyone who wants it. Having taken the Book, let's make it a rule to read it daily: a chapter in the morning before work, a chapter in the evening before bed. What you read, although not immediately, although not without difficulty, will cling to your memory and become an object of reflection amid the bustle of the day and everyday activities.

Archpriest ANDREY TKACHEV

If we spend Sundays and holidays holy, according to God’s law, then God’s grace will be not only on our souls, but also on all our enterprises and circumstances of our lives. Where, if not from the temple of God, come from all the gifts of God, heavenly and earthly? Where is it easiest to hide from all danger and from all troubles, if not under the shadow of the temple of God? What grace of God we deprive ourselves of when we are not in the church of God! How much grace-filled consolation and joy a Christian soul can receive in the temple of God! What peace and joy our hearts are filled with from the grace-filled visit to the temple of God! And this blessed feeling remains in our hearts for a long time. It renews our soul, refreshes and strengthens our strength, tired by everyday work. Only in God, in prayerful communication with Him, do we find true joy. Only in prayer does our soul become peaceful and brighten with spiritual joy. Then worldly worries are abandoned, worldly affairs are forgotten. Only in one temple of God does everything remind us of the Divine, the heavenly. The Temple of God is our heaven on earth. There our mind and heart are raised to God, inflamed with feelings of repentant tenderness and heartfelt contrition, thanksgiving and glorification. The world cannot give us true comfort. Only in joy in God, according to St. Augustine, can one find true, eternal peace and joy. Worldly joys are temporary and quickly give way to sorrows and disasters. Only those who are lazy and careless about their salvation should never go to the Church of God on a holiday. If a true Christian does this, his heart will be heavy, his soul will be gloomy, his conscience will be restless. Without going to church, he will feel like he has lost something. Who has not experienced the sweet consolation of visiting the temple of God and the reproach of conscience for omission? Nothing sweetens our lives more than the consolation we receive in church. In church our grief is lessened. In church, our sadness is replaced by spiritual joy and consolation. In church, those burdened with labor receive rest and tranquility. Then the Lord calls us all to himself: “... come to me, all you who labor and are burdened with earthly sorrows and illnesses, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Did family grief kill you? Is your heart oppressed and tormented by melancholy and inconsolable sadness? Do your chest hurt from heavy sadness? Hurry quickly to the temple of God. Tell all your sorrows to the Savior. There, at the foot of the Cross of Christ, you will receive relief from sorrows and sorrows...

From the collection of edifying stories "Spiritual Niva"

I was thinking about Russia today and came to the conclusion how happy you are, how many churches and monasteries in Russia are being revived, bells are ringing all around, you don’t need to travel tens or even hundreds of miles to get to the Divine Liturgy. In some churches, even two or three Liturgies are celebrated on Sundays. Here's Grace!!! Appreciate this gift!!! Hurry to the Feast of the Called, about which St. wrote. Seraphim Zvezdinsky in his will!

“There are many bright stars in the sky, these sparkles of God’s robe, but the sun is more beautiful, lighter, brighter than all of them. There are many fragrant flowers in the pastures and fields, but the best, most beautiful, most fragrant of all of them is the rose. Many rivers, streams, lakes, streams run across the face of the earth, and they all converge, merge into a boundless, huge, immeasurable ocean. Many beautiful bright stones are stored in the bowels of the earth; There are sapphires, emeralds, and yachts, but the most beautiful, the purest, the brightest sparkling diamond is the diamond.

And in the spiritual world there are stars, and precious stones, and flowers in spiritual pastures. Many wonderful stars - hymns - are preserved in the Orthodox Church (patristic creations), but they all converge in the sun of our Church - in the Divine Liturgy. There are many wonderful flowers in church pastures, but the most beautiful of all is the rose - the Divine Liturgy. Wonderful are the precious stones of our Church - the rituals, but the brightest shining diamond of them all is the Divine Liturgy.

Ancient Christians began every day by attending the Liturgy. They understood well what happiness was given to people in the Sacrament of Communion; they approached the Holy Chalice every day, so pure was their life.

Love the Divine Liturgy, take care of the fragrant rose of Christ, enlighten your souls with the light of the Divine sun; ...Let your eyes always see the Divine Chalice, let your ears always hear: “Take, eat.” Always thank the Lord for that greatest gift, before which the angels tremble. »

Saint Seraphim Zvezdinsky - THE BREAD OF HEAVEN

My dear! Wasn't a whole week enough for you to cope with your everyday routine? Remember: money earned on Sunday is a fire that will consume the rest. Work as much as you want, but God will give you as much as He deems necessary. Besides, Sunday is God's day, which you should dedicate to Him. Your most important work on this day is to go to church, pray, and hear the Word of God. And, of course, the whole family. I emphasize: the whole family. After all, if children do not get used to the temple when they are small, they will not enter it when they are older. On Sunday you should take care of your soul. Isn't man two-parted? Does he not have a body and a soul? And isn't the soul greater? Wouldn't it be appropriate to take care of the soul for more days and only one for the body? But God gave us six days for the needs of the body and only one for the soul. And we neglect this day too! I once heard the following story from a priest: “A rich man met a beggar on his way. The poor man told him about his misfortunes. He took pity on him and gave him two from the seven liras he had. After the beggar told about his other troubles, he received two more lire. Approaching the source, they decided to refresh themselves. The rich man shared his food with his companion and, having heard the following story from his life, gave away two more liras. He was so merciful! The one who received six liras instead of gratitude, suddenly snatched a knife from under his clothes and demanded the seventh lire. Black ingratitude! What is he worthy of? – the priest finished his story. - Of death! - his listeners shouted. “And you deserve such a severe punishment,” he told them. “You are that same ungrateful beggar.” God gave you six days and set aside only one for Himself. And you stole this day from Him too.”

Archimandrite Charalampios Vasilopoulos

We come to church on Sundays at seven o’clock in the morning not because it’s supposed to be so, but because we can’t do otherwise, for He Himself is waiting for us there that morning. And we feel it.

Priest Georgy Chistyakov

We don't let God control us. And what is done without faith in God has nothing to do with God. Therefore, what we do has no blessing, which means there will be no good result. And then we say: “The devil is to blame.” It is not the devil who is to blame, but we ourselves do not allow God to help us. By working on days when, according to church regulations, we are not supposed to work, we give the devil rights over us and he interferes in what we do from the very beginning. “Better is a little for the righteous than the great riches of sinners,” says the Psalm. This is what has the blessing, and everything else is shavings, nonsense. However, you must have faith, curiosity and reverence, you must trust everything to God. Otherwise, you will work haphazardly on holidays, and on other days you will begin to waste time.

And look, God never leaves [those faithful to Him]. I never worked on Sundays and holidays, and God never left me, He blessed my work. I remember once combine harvesters came to our village to reap wheat. They told my father that they would start from our field and then move on. It was Sunday. "What do we do? - my father asks me. “The combines have arrived.” “I,” I say, “will not work on Sunday. Let's wait until Monday." “But if we miss this opportunity,” my father tells me again, “then we will be tortured by riding horses.” “Nothing,” I say, “I’ll reap at least until the Nativity of Christ.” I went to church as if no harvesters had ever arrived. And they headed to the harvest. Well, they broke down right away, on the way! Then the combine operators again went to their father and said: “We apologize, our combines have broken down. Now we will go to Ioannina for repairs, and when we return on Monday, we will start right with you.” So they moved the harvest from Sunday to Monday. I have seen many similar cases with my own eyes. Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets

SUNDAY DAY

Today is a blessed day, Life and joy to the whole earth, Now is our week-long holiday, Light to both the world and the soul. On Resurrection Day, our All-Encompassing Savior rose again, and the whole world, entwined with sin, solemnly ascended to paradise. God was born on Sunday, and resurrected on Sunday. The enemy of salvation was crushed, Man reached heaven. Oh, let us honor Sunday with all the strength of our souls, Remember the blessed day, The joy of heaven and earth. We will all leave our worries, And we will go to the holy temple, We will not take on work this day, But we will honor it with our souls. And on this blessed day Let us remember the mercies of the Creator, And with humble submission Let us lift up our hearts to him. Today is a blessed day, Life and joy to the whole earth, Now is our week-long holiday, Light to both the world and the soul.

Father Nikolai Guryanov

Rural work on Sundays and holidays.

Often, under the pretext of good weather and urgent business, peasants go to haymaking or other agricultural work on church holidays. Here we see a clear manifestation of lack of faith, lack of trust in God’s providence for the Christian. God will always help the believer, and his work will not go in vain, especially if he honors God and His holy holidays. And when there is no hope in the Creator and a person relies only on his own strength and ingenuity, he is often put to shame. Often, seduced by good weather, people go haymaking on Sunday. And what? Never once has the Lord allowed an Orthodox Christian who violates the Feast of God to benefit from the fruits of illegal labor. Either it will rain unexpectedly and the hay will get wet, or the hay that was mown on Sunday will then rot from prolonged rains and the like. The peasant must always remember that he works, and the result depends only on the mercy of God. And God’s mercy is most often poured out on people who love the Lord and honor His holy holidays.

Disrespect for Sundays and church holidays, failure to attend church services on these days.

“Solid it also,” says the commandment about the Sabbath, which for us Christians, after the Resurrection of Christ, replaced the first day of the week—Resurrection. Not honoring Sundays and holidays means not going to services on these days, not devoting holiday time to deeds of piety (prayer, spiritual reading, singing, visiting the sick, the poor and prisoners). This means spending holy days as usual, in social and domestic work, secular entertainment, simply in idleness, or, even worse, in drunkenness. I would like to dwell especially on the last sinful pastime. Many people think that they glorify God and celebrate holidays by getting drunk in honor of these days. Complete madness. What more can one offend God's goodness than by drunkenness and the indecent behavior that flows from it. It is painful to see how, for example, on the day of the Holy Trinity, churches, especially rural ones, are half empty, but there is a general drunkenness in the cemetery, after which the unconscious bodies of the “celebrants” rest there until the evening. Not visiting church on a holiday or Sunday means not loving Christ and not striving for communion with God. No home prayer can replace church prayer. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” says the Lord. “My house will be called a house of prayer,” Christ foretells in another place. According to church canons in the old days, if a person missed three Sunday services without a good reason, he was excommunicated from church. Such severity occurred because a zealous Christian simply physically could not miss so many services, for his desire for public prayer was extraordinary. If an Orthodox Christian allowed himself to miss three services, this meant that internally he had long ago cut himself off from the church, and the church’s excommunication only externally signified this long-established fact.

priest Alexy Moroz

We still have time to go to church

Everything depends on our sincerity......

Do you know, dear friend, that every time you don’t go to church on Sunday, a holiday, you make a very important, perhaps the most important decision in life? It applies not only to your life today, but also to the eternal life of your soul. And it is ahead of us. And it could start very soon - maybe even today. You are a baptized person. God bless. But if a person is baptized, this does not mean that he is guaranteed a place in heaven. Such a view is unorthodox and heretical. After all, it is important how a person lives. Why don't you go? What thoughts take you away from the temple? But it’s the thoughts that take away. It seems that these are your thoughts, because they are in your head. But that's not true.

We say: “A thought came to me.” Yes, thoughts come. They come from somewhere. If thoughts are from God, there are thoughts from the devil. Both of them come into our heads, and we say: “I thought.” How do you know which thought is from God and which is from the devil? Look at what actions this thought leads you to, where it directs you: towards the church - or away from the church? To prayer, to fasting, to rest, to confession, to communion, to patience, to forgiveness, to good deeds - or from all of this, under any pretext. Even the most plausible ones. Look what feelings, what state of mind thoughts give rise to in you. If there is peace, love, humility, silence, peace - most likely these are thoughts from God. If anger, pride, fear, despondency, despair are from the evil one. Any thoughts against the Orthodox faith, against God, against the Church of Christ, against prayer and fasting are from the devil. There is a set of common thought-techniques with the help of which the invisible enemy tries to prevent a person from approaching God.

Priest Nikolai Bulgakov

We come to church on Sundays at seven o’clock in the morning not because it’s supposed to be so, but because we can’t do otherwise, for He Himself is waiting for us there that morning. And we feel it.

Priest Georgy Chistyakov

It is very important to know what the Liturgy is. If we want to maintain the experience of the Liturgy and not just have a “one-off” experience; if you are going to build on the richness of your understanding, it does not change the Eucharist. But your participation in the Eucharist will be in greater depth. But the purpose of this action is unity, communion. But in our churches it often happens that the food is prepared, the table is set, and no one eats from it.

! We come back to the same thing - my life is such that I am not ready for this, my whole life is not ready for this. So prepare your life! Why are you wasting your life on something else then? "I need to work". But why work?”

Archimandrite Joachim (Parr)

“I once noticed that one person goes to church and always receives communion on weekdays. I asked him why he doesn’t begin the holy mysteries on Sundays or holidays? He replied that he didn’t like to go to church on holidays and Sundays: there were too many people, crowds, bustle, etc., but it was better on a weekday, when no one bothered him. Then I said that this was completely wrong: on weekdays, of course, you need to go to church, but the main thing is to attend holiday and Sunday services: this is the fourth commandment of God (about the seventh day). And you also need to take communion together with all the parishioners; the entire church community receives communion from one cup, and this is our unity. Of course, maybe when there is no one in the temple, it is easier for some to pray, but we need to learn to pray even in front of a large crowd of people, because we are not going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven alone. The services and litanies are composed in such a way that we pray with the whole cathedral, the whole assembly of parishioners, “with one mouth and one heart.” In Soviet times, there were so few churches that sometimes you couldn’t raise your hand to cross yourself in church, but people still went to church and received the joy of prayer. »

Priest Pavel Gumerov

Visit the temple of God on Sunday, and be present at all church services; partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and lay the foundation for a most correct life; renew yourself and prepare yourself to receive future benefits. Having God in your heart in this way, you will not break the commandments and you will not take on the burden of sin.

Saint Gregory Palamas

How necessary it is for a Christian to attend divine services, especially on Sundays, in order to kindle within himself the saving truths of the Christian faith - the incarnation of the Son of God and our Redemption, to kindle the spirit of repentance and prayer, the spirit of seeking God's help in one's weaknesses, sorrows and troubles!

Bishop Theodore Tekuchev

Today, when the churches of God are opening, when it is not so far to travel to the nearest church, you and I have no excuse if on Sunday morning, waking up and wondering whether it is worth going to church, we put off this holy task until the next Sunday. Visiting the temple is necessary for us. It is necessary so that the Lord hears our groaning, so that under the arches of the holy temple we, having found the grace of God, ascend from strength to strength (Ps. 83:8). May God grant us all the ability to pray together! And may the Lord grant us physical strength so that, despite fatigue and sometimes illness, we can come to the temples of God and unite with others in a single sigh to the Lord.

His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill

Rules of conduct for the church

For women:

1. 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 disturb others.
2. The clothing chosen is discreet, clean, and the arms, shoulders and chest are not exposed even in the summer (especially strict in this regard in monasteries).
3. If a woman enters in trousers, you can tie a long scarf around the entrance; they usually hang outside the front door and are intended for everyone.
4. Lipstick must be wiped off so as not to leave marks when applied to icons and the cross. When planning to go to church, you should not wear bright makeup, it will look inappropriate.

For children:

1. If you bring a child to church, you need to keep an eye on him. It is advisable to explain to him at home that he cannot run around and play pranks in church.
2. If a child bursts into tears, you should try to calm him down or go outside with him so as not to disturb the service and the parishioners.
3. If you want to give communion to a child, then you need to take into account that it may be difficult for him to endure the entire service, and therefore you can go out with him or come later, closer to communion, so that the child does not get tired and start being capricious. As a rule, everyone brings their children to the Cherubic Song - around 11 o’clock.

For men:

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

Does frequency of temple attendance affect personal piety and spiritual development?

The question is quite complicated. Multi-level. Having, it seems to me, several answers. On the one hand, of course, it influences. After all, worship is heaven on earth, so to speak. As it is written in the eighth article of the Creed: “I believe... and in the Holy Spirit... who spoke the prophets.” The entire model of Orthodox worship was written by holy people at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. She seems to be a projection on earth of the angelic ministry of the heavenly Church. Moreover, Orthodox worship is concentrated around the greatest Sacrament - the Holy Eucharist. And communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, even just seeing them at the Liturgy, has a beneficial effect on a person. St. Ephraim the Syrian, for example, wrote: “As rain grows a seed, so church service strengthens the soul in virtue.” But it is clear that it is very difficult for a layman with a family, work, and other earthly concerns to attend every statutory service. Therefore, as it seems to me, for a layman a sufficient minimum requirement is to attend Sunday services - the all-night vigil and the Divine Liturgy, as well as services for the twelve feasts and major ones revered by the people, such as the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, St. Nicholas or, for example, a temple feast . Of course, Easter. During Lent and other major annual fasts, if you wish, depending on your own strengths and capabilities, you can visit the temple more often. For example, stay during the reading of the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete or the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Requiring a busy family man to attend more services seems excessive to me. After all, in essence, a family is also a church, only a small one, and it requires attention, strength, labor and care for daily food. Its preservation and well-being is also an important and holy task for any married Orthodox Christian or married Christian woman. If a person has the opportunity and desire to attend more daily and annual church services, this can only be welcomed. And such a visit will be for his benefit.

But it seems to me that there is another problem raised by the topic of this above-mentioned question. I called it “shifting the right emphasis.” Sometimes a person - a parishioner who often visits the temple, or even a clergyman who carries out obedience in the temple - comes to the temple as if it were a worldly job. The emphasis in his heart shifts from spiritual life to earthly life. He begins to perceive the temple as a kind of public institution, where earthly orders reign, and parishioners and clergy as employees of the labor collective of this institution. For such a person, the boundaries are blurred. Everything that happens in the church - the Liturgy, and other services, obediences - seems to him to be some kind of habitual action, brought to the point of automatism, as in an enterprise or factory. This perception of one's ecclesiastical obedience or position can become a source of conflicts, scandals, intrigues, and other things.

It seems to me that we, priests, monks, and laity, should not forget the main thing. I crossed the threshold of the temple. This is a sacred land, like that of the holy Patriarch Jacob - Bethel (from Hebrew - the House of God), and we should leave everything worldly behind the threshold, take off the shoes of our selfishness and remain with a soul naked and trembling in the fear of God. After all, here, in the church - the Throne of God, a terrible bloodless sacrifice is performed at the Liturgy, the Lord Himself is present here. It is in church that we enter into living prayerful communication with Him.

Perhaps some of you, dear brothers and sisters, have noticed that in church even the air seems thicker or richer than on the street or in another place.

We must never forget this cordocentric (heart) vertical: “I enter the temple, there is the Holy Throne of God, there are icons and relics of the saints of the Lord, there is the Lord Himself.” And I’m not going there to see Father, Petya or Galina Alexandrovna, no. I go to Yahweh - the Existing, the Living - to the Holy Trinity Itself. Let us remember how the priest proclaims when bringing out the Chalice for the communicants: “Draw near with the fear of God and faith.” We are no longer on earth, we are already in heaven among the angels and saints, at the Throne of God. And what is our heart turned to at that moment when the Royal Doors open and God steps among His people and says through the mouth of the prophets: “My son! give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Prov. 23:26).

Therefore, probably, the answer to the above-mentioned thematic question of the article will be the following: of course, it does. But if we come to the temple not just to mechanically perform all the forms and rituals, but to change ourselves with God’s help, to change ourselves through the Sacraments, services, repentance, we cry for sins, so that with this spiritual contrition we can cleanse our hearts and see there The Living God and learn to love Him and all the people around us.

Church etiquette in church

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

When we come to church, we always want to join the Christian ritual 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 approach a candlestick and do not find any free space, you do not need to put out other people’s candles; there are special employees for this. You need to wait a bit for space to become available.

If you see that your candle has not yet burned out, but 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 has a symbolic meaning.

How to pray in church

Prayer in church is very important for all believers. Since it is general, such prayer is stronger and purer than home prayer. When a priest conducts a service, you should listen carefully to the words of the prayer, as if passing them through your 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 are distracting you with their actions, try to move to another place in the temple without disturbing others.

But, as a rule, believers come before the service begins, have time to light candles and greet the parishioners, go to confession and take a place as close to the altar as possible. This way, everyone who is late or just stopping by will not bother you - by that time they simply will not get to you due to the crowd of parishioners.

How often should you go to church during Holy Week?

The most common question, which is also an excuse: why and how can I spend so much time in church, as required by the church charter, when I have a job, a family, a personal plot, and finally poor health? But before Easter you need to be in church every day, and then stand at the Easter service all night. Where can I get the energy and time?

“The Lord does not require us to spend all our free time in church,” answers His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, “and His Church in the person of the clergy does not insist on this.” The modern rhythm of a person’s life, especially an urban one, is such that he really has no free time.

Some people nowadays sometimes spend half of it on just one trip to work. That is, if the working day lasts seven or eight hours, then the journey may take three or four hours. For example, now many people go to Kyiv to work from the suburbs, from villages, towns, where there is no work at all. They get a job, I was told, in the capital, for example, from a settlement that is 150-200 kilometers away, as a security guard and are on duty at some enterprise or company for a week in a row, and then rest for a week. What kind of “rest” is there in the village? Homestead farming, pets that require care... Therefore, it is no coincidence that services in parishes are much shorter in time than those in monasteries.

But the point is not only and not so much in the rhythm of our modern life, which is indeed often increased to abnormal speed and tension. It's about our faith, about our personal relationship with God, about what happens in our souls. The Lord does not force anyone to visit His temple. He only calls man humbly to Himself: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). The Lord, having created man, put an immortal soul into him. And the immortal soul by its nature cannot help but seek God. Therefore, every person wants to discover this source of immortality within himself. When a person begins to turn to God, he has a need to communicate with Him. Because the Lord is merciful and abundantly merciful, He cares about every living soul, hears our thoughts, knows our hearts, our feelings, our experiences. He loves every soul immensely and knows every soul in a way that man himself does not know. Therefore, both our earthly life and our life and fate after death depend on our trust in God. When a young man loves a girl, he does not sleep at night, thinks about her, his heart is filled with love, and he is ready to give everything to see his beloved, to be near her for at least a few moments.

Even more than this, a person who loves God strives for the Lord, like a deer for springs of water, as the blessed prophet David sings in the Psalter: As a deer strives for springs of water, so does my soul strive for You, O God (Ps. 41:2). And if such love for God is born in a person’s soul, then he will build his life in such a way as to be as close to Him as possible. Then he plans his time so as to go to church, to fast for the Lord, to do good deeds for Him and to love every person, to pray for him and for peace in the whole world; then he strives to remove all impurity from his soul, so as not to offend the loving Lord with it. After all, the Lord does not say anywhere: “Come to Me for services,” but calls: Son, give Me your heart (Prov. 23:26).

Therefore, what is more important is not how much time we spend in church - an hour or the whole night, but how we relate to God, what kind of relationship we have with Him, how we respond to His call...

How to behave correctly in the temple

The rules of behavior in an Orthodox church are a set of recommendations, knowledge of which and implementation will help to defend the service correctly, without disturbing anyone and receiving maximum benefit from it. This does not mean that for failure to comply with someone’s point, a person will be expelled from the church without the right to return, but the implementation of these recommendations will allow this time to be spent in reverence and reverence before the Lord.

Communion in an Orthodox church

Communion is performed after confession and the priest's prayer of permission, with the exception of children under 7 years old - they can receive communion just like that. The process of taking communion is as follows:

1. After the announcement of Communion, one must slowly, without haste, approach Holy Communion.
2. While waiting for your turn, there is no need to push or wave your arms - this is a holy sacrament.
3. Having received communion, you must kiss the Chalice and leave.
4. Drink the drink standing on the table nearby.
5. Venerate the priest's Cross and make the sign of the cross.

Advice!
You need to go to church every Sunday, as well as on holidays. Children should be taught to attend church regularly. During the Divine Liturgy, you can give notes to the priest about the health of loved ones and the repose of the dead. You can serve them in the same place where you can buy candles before the service.

Every Sunday?

I heard that Christians should go to church every Sunday. I'm not against it, but I'm afraid of the strict obligation that all the priests talk about. Julia

We addressed this question to Bishop Alexander of Dmitrievsky, famous Moscow priests and one layman:

Bishop of Dmitrov ALEXANDER: - In the Old Testament, on the tablets of the Law of Moses, a commandment was given to man: “Six days you shall do and complete your works in them, and the seventh day is to the Lord your God” (Ex. 20.9). This day is especially blessed by God, because it is an image of that seventh day of creation, on which the Lord rested from his works. God's commandment to honor the seventh day and dedicate it to God remains the norm for a Christian as a minimum program in his spiritual formation and rooting in the life of the church. If we carefully read the description of the Gospel appearances of Christ after the resurrection from the dead, we will see how the Lord himself taught his disciples to gather on this day. We know that the first appearance to the disciples gathered together was in the evening time of the first day after the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Even the closed doors of the upper room in which the apostles gathered did not become an obstacle to him. It was then that, along with the gift of grace-filled peace, He gave them the power and power of forgiveness of sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him (John 20:22-23). The Apostle Thomas was not among them then, and he also really wanted to see the Teacher and the Lord and witness His resurrection, but the Lord fulfilled his request only a week later on the next Sunday, when all His disciples were together again. Of course, it is better if a person experiences every moment of his life as being before the eyes of God. All his thoughts, words and actions then become a striving to fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father, glorifying the name of God on the paths of his life. The Apostle Paul teaches us this: “pray without ceasing” (Thess. 5:17). But this is possible only when grace touches the human heart and ignites it with love for the Lord. Such a person does not need to explain anything about the seventh day - every day of his belongs to God, just like he himself, and frequent participation in church services is a constant need of his soul. But for us, fulfilling the commandment about the seventh day is necessary, so that, unnoticed by ourselves, we do not find ourselves outside the grace-filled church experience of life. According to the ancient Apostolic rules, if a person missed public worship for three Sundays in a row without a good reason - i.e. did not participate in the Divine Liturgy, he excommunicated himself from church communion. And this is not some kind of external administrative punishment, but a statement of fact - life in the Church is unthinkable without the participation of believers in Christ in the Eucharist and congregational prayer. : “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, rector of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Kadashi.

We come to church every Sunday because we love God, we love the Church. It's not about obligations, but about a person's relationship with God. If you want to enter Eternal life, you love God, then you come to the temple. You do this simply by observing the law of love. Therefore, if a person does not love God, then how can you explain to him and force him to go to church? Then it really is the same as in the army or in prison, through coercion. And although the Church is indeed, in a sense, an army, the army is completely voluntary.

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, rector of the Church of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh on Khutorskaya.

What kind of “obligation” do people have to constantly go to the store or breathe every moment? Breathe once, on Monday, and don’t breathe until Friday. What kind of “obligation” is it to pray and go to church? Because this is how the soul’s need for God’s grace manifests itself. If you don’t have this need, stay at home, no one obliges you to do anything. They go to church because this is what they live for. True, we somehow push and teach young children to do this, but no one forces adults to go to church.

Priest Konstantin Sopelnikov, rector of the Life-Giving Trinity in Chertanovo.

At our parish we organize pilgrimage trips ourselves. Recently, for example, a large group went to Ukraine, to the Svyatogorsk Lavra. The services there are very long, the All-Night Vigil is 6 hours, the Divine Liturgy is 5 hours. And all the participants in the trip defended them entirely. And they didn’t even want to leave there. Then one of the parishioners admitted to me: “I now understand why I need to go to church every Sunday. How can I live for a whole week without this grace, which I receive in church on Sunday services? She helps me live."

Archpriest Sergiy Pravdolyubov, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitsky-Golenischev

. This is psychophysiology. If you see your wife and children once a week and miss twice, then the children will wean themselves off you, and you will have to get to know your wife again. It is no coincidence that it is said: work six days, and devote the seventh to the Lord your God. In the temple, a person communicates with God. And if you missed Sunday service without a good reason, then this is not a punishment, but a statement of fact - you have lost the habit of going to church. In addition, we come to church to maintain living unity and communication in love, prayer, preaching, in the word with the entire church world, with parishioners - who are part of the body of Christ.

Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Kuznetskaya Sloboda:

Why go to church every Sunday? You can ask in response to this - why does a family man need to come home every day, and, for example, more than once every three days? Because a family is one life, and it is natural that people united by this life, united by love, cannot live without each other. They need each other, they need communication, constant unity. Likewise, a person who loves God cannot live without God, and needs to be with God as often as possible, not only every Sunday, but every day. But this, of course, is hampered by everyday needs and worries, because even the father of the family cannot be at home all the time, he must go to work. Concerns about daily bread force a person to devote a lot of time to completely different things. But there is a commandment of God - do your work for six days, devote the seventh day to the Lord God. Sunday is traditionally a day free from work, so it is natural to dedicate it to God, first of all, go to church for the Divine Liturgy, take part in it, and if possible, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and ancient Christians necessarily took communion on the “Lord’s Day.” If a person does not receive communion every Sunday service, then his presence at the service is the way to receive communion more often. For now, he does not take communion often, because he is not yet ripe for this, but if he comes to church constantly, then later he will take communion more often.

Archpriest Alexey Uminsky, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly:

Based, firstly, on the commandment that we must dedicate the seventh day to God, and secondly, on the fact that when we gather together to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection, we constitute the Church. People come to church not in order to serve some kind of duty, but in order to build the Church, the Body of Christ, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and to share the Eucharist. This should be an urgent need for every person, but you need to get used to it. There are, as it were, two churchliness: everyday churchliness, which is not very different from the temple piety of any religion, and another, only Christian churchliness, when we gather to become the Church. And such churchliness requires a lot of spiritual work. Many of our contemporaries have not grown up, have not been brought up to it, such true churchliness is very rare now.

Hegumen Sergius (Rybko), rector of the temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Bibirevo and the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Lazarevskoye cemetery:

Firstly, because the canons of the Church say so, and if we consider ourselves Christians, we must obey the Church. Should a person receive communion every Sunday? Modern liturgical theology tends to say that it is better for a person to receive communion every Sunday, for example, Father Alexander Schmemann spoke about this. But Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote about it this way: “In ancient times, Christians received communion at every service, but they lived accordingly. If you can live like the first Christians lived, then please take communion every day, but I can’t live like that,” writes Saint Theophan. Then, such frequent communion of ancient Christians was based on the fact that people were expecting martyrdom, so they had to be prepared for this every day. This is a special mood, a special state of a person. I personally go to church every day if possible, but not because something obliges me to do so, but simply because I like it that way, I’m so used to it. I have been going to church since I was eighteen years old, and pretty quickly all other pastimes became boring for me, so I began going to church every day, both in the morning and in the evening. In general, for a Christian to go to church is a necessity, and I think many would go much more often than on Sunday, but work, all sorts of household chores, and illness do not allow it. But this need to go to church often does not arise on its own. You must first force yourself to do anything good. It happens that a person says: “I go to church when I feel like it.” You ask him - and how often? - Well, at Easter, at Christmas... So what can we expect from our fallen nature when she wants what she wants - she’ll want to go to a tavern rather than to a temple...

Yuri SHICHALIN, philologist, specialist in Greek and Latin, director of the Shichalin Greek-Latin Cabinet, founder of the classical gymnasium:

“I believe that we go to church not just out of a sense of duty. After all, the Church has an inexhaustible fullness of Divine Grace for all occasions in life and for all aspects of our soul and our mind, for our heart and our whole being. Joining it turns out to be a precious help for us in this life and gives us an undeserved joy, despite all our imperfections and very little ability to contain the fullness of this joy. The repetition of services - every day, every week, every month, every year - is adapted to our weakness like nothing else. If monastics are given the opportunity to fully participate in all these services and saturate their lives with prayers for the whole world, then we, the laity, with our immersion in everyday worries, are given the opportunity on a “day off” Sunday to leave this circle of worries and go to church. That is, to devote at least part of your leisure time to your soul, to resurrect your soul, to open up to the Church, and thereby entrust yourself to its gracious care. When we manage to be in church every Saturday and Sunday, this gracious help necessarily affects the entire course of our life. It allows us not to be completely immersed in worldly worries and even in the most mundane labors to turn our “hearts to grief” - that is, to Heaven.

Interviewed by Marina NEFEDOVA, Alexey REUTSKY, Maria VLADIMIROVA

General rules

Appearance is important to everyone. Church service obliges a person to look neat and dignified, without leading anyone into seduction and temptation. You must come to church in clothes that are considered appropriate for the person’s gender: men in trousers, women in skirts.

How should a woman dress in church?

Unacceptable for the church:

• swimsuit;
• sportswear;
• clothes that are too revealing, bright and shiny for going to a disco or other provocative things.

Immodest clothing causes condemnation and temptation from others. A person comes to the temple to communicate and worship the Lord, and not for a fashion show. Strict clothing obliges a person to conduct himself with dignity and respect.

There is no need to pour a bottle of perfume on yourself during the service - the room is usually stuffy and someone may feel ill from the perfume. You need to give up cloying and pungent odors and limit yourself to taking a shower and applying deodorant.

Makeup should be invisible, and clothing with non-Christian symbols is also unacceptable.

Sign of the Cross

You need to be baptized slowly, together with everyone.

Making the sign of the cross is simple:

• connect the thumb, index and middle fingers of your right hand together;
• fold the remaining two and press them to the palm of your hand;
• with your right hand, successively touch your forehead, center of the abdomen, right and left shoulder.

They make the sign of the cross during the reading of the Gospel, blessing by the priest, glorification of the Trinity and Christ, proclamations, communion and veneration of icons, as well as during incense.

Sign of the Cross

For women

There are more rules for women in the temple:

When going to church, you need to realize why go there at all? Apply war paint and look for suitors or communicate and worship the Lord who sees the soul. Provocative clothing and makeup are a sign of immodesty.

Appearance of a woman in church

For men

For men, the rules are simpler, but they also exist:

• do not wear a hat in the church building - it must be removed before entering;
• have a neat and decent appearance;
• refuse sports or work clothes;
• to be shaved;
• refuse jeans, open T-shirts or transparent clothes (mesh T-shirts);
• do not smoke or drink before visiting the temple for 5-6 hours;
• It is best to wear a classic suit or trousers with a shirt;
• behave modestly and respectfully;
• stop on the right side of the building.

Attention!
Men come up to communion first, women can come after them, and only then children. Their task is to treat the clergy with respect and respect, not to whisper or discuss the women around them. The rules for visiting a temple are important because it is not just a meeting of a community or commune, but a meeting of believers. People who do not attend services usually closely watch how Orthodox Christians go to church and how they behave during services.

However, the biggest problem remains the judgment of young people who come to church for the first time. Regardless of their appearance and behavior, you need to show leniency towards them and not speak rudely or lecture - gently correct them and help with advice, this will be right.

How to behave correctly in an Orthodox church

When going to the temple, you need to dress properly. Clothing must be neat and clean, without deep cuts or transparent inserts. Women should wear a long skirt (below the knee) and a dress with long or medium sleeves; men should also not wear shorts and a T-shirt. When entering the temple, women must put on a headdress (scarf, cap, hat), while men, on the contrary, must take it off. Makeup should be modest, it is better not to paint your lips. If these conditions are not met, you will simply not be allowed into some churches.

Familiarize yourself with the rules of behavior in the church in advance; they are common to all Orthodox churches. Upon entering, you must cross yourself three times with your right hand, bowing at the waist to the icon. You should not be baptized wearing gloves or mittens. Turn off your mobile phone while attending church, do not talk loudly or jostle. You cannot turn your back to the altar or enter it.

If you are planning to attend church with your children, explain to them in advance that laughing, playing pranks, and running around are not allowed in church. Calm the crying person or leave the temple so as not to interrupt the general prayer.

Don't forget to take money with you. Every church has a candle box - a place where believers are offered to buy candles, books, icons, crosses and other objects of faith. Here you can also order prayer services, masses, christenings, funerals, weddings, memorials for health and repose - for a fee. Photography in some temples is also paid. The larger and more famous the temple, the more parishioners it has, the higher the prices for services.

There is a myth that women should not visit the temple during their menstrual periods. This is not so, these days you can go to church, light candles, pray and give notes, but it is better to refuse to participate in weddings, baptisms, and communion (although this is not a strict prohibition).

For a person who has just come to faith and started attending divine services, the question always arises: is he doing the right thing, is he correctly perceiving what is happening around him.

A person who has started going to church must understand that when he goes to church, he is going to meet God himself. This is the first and main condition. Joint church prayer does not allow thoughts to dissipate, and church hymns tune the soul into the appropriate mood.

Before the service, it is advisable to spend some time in silence and prayer. The temple is the house of God. Based on this, the visit should be reverent.

Everyone is required to attend Sunday and holiday services. One should strive to understand worship. All questions and doubts that arise should be resolved with the priest.

When visiting a temple, you should dress clean and tidy. Women should wear clothing appropriate to their gender, that is, dresses and skirts that are not too revealing or tight. It is advisable to do without cosmetics. A woman should have her head covered (1 Cor. 11:13). A man should be without a head (1 Cor. 11:4). A woman cannot visit the temple during the period of purification.

When entering the temple, you should leave all worldly worries behind. During the service there is no need to move around, create noise, talk, distracting people from prayer. According to the ancient Church, men stand on the right side of the temple, women on the left.

During the service you need to delve into prayers, singing and reading. If the thread of the service is lost, then the priests recommend to themselves: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” You must not leave the temple until the end of the service.

And you shouldn’t think that putting a candle is a bribe to God. “The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit” (Ps. 50:19). By lighting a candle, a person likens himself to soft wax, wanting to become just as pliable to the will of Christ, and calls on God to light the flame of faith in the heart.

The more a person continues to go to church, the fewer questions remain, everything falls into place. It is always worth remembering St. King David: “I will enter Your house according to the abundance of Your mercy” (Ps. 5:8), that is, a person enters the temple by the mercy of God, and not by his own will. And St. John Chrysostom calls, having received mercy from God, to make the following sacrifice in response: “I will worship Your holy temple in Your fear” (Ps. 5 - not like many of the worshipers, who at this time scratch themselves, yawn, doze, but with fear and trembling. Whoever, in this way, puts aside all evil, is disposed towards all virtue, and acquires God's favor for himself.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• how to go to church correctly

Baptism of a baby is a great sacrament that children of believing parents must go through. But, unfortunately, few parents know how to properly prepare for this important event in the life of a child who will soon come under the protection of the Lord.

You will need

• - baptismal set;
• - towel;
• - cross;
• - documentation.

Instructions

The first step is to choose a church where the ceremony will take place. Visit this sacred place, find out from the ministers everything about the ceremony, and agree on the time of the ceremony. Preparation for christening includes another important factor - the choice of godparents who will participate in and take responsibility before the Almighty for the godson. These should be people who believe in the Lord and attend church. The key to a long and close relationship with a godson is blood ties with parents.

To carry out baptism, you need to prepare a new white vest for the child with beautiful embroidery (you can buy a special set for baptism). If the child is older, then you need to dress in such a way that you can easily expose your feet, chest and hands for anointing if necessary. Godparents give their godson a memorable gift - a pectoral cross, which should hang on his chest for the rest of his life. Previously, the tradition of Orthodoxy favored the godmother to prepare an outfit for the child, and the godfather to give him a cross.

Godparents must prepare for the ceremony, go to church for services, and pray. Communion and confession of the godparents are necessary. The godparents must know the “Creed” prayer by heart, during the celebration they will renounce Satan instead of the baby, and take a vow of union with Christ forever. In the future, you need to pray for your charges, tell them about the Lord and the church. Carry or lead to Holy Communion in the temple.

Before going to church, prepare everything you need so as not to forget anything in a hurry: documents, a large towel (to wrap the child after immersion in the font with holy water), a blessed cross, baptismal attire. It is recommended to bathe at home and wear clean clothes before the baptism ceremony. Parents and godparents must have a pectoral cross with them. Women must have their shoulders, chest and knees covered. You should wear a skirt and tie a scarf on your head.

After the completion of the great sacrament, guests are invited home. On this great day, relatives and close people gather at the table, the hostess serves a sweet cake with the child’s initials or the date of christening. Traditionally, they drank punch or mulled wine at christenings; you can serve Cahors. Guests invited can give an icon, icon or silver spoon. Any gift must be presented with an open soul and from a pure heart.

From session to session, students live cheerfully - everyone knows the truth. If you really had fun before the session and only found out about the upcoming exam the day before, then you have one night

to prepare for it. Utopia or...?

Instructions

There’s no telling the truth - even the most responsible student has a situation when tomorrow is an exam, but he still “hasn’t had a horse.” And for some, this situation is generally the norm (which, of course, but who stops?). And then a familiar picture: over a mug of coffee, reading notes in an attempt to put an enormous burden on the brain in the form of a huge amount of information, red eyes in the morning, and tense silence in response to the examiner’s questions. Meanwhile, if you approach the matter competently, then even in one night

you can prepare for . Of course, you won’t pass it, but you won’t fail either.

First of all, create a working environment for yourself and prepare yourself for the fact that you will have to work hard. No noisy guests, loud music, TV, ICQ or telephone. Turn it all off, because there is always a temptation to “take a quick glance at your email,” and then it turns out that it’s already morning outside the window. Now get all the lectures on the desired subject and tickets. You need to go strictly according to the list, so it will be easier for yourself.

So, read the task of the first ticket. Now read (to yourself or out loud, whichever you remember best) a lecture on the topic of this ticket. Now highlight 3 (yes, exactly 3) main sentences from the lecture. These could be definitions, theorems, or anything else. But there should be three points. Remember them. Say it out loud. Ideally, one of these should contain an exam question, this will make it even easier. Proceed in the same way with all other tickets. Do you think that three points from each ticket is very little? We can bet that you have grasped the main essence of the question - this time. You can say a few words on each of the three points – that’s two. In no case will you impress a teacher who has never heard of his subject – that’s three. And these three factors will not allow you to get a “fail” on the exam.

Sources:

• how to prepare for the exam

We lived cheerfully and carefree all this time, and just today we found out that an exam is coming up in a week? It's simple. There would be a desire, but you can prepare in one

evening. True, the assessment will largely depend on what abilities a person has and on his luck. But the fact that it will happen is a guarantee.

Instructions

The first step is to call your friends, senior students and collect as much information as possible about. This will give you more confidence in the exam, you will have something to look forward to and you will be prepared for tricky questions. It will be useful to find out the last name, first name and patronymic of the teacher, his academic degree, favorite topics in the subject, favorite topics in the exam, the name of the subject.

Take a list of questions for the exam

and read it carefully to present the subject holistically.

Take your time and read the answer to each question very carefully. Where necessary, pause and reflect on what you read, establish logical relationships between different issues, as well as the surrounding reality. This will allow you to communicate and reflect freely with your exam teacher.

When an idea of ​​the subject has already appeared, you can prepare cheat sheets. But you shouldn’t get hung up on this, just do it to be on the safe side. In order to save time, it is better to keep cheat sheets as condensed as possible and only for the most difficult questions. Think about the process of using them in the exam.

When the cheat sheets are prepared, you need to read the answers to the questions again. But don't get hung up on cramming. Be calm and confident in yourself and your abilities. Also read material from other sources, this will allow you to influence the brain, roughly speaking, from different aspects of understanding.

We all need love and consolation, especially when our souls are very bad. And many of us try to find consolation in God by going to church. But, unfortunately, not all of us were taught at one time how to go to church, what to do there, how to speak, what to wear, and so on. That's why we are so scared. But what to do?

Ignorance of the rules of behavior in the church should not stop those who strive for God. In order for your visit to church to be successful, you need to prepare for it by studying the rules of behavior in it. So, let's get started?

Priest Daniil Sysoev. Why go to church every Sunday?

Often the priest is asked the question given in the title and begins to make excuses.

– We need to sleep, be with our family, do our homework, and then we need to get up and go to church . For what?

Of course, in order to justify your laziness, you can find other objections. But first we must understand what the point is in going to church every week, so that we can then compare our self-justifications with this. After all, this requirement was not invented by people, but was given in the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work, and in them do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, neither your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is within your gates; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it” (Ex. 20:8-11). For violation of this commandment in the Old Testament, the death penalty was imposed, as for murder. In the New Testament, Sunday became a great holiday because Christ, having risen from the dead, sanctified this day. According to church rules, anyone who violates this commandment is subject to excommunication. According to canon 80 of the VI Ecumenical Council: “If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone ranked among the clergy, or a layman, does not have any pressing need or obstacle that would permanently remove him from his church, but while staying in the city, on three Sundays during three weeks, he does not come to a church meeting: then the cleric will be expelled from the clergy, and the layman will be excommunicated.”

It is no coincidence that the New Testament directly prohibits neglecting church meetings: “Let us not forsake meeting ourselves together, as is the custom of some; But let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see that day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

All that is best, thanks to which Rus' is called holy, thanks to which other Christian nations exist, is given to us by worship. In the church we get rid of the oppression of our vanity and break out of the snares of crises and wars into God's peace. And this is the only correct decision. Not curses and revolutions, not anger and hatred, but church prayer and virtues can change the world. “When the foundations are destroyed, what will the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple” (Ps. 10:3-4), and to Him he runs away to find protection. This is not cowardice, but wisdom and courage. Only a fool will try to cope with the onslaught of universal evil on his own, be it terror or a natural disaster, revolution or war. Only Almighty God will protect His creation. It is no coincidence that the temple has always been considered a refuge.

Truly, the temple is a heavenly embassy on Earth, where we, wanderers seeking the heavenly City, receive support. “How precious is Your mercy, O God! The sons of men are at rest in the shadow of Your wings: they are satisfied from the fatness of Your house, and from the stream of Your sweets You give them to drink, for with You is the source of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps. 35:8-10).

I think it is clear that love for God requires resorting to the house of the Lord as often as possible. But this is also required by the second commandment – ​​love for one’s neighbor. After all, where can you turn to the most beautiful thing in a person - in a store, a cinema, a clinic? Of course not. Only in the house of our common Father can we meet with brothers. And our joint prayer will be more likely to be heard by God than the prayers of a proud loner. After all, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:19-20).

Here we rise from vanity and can pray for our troubles and for the entire Universe. In the temple we ask God to heal the illnesses of our loved ones, free captives, save travelers, save the perishing. In church we also communicate with those who have left this world, but have not left Christ’s Church. The dead appear and beg to be prayed for in churches. They say that every memorial is like a birthday for them, but we often neglect this. Where is our love then? Let's imagine their condition. They are without a body, they cannot take communion, and they cannot do external good deeds (for example, alms). They expect support from their family and friends, but receive only excuses. It’s like saying to a hungry mother: “I’m sorry. I won't let you eat. I really want to sleep." But for the dead, church prayer is real food (and not vodka poured into a cemetery, which is not needed by anyone except demons and alcoholics).

But saints worthy of our glorification are also waiting for us in the temple. The saints make their images visible, their words are proclaimed at the service, and they themselves often visit the house of God, especially on their holidays. They pray to God with us, and their mighty praises, like eagle’s wings, lift church prayer straight to the Divine throne. And not only people, but also disembodied angels participate in our prayer. People sing their songs (for example, “The Trisagion”), and they sing along with our hymns (“It is worthy to eat”). According to church tradition, in every consecrated church there is always an Angel above the throne, offering the prayer of the Church to God, and also at the entrance to the temple there is a blessed spirit, watching the thoughts of those entering and leaving the church. This presence is felt quite tangible. It is not for nothing that many unrepentant sinners feel bad in church - it is the power of God that rejects their sinful will, and the angels punish them for their iniquities. They need not to ignore the church, but to repent and receive forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession and not forget to thank the Creator.

But many people say:

- Fine! We need to go to church, but why every Sunday? Why such fanaticism?

To answer briefly, we can say that since the Creator says so, then the creation must unquestioningly respond with obedience. The Lord of all times has given us all the days of our lives. Can't He really demand that we give Him four out of the 168 hours of the week? And at the same time, the time spent in the temple is for our benefit. If a doctor prescribes procedures for us, then don’t we try to strictly follow his recommendations, wanting to be healed of body diseases? Why do we ignore the words of the Great Physician of souls and bodies?

Is the fulfillment of the Supreme Will fanaticism? According to the dictionary, “fanaticism - (from Latin fanaticus - frenzied) is a commitment to any beliefs or views taken to the extreme, intolerance to any other views (for example, religious fanaticism).” This raises the question of what “extreme degree” is. If we understand by this the original term “frenzy,” then it is unlikely that the majority of those who visit the temple weekly attack everyone in a frenzied delight or rage. But often for people, ordinary decency is the last resort. If not stealing and not killing is fanaticism, then we, of course, are fanatics. If we admit that there is only one path to the One God - fanaticism, then we are fanatics. But with this understanding of fanaticism, only “fanatics” will get the Kingdom of Heaven. Eternal darkness awaits all “moderate” and “sane” people. As God said: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot: oh, that you were cold or hot! But because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).

Here we need to think about the words that were given at the beginning of our thoughts:

– Sunday is the only day off, you need to sleep, be with your family, do your homework, and then you have to get up and go to church.

But no one forces a person to go to early service. In cities they almost always serve early and late Liturgy, but in the villages no one sleeps long on Sunday. As for the metropolis, no one bothers you to come from the evening service on Saturday, talk with your family, read an interesting book and after evening prayers go to bed around 11 - 12 o'clock at night, and in the morning get up at half past nine and go to the Liturgy. Nine hours of sleep can restore strength to almost everyone, and if this does not happen, then we can “get” what is missing with a daytime nap. All our problems are not related to the church, but to the fact that the rhythm of our life does not correspond to God's will and therefore exhausts us. And communication with God, the Source of all the forces of the Universe, is, of course, the only thing that can give a person both spiritual and physical strength. It has long been noted that if you have worked yourself out internally by Saturday, then the Sunday service fills you with inner strength. And this strength is also physical. It is no coincidence that the ascetics who lived in inhuman desert conditions lived to be 120-130 years old, while we barely reach 70-80. God strengthens those who trust in Him and serve Him. Before the revolution, an analysis was carried out that showed that the longest life expectancy was not among nobles or merchants, but among priests, although they lived in much worse conditions. This is a visible confirmation of the benefits of going to the house of the Lord weekly.

As for communication with family, who is stopping us from going to church in full? If the children are small, then the wife can come to church later, and after the end of the Liturgy, we can all take a walk together, go to a cafe, and talk. Is this comparable to that “communication” when the whole family drowns together in a black box? Often those who do not go to church because of their family do not exchange ten words a day with their loved ones.

As for household chores, the word of God does not allow doing those tasks that are not essential. You cannot organize general cleaning or a washing day, or stock up on canned food for the year. The quiet time lasts from Saturday evening to Sunday evening. All heavy work should be postponed to Sunday evening. The only kind of hard work that we can and should do on Sundays and holidays is works of mercy. Organizing general cleaning for a sick or old person, helping in the temple, preparing food for an orphan and a large family - this is a true rule of observance of the holiday, pleasing to the Creator.

Inextricably linked with the issue of homework on holidays is the problem of summer visits to temples. A lot of people say:

– We will not be able to withstand the winter without the products that we grow on our plots. How can we go to temple?

I think the answer is obvious. Nobody bothers you to go to the village church for a service, and to do the work in the garden either on Saturday or in the second half of Sunday. So our health will be preserved, and the will of God will be observed. Even if there is no temple anywhere nearby, we should devote Saturday evening and Sunday morning to prayer and Scripture. Those who do not want to do the will of God receive His punishment. The expected harvest is devoured by locusts, caterpillars, and diseases. When you need rain, there is a drought, when you need dryness, there is a flood. This is how God shows everyone who is the Master of the world. Often God punishes those who despise His will. Doctors I know told the author about the phenomenon of “Sunday death,” when a person plows all weekend without raising his eyes to the sky, and there, in the garden, dies of a stroke or heart attack, facing the ground.

On the contrary, He gives unprecedented harvests to those who fulfill God’s commandments. For example, in Optina Pustyn the yields were four times higher than those of its neighbors, although the same land use techniques were used.

Some people say:

– I can’t go to the temple because it’s cold or hot, rain or snow. I'd rather pray at home.

But lo and behold! The same person is ready to go to the stadium and cheer for his team in the open air in the rain, dig in the garden until he drops, dance all night at the disco, and only does not have the strength to reach the house of God! The weather is always just an excuse for your reluctance. Can we really think that God will hear the prayer of a person who does not want to sacrifice even a small thing for Him?

Another frequently encountered objection is just as absurd:

- I won’t go to the temple, because you don’t have benches, it’s hot. Not like the Catholics!

Of course, this objection cannot be called serious, but for many, considerations of comfort are more important than the issue of eternal salvation. However, God does not want the outcast to perish, and Christ will not break a bruised rod or quench the smoking flax. As for the benches, this is not a fundamental question at all. Orthodox Greeks have seats throughout the entire church, Russians do not. Even now, if a person is sick, no one stops him from sitting on the benches located at the back in almost every temple. Moreover, according to the liturgical Charter of the Russian Church, parishioners can sit seven times at a festive evening service. In the end, if it’s hard to stand throughout the service, and all the benches are occupied, then no one bothers you to bring a folding stool with you. It’s unlikely that anyone will blame you for this. You just need to get up for the reading of the Gospel, the Cherubic Hymn, the Eucharistic Canon and about a dozen other important moments of the service. I don't think this will be a problem for anyone. These rules do not apply to disabled people at all.

I repeat once again that all these objections are not at all serious and cannot be the reason for violating God’s commandments.

The following objection also does not justify a person:

“Everyone in your church is so angry and angry.” Grandmothers hiss and swear. And also Christians! I don’t want to be like that and that’s why I won’t go to church.

But no one demands to be angry and angry. Does anyone in the temple force you to be like this? Are you required to wear boxing gloves when entering a temple? Don’t hiss and don’t swear yourself and then you can correct others too. As the Apostle Paul says: “Who are you, judging another man’s servant? Does he stand before his Lord, or does he fall? (Rom. 14:4).

It would be fair if priests taught to swear and quarrel. But this is not so. Neither the Bible, nor the Church, nor Her servants ever taught this. On the contrary, in every sermon and in hymns we are called upon to be meek and merciful. So this is not a reason for not going to church.

We must understand that people come to the temple not from Mars, but from the surrounding world. And there it’s just customary to swear so much that sometimes you won’t hear even a Russian word from the men. One mat. And in the temple it’s just not there. We can say that the church is the only place closed to swearing.

It is in the world that it is common to be angry and pour out your irritation on others, calling it a fight for justice. Isn’t that what old women do in clinics, washing the bones of everyone, from the president to the nurse? And is it really possible that these people, upon entering the temple, as if by magic, instantly change and become meek, like sheep? No, God gave us free will, and without our effort nothing can change.

We are always in the Church only partly. Sometimes this part is very large - and then the person is called a saint, sometimes it is smaller. Sometimes a person clings to God with only his little finger. But we are not the Judge and Appraiser of everything, but the Lord. While there is time, there is hope. And before the painting is finished, how can one judge it, except by the completed parts. Such parts are holy. The Church must be judged by them, and not by those who have not yet completed their earthly journey. No wonder they say that “the end crowns the deed.”

The Church itself calls itself a hospital (the Confession says “thou hast come to the hospital, lest thou depart unhealed”), so is it reasonable to expect that it will be filled with healthy people? There are healthy ones, but they are in Heaven. When everyone who wants to be healed takes advantage of the help of the Church, then it will appear in all its glory. The saints are the ones who clearly show the power of God acting in the Church.

So in church you need to look not at others, but at God. After all, we come not to people, but to the Creator.

They often refuse to go to church, saying:

“Nothing is clear in your church.” They serve in an unknown language.

Let's rephrase this objection. A first-grader comes to school and, having overheard an algebra lesson in the 11th grade, refuses to go to class, saying: “Nothing is clear there.” Stupid? But it is also unwise to refuse to teach Divine Science, citing incomprehensibility.

On the contrary, if everything were clear, then learning would be meaningless. You already know everything the experts are talking about. Believe that the science of living with God is no less complex and elegant than mathematics, so let it have its own terminology and its own language.

I think that we should not give up on temple education, but try to understand what exactly is incomprehensible. It should be taken into account that the service is not intended for missionary work among non-believers, but for the believers themselves. To us, thank God, if we pray carefully, everything becomes clear after a month or a month and a half of constant going to church. But the depths of worship can unfold years later. This is truly an amazing secret of the Lord. We do not have a flat Protestant sermon, but, if you like, an eternal university, in which liturgical texts are teaching aids, and the Teacher is the Lord Himself.

The Church Slavonic language is not Latin or Sanskrit. This is a sacred form of the Russian language. You just need to work a little: buy a dictionary, a few books, learn fifty words - and the language will reveal its secrets. And God will reward this work a hundredfold. – During prayer it will be easier to gather thoughts on the Divine mystery. According to the laws of association, thoughts will not slip away into the distance. Thus, the Slavic language improves the conditions for communication with God, and this is precisely why we come to church. As for obtaining knowledge, it is transmitted in the temple in Russian. It is difficult to find at least one preacher who would speak sermons in Slavic. In the Church, everything is wisely connected - both the ancient language of prayer and the modern language of preaching.

And, finally, for the Orthodox themselves, the Slavic language is dear because it gives us the opportunity to hear the Word of God as accurately as possible. We can literally hear the letter of the Gospel, because the grammar of the Slavic language is almost identical to the grammar of Greek, in which Revelation was given to us. Believe me, both in poetry and jurisprudence, and in theology, shades of meaning often change the essence of the matter. I think that anyone who is interested in literature understands this. And in a detective story, a random match can change the course of the investigation. Likewise, the opportunity to hear the words of Christ as accurately as possible is priceless for us.

Of course, the Slavic language is not a dogma. In the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, services are performed in more than eighty languages. And even in Russia it is theoretically possible to abandon the Slavic language. But this can only happen when for believers it becomes as distant as Latin is for Italians. I think for now the question is not even worth it. But if this happens, then the Church will create a new sacred language that will translate the Bible as accurately as possible and will not allow our minds to escape to a distant country. The Church is still alive and has the power to revive anyone who enters Her. So begin the course of divine Wisdom, and the Creator will lead you into the depths of His mind.

Others say:

“I believe in God, but I don’t believe in priests, and therefore I won’t go to church.”

But no one asks a parishioner to believe the priest. We believe in God, and priests are only His servants and instruments for carrying out His will. Someone said: “current flows through a rusty wire.” Likewise, grace is transmitted through the unworthy. According to the true thought of St. John Chrysostom, “we ourselves, sitting in the pulpit and teaching, are intertwined with sins. Nevertheless, we do not despair of God’s love for mankind and do not attribute hardness of heart to Him. This is why God allowed the priests themselves to be slaves to passions, so that from their own experience they would learn to treat others condescendingly.” Let's imagine that it is not a sinful priest who will serve in the temple, but Archangel Michael. After the very first conversation with us, he would have flared up with righteous anger, and all that would be left of us would be a pile of ashes.

In general, this statement is comparable to refusal of medical care due to the greed of modern medicine. The financial interest of individual doctors is much more obvious, as everyone who ends up in the hospital is convinced of this. But for some reason people don’t give up medicine because of this. And when we talk about something much more important - the health of the soul, then everyone remembers stories and fables, just to avoid going to church. There was such a case. One monk lived in the desert, and a priest came to him to give him communion. And then one day he heard that the priest giving him communion was fornicating. And then he refused to take communion with him. And that same night he saw a revelation that there was a golden well with crystal water and from it, a leper was drawing water with a golden bucket. And the voice of God said: “You see how the water remains pure, even though a leper gives it, so grace does not depend on the person through whom it is given.” And after this, the hermit again began to receive communion from the priest, without considering whether he was righteous or sinful.

But if you think about it, all these excuses are completely insignificant. After all, is it possible to ignore the direct will of the Lord God, referring to the sins of the priest? “Who are you, judging another man’s slave? Before his Lord he stands, or he falls. And he will be restored; for God is able to raise him up” (Rom. 14:4).

“The church is not made of logs, but in ribs,” others say, “so you can pray at home.”

This saying, supposedly Russian, actually goes back to our home-grown sectarians who, contrary to the word of God, separated from the Church. God truly dwells in the bodies of Christians. But He enters them through Holy Communion, served in churches. Moreover, prayer in church is higher than prayer in homes. Saint John Chrysostom says: “You are mistaken, man; You can, of course, pray at home, but it is impossible to pray at home the way you do in church, where there are so many fathers, where songs are unanimously sent up to God. You will not be heard as quickly when you pray to the Lord at home as when you pray with your brothers. There is something more here, such as unanimity and agreement, the union of love and prayer of the priests. This is why the priests stand, so that the prayers of the people, as the weakest, uniting with their strongest prayers, ascend to heaven together... If the prayer of the church helped Peter and brought this pillar of the church out of prison (Acts 12:5), then how about you, tell me me, you neglect her strength and what excuse can you have? Listen to God Himself, Who says that He is appeased by the reverent prayers of many (Jon. 3:10-11)... It is not only people who cry out terribly here, but also angels fall to the Lord and archangels pray. The very time favors them, the very sacrifice promotes them. How people, taking olive branches, shake them in front of kings, reminding them with these branches of mercy and philanthropy; in the same way, the angels, presenting the very Body of the Lord instead of olive branches, beseech the Lord for the human race, and seem to say: we pray for those whom You Yourself once honored with such Your love that You gave Your soul for them; we pour out prayers for those for whom You shed your blood; we ask for those for whom You sacrificed Your Body” (Word 3 against the Anomeans).

So this objection is completely unfounded. After all, how much more holy is the house of God than your home, how much higher is the prayer offered in the temple, the prayers offered at home.

But some say:

– I am ready to go to church every week, but my wife or husband, parents or children do not let me.

Here it is worth remembering the terrible words of Christ, which are often forgotten: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). This terrible choice must always be made. – The choice between God and man. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it can hurt. But if you have chosen a person, even in what you consider small, then God will reject you on the day of Judgment. And will your loved one help you with this terrible answer? Will your love for your family justify you when the Gospel says the opposite? Will you not remember with longing and bitter disappointment the day when you rejected God for the sake of imaginary love?

And practice shows that the one who chose someone instead of the Creator will be betrayed to them.

Others say:

– I won’t go to this church because the energy there is bad. I feel sick in the temple, especially from the incense.

In fact, any church has one energy – God’s grace. All churches are consecrated by the Holy Spirit. Christ the Savior dwells in all churches with His Body and Blood. Angels of God stand at the entrance to any temple. It's just about the person. It happens that this effect has a natural explanation. On holidays, when “parishioners” visit churches, they are jam-packed with people. After all, in fact, there are very few sacred places for so many Christians. And that’s why many people really feel stuffy. Sometimes it happens that in poor churches they burn incense with low-quality incense. But these reasons are not the main ones. It often happens that people feel bad even in a completely empty church. Christians are well aware of the spiritual reasons for this phenomenon.

Evil deeds, which a person does not want to repent of, drive away the grace of God. It is this resistance of man’s evil will to the power of God that is perceived by him as “bad energy.” But not only does man turn away from the Lord, but God Himself does not accept the egoist. After all, it is said that “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6). Similar cases are known in ancient times. So Mary of Egypt, who was a harlot, tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and venerate the Life-Giving Cross. But an invisible force threw her away from the church gates. And only after she repented and promised never to repeat her sin again, God allowed her into His house.

Also, even now there are cases where hired killers and prostitutes could not stand the smell of incense and fainted. This happens especially often to those who are involved in magic, astrology, extrasensory perception and other devilry. Some force twisted them at the most important moments of the service, and they were taken from the temple in an ambulance. Here we are faced with another reason for the rejection of the temple.

Not only man, but also those who stand behind his sinful habits do not want to meet the Creator. These creatures are rebel angels, demons. It is these unclean entities that prevent a person from entering the temple. They take away the strength of those standing in the church. It happens that the same person can sit in a “rocking chair” for hours and is not able to spend ten minutes in the presence of the Creator. Only God can help someone who is captured by the devil. But He helps only those who repent and want to live according to the will of the Lord Almighty. As it is, all these arguments are just an ill-considered repetition of satanic propaganda. It is no coincidence that the very terminology of this objection is taken from psychics (and the Church knows that they all serve the devil), who are very fond of talking about certain energies that can be “recharged”, as if we are talking about a battery, and not about a child of God .

The symptoms of spiritual illness are visible here. Instead of love, people try to manipulate the Creator. This is precisely a sign of demonism.

The last objection, related to the previous ones, occurs most often:

“I have God in my soul, so I don’t need your rituals.” I already do only good. Will God really send me to hell just because I don’t go to church?

But what do we mean by the word “God”? If we are talking simply about conscience, then, of course, this voice of God sounds in every person’s heart. There are no exceptions here. Neither Hitler nor Chikatilo were deprived of it. All villains knew that there is good and evil. The voice of God tried to keep them from committing iniquities. But is it really just because they heard this voice that they are already saints? And conscience is not God, but only His speech. After all, if you hear the president’s voice on a tape recorder or on the radio, does that mean that he is in your apartment? Also, having a conscience does not mean that God is in your soul.

But if you think about this expression, then Who is God? This is the Almighty, Infinite, Omniscient, Righteous, Good Spirit, Creator of the universe, Whom heaven and the heavens of heavens cannot contain. So how can your soul contain Him—His Face Whose angels are afraid to see?

Does the speaker really think so sincerely that this Immeasurable Power is with him? Give us the benefit of the doubt. Let him show Her manifestation. The expression “God is in the soul” is stronger than trying to hide a nuclear explosion within yourself. Is it possible to hide Hiroshima or a volcanic eruption in secret? So we demand such evidence from the speaker. Let him perform a miracle (for example, raise the dead) or show God's love by turning the other cheek to the one who hit him? Will he be able to love his enemies - even a hundredth part of the way our Lord, Who prayed for them before the crucifixion? After all, only a saint can truly say: “God is in my soul.” We demand holiness from the one who says this, otherwise it will be a lie whose father is the devil.

They say: “I do only good, will God really send me to hell?” But let me doubt your righteousness. What is considered the criterion of good and evil, by which one can determine that you or I are doing good or evil? If we consider ourselves as a criterion (as they often say: “I determine for myself what good and evil are”), then these concepts are simply deprived of any value and meaning. After all, Beria, Goebbels, and Pol Pot considered themselves absolutely right, so why do you yourself think that their deeds deserve censure? If we have the right to determine for ourselves the measure of good and evil, then all murderers, perverts and rapists should be allowed the same. Yes, by the way, let God also disagree with your criteria, and judge you not by yours, but by His standards. Otherwise, it turns out somehow unfairly - we choose our own standard, and we forbid the Almighty and Free God to judge ourselves according to our own laws. But according to them, without repentance before God and Holy Communion, a person will end up in hell.

To be honest, what are our standards of good and evil worth in the face of God, if we don’t even have the right to legislative activity? After all, we have not created for ourselves either body, soul, mind, will, or feelings. Everything you have is a gift (and not even a gift, but property temporarily entrusted for safekeeping), but for some reason we decide that we can dispose of it at will with impunity. And we deny the One who created us the right to demand an account of how we used His gift. Doesn't this demand seem a little impertinent? Why do we think that the Lord of the Universe will fulfill our will, damaged by sin? Have we broken the Fourth Commandment and yet believe that He owes us something? Isn't this stupid?

After all, instead of dedicating Sunday to God, it is given over to the devil. On this day, people often get drunk, swear, debauch, and if not, then they have fun in a far from decent way: they watch dubious TV shows, films where sins and passions overflow, etc. And only the Creator turns out to be superfluous on His Own Day. But doesn’t God, who gave us everything, including times, have the right to demand from us only a few hours?

So hell awaits those despisers who ignore the will of God. And the reason for this is not God’s cruelty, but the fact that they, having abandoned the sources of the water of Life, began to try to dig empty wells of their justifications. They have refused the sacred Chalice of Communion, deprived themselves of the word of God, and therefore wander in the darkness of this evil age. Moving away from the Light, they find darkness; leaving love, they find hatred; abandoning life, they rush into the arms of eternal death. How can we not mourn their stubbornness and wish that they would return to the house of our heavenly Father?

We, together with King David, will say: “according to the abundance of Your mercy, I will enter Your house, I will worship Your holy temple in Your fear” (Ps. 5:8). After all, “we entered into fire and into water, and You brought us out to freedom. I will enter Your house with burnt offerings, I will pay You my vows that my mouth has spoken and my tongue has spoken in my tribulation” (Ps. 65:12-14).

Priest Daniil Sysoev
Pereglyadiv: 1,385

How to prepare

I hope that you know which church to go to, and if your church is Orthodox, then let’s 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 heavy makeup. A deep neckline, open arms and knees are also not allowed. There should be a scarf on your head.

Do you have to wear a skirt to church or can you wear trousers? As for 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 your waist.

Men should not wear shorts and T-shirts to church, and they must also remove their hats 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 respectfully:

1. Before entering, you must cross yourself three times.
2. Entering the temple, you must behave quietly, you cannot talk on the phone, eat, laugh and look at the parishioners, stand with your back to the altar. Children should also behave quietly and calmly; explain the rules of behavior to them in advance.
3. It is not welcome if you come during the service to hastily light a candle, pushing aside those praying, and quickly leave. If you must light a candle, wait until after the service or arrive early before it begins.
4. 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

1. Pregnant women often 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 they will not be welcome in church.
2. Many people have heard that women should not go to church during menstruation. Priests consider it undesirable to go to church, much less take holy communion, during menstruation. You can read more about this here: » «
3. Questions are often asked: is it possible to go to church unbaptized or not? It is known that for the first time we all go to church unbaptized, so the church does not object to the fact that an unbaptized person came to them. Maybe he was on the path to God. You cannot ask him to leave a person’s church and tell him why he should go to church if he has not been baptized. On the contrary, an unbaptized person should be helped to come to God, and not driven 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, either for a living unbaptized person or for a deceased person.

Also, an unbaptized person cannot receive communion, get married, or confess.

How often should you attend church?

People who strive for God and want to visit the temple of God often wonder how often to go to church? You are unlikely to find the exact answer, because church is the place where you go at the behest of your soul, and not out of duty or obligation. Believers often attend church on weekends, since they constantly need the opportunity to communicate with God. People also go to church on major religious 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 here, listen to your heart, your spiritual mentor, and choose when and how often you should visit the temple.

How often do people go to church for services and why?

August 24, 2012, 12:55 / News / Orthodox world / in Russia / 1456.html

I'll start with an ancient parable...

One Sunday morning, a certain Orthodox man was going to church.

And his old acquaintance comes towards him. He was an unbeliever and, as always, went to the market on Sunday to buy food for the week.

They said hello and stopped to talk.

“Tell me,” said the unbeliever, “why do you go to church every Sunday?”

- Well, why is this? I’ve been doing this for many years,... and then, I need to meet with some of the parishioners,... then I need to talk to the elder about one of my problems,... and I also promised to bring honey from my apiary to one sister... Well, what else? You need to sing psalms and pray to God. Yes, and hear words of encouragement from the pulpit...

“It’s clear,” the unbeliever interrupted him, “you’re doing this out of habit, and also in order to convey something to someone, to meet with someone, to consult, to hear something.” So all this can be done without a church! No? A! Sorry, you also need to sing and pray to God! But you always tell me that your God is omnipresent!

Then the Orthodox opened the first passage of Scripture and read the following words to the unbeliever:

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where we should worship is in Jerusalem. Jesus says to her: Believe Me, that the time is coming when you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You do not know what you bow down to, but we know what we bow down to, for salvation comes from the Jews. But the time will come and has already come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such worshipers for Himself. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:20-24).

“And now I’ll answer: why do you need to go to church?” – the Orthodox Christian concluded the dispute. “And it is precisely for this reason that we, as spiritual people, when we come to church, come for conversation and judgment, first of all, to the Creator, to God, to Jesus.

It was no coincidence that I started this article with this parable.

The results of the latest survey conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) caught my eye. It was conducted in 46 regions of Russia, where respondents were asked a simple question: How often do you go to church and why?

The results turned out to be very interesting...

The percentage of Russians visiting the temple has increased over the past 16 years from 57 to 71%. 7% of respondents go to church at least once a month, 30% from time to time, and 34% rarely. At least once a month, every tenth Russian of retirement age and a resident of Moscow and St. Petersburg (11%) and only 5% of young people and villagers come to church.

The share of Orthodox Russians who attend churches is 83%. At the same time, 11% of non-believers reported that they rarely or occasionally go to church.

The most observed ritual when visiting a church is lighting candles: 81% of Russians who come to church do this, and it is observed almost equally by both those who rarely go to church and those who do it regularly (80-82%). .

To the question: Why do you come to church? - most of the answers boiled down to the following: a significant part of parishioners (38%) simply talk to God while visiting the temple, 31% - read prayers, 27% - venerate the relics. 33% give alms, 29% donate money to the needs of the temple. In the minority (9%) are those who come to church to bless things. All these rituals are performed mainly by those who come to the temple at least once a month. 11% of non-believers also visit temples periodically.

Women are more likely to attend church services: 31% participate in services several times a year, while among men this figure is 16%. 49% of the stronger sex do not attend religious services at all, 30% of women agree with them.

Among Russians with less than a secondary education, half do not attend services; among those with diplomas, the figure is one third. Also, more often than the Russian average, rural residents (among them this share is 44%), workers (46%), residents of the Siberian Federal District (46%), Russians with the lowest income level (49%) do not participate in religious services. . However, the most indifferent people to religious services live in the Far East - 70% of the residents of this Federal District never attend divine services.

Slightly more often than the Russian average (5%), monthly services are attended by residents of the Central Federal District (8%), those involved in charity (9%), Orthodox Christians (10%), Muscovites (13%), those who trust the Church (14%), as well as voters of Sergei Mironov (16%). Those who wear a pectoral cross and observe Lent also attend services monthly somewhat more often than the Russian average - 11% and 21%, respectively.

According to the same survey, 66% trust the Russian Orthodox Church , 12% do not trust it, and 22% find it difficult to answer. In response to the question of whether you began to trust the Church more or less, 12% said that it was more, 7% that it was less, 14% were undecided, and 67% agreed that they trust the same as before. and nothing has changed.

It is also interesting that the most observed ritual when visiting an Orthodox church is to light candles. It is performed by both Orthodox (86%) and non-Christians (81%).

For what purpose do you go to church?

Moskovskie Vedomosti conducted a kind of survey among Muscovites in the center of Moscow on Pushkin Square - specifically not near the temple in order to get an answer, as they say, from the crowd...

- For what purpose? To atone for your sins. After all, they usually turn to God when a person feels bad, although if you are Orthodox, you need to go to church regularly, take communion and confess,” answers our first respondent, Elena Stavrovskaya, to whom we first asked our question.

— People go to church to cleanse themselves, probably because times are difficult now. “Everyone is so hysterical, there is no harmony in the soul,” Muscovite Irina Krivopalova expressed her opinion. “Everything is in a bustle, we are all in a hurry, we are in a hurry.” And in church we think about the meaning of life and our sins... I admit, I rarely go out. How rare? Once a month, but when I’m in church I feel grace.

- To cleanse your soul! – says Sergei Yakovlev, a visitor from Yaroslavl. – You need to go to church for a reason, but to a specific priest in order to convey your thoughts and petitions to God through him...

“For now, I only go to church on major church holidays,” admits 16-year-old Artem Novikov. – Why so rarely? Probably not mature enough...

These are the opinions of ordinary Russians.

It is interesting, by the way, that the majority of Russians (63%) are confident that politicians attend church services on Easter, guided by calculation, and not by religious feelings...

I think policymakers should think about this point of view.

Igor Semenikhin

Don't be afraid to go to temple

When deciding for yourself the question of how to go to church correctly, you should know that church is not a strict and hostile organization where you will be denied entry for incorrect behavior.

This is, first of all, a place where you must find peace and faith, be cleansed of sins and find love and happiness. And in the temple you will always be welcome, and if you do something wrong, they will tell you and correct you, you should not be afraid of it. And if you are plagued by certain questions, the answers to which you cannot find in any way, then here they will certainly help you.