How to approach confession and communion correctly. Follow-up to Holy Communion. About the frequency of Communion

The days of fasting usually last a week, or at least three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meat food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on the days of strict fasting - and fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. If circumstances permit, on these days you should attend church services. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is performed in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading prayers for sleep to the future, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use the prayer books, where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to fulfill such a prayer rule on one day, they take the priest's blessing to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to observe all the prayer rules for preparing for the sacrament. Parents need, together with the confessor, to choose the optimal number of prayers that the child will be able to do, then gradually increase the number of necessary prayers required to prepare for Communion, up to a complete prayer rule for Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read all the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess and receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large amount of prayers to be read) with preparation for the sacrament. It can be recommended for such people to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice on how worthy to prepare for the sacrament according to your weak strength. It is necessary to pray to the Lord that He would help to overcome difficulties and give strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to start the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock in the morning they no longer eat or drink. The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5–6 years old, and if possible even earlier) must be taught to the existing rule.

In the morning, they also do not eat or drink anything, you can only brush your teeth. After reading the morning prayers, prayers for Holy Communion are read. If in the morning it is difficult to read prayers for Holy Communion, then you need to take the priest's blessing to read them the night before. If confession is made in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If the confession was made the night before, then the confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

The goal of the Christian life is the knowledge of God, union with Him to the extent that it can be achieved on earth. But since here a person is burdened with sin, bodily weakness, the Lord gives wonderful help in the Church Sacraments. This article explains in detail how to prepare for the main one - the Sacrament.

Setting the Sacrament

Everyone who has read the Gospel knows that on the eve of his death on the cross, Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. The plot has been depicted many times by different artists; this scene is present above the altar of any Orthodox church. Jesus instituted a new bloodless sacrifice that evening, replacing the sacrifices that existed among the Jews. Therefore, sometimes Easter is called New Testament. There are significant differences, although the Jewish holiday is a type of the current Christian one.

• Instead of an innocent lamb, the Lamb of God was slain on the Cross. His blood redeemed Christians, who are the New Testament firstborn, by analogy with the Israelites.
• Crossing sea waters symbolizes Baptism, which frees Christians from subjection to sins.
• Walking in the wilderness is an analogy to a life of suffering on earth.
• Manna from heaven became the prototype of the Sacrament. Instead, Christ gave the apostles consecrated bread and wine.

The Jews prepared themselves to receive God's gifts by living their lives following His direct instructions given through Moses. They also observed many rituals. Modern people, on the other hand, need to prepare for Communion according to different rules. The sacrament is available only to members of the Church, that is, to those who were baptized in an Orthodox church. Baptism at home is allowed only if the person is dying. Sometimes the priest is called to the intensive care unit. Immediately after Baptism, the Sacrament is given without preparation.

Body abstinence

Man consists of soul, spirit and body. It happens that the desires of the flesh become more important than the spiritual needs. Such a life is no longer Christian. To avoid bondage to a weak body, members of the Church are required to keep this beginning under control. Fasting is an important step in properly preparing for the Sacrament. How to fast - the church calendar will tell you. It depends on the period - sometimes fish is allowed, sometimes only vegetable oil and uncooked food.

The number of days is at least 3. To participate in the Eucharist on Sunday morning, fasting must begin on Thursday. Although no official documents approved by the Church in this regard simply do not exist. In the Greek Orthodox Church, communion is given without any preparation at all. But in Russia this is a widespread practice.

If a person is a permanent parishioner, observes all existing fasts (and there are more than half days of them in a year), then the higher church clergy recommends not to impose additional fasts on such Christians before the Sacrament. However, the final decision rests with the parish priest.

For people who visit the temple rarely enough, 3 or 7 days of fasting will only be good. Difficulties can be caused by the need to fast on Saturday, when the whole family is at home, which adheres to the usual diet. You should take care of your diet in advance - buy nuts, dried fruits, which help maintain the required energy level. You can drink soy or coconut milk. But in everything one should adhere to the measure.

It is also highly desirable during this period to refrain from marital relations, at least before Communion. However, if the husband is not baptized, the situation should not be confronted. If the spouse sharply objects, then you should tell the priest in confession - he should advise how to behave so as not to aggravate relations in the family.

How to prepare for confession

In parallel, it is necessary to prepare for confession. If it is for the first time, it is advisable to read special literature - it can be borrowed from the church library or from friends who have been visiting the temple for a long time. This sacrament is intended for cleansing from sins, sometimes it is compared to repeated baptism. The mercy of God is like the waters of the Jordan.

Many believe that without committing theft, adultery and other terrible sins, they do not need repentance. But this is self-deception. One must be able to fully understand God's brief commandments. To prepare for confession and the sacrament, you need to remember your sins well and write them down. There are two types of deviations from the commandments:

Against the Lord: murmuring against God, idle chatter, idleness, lack of faith, passion for magic, gambling, non-attendance of the temple, non-observance of fasts, rare reading of the Bible, despair, etc.

Against neighbors (all people, not just friends and relatives): irritation, neglect of the Christian upbringing of children, pride, revenge, quarrels, abortion, slander (gossip), greed, etc.

How to prepare a list of sins? There is no need to describe all those offensive words that were said to a friend. Just writing is a slander against your neighbor. You should not go into details and paint all your misdeeds, all the more justify yourself by different circumstances, accuse others of provoking you. Thus, another sin is committed - condemnation.

In fasting (including Great), preparation for the sacrament does not require any additions. It is necessary to fast according to the church charter, attend services. That is why most of the parishioners receive communion during the fast weeks. But if you want to start the Chalice during the holidays, you need to consult with your confessor.

How to prepare children for the sacrament?

A child under 7 years old does not have to fast, just in the morning before the Liturgy he cannot be fed so that the sacrament is taken on an empty stomach. But parents must prepare him mentally:

• read the Holy Scriptures together;
• reduce the amount of entertainment, including watching TV;
• pray in the morning and evening;
• talk to your child about his behavior.

When a child turns 7 years old, he should go to confession while preparing for Communion. Its behavior should be examined in more detail. Does he miss services, Sunday school? Does he always pray morning and evening? Does the obligatory prayer know - the Symbol of Faith, Our Father? You should not press too much, the priest will conduct the Sacrament on his own. The task of the parents is to bring the child, to set the right example.

For pregnant women, preparation for the sacrament is the same as for everyone else. Only expectant mothers do not have to fast - this is a voluntary matter. The clergy advises, in a special position, to approach the Sacrament as often as possible, although in general this is a purely individual question that must be resolved with the confessor.

Prayers

The natural way to communicate with God is through prayer. Therefore, in preparing for the sacrament, you need to devote more time to them than usual. What exactly should you read and when?

• 3 canons (to Christ, Bogoditsa, Guardian Angel);
• Follow (special prayers before the sacrament);
• Morning and evening rule (as usual).

If you read everything on the day before the sacrament, it will seem to an unprepared person a very difficult test. Not only do you need to attend the evening service, go to confession, and also devote 2-3 hours to prayers! Therefore, the canons can be distributed over several days. Then they prepare as follows - after the evening service, the rule, the sacrament canon, is read. The remaining prayers are transferred to the morning.

Will they be admitted to the sacrament if there is no way to attend the service the night before? It is necessary to inform the priest about this, if a person prepared (confessed, fasted, prayed), then usually this does not become an obstacle.

Communion in the church takes place at the end of the Liturgy, a morning service that takes place on Sundays and Saturdays. It can take place on other days, you can usually read about this in the temple schedule that hangs at the entrance. All questions regarding participation in the Sacrament of the Sacrament should be asked to the priest without hesitation.

May there be acceptance of Christ's holy Mysteries for the salvation of the soul and eternal life!

How to Prepare for Confession and the Sacrament - Video Answer

How to prepare for your first confession? This question worries many beginning Orthodox Christians. You will find out the answer to this question if you read the article!

With the following simple tips, you can take your first steps.

How to confess and receive communion for the first time?

Confession in the church

The only exception may be the shortest "reminder" of the main sins, which are often not recognized as such.

An example of such a memo:

a. Sins against the Lord God:

- disbelief in God, recognition of any significance behind other "spiritual forces", religious doctrines, in addition to the Christian faith; participation in other religious practices or rituals, even "for the company", as a joke, etc .;

- nominal faith, not expressed in any way in life, that is, practical atheism (you can recognize the existence of God with your mind, but live as if you were an unbeliever);

- the creation of "idols", that is, placing something other than God in the first place among life values. Anything that a person really “serves” can become an idol: money, power, career, health, knowledge, hobbies, - all this can be good when it occupies an appropriate place in the personal “hierarchy of values”, but, taking the first place , turns into an idol;

- appeal to all kinds of fortune-tellers, sorcerers, sorcerers, psychics, etc. - an attempt to "subdue" spiritual forces by magic, without repentance and personal effort to change life in accordance with the commandments.

b. Sins against neighbor:

- neglect of people, arising from pride and selfishness, inattention to the needs of a neighbor (a neighbor is not necessarily a relative or an acquaintance, this is every person who is next to us at the moment);

- condemnation and discussion of the shortcomings of neighbors (“From your words you will be justified and from your words you will be condemned,” says the Lord);

- various kinds of fornication, especially adultery (violation of marital fidelity) and unnatural sexual intercourse, which is incompatible with being in the Church. Prodigal cohabitation also includes the so-called common today. "Civil marriage", that is, cohabitation without marriage registration. It should be remembered, however, that a registered but unmarried marriage cannot be regarded as fornication and is not an obstacle to being in the Church;

- abortion - the deprivation of the life of a human being, in fact, murder. You should repent even if the abortion was done for medical reasons. Inducing a woman to have an abortion (on the part of her husband, for example) is also a serious sin. Repentance for this sin means that the repentant will never knowingly repeat it again.

- appropriation of someone else's property, refusal to pay for the work of other people (ticketless travel), withholding the wages of subordinates or hired workers;

- lies of various kinds, especially - slander against a neighbor, spreading rumors (as a rule, we cannot be sure of the truthfulness of rumors), incontinence of words.

This is an approximate list of the most common sins, but once again we emphasize that such "lists" should not be carried away. It is best to use the ten commandments of God in further preparation for confession and listen to your own conscience.

• Talk only about sins, and your own.

It is necessary to speak in confession about your sins, without trying to diminish them or show them excusable. It would seem that this is obvious, but how often priests, when accepting confession, hear, instead of confessing sins, everyday stories about all relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. When in confession a person talks about the wrongs inflicted on him, he evaluates and condemns others, in fact, justifying himself. Often in such stories, personal sins are presented in such a light that it would seem that it is completely impossible to avoid them. But sin is always the fruit of personal choice. It is extremely rare that we find ourselves in such collisions when we are forced to choose between two kinds of sin.

• Do not invent a special language.

Talking about your sins, you should not worry about how to call them “correctly” or “according to the church”. It is necessary to call things by their proper names, in ordinary language. You confess to God, who knows about your sins even more than you do, and by calling sin as it is, you certainly will not surprise God.

Nor will you surprise the priest. Sometimes those who repent are ashamed to tell the priest this or that sin, or there is a fear that the priest, upon hearing the sin, will condemn you. In fact, a priest has to listen to a lot of confessions over the years of his ministry, and it is not easy to surprise him. And besides, all sins are not original: they have remained practically unchanged over the millennia. Being a witness of sincere repentance for serious sins, the priest will never condemn, but will rejoice at the conversion of a person from sin to the path of righteousness.

• Talk about serious things, not small things.

It is not necessary to start confession with such sins as breaking the fast, not going to church, working on holidays, watching TV, wearing / not wearing certain types of clothes, etc. Firstly, these are definitely not your most serious sins. Secondly, this may not be a sin at all: if a person has not come to God for many years, then why repent of non-observance of fasts, if the very “vector” of life was directed in the wrong direction? Third, who needs endless digging in everyday little things? The Lord expects from us love and the return of our hearts, and we to him: "I ate a fish on a fast day" and "embroidered on a holiday."

The main attention should be paid to the attitude towards God and neighbors. Moreover, according to the Gospel, neighbors are understood to mean not only people who are pleasant to us, but everyone who met us on the path of life. And above all - our family members. The Christian life for married people begins in the family and is tested by it. Here is the best field for cultivating Christian qualities in oneself: love, patience, forgiveness, acceptance.

• Start changing your life even before confession.

Repentance in Greek sounds like "metanoia", literally - "change of mind." It is not enough to admit that you have committed such and such wrongs in your life. God is not a prosecutor, and confession is not a confession. Repentance should be a change of life: the repentant intends not to return to sins and by all means tries to keep himself from them. Such repentance begins some time before confession, and coming to church to see a priest already “captures” the change taking place in life. This is extremely important. If a person intends to continue sinning after confession, then maybe it is worth postponing with confession?

It must be stipulated that when we talk about changing life and rejecting sin, we mean, first of all, the so-called “mortal” sins, in the words of the Apostle John, that is, incompatible with being in the Church. Since ancient times, the Christian Church has considered such sins to be renunciation, murder and adultery. An extreme degree of other human passions can also be attributed to sins of this kind: anger at one's neighbor, theft, cruelty, etc., which can be stopped once and for all by an effort of will, combined with the help of God. As for the petty sins, the so-called "everyday", they will largely be repeated after confession. One must be ready for this and accept it humbly as an inoculation against spiritual exaltation: there are no perfect people among people, only God is sinless.

• Be at peace with everyone.

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven,” says the Lord. - "With what court you judge, you will be judged like that." And even more strongly: "If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." ... If we ask God for forgiveness, then we ourselves must first forgive the offenders. Of course, there are situations when it is physically impossible to ask for forgiveness directly from a person, or this will lead to an exacerbation of an already difficult relationship. Then it is important, at least, to forgive on your part and not have anything in your heart against your neighbor.

Several practical recommendations. Before you come to confess, it would be nice to know when confession is usually held in the temple. In many churches they serve not only on Sundays and holidays, but also on Saturdays, and in large churches and monasteries - on weekdays. The greatest influx of confessing people occurs during Great Lent. Of course, the Lenten period is primarily a time of repentance, but for those who come for the first time or after a very long break, it is better to find a time when the priest is not very busy. It may turn out that confessions in the church are held on Friday evening or Saturday morning - there will probably be less people on these days than during the Sunday service. It is good if you have the opportunity to personally contact the priest and ask to appoint you a convenient time for confession.

There are special prayers that express a "mood of repentance". It is good to read them the day before confession. The canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ is printed in almost any prayer book, except for the shortest ones. If you are not used to praying in Church Slavonic, you can use the translation into Russian.

During confession, the priest may prescribe a penance for you: abstaining from communion for a while, reading special prayers, bowing to the ground, or works of mercy. It is not a punishment, but a means to get rid of sin and receive complete forgiveness. A penance can be appointed when the priest does not meet the proper attitude towards serious sins on the part of the penitent, or, conversely, when he sees that a person has a need to do something practically to “get rid of” the sin. Penalty cannot be indefinite: it is appointed for a certain time, and then it must be terminated.

As a rule, believers receive communion after confession. Although confession and communion are two different ordinances, it is better to combine preparation for confession with preparation for communion. We will tell you what kind of preparation it is in a separate article.

If these little tips have helped you in preparing for confession - thank God. Do not forget that this ordinance must be regular. Don't put off your next confession for years. Confession at least once a month helps to always be "in good shape", to treat attentively and responsibly to our daily life, in which, in fact, our Christian faith should be expressed.

Have you read the article?

Communion is the most important and incomprehensible Sacrament of the Orthodox Church, in which the believer receives the Body and Blood of the Savior under the guise of bread and wine.

The Lord says so about His Holy Gifts in the Holy Gospel: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day(John 6, 56).

The Sacrament of Communion gives a person strength for a grace-filled life in Christ. As we partake, we ourselves become part of His Body as members of His Church.

Believers who want to take communion at the Liturgy must first confess. In the Sacrament of Repentance, the one who confesses receives forgiveness from the Lord. Apparently, the forgiveness of sins is given during confession by the priest: the Savior Himself granted such power to the holy apostles, and through them, to their successors: Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on who will remain(John 20, 22-23).

Does everyone need repentance?

After the fall of the forefathers, human nature was damaged by sin. Repentance is necessary for any Christian: sins alienate a person from God - the source of all good, make him a stranger to Christ, who is the Head of the Church.

Sin is a wound for the human soul, and hidden and unconfessed sins inevitably lead to mental and physical illness. A person who is accustomed to keeping an eye on the purity of his heart and the neatness of his soul cannot live without repentance.

Even those whom we regard as the greatest saints today repented with tears and confessed their sins: the closer a person is to God, the more clearly he realizes his unworthiness before Him. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1, 8-9), writes the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian.

What is true repentance?

The essence of repentance is not only in recognizing oneself as a sinner - that would be too simple - but also in forsaking sin, in changing the very way of life that leads to sin.

How detailed should the confession of sins be?

Sins must be named clearly, not hiding behind general phrases ("sinful in everything ...", "sinned against the seventh commandment"). But it is even more important not to try to justify yourself, no matter how you would like it. The feeling of remorse is also incompatible with blaming other people during confession.

How and when is the Sacrament of Penance performed?

Usually, confession is performed in churches in the morning before the start of the Divine Liturgy. You can also confess in the evening: during or after the all-night vigil. However, it must be remembered that one must come to church at the beginning of confession in order to participate in the common prayer, when the priest prays for all those who repent. At the end of these prayers, he utters the following parting word: Behold, child, Christ invisibly stands, accepting your confession ... In Russian this instruction reads like this: “My child! Christ invisibly stands before you, accepting your confession. Do not be ashamed or afraid, without hiding anything from me, but say everything in which you have sinned, without embarrassment, in order to accept the remission (of sins) from our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is His image before us: I am only a witness to testify before Him everything that you tell me. If you hide anything from me, you will have a double sin. You have come to the hospital - do not leave here unhealed. "

How to Prepare for Confession?

The repentant asks God for grace-filled help: the ability to see his sins, the courage to openly confess them, the determination to forgive the sins of his neighbors against himself. With prayer, he begins to test his conscience. Samples of prayers, imbued with a deep penitential feeling, were left to us by the great ascetics of the Church.

How to prepare for receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ?

It is necessary to prepare for Communion by fasting, usually for three days (while eating only plant foods is allowed, unless, of course, a person has serious illnesses), special intense prayer, alms, doing good deeds, refraining from sinful acts and even thoughts, various kinds of entertainment and pleasures.

On the eve of Communion, you should be in church during the evening service, because, in accordance with the tradition dating back to the Old Testament, the church day begins in the evening.

In the evening, after the service, the canons are read to the Savior, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, which are included in the prayer book. After midnight, you can neither eat nor drink, much less smoke (smoking is generally a sinful habit, which is condemned by the Church). The morning begins with morning prayers and the rule for Holy Communion, also included in the prayer book (you can read the rule the day before). According to pious custom, believers try to approach Communion with neatness, not only mental, but also bodily.

How to behave on the day of Communion?

When taking out the Cup, you need to bow to the ground, and, crossing your arms (right to left) on your chest, approach the Holy Gifts in turn, no longer bowing and generally avoiding unnecessary movements. At the same time, you need to clearly tell the priest your full Christian name and open your mouth to receive the Holy Mysteries. After communion, one should kiss the edge of the Chalice and leave without bowing and the sign of the cross to the table, where warmth and prosphora are prepared for those who receive communion.

In church or at home, the sacraments read thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion.

How often does a Christian need to receive Holy Communion?

It is impossible to establish a single rule for everyone in this regard, but if one is based on the advice of the most famous modern confessors (in particular, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), then it is advisable for an adult to receive communion every two to three weeks.

Why is it necessary to give communion to infants? How?

We all need God's grace-filled help. But it is especially necessary for children who are just entering this life - at a time when the foundation of their personality is being laid, when it is still in the stage of its formation. A small child cannot yet pray on his own, he is defenseless, his cover is the prayers of his parents and the prayers of the Church. And he, like a young plant, needs sun and moisture, needs the grace taught through the sacraments of the Church. And, first of all, through the Sacrament of Communion. It is possible (and necessary) to give communion to young children as often as possible, according to the diligence of the parents. It is advisable to feed the child 1.5-3 hours before the liturgy (depending on how long he can do without food; more adults do not eat or drink after 12 o'clock at night). They give communion to infants while they cannot yet receive a particle of the Body, only with the Blood of Christ. At the same time, special care and caution is required from parents so that their child does not touch the Holy Chalice with an awkward movement. Until the age of 7, children receive communion without confession.

What if it seems that the priest is unable to devote enough time to all repentant?

Indeed, today more and more people come to church, realizing the need for repentance, and in almost every church on the eve of holidays and Sundays there are queues of people wishing to confess. What to do? You may be advised to come to confession on a weekday, when the priest can give you more attention. You can try your conscience and write down your sins. You can approach the priest in advance, warn you that you want to confess for the first time, and ask him to appoint you a special time for confession. Queuing at the temple is not a reason to postpone a vital step!

The priest often has to not accept the confession of the penitent at the analogion with the Cross and the Gospel, but listen to the speeches of self-justification and condemnation of his neighbors (relatives, co-workers, neighbors, etc.) unwillingness to talk to your conscience, to bring out the filth of sin and wash it away with repentance.

Confession- this is not a conversation about your shortcomings, doubts and not a story to your confessor about your life. Confession is the repentance of the heart, born of a thirst for cleansing from the defilement of sin. We come to confession with the intention of receiving the remission of sins from the Lord God through a priest. So know that your confession is empty, fruitless, invalid and even offensive to the Lord if you go to confession without any preparation, without testing your conscience, for shame or for another reason, you hide your sins, confess formally, coldly, mechanically, not with a firm intention to improve.

Here's what you need to do in preparation for the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist (Communion):

3 days - fasting(excludes food of animal origin, refraining from entertainment).

Do the following prayer rule:

• MORNING PRAYERS
• PRAYERS FOR THE FUTURE SLEEP

CANONS:

• REPENTED BY OUR LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST
• Prayer for the Most Holy Mother of God
• GUARDIAN ANGEL

Using the book EXPERIENCE OF CONSTRUCTION OF CONFESSION, compose a confession on paper.

In the days of preparation for confession, one should attend church services, read the GOSPEL.

PRAYERS FOR THE FUTURE SLEEP

CANON FOR HOLY COMMONMENT.

After midnight, they no longer eat or drink, for it is customary to start the Mystery of Communion on an empty stomach (you cannot smoke).

Read in the morning:

MORNING PRAYERS

CONSEQUENCES TO HOLY COMMONMENT, except for the canon read the day before.

At the end of the service, you need to hurry home, read THANKSGIVING PRAYERS FOR HOLY COMMUNION, and spend the rest of the day reading spiritual books and helping your neighbors, protecting yourself from empty talk and entertainment.

Prayer book

“The Experience of Building Confessions”. I. Krestyankin.

New Testament

Communion- mysterious, incomprehensible to the mind, the deepest and most intimate of all possible connections with God through the eating of the greatest sacred object - the Eucharistic Gifts, Bread and Wine - the true Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is necessary to begin this most holy Sacrament, if possible, monthly, but in no way less than 4 times a year. One must carefully prepare for it, so that Communion is not in court and not in condemnation.

When preparing for communion, be sure to make peace with everyone with whom you had a conflict or quarrel. Communion in enmity is a grave sin.

On the eve of the day of communion, it is necessary to attend the evening service. This is an indispensable condition for preparing for the sacrament of Communion.

The sacrament of Communion must necessarily be preceded by the sacrament of Confession.

The participant must have a pectoral cross.

One should approach the Holy Chalice with reverence, not pushing anyone, realizing one's unworthiness. Fold your arms crosswise on your chest, right to left. Don't be baptized before the Chalice . state your full baptismal name. Carefully receive St. Gifts, kiss the edge of the Chalice and calmly walk away. The gifts should be chewed and swallowed immediately, if necessary. Then wash down the Gifts with “warmth” and eat a piece of prosphora.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see either the multiplicity of their sins or their vileness - “I didn’t commit anything special, I have only minor sins, like everyone else, I didn’t steal, didn’t kill”. And pride? Failure to endure reproaches? Callousness? Man-pleasing, weakness of faith, lack of love for one's neighbor? Are these all unimportant sins? Let's take a closer look at ourselves, remember what our relatives and friends usually reproach us for. Very often their accusations and reproaches are fair. Have we achieved meekness, anger, humility? Do we love every person as commanded by the Savior?

Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them. True, the Lord accepts a confession: - sincere and conscientious, even if it is not accompanied by a strong feeling of repentance, if this sin of ours - the petrified insensibility of the heart - we confess courageously and frankly, without hypocrisy. And yet, contrition of heart, sorrow for our sins is the most important thing that we can bring to confession. Prayer preparations for confession and fasting are needed to soften our hearts and sharpen the feeling of repentance. Fasting violates bodily well-being and complacency, which is fatal to spiritual life, loosens the soil of our heart, which after that will be able to absorb prayer, the word of God, the lives of the saints, the creation of the Holy Fathers, and this, in turn, will give us the strength to fight against sin and do good deeds. ...

You don't need to wait for questions in confession, you have to make efforts yourself, because confession is a feat and self-duress. It is necessary to speak precisely, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. It is necessary to abandon attempts to justify oneself by “extenuating circumstances”, to abandon references to others who have allegedly led into sin. Confession must be complete, that is, we must confess all our sins, hiding nothing and not putting it off. Unrepentant sins constantly weigh on the soul and prepare it for eternal condemnation. One should be ashamed to commit sin, not repent of it. Don't you dare think that your sins are so great that you shouldn't even repent. Who Receives Our Repentance? Who heals our sinful ulcers? Almighty God. Almighty Physician! And as such, He makes forgiveness possible for all the most serious sins.

It is wrong to think that after confessing our many sins, the priest will neglect us as sinners. On the contrary, any priest rejoices in the sincere repentance of a sinner, as a good shepherd rejoices when he finds a lost sheep. Knowing our ailments, he is more likely to be able to help us, to indicate a way of healing from our sinful ulcers.

Confession should be made as often as possible, the intervals between confessions should be filled with an inner struggle with sinful temptations, efforts towards a righteous life, reinforced by the previous confession, expectation and preparation for the next.

A list of the most common spiritual illnesses, sins, evil skills, passions:

This list is provided so that those preparing for confession can look more deeply at themselves, more precisely to find expressions, names of their diseases. At the same time, it is useful to draw up an approximate plan for yourself - what sins to confess, so as not to forget later in confession; but it will be necessary not only to read the outline of the paper about your ulcers, but with a feeling of guilt and repentance to open them before God, take them out of your soul like nasty snakes and get rid of them with a feeling of disgust.

LACK OF FAITH. Doubt about the omnipotence and mercy of the Creator. The lack of gratitude from God for everything that happens to us. Ascribing successes to oneself and murmuring for failures against God. A look at Orthodoxy as a national tradition, a set of external rituals. The discrepancy between our words and deeds in the temple and outside the church fence.

Superstition and heresy. Belief in omens, dreams, horoscopes, astrological forecasts. Seeking help from the intermediaries of demonic power - occultists, psychics, bioenergetics, non-contact masseurs, hypnotists, folk healers, sorcerers, sorcerers, healers, fortune-tellers, astrologers, parapsychologists, Scientologists. Watching and listening to TV and radio programs with their participation, reading occult literature. ("White" sorcerers and healers does not exist. Even if they read prayers, hang icons on the stage and assure them of their love for the Church - do not believe it! According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, these are wolves in sheep's clothing). Participation in sessions of coding, removal of "spoilage and evil eye", spiritualism. Contact with UFOs and "higher intelligence". Connection to “cosmic energies”. Study of theosophy, martial arts and religious cults, yoga, meditation, dousing according to the Porfiry Ivanov system. Studying the "living ethics" of the Roerichs, Dianetics and Scientology (the teachings of Hubbard) and participation in auditing sessions and Dr.

Attendance at speeches of Protestant preachers, participation in meetings of Baptists, Evangelists, Adventists, Pentecostals (Charismatics), “Word of Life Church”, Munites (“Unification Church”), “Jehovah's Witnesses”, “Theotokos Center”, “White Brotherhood” and others non-Orthodox religious organizations. Viewing and listening to TV and radio programs with their participation. Participation in non-Orthodox divine services, receiving baptism from sectarians. Attending services and participating in the Sacraments with schismatics, many of whom call themselves Orthodox, but are not in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church: Old Believers, Uniates (Greek Catholics) and others (“Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate,” “Free Orthodox Church ”,“ The True Orthodox Church, ”etc.). Agitation and dissemination of ideas of the aforementioned sects, “churches” and organizations. 1

BECAUSE AND GOD. A murmur against God for suffering that seems to us undeserved. An unfair attitude towards God, church relics, the Sacraments. Disrespect for clergy. Mentioning the name of God or the Most Holy Theotokos is in vain (in everyday conversations as interjections: "Oh, you, Lord!" Mentioning sacred words in jest, in anger, along with insults. Prayer for the punishment of another person. It is also sinful to threaten the wrath of the Lord with one's enemies. Summoning evil spirits in anger or simple conversation (swearing). The use of swear words.

Indiscriminateness. Disregard for church service. Failure to attend church on Sundays and public holidays. Being late for a church service due to negligence and leaving the church before the end of the service. Inattention and distraction at home and church prayer. Conversations during the service. Infrequent confession and communion without proper preparation. Lack of understanding of the meaning of the sacraments performed and lack of interest in this knowledge. Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules. Failure to pray before and after meals.

PRIDE AND VANITY. Self-love. High opinion of yourself, of your imaginary merits. High-mindedness, loss of simplicity. Self-will, disobedience. Self-justification, condemnation of one's neighbor. Desire to teach and save others. Seeking fame, praise from people. Unequal attitude towards others (discernment). Creation of good deeds, charity and prayer in plain sight, to show people (hypocrisy). Man-pleasing, cunning, flattery. Anger, irritability. Hot temper, rudeness. Selfishness. Envy. Stubbornness.

SPIRITUAL CHARM. Opinion about their chosenness, self-esteem as worthy and attained special spiritual perfection. Mistaking dreams for divine “revelations”. A trusting attitude towards the waking phenomena of visions and signs.

Despondency. Extinction of love for others, indifference to the suffering of others, inability to rejoice in the joy of a neighbor. Doubt about the possibility of forgiveness of their sins. Empty pastime, “killing time”. Laziness. Excessive sleep. Television omnivorousness. Reading empty books.

CELEBRATION. Empty, useless talk. Gossip, retelling of rumors. Love of controversy. Empty laughter, jokes, witticisms.

LYING. Misleading a neighbor by word, deed or silence. Failure to keep promises made. Gossip, inventions and exaggerations in idle conversations. Slander. Bold reasoning about obscure things. Jokes based on deception.

SILVER LOVE. Addiction to money, things, to all kinds of material goods, manifested both in the form of wastefulness, and in the opposite to it - stinginess. Desire for wealth. Envy. Unmerciful, contempt for the poor. Excessive concern for your well-being and the fear of losing it. Gambling.

THEFT. Illegal misappropriation of someone else's property (private or public). Failure to return money debts or things given for a time. Parasitism, begging unnecessarily. Damage to the property of a neighbor. Collecting payment for their work in excess of the due (extortion).

GLUTTONY. Treating food as a source of pleasure. Delight. Drunkenness. Smoking. Failure to observe fasts (many-day fasts - Great, Petrov, Assumption and Rozhdestvenskiy (Filippov), one-day fasts - on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on special days established by the Church). Eating food out of boredom, despondency, idleness. Dissatisfaction with food.

WALKING. Fornication (non-consecrated by the sacrament of Marriage, the carnal relationship of a single man and an unmarried woman). Adultery (adultery). Incest. Sodomy, bestiality, masturbation. Viewing seductive shows, slutty films, paintings, books. Seductive conversations, obscene stories. Prodigal dreams. Intemperance in married life on fast days.

MURDER. Taking the life of another person. Attempted suicide. Abortion (tantamount to murder). Assault, beatings, wounds, mutilations. Incitement to a fight, playing off people with gossip, slander, slander. Failure to provide assistance to the sick, dying, homeless, hungry, drowning in front of your eyes, beaten or robbed, victims of fire or floods. Killing animals unnecessarily, torturing them. Not raising children in the Orthodox faith. A cruel word, abuse, mockery, mockery of someone else's grief.