When read
The prayer appeal is read in special cases provided for by the Church Charter. Variants of the text are contained in the breviary; the priest chooses the one he needs depending on the circumstances.
Confession before baptism
In the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, prayer texts are used during confession at the choice of the priest.
It depends on the conditions:
- How often did a woman attend church before giving birth?
- From the severity of sins committed (for example, abortion, adultery, cohabitation, etc.)
In the first case, if there was a long break (a year or more), then a secret prayer is read for reunification with the church and forgiveness of sins. If you regularly visit church and have no serious sins, the rite of ordinary confession with forgiveness of sins.
In case of serious sins in which the woman admits, the third version of the text is read.
At the funeral service
At the end of the funeral service, the priest, after reading the Apostle and the Gospel, reads a prayer for the forgiveness of the deceased’s sins, which he did not have time to repent of or did not remember.
After mother gives birth
Since Old Testament times, the ritual status of a woman after childbirth has been preserved. For 40 days, until postpartum bleeding has completely stopped, she should not begin the Holy Mysteries. But she can attend church: light a candle, pray without kissing icons and the Gospel. At the end of the forty-day period, the priest in the temple reads a cleansing prayer over her.
Currently, the Orthodox Church allows a woman in labor to visit the temple without waiting for 40 days. But before a child’s baptism, reading a cleansing prayer is mandatory.
What is penance?
When getting acquainted with the rules of church discipline, the definition of “penance” often comes up, which is not always interpreted correctly by believers.
What is it for?
So, what is penance in Orthodoxy? This is not a punishment for a committed offense, but a medicine that heals the ulcer of sin in the soul.
Penance is not a punishment, but a spiritual medicine.
Translated from Greek, “penance” means “punishment according to the law.” This is the voluntary fulfillment by an Orthodox Christian of the corrective actions prescribed to him by the priest: an enhanced prayer rule, alms to those in need, strict and long fasting.
Even after sincere repentance of sins in confession, healing does not come immediately; the Christian only embarks on the path of correction, where his moral rebirth gradually occurs for salvation in eternity.
Attention! The nature of the imposition of penance and the degree of severity are strictly individual for each sinner and are directly related to the make-up of his personality, to the level of the believer’s internal readiness to accept punishment.
Penance is not punishment in the literal sense of the word. This is the Will of the Almighty transmitted through the cleric, the healing of the soul, a lesson prescribed for the benefit of correction from sin.
The attitude towards its implementation should be more than serious.
Types of penance
As penance, feats that are directly opposite to the sin committed are usually prescribed.
Penance, Nicolas Poussin
For example:
- a person who is absent-minded and carried away by worldly pleasures is determined to frequently go to church and attend the Liturgy;
- those who are intemperate in food are assigned a stricter fast (similar to that of a monastery);
- lovers of money are charged with works of mercy.
Penance is given to a person for his own good, so that he realizes the depth of his sinful defeat and distance from the Creator.
The time frame for its action is, as a rule, limited to 40 days and during this time it is necessary to strictly fulfill everything assigned.
Common types of penance:
- reading the Jesus Prayer;
- strict fasting;
- in-depth study of spiritual literature (Lives of Saints, Akathists, Psalms, Epistles and other sources);
- bowing to the ground during worship in church or when reading the morning and evening prayer rules at home;
- temporary exclusion of sexual intimacy between spouses;
- ban on Communion (in exceptional cases).
Advice! If for some reason the penitent is unable to fulfill forgiveness, then he should approach the priest who imposed the punishment for advice on what to do in the current circumstances.
Who imposes voluntary execution of punishment
Only the confessor or priest of the church of which the person being punished is a parishioner can impose penance.
At the end of the execution of the prohibition, the priest who imposed it, and no one else, must read a special prayer of permission. In special cases (the death of a cleric or the mortal illness of a penitent), another priest is allowed to resolve what is forbidden.
Important! None of the outside clergy or monks will be able to fully understand the situation of a sinned person without knowing all the features of his life. Only a confessor or priest can impose penance.
Therefore, it is not recommended, having repented, to ask for a ban while on an Orthodox pilgrimage tour, for example, in a monastic monastery. The imposition of penance is permitted only to the parishioner’s spiritual mentor.
A little history
Previously, a person who had sinned and sincerely repented sequentially went through four stages of repentance:
These people were forbidden to appear inside the temple. Outside the Church, they had to publicly and with sobs lament the sins they had committed and beg the parishioners entering the church to pray for the salvation of their souls.
The sinners stood in the church vestibule - a place where a notice board usually hangs, people write notes, and where they leave their outerwear. Although, in fact, this place means an image of the earth, an image of repentance, a place of leaving earthly life.
Those who sinned listened carefully to the text of the Holy Scriptures and liturgical sermons. When the Sacrament of the Eucharist began, they, along with the catechumens, were obliged to leave the House of God.
- Kneeling (crouching).
People were allowed to enter the church hall up to the pulpit. In Orthodox churches, the ambo is a small elevation in front of the altar, from which priests and deacons deliver sermons, read the Gospel, and the cleric comes here before Communion with the Holy Chalice.
After the listeners and catechumens were removed from the Eucharist, they fell on their faces and the serving priest, laying hands on them, read special petitions, after which they left the hall.
They were allowed to stay in the temple until the end of the Liturgy, but they were not allowed to see the Chalice with the Blood and Flesh of Christ. They were also forbidden to bring sacrificial gifts to the church.
Having gone through all the steps of repentance, repentant sinners were again accepted into the church community.
A repentant person successively went through four stages of repentance
In the early Church, people who sinned were excommunicated from the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ:
- schismatics and heretics - until the moment of renunciation of sinful errors;
- incestuous - for 12 years;
- fornicators - for 10-15 years;
- murderers - up to 25 years;
- homosexuals - up to 15 years;
- oathbreakers - up to 10 years;
- sorcerers and sorcerers - up to 20-25 years.
Modern Church
A layman is subject to strict church punishment for violating church canons.
Most often, penance is prescribed for abortion, witchcraft, fortune telling by cards, adultery, blasphemy, and alcoholism.
Infanticide
The husband and wife together are responsible for the taking of the life of an unborn child, especially if they profess Orthodoxy and realize the gravity of the act committed.
Important! Penance for infanticide, as a rule, is sent by the Heavenly Father Himself.
This sin can be forgiven if a person is consciously and humbly ready to endure the punishment throughout his life. It could be:
- complete infertility of both spouses;
- family problems;
- diseases.
It is important to understand that all the negativity that accompanies his life on earth was sent for the abortions performed.
Advice! It is necessary to constantly repent of sins, ask for forgiveness from the Lord and never do this again.
About childbirth in an Orthodox family:
- Is it necessary to have many children?
- About contraception
- About infertility
Fornication
All adultery is prohibited by the seventh Commandment of the Word of God.
Penance. Boris Klementyev. Confession
Not allowed:
- any violation of marital fidelity;
- homosexuality;
- lesbianism;
- debauchery and other lascivious relationships.
Attention! As penance, excommunication from Communion is possible for up to 7 years.
If a person realizes the severity of the fall and accepts penance, then the result of his correction will be effective. But excommunication from Communion is a more difficult “punishment” than, for example, reading the canons or strict fasting.
Blasphemy
Modern men are more likely to fall into the sin of blasphemy.
Women usually curse, but by their nature it is the same blasphemy. When a “dark streak” occurs in life, ladies are furiously indignant against God’s Providence and His Justice, considering the Creator to be unjust. They often forget and surrender to the will of the devil, and as a result, they spew out satanic curses.
All this is blasphemy, worthy of hellish torment.
Perjury
There are people who take an oath on the Bible or the Crucifix. They believe that they perform this action in the name of the Lord, His Most Pure Mother or a saint.
Perjury
In fact, this sin is directed against God and others.
Important! This mortal sin is a desecration of the greatness of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Theft
Appropriation of other people's things into personal property without the knowledge of their owner.
Just thoughts and desire to return what was stolen is not enough.
Important! It is necessary not only to return the item, but also to compensate for the damage that the owner suffered during the absence of the stolen item.
Full text in Russian
Contents of prayers:
After the funeral service/mother after childbirth.
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His Divine grace, the gift and power given to His holy disciples and apostles, for the remission of the sins of men, said to them: receive the Holy Spirit; if you forgive them their sins, they will be forgiven them; if you hold, they will hold; and whatever you bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in Heaven. From them and on us successively, one after another, the grace that came, may the child (name) create through me, the humble one, this forgiveness in the spirit from all those who have sinned against God in word or deed, or thought, and with all their feelings, willy-nilly or involuntarily , knowledge or ignorance. If she was under an oath or excommunication by a bishop or a priest, or if she brought an oath on herself by her father or mother, or falls under her own curse, or broke an oath, or some other sins, how a person became involved, but for all of these she repented with a contrite heart and from those let all the guilt that binds let it be resolved; if for the weakness of nature she gave up to oblivion, may she forgive her, love for mankind for her sake, through the prayers of our Most Holy and Most Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the glorious and all-praised apostles and all the saints. Amen".
At confession.
“Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and generosity of His love for mankind, forgive you, child (name), all your sins, and I, an unworthy priest, by His power given to me, forgive and absolve you from all your sins, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". (Read after confession while the believer observes Christian commandments).
“O Lord, God of the salvation of Your servants, merciful, and generous, and long-suffering, regretting our iniquities, not desiring the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live; Even now, have mercy on Your servant (name), and give him an image of repentance, forgiveness and remission of sins, forgiving him every sin, both voluntary and involuntary, reconcile and unite him with Your Holy Church in Christ Jesus our Lord, with To whom belongs to Thee the power and splendor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen". (Read before confession during a long break from visiting church).
Services for the deceased: memorial service, lithium, funeral service
Services for the deceased are held in the church: memorial service, lithium, funeral service. In memory of the deceased, according to generally accepted custom, we light a candle on the “eve”. Kanun (canon) is usually located in the middle part of the Temple near the northern (left) side.
Kanun is a quadrangular table with a marble or metal board on which there are cells for candles and a small Cross. The eve with candles marks that faith in Jesus Christ can make all departed Orthodox Christians partakers of the Divine Light, the Light of Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore, when we light a candle for repose on the “eve”, we must offer up to the Lord for the departed whom we want to remember, a prayer: “Remember, Lord, the souls of your departed servants (their names), and all my relatives, and forgive them all their free sins and the involuntary, grant them the Kingdom and the participation of Your eternal blessings, and create for them an eternal memory” (three times).
Usually candles are placed and lit not when one wants to, but during a service or prayer. There are days when they don’t light candles at all and don’t commemorate the dead.
These are the days of Holy Week, when the hearts of believers are filled with sorrowful feelings of remembrance of the Passion of the Lord, and the days of Bright Week, when everyone triumphs and rejoices in the Risen Savior, therefore it is untimely to pray for the departed. The Orthodox Church has an ancient custom of offering prayers to God for the departed on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death.
The deceased are commemorated on the day of their death every year. People often ask why these particular days are set. Saint Macarius of Alexandria addressed this question to the angels who accompanied him through the desert. The angel replied: “God did not allow anything unnecessary and useless to be done in His Church, but He arranged the sacraments and commanded them to be performed.”
On the third day, when prayer is offered up in the Church, the soul of the deceased receives from the Angel guarding it relief from the sorrow that comes from separation from the body, because the praise and offering for it are made in the Church, and good hope appears. For two days the soul, together with the Angels who are with it, is allowed to walk on the earth wherever it wants.
The soul, loving the body, wanders around the house in which it was separated from the body, sometimes near the coffin. A virtuous soul walks to those places where it has done good, righteous deeds. On the third day, in imitation of the Risen Savior, the soul ascends to worship God, and we pray that Christ, resurrected on the third day, will resurrect the soul of the deceased for a blessed life.
After worshiping God, He is commanded to show the soul the beauty of paradise, marveling and glorifying its Creator - God, it changes and forgets the sorrow that it had while in the body.
But if the soul is guilty of sins, then at the sight of the pleasures of the saints it begins to grieve and reproach itself, regretting that it spent most of its life in carelessness and did not serve God as it should in order to be worthy of such grace.
On the ninth day, the soul is again ascended by the Angels to worship God. On the ninth day, we pray to the Lord that through the prayers and intercession of the nine ranks of Angels (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels), He would forgive the sins of the deceased.
Memorial service
After the second worship, the Lord of All commands to take the soul to hell and show it the torment of the wicked. The soul remains in hell for thirty days, trembling so as not to be condemned to imprisonment there.
On the fortieth day, the soul again ascends to worship God, and then the Judge determines for her, based on her deeds, the place of imprisonment at His private Court.
And the Church prays for the deceased, so that the Lord will help the newly deceased to withstand the test at the private Judgment of God, and so that on the fortieth day He, Ascended into heaven, will lift up the soul of the deceased to the heavenly abodes.
Therefore, the state of the souls of people who died before the general Resurrection, before the second coming of the Lord, is not the same: the souls of the righteous are in union with Christ and in anticipation of the bliss that they will receive after the general Judgment, the souls of unrepentant sinners are in a painful state.
The souls of those who died in faith, but did not bear fruits worthy of repentance, can be helped by the prayers of relatives and friends, their alms and good deeds. Therefore, when you come to the Temple on the third, ninth, fortieth days, on the anniversary of death, on the birthday of the deceased, on the day of his Angel, you need to submit a note of repose. Before the fortieth day, the note must write “newly deceased (name).”
Reading rules
Confession takes place in front of the icon of Jesus Christ. The breviary describes the order of confession, which the priest must adhere to. The priest pronounces the secret prayer at the end of the sacrament of confession, covering the head of the penitent with the stole.
At the funeral service, the Orthodox priest reads a prayer of permission and places a sheet with its text (travel letter) in the right hand of the deceased. During the reading, all worshipers are required to bow to the ground three times. During an absentee burial (before or after the funeral), the ceremony is performed in the church according to the same rite. The road map is given to relatives. If it cannot be placed in a coffin, then the attribute should be burned.
Permissive prayer for deceased laymen: how the funeral service is conducted
The text of the funeral service for the laity consists of prayers in which they ask God for forgiveness for sins and petition for the acceptance of the newly departed soul in the Heavenly Kingdom. Performed once over the body of the deceased.
Why do they perform funeral services for the dead?
A funeral service is a church farewell, a Christian’s farewell to another world. Prayers for the deceased benefit his soul and those people who ask for his repose. The rite is an important part of the mourning ritual. It is carried out on the third day after the death of a layman. It is advisable to conduct the ceremony in the temple.
In the old days, the deceased was kept in the temple until the funeral, and all this time the text of the Psalter was read over the dead man. If the body is not mutilated, the coffin remains open until burial.
When coming to a sacred place, it is necessary to remember that the text of the funeral service for the laity must be read sincerely, which will give relief to the soul of the deceased.
By uttering the words, loved ones begin to realize that the layman has acquired eternal life in a better world, and they quickly find consolation in their own sorrow. This is an opportunity to correct mistakes and begin to do good during life.
Those mourning the last journey hold lighted candles in their hands as they read the rite. This is a symbol of the Non-Evening Light of eternity. When saying goodbye, you need to kiss the deceased layman or the icon on his chest. If the coffin is closed, the cross on the lid is kissed.
What prayers are used for funeral services?
There are 5 types of succession. The division is clearly stated in the liturgical books. The course of the process and the set of texts of prayers are determined by the person’s affiliation and his relationship to the church - monk, layman, infant or priest. There is a separate rite of burial, which takes place on Easter Week. All these rituals have their own characteristics and consist of different parts.
Funeral service for the laity
The text can be done at home and this option is not rejected by the church, but it is better to conduct the ceremony there. The Charter or Trebnik prescribes that the funeral service for the laity be performed on a solemn note.
Before removing the body, a short litany for repose is performed. The priest censes the deceased and all those present. The first words spoken are: Blessed be our God. Then there are prayers, the dismissal is done, and before the funeral is taken out, the text of the funeral service for the deceased is read. During the singing of the Trisagion, the deceased is moved to the temple.
During the procession and ceremony, the priest walks in front of the coffin, with choristers and a cross in front of him. The clergyman holds a large cross in his right hand and carries a candle on his left. Weeping and condoling laity follow behind.
The coffin with the deceased is placed in the middle of the church or in the vestibule facing east so that the soul of the deceased layman can pray. After the completion of the liturgy, the funeral service begins. The singers stand on the choir.
There are three parts to the rank:
- First, the texts of the Initial Prayers are read, then Psalm 90. At the end, 17 kathismas are sung in full. Then they read Psalm 118 and funeral troparia.
- Singing of the canon, stichera, gospel beatitudes with topars. The texts of the Apostle and the Gospel, litanies are read. If there is no prohibition, a prayer of permission is said over the deceased in Old Church Slavonic. The last kiss is performed and the stichera is sung.
- At the end it is the turn to read the text of the funeral liturgy.
The deceased is carried to the grave to perform the burial ritual. Holy God sounds in the cemetery. As the coffin is lowered, the priest reads a sermon to the laity at the funeral service.
The rite of burial of an infant
Has a special meaning. It is read over children from birth to 7 years of age who died while being baptized. The funeral service is performed as for the laity without sins and vices. The text does not include prayers asking for remission of sins. The text of the rite contains a request for the acceptance of the baby’s soul into the Kingdom of God.
During his earthly existence, the baby did not perform any feats before God and for the good of the Church, but in the process of Baptism he was cleansed from the sins of his forefathers and became immaculate. If the child is not baptized, the funeral service is prohibited.
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The rite of burial of an infant is short, in contrast to the text of the funeral service for the laity. It does not include the following parts: kathisma, troparion for the Immaculate. During the reading of the canon it is said: Lord, give rest to the baby.
Seeing off children is difficult for loved ones, and at the funeral service there is an abundance of consolation.
The prayer of permission pronounced for adult laity is replaced with the text in Church Slavonic “God bless the infants...”, where a request is heard for the acceptance of the baby by the Lord.
During the last kiss, a special place is given to words and stichera expressing the pain of the loss of parents and carrying the assurance that the baby will be numbered among the Angels.
A distinctive feature of the text of the funeral service for the baby is the mention of all the deceased along with the name of the child. Living and dead souls pray for the baby to be accepted into God's Kingdom.
Permissive prayer for the departed
This is a special form of absolution for the laity. It is part of many chants, including the funeral rite. The texts vividly describe the fate and life of a person. The story begins with the story of original sin committed by Adam and Eve. At the end, the commandments about turning the human body into dust are read.
The text of the correspondence purification is pronounced after the end of the solemn but mournful procession.
In liberating words, the priest forgives all sins if the deceased regularly repented of his ungodly deeds before God during his lifetime.
At the end of the funeral service, a note with a prayer of permission is placed in the hand of the deceased. The departed soul of a layman needs it when entering the afterlife.
You cannot read the text of the prayer:
- the person abandoned the ritual before death;
- on Christmas and Easter holidays;
- over lay people who died by suicide or over the mentally ill.
How and where the funeral service takes place
Farewell takes place on the third day. You can read the text of the funeral service for the laity in the cemetery chapel, in the church, at home and in the cemetery. If, for example, there is a chapel at the morgue, then all actions can be carried out there.
Do not confuse a memorial service with a funeral service. The rite is performed once, and a memorial service can be ordered before and after the burial.
For the funeral service for the laity, it is necessary to agree on a service in the chosen church. It is better to talk to the priest immediately after receiving sad news.
It is important to have a stamp of death certificate or medical certificate with you when applying on the day of the funeral. You should prepare a pectoral cross, a piece of paper with the text of the prayer of permission, an icon: for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the Most Holy Theotokos, a whisk, candles and a veil.
All items are placed in the coffin.
The duration of the rite depends on various circumstances; on average, reading the text takes from half an hour to an hour. When performing funeral services for the laity at home or in the morgue, make sure that the priest is related to the Orthodox Church; cases of deception are not uncommon. If there are no remains, a funeral service for the laity can be held in absentia.
Every person is afraid of dying or losing a loved one. Young people and children experience special grief at the dormition.
Relatives try to carry out the last journey according to all church canons, so that the soul leaves the earth sinless and goes to heaven. It is important that the ritual is performed correctly, the text is read in an understandable language with clear pronunciation.
The emphasis in the funeral service for the laity is on words about the eternal afterlife. You can see the scene of Jesus' burial on the shroud.
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Source: //sorokoviny.ru/pogrebenie/chin-otpevaniya-miryan
