Voronezh priest told how to behave at a service

Women should wear modest clothing to church that covers their figure and is not tight. Be sure to hide your chest and shoulders, and cover your legs with a long skirt (the shortest skirt should be no higher than the knees). The most important thing that women need to wear is a headscarf. The fact is that a woman’s covered head in a temple is a sign of respect to the Lord, because he is the owner of his house and therefore, when entering the church, one must obey his rules.

IMPORTANT: Women should not attend church during menstruation and at a time when blood is still being released after childbirth. Such a violation will show your disrespect for the Lord and desecrate the church.

Before you approach the temple, you should stand in front of its main entrance, look at the cross (it should be located on the doors or gates) and cross yourself three times, bowing each time. This is a kind of greeting with the Lord and a sign that you are an Orthodox person. After you overcome the entrance doors, you do not immediately find yourself in the church, but in the vestibule - a special place in the form of a small corridor. Here you should cross yourself three times again and only then go into the church hall itself.

About the rules of conduct

Where is the best place to stand in church?

The meaning of an Orthodox person is to glorify the Lord. That is why he goes to church and in prayerful communication tells God about his problems, successes, doubts and fears in order to find the only important solution and help. If you come to the temple in advance (15 minutes before the start of the service), you should light candles or write special notes for the service.

You can take absolutely any convenient place in the church that you like in the hall. There is only one main rule to follow (it is not always and not always observed) - during the service, women should stand on the left, and men on the right. If you find a lot of free space in the hall, it is important not to stand where the main aisle is.

IMPORTANT: Remember, the place you occupy should be yours only until the end of the service. Walking around the church and changing your place is not allowed. You also cannot loudly greet friends and relatives, talk to them, or distract others present from prayers.

You can also take a seat in the temple. There are always special benches in the church, but they are needed only for those who cannot stand for a long time due to health reasons or poor health (sick people, people with missing or damaged lower limbs, small children and older people). You should sit on the lavas modestly, without spreading or throwing your legs.

In any case, try to behave discreetly in church, without putting your hands in your pockets, putting them behind your back or folding them across your chest. You need to stand in the temple because in this way you appear before God, opening your heart and soul. It can also be considered that the vertical position of the body elevates human destiny.

Where to stand in church?

How to behave in church and temple during services, what to do, how to be baptized?

As already mentioned, if there is a service in the church, you should come to the temple in advance. Any Orthodox holiday or important day (such as Sunday) requires an Orthodox person to be neat and tidy. You should choose modest but beautiful clothes: clean, ironed, light-colored. You should also comb your hair and wash your face. Women should not apply a thick layer of cosmetics; avoid it altogether or use very minimal amounts.

Modest dressing requires modest behavior. Be as welcoming, joyful and happy as you come from visiting church. One should be baptized before entering the church, in the vestibule and in front of the images. If you are at a service, listen to the prayers and watch the clergy. Cross yourself every time one of them begins to cross yourself, even if you cannot clearly understand the words.

IMPORTANT: An Orthodox person always crosses himself by putting all the fingers of his right hand into a handful. Touch your forehead with your fingers, then your stomach and only then your right and left shoulders. In this way, you “draw” the cross of the Lord on yourself, blessing and cleansing yourself.

How to be baptized?

Maintaining spiritual and physical fasting

• Maintaining a prayer routine: morning and evening
• Regular reading of spiritual literature
• Visiting church
• Confession

IMPORTANT: If you are present for communion, you should be fully aware of the importance of this sacrament and in no way draw attention to yourself. Take your place in the church, pray sincerely and be baptized every time the priest does so.

How to behave in church and temple at a wedding?

When should you not go to church?

Estimated reading time: less than a minute.

Reader question:

When should you not go to church?

Answer:

The church is the place of God's special presence on earth. You can come there in joy and sorrow, rich and poor, to pray alone or for the sake of conciliar (common) prayer at a divine service.

Church sacraments accompany a person throughout his life - first, in Baptism, he becomes a Christian, then he confesses, takes communion, is crowned upon marriage, is consecrated in case of illness... Of course, God sees a person and hears his prayers anywhere. We can pray at home, while working, on the road. But in the temple, the whole environment promotes communication with God and detachment from everyday bustle.

To the question of when you can’t go to church, you can answer this way: you can always come to church; there are only a very small number of exceptions.

For example, in 2021 we are faced with a coronavirus pandemic. Due to this emergency, the ability to attend religious services has been limited in many countries. Naturally, if you yourself are sick and can serve as a source of infection for others, you need to stay home. This applies, of course, not only to COVID-19. If you are seriously ill, you can call a priest home. At home you will be able to confess, receive unction, and receive communion.

Also in the Orthodox Church there is a tradition according to which a woman after giving birth does not visit church for 40 days. On the 40th day, a special prayer is read over her, and the new mother returns to participate in worship services. Of course, under special circumstances, the time for reading postpartum prayers may be postponed. But the period of menstruation, contrary to popular belief, is not an obstacle to coming to church - on these days you only cannot take communion.

Other circumstances that are sometimes called obstacles to visiting church, in fact, according to church laws, are not such. Yes, it is advisable to enter the temple in decent clothes, but a woman does not have to wear a long skirt and headscarf. Yes, in church we place candles in front of icons as a symbol of our prayer, and candles can usually be purchased for a donation. But if you are short on funds, you can simply pray, it will not be any less “effective” (besides, in many churches you can take a candle for free).

There is a saying: “I would be glad to go to Paradise, but sins do not allow me in.” Indeed, it happens that when we commit some kind of sin and our conscience torments us, coming to church can be especially scary and difficult. But this fear is false. On the contrary, it is better to come to church as soon as possible and relieve your soul in prayer or, even better, in the sacrament of confession.

And if you are embarrassed because you do not know the rules of behavior in the temple and are afraid of doing something wrong, this article will help you.

Editorial staff of the magazine "Foma"

Saturday or Sunday?

The question may arise: why do the Orthodox honor Sunday and not Saturday, as, in fact, was commanded? Let's figure it out. In the Old Testament, Saturday was a day of remembrance of God’s creation of the world: “And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His work, which God had created and created” (Genesis 2:2-3).

Saturday was the day when the Jews left all their affairs and devoted time to God, thanking Him for His blessings, for the fact that they were a free and beloved people, whom He brought out of Egyptian slavery. However, back in Old Testament times, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; They broke that covenant of mine, although I remained in covenant with them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Jer. 31:31-33). .

For Christians, Sunday became a more important day - the day of remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the Acts and letters of the apostles we learn that on this day they received communion (“On the first day of the week... the disciples gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7)) and gave alms. John the Theologian calls this day not “the first,” but “resurrection”: “I was in the spirit on the day of resurrection” (Rev. 1:10). Since then, Christians also spend this day piously and rejoice at it, because it is the memory of the Resurrection of Christ and the promised salvation.

The Lord brought us a New Law, which is based not on prohibitions, but on love. He gave us this love. All great rulers and generals know that power cannot be retained for long by force and weapons. Christ holds power through love - and it has been unshakable for more than two thousand years. Power based on fear and hatred destroys over time. Christ brought the commandment of love, which has helped people live in joy for many centuries.

Saint John Chrysostom: Those who do not receive communion, do not stand arrogantly, leave after reading the Gospel

Is it possible to go to the Liturgy, but not receive communion there? This is not an idle question.

Ten years ago, most of those reading this text would have raised their eyebrows in surprise: well, of course, you can! Strange question... We don’t just go to church for communion.

But now the battles between supporters of “frequent communion” and lovers of the pre-revolutionary annual “fast and communion” have died down in the press, the epochal document “On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist” has been published, a generation of young priests is slowly replacing the honored “perestroika” archpriests, who are accustomed to something else - and before For Christians who are seriously coming to God, the question arises: what to do if you know perfectly well that the Liturgy is a single sacred impulse towards union with Christ in His Mysteries, but you are not ready to receive communion (we will not touch on the reasons for this unpreparedness here).

And from the depths of centuries, John Chrysostom loudly answers such doubters. This fiery bishop lived at a time when streams of Byzantine citizens of little faith poured into the recently persecuted Church, which had suddenly become a “state” Church. Many of them seemed to believe. But they didn’t seem to believe it. As we would say now, they simply “wore a cross.” The situation, in general, is somewhat similar to our pre-revolutionary times, but also to the current era too. Therefore, it is very interesting what Saint John said about the presence of non-communicants at the Liturgy.

And he said very simply: those who have not prepared, leave immediately after the first part of the Liturgy, together with the catechumens - with those who are just preparing for baptism, and who are supposed to leave after the deacon’s words “Catechumens, go out!” This, let us remind you, is approximately after reading the Gospel. And the sermon - it should be here, but in current practice it is often postponed to the end of the service.

“Why does he cry: “Come out, you who cannot pray to God,” and you stand there insolently? If you are not one of the repentant, but one of those who have the opportunity to receive communion, how come you do not take care to receive communion? Or do you not consider Communion a great gift and neglect it? Think about it, please! Here is the royal meal, angels serve at this meal, the Tsar Himself is present here, and you stand like an onlooker.”

The general message of inspired preaching is simple: the Liturgy must be taken seriously. If you call yourself a Christian, be one. And this means: live honestly, strive for God, try to always remember that you are a member of the Church. If you behave this way, it means you can receive communion. And if possible, then take communion constantly, and not just on holidays. Take communion, testing yourself, humbling yourself, with fear and trembling. But - take communion!

Here is an example given by Chrysostom:

“Please tell me, if someone were invited to a meal, went there, washed his hands, sat down and prepared for the meal, and then did not eat, would he not offend the one who invited him? Wouldn't it be better if he didn't come at all? So you too: you came to the meal, sang chants with the others, confessed that you are worthy (since you did not leave with the unworthy), how can you stay and not partake of this meal?

And if you call yourself unworthy and say that you cannot approach the Chalice today, then leave the meeting after the cry: “Depart, you catechumens,” and do not dare to stay longer. “Everyone who does not partake of the Mysteries stands shamelessly and insolently,” the saint comments on our behavior.

Conclusions? Our goal should be to change our lives, bring them closer to Christ, constantly remember Him, the joy of uniting with the Lord at Sunday liturgies, the reluctance to sin and move away from friendship with God.

What should we do if communion at every Liturgy still seems to us an unattainable ideal, and we have no desire to receive communion at every service, and we hardly remember God all week? Under no circumstances should you take communion “forcibly” because you read it on the Internet and “that’s how it’s supposed to be.” This is indeed how it should be, but all this is only for Christians who go to the service with repentance, joy and desire.

What about the rest?

First, set the goal of constant communion and daily life with God. Secondly, we offer the same exercise: leaving after the exclamation “Catechumens, depart.”

For what? To make it clear to ourselves what we are missing. So as not to deceive myself: they say, I defended the Liturgy, venerated the cross, and am going home with a clear conscience. Not with the clean one! Leave repentantly after the Gospel, and, you see, in a couple of weeks the soul itself will ask you to prepare and stay at the service until the end, and take communion.

What if there is a holiday, with a prayer service and the blessing of apples? How can I leave? Just go away - but everything will be fair. Well, you can wait on the bench at the entrance, and after the end of the Liturgy, when the priest joyfully says “We will go out in peace” and the gates close, entering the church and praying at the prayer service is a very good thing.

What if I get completely lazy and end up not going to church? This means that it was a bad idea - you can, after consulting with the priest, remain at the Liturgy until the end and not receive communion. But, in any case, grieve that the Chalice is carried past you. Father Andrei Tkachev, for example, when asked whether to go to the Liturgy if you do not receive communion, answered that, they say, our time is now so difficult that it is better to go - at least stand and listen to the service every Sunday first.

Therefore, having learned about this sermon of Chrysostom, let us approach with reasoning what it says. The words are very important and useful, but let’s think about how to make them benefit our particular soul. Let's pray to St. John and ask for help. He will definitely help, and our life will slowly get better, we will stand on solid ground and together we will climb towards the Kingdom of Heaven.

We will still wait for Sunday, as the happiest day of the week, we will skip to the Liturgy, and the moments of terrible and wonderful service will still be the most important time in our lives for us.

And then our entire existence will turn into an amazing time of joy about God and His presence in our hearts. Hey, come, Lord Jesus!

Source: At the Church Walls

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