How to go to church for the first time, how to behave in an Orthodox church. Why go to church every Sunday

A person comes to church in order to express gratitude to the Lord, to repent of sins, to be morally cleansed. There is no doubt that sincere prayers will surely be heard by the Lord.

However, for many, a significant obstacle to attending church is a banal lack of knowledge of the rules of conduct in the temple.

Basic rules if you are coming to church for the first time

A woman is supposed to go to the temple in long skirt or a dress. Pants are considered unacceptable. It is also not recommended to wear a tracksuit or shorts.

It is believed that all parishioners should wear long sleeves, regardless of the season.

You need to enter the church calmly, silently, with reverence. According to the rules, a man must take off his headdress, and a woman, on the contrary, put on a headscarf. Usually those women who go to church not for the first time take their headscarf. For the rest - you can use the "duty handkerchief". And if it is not there, then you can quietly ask the church workers. They usually have a few handkerchiefs for parishioners for these occasions.

What prayers you need to know when you go to church

Prayer for going to church

Rejoice over those who said to me: let us go to the house of the Lord. But with the multitude of Thy mercy, O Lord, I will enter Thy house, I will bow down to Thy holy temple in Thy fear. Lord, guide me in Thy righteousness, for the sake of my enemy, correct my path before Thee; Yes, without stumbling, I will glorify the One Godhead, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

First time in church, how to behave

If you do not know these prayers by heart, then you can copy them onto a piece of paper and read them from a sheet, or use the modern option - download prayers to your phone.

So, when you entered the church, make three bows to the earth. On holidays, three bows are performed. After that, you can bow to the parishioners to the right and left. For some, this will not be an easy task. Since the feeling of embarrassment or even shame for some will be a hindrance. If this is a problem for you, then you can limit yourself to the usual bow and three times overshadowing yourself with a cross. Try not to think about how you will look from the outside. Just bow and cross yourself three times.

It has long been believed that left-hand side churches were assigned during worship for women, and the right one, respectively, for men. Although this rule is now rarely observed, I remember, and even more so I know, you can use it.

During the service, you need to be baptized and bow your head when the priest overshadows with a cross, the Gospel, an image or a holy cup. During the fall with candles, the sign of the cross and the censer, you only need to bow your head.

If there is no service, then you can go to any icon you like, cross yourself twice, kiss the lower part of the image and cross yourself a third time.

During the service, you should not turn your head, look around, look at the worshipers, ask them about something, chew gum, keep your hands in your pockets, shake hands with friends, talk on the phone. If there is an urgent need for this, then it is better to leave the temple and make a call.

During menstruation, it is better for women to refuse to visit the temple, as it is believed that by doing so the woman defiles the shrine.

It is not allowed to take photos or videos in the church. But if there is an urgent need for this, then it is better to coordinate this issue with the priest in advance.

Candles are best purchased before the start of the service. There is a special place in the temple for this.

The candle can be placed with either hand. You can not put candles to the icons during the service.

Candles for health can be placed on any icons. And candles for the dead only for a special canon. Usually it is located at the beginning of the temple and has a square shape.

If you are placing a candle for the first time, then do the following: go to the canon and choose an empty place where you will put it. From the next candle, light your own and slightly warm the lower part of your candle from the next one, put the candle on the canon.

Sometimes parishioners do the following: they buy the most expensive and thickest candles and put them without lighting on the canon. Thus, as if sacrificing candles. If you wish, you can follow their example.

If you want to put a candle to some saint or pray to him, you should cross yourself twice, bow at the waist, put a candle, cross yourself again and bow.

Finally, you can take holy water. Holy water is usually kept in a special container in the temple. If you do not see her, then go to the church workers and ask. Usually parishioners themselves pour water.

First time in a church service, what to do

If you are going to church for the first time, or while you are thinking about it, you can do this. Dress as above, take a headscarf for the ladies and a container of holy water (optional). Enter the church.

In the church, buy a few candles, put them on the canon. Don't leave right away. Stay in the service for a while, if it is in progress. If you don’t know when to be baptized or bow, then you can “peep” from knowledgeable parishioners. They usually stand in the front rows and sing along during the service. You should not make a pious face, open your mouth, as if you are also saying a prayer. Stay silent, listening to the words of the prayer. Try to feel God within you, feel the divine energy. If you don't feel anything, then that's fine. Perhaps things will change in the future. Stand in the service for as long as you see fit.

You can donate after the service. For this, the temple has special boxes, with a cutout at the top. Usually they are located along the wall of the temple. When you drop money, try to do it in a way that does not attract the attention of parishioners. Everyone donates to the temple as much as he sees fit.

Also, if desired, you can buy your favorite icon. Remember that an expensive icon is no different from its cheap counterpart. Buy the icon to which the heart lies. Some recommend buying a Bible or a Gospel. Before doing so, consider whether you will read it.

Also, if you wish, you can buy a cross or some kind of church decoration. If you took a container for water, then before leaving the temple, use it. This concludes your first visit to the church. After leaving the temple, cross yourself, make a bow and go with God.

And finally, remember that a true Christian is characterized by his faith, and not by the frequency of church attendance, monetary donations or talk about spirituality.

Priests quite often hear from people: they say, father, I want to come to church, but I feel embarrassed because I don’t know how to be baptized correctly, how to light a candle correctly, submit a note of health or repose, order a prayer service or memorial service etc.
First of all, every Christian needs to understand and remember that he did not come to the Temple hastily to light a candle, but in order to turn to God with his thoughts and feelings and glorify Him, that is, to pray. For the Lord Himself said: "My house shall be called the house of prayer." And the Church is the house of the Lord.
There are people who say they believe in God, accept Christ, but do not want to go to Church or do not like it. They do not like worship either. The fact is that the souls of these people are not ready for such love, they have not brought it up in themselves because of worldly passions and do not know the meaning of the Church, its spirit, purpose. Go to the Church, listen with deep attention to Divine services, hymns, canons, readings - and you will get used to the Church, love her, make sure how many inclinations of life, peace, consolation are in her, how much light, strength, holiness, truth. As we comprehend the meaning and significance of church rites, we will approach the sacraments, the Church, and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit with great zeal and faith. For example, one who understands that in the holy Eucharist the very Body and Blood of Christ is communion is unlikely to carelessly prepare for this sacrament. Knowledge of worship delivers from harmful superstitions and delusions. Thus, some people unfairly believe that the sacrament of unction (unction) must be received only before death. But unction is performed over the sick in soul and body at any age for the sake of their healing. Comprehending the meaning of worship, a Christian can teach others spiritual edification, saving both himself and the listener.
There are no sinless people. But the Lord, loving people created in His image and likeness, tirelessly calls us to His spiritual hospital - the Church. in the temple God's soul a Christian is filled with living faith, strong, reliable and inexhaustible love for God, for the Temple is a place of penetration of prayers and deep spiritual experiences. The path of a person to God lies through the Temple and its shrines. All other buildings on earth are built for people, but the Temple is built in honor and glory of God. Therefore, there is a custom, approaching the Temple, to read a prayer: "I will enter into Your house, I will bow to Your holy temple in Your fear ...". You can read such prayers and psalms as « Worthy to eat », 50th, 90th psalms, etc.

Before entering the Temple, one should make the sign of the cross with a bow three times.

In order to correctly make the sign of the cross, large, index and middle fingers right hand they are connected in such a way that their ends are necessarily folded evenly - as a sign of equality of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the other two fingers - the ring and little fingers - bend down to the palm. With three joined fingers, we touch the forehead, stomach, right shoulder, then the left, depicting a cross on ourselves, and, lowering our hand, we bow. The connection of three fingers means our faith in the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; two fingers bent to the palm mean faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ and that He has two natures - there is God and man. We put the sign of the cross on the forehead to sanctify our mind and thoughts; on the stomach to sanctify the heart and feelings; on the shoulders to sanctify bodily forces.
The sign of the cross is usually performed with the words: "In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit" or any other beginning and end of prayer. But just as it is not appropriate to call on God in vain, that is, unnecessarily and reverently, so the sign of the cross should not be done often and hastily, and even more so carelessly, turning it into a meaningless movement of the hand.
One must enter the Temple quietly and reverently, as into the house of God, into the mysterious dwelling of the King of Heaven. Noise, conversations, and even more so laughter will offend the holiness of the Temple of God and the greatness of God dwelling in it.
In the Temple, men of any age take off their hats, while women pray with their heads covered. We know this from Holy Scripture: "Every woman who prays with her head uncovered shames her head." Unfortunately, this is not always the case these days.
Entering the Temple and leaving it, one must cross himself three times and bow at the waist towards the altar. By bowing we express our reverence for God and repentant feelings. We make bows with the prayers “God, be merciful to me, a sinner (oh)”, “God, cleanse me, a sinner (s), and have mercy on me” and “Create me, Lord, forgive me!”.
You should come to the service in advance in order to calmly, without fuss, enter the Temple. It is necessary to approach the festive icon lying on the lectern in the middle of the church, cross yourself twice, bow and venerate, that is, kiss the Holy Icon, and cross yourself again. After that, go to the icon and kiss it.
A church candle is a symbol of the prayer of a believer.
Those burning in the Temple are an expression of the reverence of those who pray, their love and sacrifice to God, as well as the joy and spiritual triumph of the Church, they remind with their burning of the non-evening light, which in the Kingdom of Heaven gladdens the souls of the righteous who have pleased God.
The candle burning in front of the icon is a sign of our faith and hope for the grace-filled help of God, which is always abundantly sent to everyone who, with faith and prayer, flows to the Lord and His saints.
At the same time, according to the existing practice in the Russian Orthodox Church, usually during the sacrament of Repentance, those who come to confession bring an unlit candle as a sign of hope to receive forgiveness from the Lord for their sins and as a gift to Him. This candle, approaching the priest, can be placed on the lectern, where the Gospel and the Cross lie.
In notes about health or for the repose, only names are written, and only baptized people. The Church does not pray for the unbaptized. Names must be written in full genitive case(for example, Olga, not Olya) in neat handwriting. Non-Christian names (Eduard, Oktyabrina, etc.) are not written. It is not written in one note - more than 5-7 names.
It is impossible to commemorate saints for the repose, for example: Blessed Xenia, Patriarch Tikhon, St. Nicholas, and others. It is they who pray for us, and not we for them.
In the Temple, we can pray for ourselves, for our relatives and friends, for their health and well-being. To do this, go to any icon located there. The icon (image) is the image of God Himself, Mother of God, angels, saints. This image is consecrated with holy water, through consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is communicated to the icon, and the icon is revered by us as holy. Icons are miraculous, through which the grace of God that dwells in them manifests itself in miracles (for example, the healing of the sick). When praying before an icon, we must remember that an icon is not God himself or God's saint, but only an image of God or His saint. Therefore, we should not pray to the icon, but to God or the saint who is depicted on it.
The icons may have images of the Mother of God, holy angels, holy people or saints of God.
We pray to the Mother of God, because She is the closest to God and at the same time to us. For the sake of Her maternal love and Her prayers, the Lord Jesus Christ helps us a lot. She is the Great and Merciful Intercessor for all of us. There are many icons of the Mother of God, we honor them, but She is one, and we pray to save the Most Holy Theotokos for us, and not Her icon.
The icons also depict the saints of God. They are called so because, while living on earth, they pleased God with their righteous life. And now, being in heaven with God, they pray for us, help those living on earth. They are like mediators between God and people. It happens that we turn to God with a prayer, but God does not hear it, because our sins are like a wall through which nothing is heard. Then we turn to the saints with a prayer, so that they convey our prayer to God, ask for us, beg Him to forgive us and have mercy.

Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, reverends, unmercenaries, blessed and righteous.
prophets they call saints who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted the future, mainly about the Savior. They lived before the birth of Christ.
apostles- disciples of Jesus Christ, there were 12 of them, and then another 70. They spread the Christian faith. Saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ are called equal to the apostles(Prince Vladimir, Saint Nina, etc.).
Martyrs- those Christians who, for their faith in Jesus Christ, accepted cruel torment, and even death. If after torment they died peacefully, they are called confessors, if they died after especially heavy (great) suffering - great martyrs. Confessors, to whom the tormentors wrote blasphemous words on their faces, are called inscribed.
Saints- these are bishops or bishops who have pleased God with their righteous life (St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, etc.). Saints who endured martyrdom for Christ are called holy martyrs. Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John
Chrysostom is called the Ecumenical Teachers, that is, the teachers of the entire Christian Church.
Reverends- righteous people who retired from worldly life, staying in virginity (that is, they did not marry), fasting and prayer, living in deserts and monasteries, and pleased God (Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov). The saints who suffered torment are called venerable martyrs.
Unmercenaries without any payment, they healed diseases, both bodily and mental.
righteous led a righteous life pleasing to God, living in the world, were family people(Joachim and Anna and others). The ancestors of the human race: Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc. are called forefathers.
On icons and paintings around the head of the Savior, the Mother of God and saints, a radiance is depicted - a halo. A halo is an image of the radiance of light and the glory of God, which also transforms a person who unites with God. This radiance of the light of God is sometimes visible to other people.
Putting a candle in front of the icon of a particular saint, you need to be able to turn to him with a prayer, request, gratitude. If you know that this is an icon, for example, of St. Nicholas, then, approaching it, cross yourself, mentally gather yourself and say to yourself: “Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us.” Then light a candle, kiss the icon with the same words and, standing in front of the icon with a lit candle, say your fervent prayer. Who knows, maybe read the troparion. Putting a candle for yourself or someone, you can pray like this: “Holy saint of Christ and Father Nicholas, help me, a sinner, in my life, beg the Lord to grant me health and salvation and forgiveness of my sins, help my children ... "and etc. When placing candles in front of different icons, especially during the service, try not to walk around the entire Temple, as this distracts other worshipers. If, having approached the icon, you do not know what it is called, take a closer look - perhaps there is an inscription on it, or ask others, but quietly.
There are saints who are turned to for help in certain cases. In front of their icons, if they are in the Temple, you can put a candle, you can order a prayer service for them. If there are no such icons, put a candle and pray in front of the icon of the Savior, because all our prayers are directed to Him and His saints pray for us. When calling or glorifying the saints of God, we must call on or glorify them with all our heart, with the ardor of the soul, in order to approach them in this way and, if possible, become like them, because they are with us and for us then offer up prayers to God when we call or we glorify them with a pure heart.
Whom should we call for help in our troubles and sorrows? First of all, the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos, his Guardian Angel, as well as the saints.

Many may be concerned about the question "How to start going to church?". A person wanted to come there, but somehow it was awkward. Everything is new, nothing is clear, it's scary to do something wrong. That is why this article was written to answer this question. I do not have the blessing of teaching people the correct understanding of church life, but I can simply tell from my own experience what problems arose during the first visits to the temple and what questions tormented my soul. Maybe this will help someone.

So, I wanted to visit the church. Where to go? If you have the Internet, it is better to look at the map where the nearest Orthodox churches are located. There is no particular difference where exactly to go, to a cathedral or a simple church. It is better that it is not far from home, as it will be long and inconvenient to travel through the whole city. Therefore, we boldly choose the temple, find the road and stomp there.

You can come almost at any time, but it is better before 19:00-20:00, since services usually end in temples at this time. You can dress as you like, but without the thematic inclinations ala metalhead, shabby punk, club girl on stilts, or a guy "only from the beach." You can wear regular pants or jeans, a T-shirt or shirt, a jacket, a jacket, etc. In short, as normal people walk along normal streets. If someone wants, you can dress in a suit. In principle, and so people sometimes come to emphasize their respect for the Church and God, there is nothing unusual in this. Women need to wear something on their heads. A scarf is better, but if not, then you can wear a hat or even a hood if everything is really bad. You don't have to wear skirts, you can wear trousers and jeans. Jeans are better not too tight, so as not to distract men from prayer. In this regard, it is better for women to dress more modestly, they need to have respect for God and others.

If you entered the temple and there is no singing there, and everything is rather quiet, then the service is not going on now. Then you can stand quietly, talk with God, ease your soul. If you want to light a candle for relatives or friends, we are looking for a saleswoman. Usually candles are sold at the entrance to the temple. “Where to put candles for health, and where for peace?” - the eternal question. I think this was my first question asked to a living person inside the temple. For the living, you can put a candle anywhere and in front of any icon. No special rituals are needed. Pray quietly, ask for a person and light a candle. For the dead, candles are usually placed on special tables on which a crucifix is ​​installed.

Here is a photo of a table on which candles are put to rest.

Stand for candles for health in the photo below.

That's why it's hard to confuse.

What to do if you enter, and there is a service going on in full? Well, for starters, don't run away. It is better to take a more modest place and repeat after everyone. It is customary for women to stand on the left side of the temple, and for men on the right. But if it didn’t work out to become where it should be, you shouldn’t think about it at all. Just stand still and pray for yours. I doubt that the first time you get to the service, you will understand at least something of what is sung on it. For example, for the first 2-3 months I practically didn’t understand anything, I just stood silently and repeated after everyone when they are baptized (usually they do this when the words “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” are heard at the service). Therefore, at first it is better to try to just get used to it. Join the general flow so to speak.

And you need to understand something right away. If you come to the temple, at first there may be many unfounded fears and feelings that you are not at ease. It's OK. You are on the path of a warrior, this is your first battle. Get ready to go all the way.

Standing in the service, it may seem that it is endless. I remember at first I thought that they go to the temple around the clock, and there is no end to them. It is difficult for an unprepared person to stand for 2-3 hours (this is how much the service lasts on average). But I assure you, someday the end will come and the singing will subside, and it will not be one in the morning, but around seven o'clock in the evening. So if you do not urgently need to run somewhere - stand to the end.

You can often see how people come up and kiss the icons. Feel free to do it. Once upon a time, I was very shy to approach and kiss the icon. But now it has become so familiar that I kiss everything in a row. So boldly we are baptized and kiss the icon, there is nothing to be afraid of. Often there are handkerchiefs near the icons so that you can wipe the glass of the frame after yourself.

If suddenly during the service everyone began to kneel - it's okay if you are shy and didn't do it. But it would be even better to do it together with everyone. Although in practice usually those who kneel in certain moments service is less than those who remain on their feet.

Do not be afraid to ask people the time of worship. If, for example, you wanted to get specifically to the beginning of the evening or morning service, then in no case should you be afraid to ask the time of its beginning. You can ask the seller of candles at the entrance to the temple. Don't worry about giving her trouble with your question. They are pulled be healthy, you are not the first, you are not the last. And in general, organizational questions like “where what” and “when and how” should always be asked. This is more than normal.

I want to make a small digression and say a few words about internal state a man who suddenly ended up in the temple after a long (sometimes life-long) period of unbelief. It is likely that you will have a lot of fears that are quite natural at first glance and logical reasons to leave the temple and not go there anymore. Don't rely on them. Perhaps blasphemous thoughts will come into your head, up to insults to the saints and God. Do not worry about such thoughts, just try to switch your attention. Sometimes even going to the temple can seem like a stupid idea. You should not pay attention to this either. The main thing is to follow a pre-planned good goal and everything will be as it should.

For those who suddenly wanted to confess, we can say this. You can confess to a priest in any church. Confession is free, you do not need to sign up for it in advance, and no one takes money for it. As a rule, it takes place during the evening service or at the Liturgy in the morning. Usually there is a table on which lies the cross and the Gospel, and at which the priest stands. Where exactly it will be located and when the confession will take place, you can ask the seller of candles, or the parishioners. If a lot of people visit the temple, most likely you can determine where the confession takes place in turn to the priest standing aside. A person approaches, the priest listens to him, covers his head with an epitrachilia (part of the vestment looks like a towel) and absolves sins.

Approach the priest, put two fingers on the Gospel and name what you repent of, indicate the sins about which the soul hurts. Behind standing people You will most likely not be heard. At least, it never happened that I made out what the person in front of me was repenting about. This also happens because confession often takes place during the service and singing from the kliros drowns out the voices, unless, of course, the penitent is yelling at the top of his lungs. If you are at confession for the first time, be sure to tell about it and ask “what to do next?”. Batiushka will tell you what steps to take at first. When you repent, kiss the cross, the Gospel and go on to reach the end of the service. That's all. One more thing. There is no need to be afraid to confess some sins, because it is supposedly shameful. It's stupid and deadly. It’s stupid because in their lives the priests manage to hear enough of this that you won’t tell them anything new. And if you do, it will take pride of place on the list of that “new and impossibly shameful” thing that the priest has heard many times already and that he has probably learned to perceive adequately. And it is dangerous because "there is no worse sin than the unrepentant."

In total, I hope this article has clarified a little how to start going to church. And today it turns out that everyone seems to know everything about the Church, but how the essence comes to the point, nothing is clear. So, if you have a desire to visit the temple, you should do it as soon as possible.

We in Ukraine have more hidden threat» mistakenly get into churches that are under the auspices of the non-existent Kyiv Patriarchate. Although there are not so many of them, it is still advisable, of course, to pay attention to the announcements in front of the temple, or to look on the Internet for lists of churches that are under the auspices of the Kiev Metropolis of the Moscow Patriarchate. You have to walk in them. It is MOSCOW, and there is nothing anti-national here. It just so happened that Filaret was excommunicated from the Church.

Komba BACH - Learn!

In our time, you can often hear the phrase: “Why go to the temple? I have God in my heart!” It would seem that such a person can only be envied. Indeed, if you have God in your heart, then visiting the temple looks like some kind of excess. But here the question arises: how justified is this confidence? Maybe God is in this person in some other part of the body, for example, in the stomach? Or maybe the stomach itself has become a god for a person, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: Their god is the womb(Philippians 3:19).

A person can be sure that he has become the temple of the Spirit of God, being the plaything of unclean spirits.

But if a person is right, and his heart has really become the abode of God, then how can you be sure that this is the true God, and not the one who tries to present himself as God, not being such? Here is what St. Theophan the Recluse says about this: “The demons sense the fasting and prayer book from afar and run away from him so as not to receive a painful blow. Is it possible to think that where there is no fasting and prayer, there is already a demon? Can. Demons, moving into a person, do not always reveal their presence, but hide, stealthily teaching their master all evil. In other words, a person can be sure that he has become the temple of the Spirit of God, being the plaything of unclean spirits.

Someone will say: “Here, I fast and pray, but I don’t go to church.” To this one can reply that praying and fasting is a good and necessary thing, of course, but not sufficient in itself.

If a Christian, even without abandoning personal prayer, voluntarily withdraws from church worship, then, according to the holy fathers of the Church, this is an indicator of spiritual ill health. Reverend Barsanuphius Optinsky offers the following discussion on this subject. One holy father was asked: “Are there any sure signs by which one can know whether the soul is approaching God or moving away from Him? After all, with respect to ordinary objects, there are certain signs - they are good or not. When, for example, cabbage, meat, and fish begin to rot, it is easy to notice this, because the spoiled products emit a bad smell, change color and taste, and their appearance indicates spoilage.

Well, what about the soul? After all, she is incorporeal and cannot emit a bad smell or change her appearance. To this question, the holy father replied that 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.

A sign that God dwells in the heart is love for temple worship

Thus, the desire for church service is for a Christian that spiritual tuning fork with which we can always check the state of our soul. The sign that God dwells in the heart is love for temple worship.

It can be likened to human relationships. If we love someone, then we try to be close to him. If we say, for example, to our friend: “You are always with me, you are in my heart, so I didn’t come to wish you a happy birthday,” then we are unlikely to hear words of approval and understanding in response. So it is with God. If God is in our hearts, if we love Him or at least strive for this love, then how can we not honor the Birthday or Resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man, who endured humiliation, pain and death for our salvation, how can we forget about the memorable date of the Mother of God, through which we received access to the incarnate God, or we will neglect the days of celebration Heavenly Forces incorporeal and saints, standing before the throne of God and tirelessly praying for us, lazy, sinful and strong only for words of self-justification?

The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism.

At the center of the church service is the greatest Christian sacrament - the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. The entire divine service is structured in such a way as to prepare us for this sacrament in the best possible way, and is in itself a prelude and anticipation of our eternal stay with God. In church service visibly the doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ is manifested. The Church is Christians united with Christ into a single divine-human organism. Just as it is natural for the body to maintain unity, so it is natural for a Christian to strive for unity with the head of the Church, Christ, and with all Christians united in Christ into one body. Therefore, participation in worship is not a heavy duty for a Christian, not a severe punishment or sophisticated torture, but a kind of natural and vital aspiration. The absence of such should serve as a signal to us that we are spiritually ill and in serious danger, that our life needs to be corrected as soon as possible.

Of course, it is not always easy for us to participate in public worship, we do not always feel like it. Everyone has states when you have to force yourself to go to the temple. But without this spiritual life is impossible.

Where does this heaviness, this unwillingness, come from? Everything comes from the same place - from our passions, which have entered our souls to such an extent that they have become for us, as it were, a second nature (“habit is second nature”), which you cannot get rid of without labor and without illness.

The effect of worship on the passions can be compared to the effect of light on the inhabitants of a dark cave. Animals and insects, accustomed to night and darkness, when light appears, set in motion and tend to fly away, run away, crawl away to familiar places, to dark, “safe” places, remote from the light.

So the passions in us, while we are far from the Church, from the temple, from worship, doze in the habitual and comfortable spiritual darkness. But as soon as we come to the temple for service, it is as if all the forces of hell rise up in our bodies and souls. My legs are wadded, my head is foggy, my back hurts ... Yes, and everything around is outraged: the readers read incomprehensibly, the singers go astray and out of tune, the priest or not, or he is in a hurry somewhere, the deacon looks defiant, in the church shop they answer unkindly, everyone sometimes they are gloomy, and if they joke and smile, then this is also annoying (“in a holy place!”), etc. etc. And, of course, the background thought: “What am I doing here?”. And if you do not understand the need for temple prayer, then there is almost no chance to stay in the temple. Nevertheless, we will not receive true consolation anywhere except the temple.

Many are familiar with the state of despondency, or, as it is now customary to say, depression, when nothing pleases and everything loses its meaning. I also don't want to go to the temple in this state. But Orthodox people know that if you still force yourself and get to the temple and worship, then everything miraculously changes. It seems that he stood stupidly in the service, almost did not hear prayers, he himself did not pray so much as he tried to cope with a spiritual storm or with swarming thoughts, but you leave the temple, and there is peace in your heart. It seems that outwardly nothing has changed, the circumstances are still the same, but they no longer seem as insurmountable as before.

In the temple, our prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ

And this is not surprising. Indeed, in the temple, our imperfect prayer receives fullness, uniting with the prayer of the entire Church of Christ, in which The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings inexpressible(Rom. 8:26). Therefore, in most cases, even the most profound and concentrated private prayer will not be as beneficial for the soul as even imperfect church prayer.

The Holy Fathers often call the temple "heaven on earth". In it we come into contact with the heavenly world, we enter, so to speak, into the space of eternity. Here we receive the pacification of passions and protection from the violent influence of evil spirits, becoming (at least for a time) inaccessible to them. Every time we enter the space of the temple, we make our personal small exodus from the world, which lies in evil(1 John 5:19), and avoid its deadly sting.

The action of public prayer is the reverse side of God's twofold commandment of love for God and for one's neighbor, since the personal prayer of each Christian praying in the temple is strengthened, on the one hand, by the prayers of other worshipers, and on the other, by Divine energy.

Here is what our ancient Russian saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, wrote about this: “Do not be deceitful, do not leave the church meeting under the pretext of bodily weakness: as rain grows the seed, so the church attracts the soul to good deeds. It doesn’t matter what you do in your cell: whether you read the Psalter, whether you sing twelve psalms, - all this cannot be compared with one cathedral: “Lord, have mercy!” Understand this, my brother: the chief apostle Peter himself was the church of the living God, and when he was captured by Herod and put in prison, was it not through the prayers of the Church that he was delivered from the hand of Herod? And David prays, saying: “One thing I ask of the Lord, and that only I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, contemplate the beauty of the Lord, and visit his holy temple early.” The Lord Himself said: "My house will be called a house of prayer." “Where,” he says, “two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” But if such a cathedral is assembled, in which there will be more than a hundred brethren, then how can you not believe that the Lord our God is here.

Of course, sometimes there are objective circumstances that really prevent you from visiting the temple. But not everything that seems to us an obstacle is such in the eyes of God. In this regard, the case described in the life of the righteous Juliana of Murom is indicative: “One winter was so cold that the earth was cracked from frost. And she did not go to church for some time, but prayed to God at home. And then one day the priest of that church came early in the morning alone to the church, and there was a voice from the icon Holy Mother of God, saying this: “Go, tell the merciful Uliya: why doesn’t she go to church to pray? But home prayer her God is pleasing, but everything is not like the church.

For a person who has established himself on the path of the divine, a visit church service becomes a need no less, and sometimes even more, than bodily nourishment. Saints feel this need especially keenly. So, righteous John Kronstadtsky admitted: “I fade away, I die spiritually when I don’t serve in the temple for a whole week, and I kindle, I revive my soul and heart when I serve ...”.

However, today, probably, in every Orthodox church you can meet at least one parishioner, who, like the Gospel prophetess Anna (cf. Lk. 2, 36-37), almost constantly stays in the church. Despite the fact that the surrounding people usually do not contribute to this at all. And her relatives reproach her, and her own, the Orthodox, convince her to moderate her ardor, and she, overcoming years and illnesses, almost crawling, but still strives for the “mass” that is dear to her sick heart.

In conclusion, I would like to give an amazing example of the invincible love for the Divine service of one of the Greek ascetics of piety of the 20th century: “God-loving Keti did not want to miss a single vespers and liturgy. She wanted to go to the service every day, so she looked for churches where the liturgy was celebrated on weekdays. She sacrificed her sleep, made many hours of foot crossings, just not to miss the Divine Liturgy.<...>

Keti tried to get acquainted with the priests of all the neighboring villages so that she could invite them to celebrate the liturgy. I often went to the temple of Pantanassa. At night, she crossed the Louros River on a rope bridge. Often in the winter it was covered with ice, and Keti always had several bags of products for the poor.

Once, when the bridge was swept away by water, an old shepherd helped her to cross to the other side. Sometimes she had to spend many hours on the road. One day Keti was attacked by dogs, another time she met a bear, but the animals did not harm her.

It is difficult to describe everything that happened to Katie. There were no telephones then. Once, none of the familiar priests warned her about the liturgy. After work, Katie still hit the road. First came the Philippiada. Then she visited the villages of Kambi, Pantanassa, St. George. But there was no service anywhere, and in the meantime it got dark. Keti (still on foot) went to Kerasovo, and from there to Vulista, where the father's sister joined her. On the way, they stumbled and fell into a hole. Women fell knee-deep into asbestos. They put themselves in order and went to the liturgy. In total, in the evening and night, Keti covered a distance of 30 kilometers. And so it often happened.

<...>Once in the temple, Keti fell from a chair, on which she climbed to light the lamps. She suffered a hip fracture. She was admitted to the hospital, where she was prescribed bed rest. But how would she then be able to attend services? Limping, she left the hospital, stopped the car and drove to the church of St. George in the village of Philippiada, where her friend, Father Vasily Zalakostas, served. There she lay down in the temple vestibule. She spent twenty days and nights in the church. The priest came every day and performed Divine Liturgy.

One winter there was a severe storm. The wind uprooted the trees. But this did not become an obstacle for Keti. Without a moment's hesitation, she went to the liturgy, but did not return for a long time. Colleagues were waiting for Keti in excitement. Finally she showed up. Her face beamed with joy, although all her legs (as far as they were visible under her long dress) were in the blood. She explained that the delay was due to the fact that she had to climb over the fallen trees that she met on the way.

So what did Keti feel during the Divine Liturgy? Probably, it was something inexplicable if she, overcoming all difficulties, did everything possible and impossible to get into the service. She herself sang, gave gifts to priests, carried heavy liturgical books with her.

Sometimes she went to night service, and in the morning she hurried to another Divine Liturgy. And then, visiting her acquaintances and hearing how the service was broadcast on the radio, she stood up for prayer for the third time. She knelt down and created prostrations. No noise could distract her.<...>

Her love for worship was such that often, falling asleep, she whispered: "Church, Church ...".

It remains only to wish all of us to acquire at least a small fraction of that love for church service, which is described in these lines!

One often hears bewilderment and protest against the rules that an unchurched person encounters upon coming to the Church. These people want to prove (primarily to themselves) that it is okay not to go to church, and they find a lot of reasons and arguments for this. Such an attitude towards the Church is caused by the fact that many do not understand its nature, the meaning of its existence. Unfortunately, the Church is often identified with secular institutions: schools, universities, hospitals.

And, based on this understanding, then, of course, these people are right. Indeed, education can be obtained at home, on your own or using the services of tutors. You can also treat various diseases at home, by yourself or by inviting doctors to your home. During the war, complex operations were sometimes performed in field hospitals almost under the open sky.

Why is it impossible to pray at home, is it really necessary to go to church?

In order to answer this question, you need to figure out why a person comes to church. If you only pray, put a candle, kiss the icons, then you don’t have to go to the temple for this. Candles and lamps can be lit at home, there are also icons at home.

Then why do people go to the temple? When, I repeat, there is no true understanding of the nature of the Church, then “winged”, but deeply erroneous clichés are born: “God must be in the soul”, “I believe in God, but without fanaticism” and the like.

Let's try to understand the reasons for the "fanaticism" of believers, in matters of "dress code" and much more. Let's start with a simple one, namely with the so-called "dress code".

The fact that the Bible supposedly says nothing about appearance is not true. Quite a lot has been written, the format of a short note simply does not allow the opportunity to quote all quotes from Holy Scripture, but read at least the messages of the first disciples of Christ - the holy apostles, and you will find in them a lot of words about what the appearance of a person entering the temple should be.

Of course, what is always written can be understood in different ways, and in order not to fall into controversy, let's honestly answer the question: will we go to the wedding feast in shorts or a tracksuit? What about leadership appointments? To the president, for example. I sincerely cannot understand why a person who enters the Church does not want to understand that he enters the house of God, to visit God?

People ask: “But what about love, which should forgive everything?” An absolutely valid question! If I came to the anniversary of a loved one in dirty work clothes or half-dressed, then is this not a manifestation of dislike and extreme disdain for the hero of the day and his guests?

Take my word for it, if you enter the temple in obscene clothes, then you distract people standing in the temple from prayer.

It is not at all easy to enter a state of prayer, but you can “knock” it out of it in an instant with both your appearance and an overly pungent smell of perfume - and a lot of things.

And where, then, is the love for the people standing in the temple? Or let them tolerate my understanding of freedom? A strange situation is developing: we are calm about the fact that the dress code is introduced in secular institutions: at school, the theater, even in a restaurant - but in the Church, it turns out, there are no restrictions on appearance should not be.

Why do people come to Church?

A person who does not believe, who denies the existence of God, can not read further. But for the one who was baptized himself and brought his children to Baptism, who tries to communicate with his Creator, all of the following is the most important thing for understanding.

Let's go back to basics. Man - the highest creation of God - was created in a special way compared to the rest of the material world. God animates man with His breath, which man assimilates and, therefore, can accumulate.

The acquisition (accumulation) of the grace of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of one's deification is the main goal human life. And man was created hierarchically: spirit - soul - body.

As you can see, the main thing was the spirit, which allowed the primordial man to be in direct connection with God. After the fall, human nature is distorted: the body comes first, which crushes the soul and fetters the spirit. All! The gracious connection with God is broken. And thousands of years pass until humanity, in the battle with its mutilated nature, when carnal pleasures become the highest goal, gives birth to the Virgin, Who was able to accommodate the Creator of the Universe.

God descends to earth, enlightening humanity with a new spiritual teaching. The law of retribution "an eye for an eye" is replaced by the commandment to love one's neighbor. But in order for the soul to have the strength to love, Christ leaves us the Sacraments and the most important of them is the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion).

If our mutilated nature has made its flesh the main ( heat or a bad tooth will not allow us to pray with concentration, or solve a problem, or listen to music), then the grace of God comes to us through matter. The Upper Room of Zion, the Last Supper, the Lord blesses the bread and tells His disciples the hidden words: “This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” He blesses the Chalice and says: "This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

The word "covenant" means a contract. Agreement with God: You - to me, I to you. I partake of Your Body and Blood, You give me Your grace that heals my nature.

As St. Gregory the Theologian wrote: "God becomes man so that man becomes god."

In other words, the grace of God (in secular language, Divine energy) is given to a person only in the Sacraments of the Church, which take place only in the temple. And the Church is not a mediator, but a bridge that connects a person with Christ.

The grace of God nourishes, purifies and transforms the human soul. That is why he goes to the Church, even if there are sorrows, injustice or rudeness in it. Yes, unfortunately this happens.

How to relate to priests who do not always behave highly spiritually?

There are bribe-takers among university professors and doctors, but does that stop us from recognizing science and medicine? If the director educational institution- drunkard, does this give us reason to deny the role of education and not take children to school?

Yes, there are many discords among the clergy - this can be judged by the moral state of society. Since it is in such a deplorable state, we, the priests, are responsible for it before God first of all! And no one has freed us from this responsibility and will not free us, regardless of the form of secular power.

Without justifying our spiritual state and low spiritual level, I just want to explain its reasons. Our ancestors during the years of godless power destroyed more than 50 thousand churches and shot, tortured tens of thousands of priests and deeply religious people. We will not judge them for this, we have no right!

It is still far from clear how each of us would behave in those difficult years when the authorities publicly promised to put an end to "religious obscurantism". And spiritual science (learning to love God, neighbor, yourself) is very complicated. Very! It is extremely difficult to study it on your own. Yes, actually, I will give a simple example. Let's send 30 thousand of the best surgeons from the country and see how the rest will make diagnoses and operate on patients.

Young sincere priests come, and a sea of ​​the most complex spiritual problems of the modern fallen world falls upon them, but there are no teachers! And the problems begin...

Christ warned us about last times in simple, clear words: “And because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold.” First of all, love for the Creator, because it turns out that absolutely insignificant reasons prevent a person from coming to the temple, to visit God.

However, as it is written in the Bible, "the world is free." “A slave is not a pilgrim,” our ancestors used to say. No one can force a person to love God, his neighbor and himself, to follow the law that Christ left us.

Modern man himself decides how to correctly interpret and apply spiritual laws in his life, forgetting, however, that if "God must ...", then He is not the Almighty, but a subordinate.

The Creator does not owe anything to anyone - this is a theological axiom that is now forgotten. But God does not take away our freedom, leaving us the right to reject His gifts. Otherwise, a person will turn into a biorobot, which is unacceptable with the Divine understanding of love.

Why is it important to keep the laws in the spiritual life?

In the Sacrament of Baptism, a person (and for babies, godparents) is asked three times: “Are you united with Christ?” And three times a person makes a vow to God: "I unite." In other words, I will unite with Christ. To warm your hands, you need to touch the warmth, to deify the soul, you need to touch God in the Sacrament of Communion. New Testament between God and his creation is concluded in the Zion Upper Room with the words: "Come, eat ..."