Rules of conduct for men in an Orthodox church. Rules of conduct in the church - tips for beginners. Who is allowed to enter the altar

Even non-believers know that the church is a place where certain norms of behavior are observed. How to behave in church? There are many rules, but there are also general principles that will help you understand an unfamiliar situation: do not disturb other parishioners, do not attract attention, listen carefully to the reader and the choir during chants. What are the rules of conduct in

holiday color

A believing woman needs to dress as closed as possible, that is, the skirt (and not trousers) should be long, sleeves are also desirable to the wrists. Of course, you need a scarf. Permanent parishioners wear headscarves of a certain color: green for the Trinity, blue for the Mother of God holidays, black for Great Lent. The same black ones are replaced by red ones at Easter night. You should come to church in beautiful clothes, this is a holiday, and not a "fair of humility", mostly ostentatious. How to behave in church to the stronger sex? Men also need to dress modestly, hats must be removed before entering. The cross is obligatory, without it it is impossible to participate in the rites.

On a way

On the way to the temple, it is good to read to yourself the penitential psalm of David (50th) and the Jesus Prayer. There is also a special prayer of a person who is heading to church. But this is not for beginner parishioners, so limit yourself to a psalm and Both of these texts can be found in any prayer book, in particular, among At the entrance to the church, it is customary to cross yourself three times with a bow from the waist.

do it all

You need to arrive at the temple 15 minutes before the start of the service. You will calmly submit notes for proskomedia or order mass, pray before the faces of the saints. Which icon to approach in the church? There are no special rules here. It is advisable to bypass everything hanging available. First, you cross yourself twice with a bow from the waist, then make a sign a third time, kiss the icon and bow a third time. How to behave in the church if you have already received the Body and Blood? Those who have received Communion are not allowed to make bows from the waist, but before the Liturgy, they can.

special time

There are moments when especially attentive prayer is required from the parishioners (they say in the church - “extraordinary”). This applies to the time of reading the Gospel, the Six Psalms, the so-called Cherubic Hymn and the Eucharistic Canon. How to behave in church correctly? At these moments, you can not move, you need to be silent and listen. If you are late, do not enter the temple from the porch at the time of reading such prayers. Wait until they run out. Traditionally, unbaptized people cannot be at the “liturgy of the faithful”, therefore, after the priest’s phrase “Announcements, come out!” they must leave the temple, the service is over for them.

Difficulties of the rites

And bows during the liturgy is a complicated issue. There are rules for every prayer read. If you are inexperienced, just do everything as others do. It is not customary in church to kneel when you feel like it. But if everyone is on their knees, then you can join. At this point, the Orthodox bow their heads.

When the service is over, the priest gives a cross for kissing, come up, overshadow yourself with a sign and touch the shrine with your lips. Usually the priest's hand is kissed afterwards. At the exit from the temple, you should cross yourself three times, each time with a bow from the waist.

There are cases when the soul of a person who is baptized, a believer, but does not attend the temple, asks to visit the church. Of course, most often this happens when a person wants to repent of his sins, or ask the Lord for help in business, or thank you for something ... And it happens that you suddenly want to, and that's it. A person will mentally collect himself, make up his mind, but suddenly he will think: “I don’t know how to enter the temple correctly, what to say, how to behave in the temple and what to do there. Will not go…"

As the clergy themselves say, there is nothing wrong with this, one cannot condemn a person who does not quite know the order of actions in the temple. You can ask a clergyman about this, read special literature, or simply ask those people who also came to the temple to pray. It is unlikely that anyone will refuse such a request.

We will also consider in detail the rules of conduct in the temple (church).

☦ Enter the holy temple with spiritual joy. When you enter the temple and see the holy icons, think that the Lord Himself and all the saints are looking at you; be especially reverent at this time.

☦ The sanctity of the temple requires a particularly reverent attitude. You should come to the temple in decent, clean clothes, not in sports (not modest) or defiantly bright. Women are supposed to wear a scarf or headdress on their heads. Keeping Christian modesty, one's own and one's neighbors, one should not come to the temple in immodest clothes or trousers. If possible, you should come to the temple without bags and packages, so as not to create unnecessary fuss.

☦ Always come to the temple in advance in order to have time to light candles before the start of the service, order a commemoration, and venerate the icons. Until the end of the service, unless absolutely necessary, do not leave the temple.

☦ Before entering the temple, one should make a bow with a prayer and the sign of the cross. Upon entering the temple, one must also make three prostrations towards the altar with the publican's prayer.

☦ Putting candles, kissing icons and shrines is necessary before the start of the service, and during the service, one should not break the common prayer by walking around the church and passing candles.

☦ You can not kiss the shrines of the temple and participate in the Sacrament of Holy Communion with painted lips.

☦ Passing opposite, it is supposed to cross and bow towards the throne. It is impossible to pass between the pulpit and the central lectern when the clergy are praying in front of it in the middle of the temple. In the temple it is not supposed to talk, let alone laugh and joke. It is customary to greet each other with a bow.

☦ It is customary to stand during worship in an Orthodox church. Sit down and rest is allowed in cases of ill health. However, the bodily hierarch Philaret of Moscow said well about the infirmity of the body: “It is better to sit and think about God than standing about your feet.” In case of bodily weakness, you can sit on a chair or bench.

☦ According to tradition, men are supposed to stand on the right side of the temple, and women on the left.

☦ There is a tradition to approach the Chalice during communion, first to babies, then to men, and then to women. The same sequence must be observed at the anointing with oil. At confession, going to the cross at the end of the liturgy, and also in many other cases, one should not try to get ahead of others, but one must observe the order.

☦ Entering the temple during especially solemn moments - reading the Gospel, the Cherubim, the Eucharistic canon - you should stop at the entrance, wait for the end, and only then stand in the place of prayer. It is impossible to consider any place in the temple as “one’s own”, all the more so to ask those who occupied it to go. During the service, one must stand and pray in one place, without looking around. During the censing of the temple, one must move away from the wall, giving passage to the clergyman, and, turning towards him, bow to the censing.

☦ In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to pray standing up, quietly and reverently, therefore it is not good to show one's special prayer feelings in any way: to bow to the ground during the service (outside the time when it is supposed to), kneel with your head to the floor, etc. If the church is crowded, then it is better not to bow to the ground even at the prescribed moments of the liturgy (with the exclamation of “Holy to the saints” and with the removal of the Holy Gifts), so as not to push those around you. You can not pull up and teach if one of the parishioners unknowingly does something wrong. If his actions interfere with common prayer, then he should be prompted with humility.

☦ During the service, when the priest blesses the coming ones with his hand or burns those praying from the pulpit, one should bow without the sign of the cross, and when the blessing is done with the cross or Chalice, it is supposed to cross and then bow. Until the end of the service, one should not leave their temple, unless for a really important reason.

☦ Do not condemn the involuntary mistakes of employees or those present in the temple - it is more useful to delve into your own shortcomings and ask the Lord to forgive your sins. It happens that during a divine service, someone in front of you prevents the parishioners from praying with concentration. Do not get annoyed, do not pull anyone up (unless, of course, obvious hooliganism and blasphemy are committed). Try not to pay attention, and if, due to weakness, you cannot cope with the temptation (i.e., the test), it is better to move quietly to another place.

☦ Do not be upset when listening to the teachings of grandmothers. Humbly accepting their reproaches, do not try to "enlighten" them yourself. The Church has priests and missionaries for this.

☦ Do not be afraid to get into an awkward position by doing something wrong. People come to church not to evaluate their neighbors, but for public prayer and participation in the Sacraments.

☦ The main thing is the mutual love of parishioners and understanding of the content of the service.

☦ Before leaving the temple, you need to make three bows with the sign of the cross and prayer, thanking God and asking for His blessings. Going out into the street, you should turn around to the temple and bow again. Always, passing by the temple, you should stop and bow in its direction with the sign of the cross.

Rules of church relations.

☦ When meeting with a priest, you should take his blessing and then start a conversation. At subsequent meetings with him on this day, you do not need to take a blessing. Also, when parting with a priest after a long conversation with him or a common deed, it is customary to take a blessing.

☦ When addressing a priest by phone, you need to start a conversation by asking for a blessing with the words: “Father, bless” or “Father (name), bless.”

☦ At the meeting of the laity, it is customary to kiss three times a Christian or bow to each other. The usual church greeting on holidays: "Happy Holidays!" Entering the house: "Peace be to this house." Answer: We accept in peace. Wishes on the way, on the road: “Guardian Angel!”, “God bless you!”, “Mother of God bless you!”. The accepted wish for those who eat food: "An angel at the meal!" Answer: "Invisibly ahead." For a service, attention, help, as well as for a treat, it is customary to thank with the words: “Save, Lord!”, To which they usually answer: “To the glory of God!”

On the way to church, it is customary to read a prayer:

I will enter Your house, I will bow to Your holy temple in Your fear. Lord, instruct me in Thy righteousness, for the sake of my enemy, correct my path before Thee: as if there is no truth in their mouths, their heart is vain, their throat is open to the grave, their tongues are lying. Judge them, O God, that they fall away from their thoughts; according to the multitude of their wickedness, forgive me, as if I had grieved Thee, Lord. And may all who trust in Thee rejoice, rejoice forever, and dwell in them, and those who love Thy Name glory in Thee. Like you bless the righteous, Lord, like a weapon of good will you crowned us.

☦ One must enter the church quietly and reverently, as into the house of God, into the mysterious dwelling of the King of Heaven. Noise, conversations, and even more laughter, when entering the church and staying in it, offend the holiness of the temple of God and the greatness of God dwelling in it.

☦ Upon entering the temple, one should stop near the door and make three bows (earthly on simple days, and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays - waist) with prayers:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. - Bow.

God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. - Bow.

Who created me, Lord, forgive me!- Bow.

On the following prayers, bows are usually relied on by the waist:

We bow to Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.

It is worthy to eat, as if truly blessed by Thee, the Mother of God ...

Glory, and now ...

Lord have mercy!(Three times) bless.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.

☦ After that, as usual, bowing on both sides to the people who entered earlier and making three waist bows with the Jesus Prayer: - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner– Attend to the Divine Service that has begun with reverence and the fear of God.

☦ The church service is performed with many great and small bows. The Holy Church demands to make prostrations with inner reverence and outward goodness, slowly, and, if possible, at the same time with other worshipers in the temple. Before making a bow, you need to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross and then make a bow - if it is small, then you need to tilt your head so that you can reach the ground with your hand, but with a great one, you need to bend both knees together and reach the ground with your head. The sign of the cross should be depicted on oneself correctly, reverently, slowly, joining together the first three fingers of the right hand as a sign that God is the One and Equal Trinity, and folding the remaining two fingers and bending them to the palm of the hand to signify that Jesus Christ is God and Man, who descended to our earth for the sake of salvation. The right hand (right hand) folded in this way should be put first on the forehead, so that the Lord enlightens our mind, then on the womb, in order to tame the flesh that fights against the spirit, and then on the right and left shoulders - to sanctify our activity. The Church Charter strictly requires that we make prostrations in the temple of God, not only earnestly, decorously, and all at the same time, but also slowly (“not wrestling”), and in a timely manner, that is, exactly when it is indicated. Bows and kneeling should be performed at the end of each short petition or prayer, and not during its execution. The Church Charter pronounces a strict judgment on those who make obeisances (Tipikon, Monday of the first week of Holy Great Lent).

Missionary Leaflet No. 16

And also for listening to the Word of God. Those who attend services regularly know the rules of conduct in an Orthodox church.

Those who come only for the holidays are often lost, because they do not know that there are recommendations and rules that should be followed. This is necessary so that the church visit goes right and the person does not interfere with anyone.

How to behave in the temple

The rules of conduct in an Orthodox church are a set of recommendations, the knowledge of which and the implementation will help to defend the service correctly, without interfering with anyone and getting the maximum benefit from it. This does not mean that a person will be expelled from the church without the right to return for not fulfilling one of the points, but the implementation of these recommendations will allow you to spend this time in reverence and reverence for the Lord.

Communion in an Orthodox Church

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

1. After the announcement of Communion, one must slowly, without haste, approach Holy Communion.
2. Waiting for your turn, do not push or wave your arms - this is a holy sacrament.
3. Having taken communion, you must kiss the Chalice and move away.
4. Drink a drink, standing nearby on the table.
5. Attach to the Cross at the priest and cross yourself.

During the Divine Liturgy, you can submit notes to the priest about the health of loved ones and about the repose of the dead. You can serve them in the same place where you can buy candles before the start of the service.

General rules

Appearance is important to everyone. The church service obliges a person to look neat and dignified, without introducing anyone into temptation and temptation. It is necessary to 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 the temple?

Unacceptable for the church:

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

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

It is not necessary to pour a bottle of perfume on yourself at work - the room is usually stuffy and someone may become ill from perfume. It is necessary to abandon sugary and pungent odors and limit yourself to taking a shower and applying deodorant.

Make-up should be inconspicuous, and clothing with non-Christian symbols is also unacceptable.

sign of the cross

It is necessary to be baptized slowly, together with everyone.

It is easy to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross:

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

They overshadow themselves with the sign of the cross during the reading of the Gospel, the blessing by the priest, the doxology of the Trinity and Christ, proclamations, communion and veneration of icons, as well as during censing.

sign of the cross

For women

There are more rules for women in the temple:

Going to church, you need to realize why go there at all? Wear war paint and seek suitors, or communicate and worship the Lord who sees the soul. Provocative clothing and makeup is a sign of indiscretion.

Appearance of a woman in a 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;
• 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.

The rules for visiting the temple are important, because this is not just a meeting of a community or commune, but a meeting of believers. People who do not attend worship usually closely monitor how Orthodox go to church, how they behave at worship.

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

How to behave in an Orthodox church

In the life of every Orthodox person, sometimes it becomes necessary to come to church. The reasons for this can be completely different: sometimes a person goes to a large, well-known temple out of curiosity, or, although rarely, he comes to church on major holidays such as Christmas or Easter, but some have a sincere desire to attend services regularly, that is become a churched, full and equal member of the Orthodox Church. The churching of each person begins not only with attending services, but also with the knowledge and observance of certain church rules that must be followed in order to consciously fulfill the requirements of the church charter, ongoing services and prayers, and most importantly, so as not to offend the feelings of deeply believers and prayers with their behavior parishioners. When newcomers first appear in the temple, they can be identified by their confused look, frequently asked questions, and sometimes deviations from established church rules. Or women will come without a headscarf, in trousers, they will put a candle at the wrong time, and even forget the pectoral cross at home. And then the omniscient grandmothers, who undoubtedly exist in any temple, are already attacking them with condemnation. Sincerely wanting to follow the canons and rules of the Church, they ruthlessly, albeit in a whisper, scold such newcomers. It can be very pitiful to watch how poor newcomers, rather embarrassed, leave the church, and perhaps forever, leaving a negative attitude not only to this church, but to Orthodoxy as a whole. It becomes sad to look at such a picture. After all, a completely normal impulse of the human soul to join the religion of their ancestors - Orthodoxy, the need for communication with God was severely interrupted due to some elementary violations of the rules of conduct in the temple.

Before the start of the service

Approaching the temple, pious Christians, looking at the holy crosses and domes of the church, make the sign of the cross three times and bow from the waist. On the way to the temple, one should not be distracted by worldly conversations with companions, but read a prayer: “I am going to Your house, I will worship Your holy temple, with reverence for You.” If you do not know it, you should repeat the publican's prayer: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

Rising to the porch, before entering the doors, they again make the sign of the cross with a bow three times. At the door of the temple, one should stop and make three waist bows with prayers:

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner."
"You who created me, Lord, have mercy on me."
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of prayers
Your Most Pure Mother and all saints, have mercy on us. Amen."

But you can read "Our Father". If you don’t know this prayer, you can simply cross yourself and say: “Lord, have mercy.”

When entering the porch, you must cross yourself again. It is here that you leave all thoughts of extraneous topics and focus on spiritual things.

But at the same time, one should not, standing on the street, pray for a long time and for show.

Before entering the temple, turn off your mobile phone so as not to disturb the spiritual atmosphere of the temple with the sound of bells. Moreover, it is unacceptable to talk on the phone in church.

When you go to the temple of God, prepare money at home for candles, prosphora and church fees. It is inconvenient to change them when buying candles, because this interferes with both Divine services and those who pray.

On our sinful earth, the Holy Temple is the only place where we can hide from the storms and bad weather of life, from worldly moral dirt. The temple is the likeness of heaven on earth. In the temple with us "invisibly the powers of heaven serve." Remember and know the Holy Temple is the house of God, in which God Himself invisibly dwells, and therefore our behavior in the temple must correspond to its holiness and greatness. It is necessary to enter the Holy Temple with humility and meekness, in order to leave the Temple justified, like the humble publican of the Gospel.

When you enter the Temple and see the Holy Icons, think that the Lord Himself and all the Saints are looking at you, so be especially reverent at this time and have the fear of God. This does not mean fear itself, but the deepest respect and love for the Lord.

For worship parishioners are collected by the bell ringing 15 minutes before it starts. Therefore, having arrived in advance, you will have time to purchase church books, icons, candles, crosses, talk with a clergyman, submit notes, buy and put candles and venerate the icons. All this can be done only before the start of the service or after it. During worship, only candles can be purchased. By the way, do not try to put candles to all the icons at once in one visit, so that your walk around the temple does not distract other parishioners from their prayers. Better visit the church again. For the same reason, it is undesirable to ask those in front to pass a candle to put in front of the icon. Wait for the end of the service and place the candle yourself wherever you want.

Arriving at the temple, it is necessary to venerate the main holiday icon, which is located opposite the Royal Doors in front of the salt. To do this, you need to cross yourself three times, and then kiss the corner of the icon or the edge of the clothes of the depicted image, cross yourself again and quietly move away without disturbing the others. Bows are also made in front of the icons of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and saints (if the service has not begun at that time). All this must be done in advance so as not to interfere with the prayers during the service.

It is unacceptable for women to kiss icons with painted lips. During the service, many people will venerate the icon, so what will it look like at the end of the service if women smack it with painted lips? It should also be remembered that when kissing an icon, we do not kiss a board with paint on it, but through a kiss we address our love and reverence for the image depicted on it.

Before the start of the service, you can also put a few candles for health or for peace. It doesn't matter which hand you do it with, you just need to do it with sincere prayer for the one for whom you put this candle. A candle is a sacrifice to God, and it burns without a trace only for Him.

It is not supposed to pass between the Royal Doors and the lectern, but if you pass in front of the lectern, make a small bow, overshadowing yourself with the sign of the cross. Being in the temple of God, let us remember that we are in the presence of the Lord God, the Mother of God, Angels and saints. Be afraid, voluntarily or involuntarily, to offend with your behavior those who pray and those shrines that surround us in the temple of God. When choosing a place for prayer in a temple, one must take into account that some elderly parishioners who constantly visit this temple and usually stand in the same place begin to consider this place “their own”. If you accidentally stood in "someone's" place and you were asked to vacate it, do not cross and quietly move to another place - do not disturb your prayerful mood with an argument.

Everyone who was late for the beginning of the service should enter quietly, not interfere with other parishioners, take an empty seat closest to the exit, while trying not to block the passage.

Seeing acquaintances in the temple, a silent bow as a sign of greeting or a quiet greeting is enough. Kissing, hugging, shaking hands, talking loudly is not worth it. Do not shake hands in the Temple and do not ask about anything, be truly modest in the Holy Temple.

Holding hands is not allowed in church. It is strictly forbidden to laugh, chew, keep your hands in your pockets and talk loudly. You can not take pictures and use mobile phones. It is better to turn them off before entering the temple.

It is forbidden to sit in an Orthodox church, the only exception can be ill health or severe fatigue of the parishioner.

When coming to the temple with children, you need to make sure that they behave quietly. If a small child cries in the temple, the mother should immediately take him out. You should never allow children to eat anything in the temple, except for blessed bread and prosphora (at the same time, you need to make sure that the child does not lose the crumbs of these shrines).

In the temple it is indecent to show curiosity and consider others. It is unacceptable to condemn and ridicule the involuntary mistakes of employees or those present in the temple. It is forbidden to talk during worship.

It is customary to perform worship in the temple 3 times. If you got to the church at a time when there is no worship, then you can stand quietly and pray, put candles. If you decide to go to the liturgy (daytime worship), then remember that you need to come in advance, about 10-15 minutes before the start. In different churches, worship begins at different times, so ask in advance. During the service, there are many worshipers in the church, and they do not need to be disturbed. Try to find a place convenient for you where you can see and hear everything clearly. And this is not without common sense: a simple unchurched person will not immediately understand what is happening at all, he will not even understand what they say and sing (because the service is in Church Slavonic), so it makes sense to at least see what is happening.

During worship

Coming to the temple for prayer, it is better to leave worldly affairs at home. On average, the service lasts 2-3 hours, out of habit it is difficult to spend so much time on your feet, so if you are tired, you can sit on the benches that stand in the porch or inside the temple. You can’t sit with the Royal Doors open, even if the weak, sick old women get up, then what can we say about the young and strong. Also, you can’t turn your back to the altar, of course, this does not oblige you to back away like a cancer when you exit, but you should not defiantly turn your back to the altar during worship. If for some reason you cannot be in the temple until the end of the service, then you need to quietly exit, crossing yourself at the exit and in front of the temple itself.

In the temple, pray as a participant in Divine services, and not just present, so that the prayers and hymns that are read and sung come from your heart. Follow the service carefully so that you pray for exactly what the whole Church prays for. Place the sign of the cross on yourself and make obeisances at the same time as everyone else. For example, during Divine services, it is customary to be baptized during the doxology of the Holy Trinity and Jesus, during litanies - to any exclamation of “Lord, have mercy” and “Give, Lord”, as well as at the beginning and end of any prayer. You need to cross and bow before approaching the icon or putting a candle, and leaving the temple. It is impossible to hastily, inattentively make the sign of the cross over ourselves, because in doing so we appeal to the Lord's love and grace.

They prepare for Communion by prayer and fasting, refraining from various entertainments and pleasures (the duration of the preparation is determined by the blessing of the priest). Those preparing for Communion read the canons and the rule for Holy Communion according to the prayer book, which is better for beginners not to do on the last day, but to distribute the reading of these prayers for all the days of preparation for Communion. Before Communion, you can not eat or drink anything, starting from twelve o'clock at night. An exception is made for those who need something to eat or drink as prescribed by a doctor.

Before Holy Communion, it is necessary to make peace with your neighbors, to be the first to ask for forgiveness for sins, voluntary and involuntary.

They come to Holy Communion after repentance for sins at confession and the permissive prayer of the priest. Communion without confession is allowed only for children under seven years of age. Approach Holy Communion humbly and reverently, one at a time, without pushing, crossing your arms over your chest (right to left). Communion of the Holy Mysteries with the fear of God. Without crossing yourself, so as not to accidentally push, kiss the cup, and silently move to the table with a drink. The communicants listen to thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion in the church or read them at home according to the prayer book. At the end of the Liturgy, come and venerate the Cross, which the priest gives to the faithful for kissing. When leaving the Temple, reverently cross yourself.

Do not miss Sunday and holiday services in the temple. Teach your children to go to the Temple, teach them to pray and behave reverently in the temple.

After all, the Monk Barsanuphius of Optina said: “A sure sign of the mortification of the soul is evasion from church services. A person who grows cold towards God, first of all, begins to avoid going to church, at first he tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops attending the Temple of God.

Church notes

Orthodox Christians serve during the Divine Liturgy - the main Christian service - notes about the health of their living relatives and, separately, about the repose of the dead. Notes are served before the start of the service, usually in the same place where candles are bought.

If you want the memorial note you submitted to the altar to be read carefully and slowly, remember the rules:

1. Write in a clear, understandable handwriting, preferably in block letters, trying to mention no more than 10 names in one note.
2. Title it - "about health" or "about repose."
3. Write the names in the genitive case (the question of "whom"?).
4. Put the full form of the name, even if you commemorate children (for example, not Serezha, but Sergius).
5. Learn the church spelling of secular names (for example, not Polina, but Pelageya; not Artem, but Artemy; not Yuri, but George; not Svetlana, but Fotinya).
6. Names such as Eugene, Alexander, can be called both men and women, so you need to indicate the gender of the person being commemorated next to the name.
7. Before the names of the clergy, indicate their rank, in full or in an understandable abbreviation (for example, Priest Peter, Archbishop Nikon).
8. A child under 7 years old is called a baby, from 7 to 15 years old - a lad (maiden).
9. It is not necessary to indicate the surnames, patronymics, titles, professions of the commemorated and their degree of kinship in relation to you.
10. It is allowed to include in the note the words “warrior”, “monk”, “nun”, “sick”, “traveling”, “prisoner”.
11. On the contrary, it is not necessary to write "lost", "suffering", "embittered", "student", "mourner", "maiden", "widow", "pregnant".
12. In the funeral notes, mark the “newly deceased” (deceased within 40 days after death), “the ever-memorable” (the deceased who have memorable dates on this day), “killed”.

For those whom the Church has glorified as saints (for example, blessed Xenia, the holy and righteous John of Kronstadt), it is no longer necessary to pray, because. The Church, ranking them among the saints, implies that they are already in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who have Christian names, even those who have not been baptized, are commemorated of health, and only those baptized in the Orthodox Church are commemorated of repose.

Notes can be submitted to the liturgy:

At the proskomidia - the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphora, which are subsequently lowered into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of the sins commemorated;

At mass - this is how the people call the liturgy in general, and the commemoration after it in particular. Usually such notes are read by clergy and clergy before the Holy See;

At the litany - a commemoration for all to hear. It is usually performed by a deacon. At the end of the liturgy, these notes in many churches are commemorated a second time, on trebs. You can also submit a note for a prayer service or memorial service.

sign of the cross

It is supposed to be baptized slowly, connecting together the first three fingers of the right hand, and the remaining two (a symbol of two natures, the Divine and human Jesus Christ) - folded and pressed to the palm of your hand. With the right hand folded in this way, one should successively touch the forehead (to sanctify the mind), then the womb of the abdomen (to sanctify the feelings), right and left shoulders (to sanctify the bodily forces) and bow. Why? We depicted a cross on ourselves, now we worship it.

When in the church the people are overshadowed with a cross or the Gospel, an image or a Chalice, then everyone puts the sign of the cross on themselves, bowing their heads.

It is only necessary to bow your head without being baptized when the bishop overshadows the worshipers with candles (dikirium or trikirium), or when the priest blesses with his hand, sanctifying us with the power of the grace of God, and also when they burn incense for those who are coming.

Only on the holy week of Pascha, when the priest censors with a cross in his hand, proclaiming: “Christ is risen!” - everyone makes the sign of the cross and exclaims: “Truly He is risen!”.

We must make the sign of the cross and bow before a shrine (cross, Gospel, icon, Chalice with Holy Mysteries) or when pronouncing the Easter greeting.

During Divine services, it is customary to be baptized at the doxology of the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ, during litanies - at any exclamation of "Lord, have mercy" and "Give, Lord," as well as at the beginning and end of any prayer. You need to cross and bow before approaching the icon or putting a candle, and leaving the Temple.

The sign of the cross gives us great power to drive away and defeat evil and do good, but only we must remember that the cross must be placed correctly and slowly, because at the same time we appeal to the Lord's Love and grace, otherwise there will be no image of the cross, but a simple waving of the hand, which only demons rejoice. By negligently making the sign of the cross, we show our irreverence towards God - we sin, this sin is called blasphemy.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen,” thereby expressing our faith in the Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God. The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

Blessing

Every believer considers it indispensable when meeting with a priest or bishop to ask for a blessing, but many do it wrong. Of course, there are no strict canons on this issue, but the traditions of the Church and simple common sense suggest how to behave.

The blessing has many meanings. The first one is a greeting. When meeting and parting with a priest, it is not customary to say hello or goodbye, but they say: “Bless.” A blessing is received from a priest or bishop (bishop), but not from a deacon (they are easily distinguished by their attire).

Only an equal in rank has the right to greet a priest by the hand; all the rest, even deacons, receive a blessing from him when they meet with the priest. To do this, you need to put your palms together, right over the left, in order to take the blessing hand in them and kiss the right hand (right hand) of the blessing as a sign of respect for the holy dignity. And for nothing more! The addition of palms has no mysterious meaning. There is no need to be baptized. Greeting is only one meaning of blessing, the second is permission, permission, parting words.

• ♦ Father, bless me to go on vacation.
• ♦ Father, bless me to take exams.
• ♦ Father, bless me to start fasting.

You can be blessed by a priest not only when he is in church clothes, but also in civilian clothes; not only in the temple, but also on the street, in a public place. It is not necessary, however, to approach for a blessing outside the temple to an unclothed priest who is not familiar with you.

In the same way, every layman says goodbye to a priest. If several priests are standing side by side, and you want to be blessed by everyone, then first you need to approach the senior in rank.

The second meaning of the priestly blessing is permission, permission, parting words. Before starting any responsible business, before traveling, and also in any difficult circumstances, we can ask the priest for advice and blessings and kiss his hand.

Finally, there are blessings in the course of a church service. The priest, saying: “Peace to all”, “God's blessing on you…”, “Grace of our Lord…”, overshadows those praying with the sign of the cross. In response, we humbly bow our heads, without folding our hands, because it is impossible to kiss the blessing right hand.

If the priest overshadows us with sacred objects: the Cross, the Gospel, the Cup, the icon, we are first baptized, and then we bow.

You should not approach the blessing at an inopportune moment: when the priest takes communion, burns the temple, anoints with oil. But you can do this at the end of confession and at the end of the Liturgy, while kissing the Cross. It is not worth it to abuse the blessing by approaching the same priest several times a day. The words “bless, father” should always sound joyful and solemn to a layman, and there is no need to turn them into a proverb.

Candle

A person who has crossed the threshold of the temple, as a rule, approaches the candle box. With a small wax candle, our practical Christianity begins, initiation to the rite. After all, an Orthodox church cannot be imagined without lit candles.

Candles are lit one from the other, and placed in the nest of the candlestick. The candle should stand strictly straight. If, on the day of a great feast, a servant extinguishes your candle in order to light another's candle, do not be indignant in spirit: your sacrifice has already been accepted by the All-Seeing and All-Knowing Lord. You can light a candle with either hand. But you need to be baptized only with the right.

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

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

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

There are no binding rules on where and how much to put candles. Their purchase is a small sacrifice to God, voluntary and not burdensome. An expensive big candle is not at all more beneficial than a small one. Candles should be bought only in the temple where you came to pray.

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

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

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

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

Cloth

Believers come to the temple in attire appropriate to their gender. What is allowed to walk on the street or on the beach is completely unacceptable in the church. In no case should you come to worship in this form. Immodest clothing destroys the splendor of the temple setting. The temple is not only a house of prayer, but also a place of the special presence of God. Coming to the Church, we should remember to Whom we come and Who looks at us. A person who carefully monitors the state of his soul will surely notice that his behavior, thoughts, wishes also depend on clothing. Strict clothing obliges a lot.

Women should dress decently and modestly in church. Calm, dark tones are preferred, flashy ones are unacceptable. You can not wear a miniskirt, shorts, a transparent blouse, clothes with a deep neckline, too open tops and T-shirts to church.

It is customary for women to be in the temple with a ready-made cover (this can be a scarf, a scarf or just an upper headdress), in a skirt below the knees and in a long-sleeved sweater. Only virgins can come to church with an uncovered head - keep this in mind. Do not use cosmetics. Lipstick is especially unacceptable. It is unacceptable to partake of the Holy Mysteries, to venerate shrines, icons or crosses with painted lips.

At communion and at confession, a woman must have a skirt, and if she doesn’t, then in many churches you can rent a scarf and a skirt with ties to wear directly over a miniskirt or jeans.

Perfume should be applied very carefully or not at all, as during the service in the church it can become stuffy without that. Therefore, deodorant will be quite enough, and then, provided that it does not have a pungent odor.

It is highly undesirable to come to the temple with makeup. At the very least, make it as inconspicuous as possible.

Men are required to remove their hats before entering the temple. You can not appear in the church in T-shirts, shorts, sports untidy clothes. Clothing should be as close to the body as possible. During Holy Week and days of mourning, they wear dark-colored clothes, and on solemn religious holidays they come to the temple in light-colored clothes.

You can not come to the temple in clothes decorated with non-Christian symbols.

Other church rules

The main thing is the mutual love of parishioners and understanding of the content of the service. If we enter the Temple of God with reverence, if, standing in the Church, we think that we are in heaven, then the Lord will fulfill all our petitions.

It is good if there is a place in the Temple where you used to stand. Go to him quietly and modestly, without fuss, and standing up, make three bows. If there is no such place yet, do not be embarrassed. Without disturbing others, try to stand up so that you can hear the singing and reading. If this is not possible, stand in a free place and carefully perform the inner prayer.

If you are still late, be careful not to interfere with the prayer of others. Entering the Temple during the reading of the Six Psalms, the Gospel, or after the Cherubic Liturgy (when the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts is performed), stay at the entrance doors until the end of these important parts of the service.

An ancient church custom establishes that if there is a service, men stand on the right side, women on the left, freeing the central aisle.

When a clergyman burns the Temple, you need to step aside so as not to interfere with him, and when burning the people, slightly tilt your head.

In the Temple, pray as a participant in the service, and not just as someone present. It is necessary that the prayers and chants that are read and sung come from your heart. Follow the service carefully so that you pray for exactly what the whole Church prays for. Place the sign of the cross on yourself and make obeisances at the same time as everyone else.

In addition, to this day in many churches one can observe the pious rule when women let the men go ahead during anointing, communion, and applying to the festive icon and to the Cross. And children or parents with children are let in exactly in all churches.

If you come with children, make sure that they behave modestly and do not make noise, accustom them to prayer. If the children need to leave, tell them to cross themselves and leave quietly, or take them out yourself.

If a small child bursts into tears in the Temple, immediately take him out or carry him out.

Until the end of the Divine Service, never, unless absolutely necessary, leave the Temple, for this is a sin before God.

Never allow a child to eat in the Temple, except when the priests distribute the blessed bread. Parents sometimes give a whole prosphora even to very young children, who crumble it all over the floor. People walk on these crumbs and involuntarily trample on the sacred bread. Isn't it better for parents to give their children a piece of prosphora themselves and make sure that they do not crumble. Sometimes children come to church with gum in their mouths. This is completely unacceptable.

Only the clergyman and the male person whom he blesses can enter the altar.

Every church has a collection of donations. You can participate in this if you wish. You can donate not only money, but also food, dishes, cloth, candles, etc. It can also be a payment for ceremonies - weddings, baptisms, funerals, commemorations.

When you are in the Temple, do not judge or ridicule the involuntary mistakes of the servants or those present in the Temple; it is more useful and better to delve into your own mistakes and shortcomings and diligently ask the Lord for the forgiveness of your sins.

To make a remark to a neighbor who has violated the rules of good behavior, you need to quietly and delicately. It is better to refrain from remarks at all, unless, of course, there is a brazen, hooligan action. After participating in church services, try to maintain a reverent state at home: be courteous to your parents, affectionate to your children. Dedicate your free time to works of mercy or reading spiritual literature. This is especially true for those who partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. These rules of pious behavior in the temple are not difficult for those who participate in church services every Sunday and on holidays.

And finally, probably the most important advice: during the service, do what others do. If believers are baptized - baptize with them, bow - bow too. Each bow or sign of the cross is made in response to some words or actions of the clergy. And believe me, most of those present in the temple do not know why they are baptized and bow at this particular moment, and not at another. But behind every action there is a deep tradition that has evolved over the centuries. And you should not break them, trying to show your liberality or independence from the rules. After all, we enter the church for prayer, but this will not bring us truth and benefit if we enter the temple without humility.

You should not condemn and rebuke a newcomer who does not know the rules of the church. It is better to help him with polite and kind advice. A reprimand can only be made to someone who grossly violates piety, interfering with common prayer.

Your correct behavior in an Orthodox church is not only an indicator of your upbringing, but also a demonstration that you respect Orthodox traditions and rituals. At the same time, keep silence, behave modestly, do not interfere with believers and other visitors. Therefore, before visiting an Orthodox church, be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules of conduct in it, this will save you from embarrassment, and those around you from inconvenience.

At the end of the service

The service is over. Everyone who submitted notes can again go to the candle box and get prosphora - white wheat bread baked with yeast, with the addition of holy water. Prosphora is a Greek word, it means “offering”… It was the custom of the first Christians to bring bread from home to perform the sacrament of Communion. Now prosphora is baked in bakeries at churches. During the Liturgy, particles are removed from the prosphora in memory of those whom we commemorate in our notes, and after the particles are removed, the prosphora is returned to us. This is holy bread and should be eaten on an empty stomach, with holy water and prayer.

Here is the text of such a prayer: “Lord my God, may Your holy gift be: prosphora and Your holy water for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of passions and my infirmities through Thy boundless mercy, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen".

After the morning service, prayers are served in the temples. What is a prayer service? A short prayer for our specific needs. “Briefly and hotly,” St. Ambrose of Optina taught us. That's just at the prayer service and pray ... Are you sick? Let's pray for the sick. Thinking of something important? Let's ask God's help. Are we on our way? There is a parting prayer. You can order a prayer service behind the same candle box where we bought candles and left notes. It is only necessary to indicate the name of the person for whom the prayer is performed. There is such a practice: they will order a prayer service and go home. Of course, it is better to stay and pray with the priest.

There are also public and public prayers. The church prays during bad weather or during drought, there is a New Year's prayer service, there is a prayer service from unclean spirits, there is from the disease of drunkenness. But especially it is necessary to remember the prayers of thanksgiving. The Lord helped, choose the time, come to the temple, serve a prayer service, give thanks. It’s not bad to teach children: I passed the exam at school, let’s go, order a prayer service, for example, to St. Sergius of Radonezh, because he helps us in teaching ...

The day we were in the temple was not a wasted day. We commemorate relatives and friends, participate in divine services, we pray for those who feel bad, and give thanks for God's mercy. We learn to humble ourselves and be better, we learn to repent and rejoice, to endure and rejoice. And you don’t have to look around in confusion, be embarrassed and even more angry if you suddenly did something wrong and got “wrong” beyond measure for it.

How to deal with beggars

Orthodox canons provide for giving alms to the poor sitting at the entrance to the church.

Doing good to others, everyone should remember that the Lord will not leave him. “Do you think that he who feeds Christ (that is, the poor), wrote St. Augustine, “will not be fed by Christ?” Indeed, in the eyes of the Lord, because of our sins, perhaps we look more terrible and insignificant than all these unfortunate people living on alms.

But at the same time, if you see that there are beggars in front of you, spending all their money on drinking, give them not money, but food: an apple, cookies, bread, etc.

We should not tempt ourselves with the thought that the beggars "earn" no less than we do, and sometimes they are dressed no worse. Everyone will be asked first of all for his deeds. Your job in this case is to show mercy.

It is in relation to us, who can see Christ Himself in the asking brother, that the words of the Savior uttered by him at His Last Judgment apply: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom ... I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; was naked, and you clothed me; was sick and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to Me… Truly, I say to you, because you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”