A prayer of purification, read by a priest over a person after any rite is performed, is called permissive. It is believed in the Orthodox faith that permissive prayer cleanses the human soul, removes the burden of one’s own sins, and eliminates “uncleanness”. What is meant by “uncleanness” in the church concept, we will explain below.
When do they say permissive prayers?
God, through the priest, forgives human sins through the “formula” of cleansing. This “formula” is permissive prayer. It should be pronounced only in those cases when the believing Christian really realized his perfect sins, mistakes and hated them. Only in that case, a person cannot repent if this prayer is read during the funeral service. So when is a permissive prayer read?
In the Orthodox Church there are only three cases when the forgiveness of sins occurs using permissive prayer:
- at the funeral service;
- after childbirth;
- after confession.
Prayer at the funeral service
Everyone who considers himself a Christian should fulfill his religious duty and spend his family and relatives on the last journey with dignity. The church prays for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead not only at the funeral services, memorial services. When a person is sent to eternity, a clergyman performs a funeral rite, then a burial takes place.
At the end of the funeral service, the priest reads the permission prayer. Its text is written on a sheet, which must be included in any funeral set. After the prayer is read, it must be put in the right hand of the deceased.
In the text of such a prayer is a petition from all worshipers and on behalf of the priest for forgiveness to the deceased of his sins. This expresses the hope that the Lord will free, forgive a person from earthly sins and accept the dead in paradise. In addition, in prayer he asks to save the deceased from various curses that could have been imposed on him by ill-wishers in life.
Thus, during the funeral rite, permissive prayer is a very important component of it. Priests call this prayer the main thing for the departed to another world. In the church, permissive prayer is also called "roadside".
Pregnancy and childbirth
In the modern world, as before, a pregnant woman is treated with awe and love. They defend it, strive not to enter into conflicts, yield in everything. But for a temple and religion, a woman waiting for her child, and a young mother are a ban. To visit the church, a cleansing or permissive prayer of the mother after childbirth is surely read, a certain ritual is performed. Surprised? But it is so. Even with the baptism of her baby, before going to the temple, a woman undergoes a similar ceremony. Young Christians who honor the laws of the church must not only use permissive prayer, but also perform a rite that in modern times often contains various errors. To avoid them, turn to the priest, he will explain what a woman needs to do after childbirth and what - before the baby’s baptism.
Uncleanness of a woman
In accordance with the New Testament, a person can be defiled only by his soul, he cannot have physical impurity. But, unfortunately, this applies to men. A woman in Orthodoxy is subject to ritual physical impurity. We need to thank our ancestor Eve for this, who succumbed to the snake-tempter, and then “boiled” the forbidden apple to Adam.
- Sewage is "cyclic." On critical days, a woman is not allowed in the church. At this time, she is forbidden to touch the holy icons and take communion. As an exception, this is allowed to those who, on such days, lie on their deathbed.
- Generic sewage. For forty days after permission from the burden (that is, after childbirth), women are considered unclean. They should refrain from going to church. As in the first case, they are also forbidden to partake and touch sacred objects.
Where did the concept of impurity come from in Christianity when a permissive prayer after childbirth is necessary for reading?
Orthodoxy borrowed the concept of this from Judaism. The book of Leviticus explains that during menstruation a woman is unclean, and also for 40 days after she is born. The prejudices against women in this matter are also evidenced by the fact that after the birth of a boy, a woman is unclean for 40 days, and if a girl is born - all 80. Due to the original sin of Eve, such discrimination persists in Christianity of women.
Temple Laws
Most young women cannot reconcile and understand why it is forbidden to enter the temple "unclean", as well as with a baby after childbirth. To this there are religious laws and reasons that true Christians must abide by. The bans go in the following order:
- Firstly, a woman after childbirth with spotting is unclean. At this moment, her body and she herself are cleansed of the effects of the dirt of sexual contact, the Bible says.
- Secondly, the great law is that in the church it is a sin to shed blood in any form. Previously, there were no modern hygiene products, and a ban on visiting the temple appeared.
- Thirdly, the congestion of people in the church can negatively affect the health of the mother and her baby. This is especially true for epidemiological periods.
As can be seen from the above, it is not only religious reasons that prohibit attending church on such days. Better to listen to tips to avoid problems.
Confession Permit Prayer
The sacrament of repentance is a church ritual in which a man confesses his sins to the priest and asks him to let them go. After a one-sided monologue of the penitent, the priest forgives all sins, an invisible forgiveness from God occurs. At its core, confession is hard mental work. A man exposes his soul before a priest - "the servant of the Lord." How does repentance go?
- The priest pronounces certain prayers that encourage the repentant to confess sins wholeheartedly.
- A man kneeling before the analogue, where the gospel lies, voices his sins as before the Lord.
- At the end of the confession, the priest covers the head of the repentant with epitrachilla (embroidered fabric).
- A permissive prayer of the sacrament of confession is read, thanks to which the priest in the name of Christ frees the repentant from his sins.
Repentance of sins contributes to the fact that the human soul is cleansed, due to this there is a rapprochement and reconciliation with the Lord.