The central mystery of Orthodoxy is communion. For his sake, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated - the main service of the day. The Orthodox believe that participation in this sacrament is a necessary condition for spiritual life. Where such confidence? And why is so much attention paid to the sacrament when there are six more sacraments? How to proceed to the sacraments, how to prepare for confession and communion?
What it is?
Communion is communion with Christ directly. In the sacrament, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, which a person accepts, that is, eats, swallows. This, in fact, is the sacrament, but it is necessary to carefully prepare for it.
Is a person ready to meet God at any moment of his life? How will the Lord appreciate his sins, desire to eat deliciously, or anger toward others? Analyzing his life and soul, anyone who has the fear of God understands that you need to prepare for this meeting, to purify yourself.
How to prepare for confession and communion, what should be done?
First of all, one should distract from the world and its pleasures, focus on spiritual issues. To do this, those who wish to take communion hold the post for several days, try not to watch TV, or at least turn off the entertainment channels. At the same time, the point is not to sit in complete silence or call all the phonebook subscribers instead of watching dubious programs.
We must focus on our spiritual condition, on our soul, sins. Now there are a lot of books “Preparing for Confession and Communion”, for starters you can buy any of them. There, most likely, the 10 commandments of God will be listed and explanations of what is meant are given. It is possible that a person learns a lot about himself and his actions by simply reading this brochure.
Confession is a separate sacrament. How to prepare for confession, you also need to know. First of all, you need to ask your conscience: is there something that weighs. Maybe impatience to children or rudeness to his mother? Maybe a lie or an unjust gain? After studying the commandments of God, it turns out that not everyone knows about all sins. Before you prepare for confession and communion, it’s worth making peace with everyone you have offended. If even the offended does not agree to reconciliation, all efforts must be made to achieve mutual peace.
In the modern world, even some mortal sins are not considered bad deeds. For example, witchcraft or abortion (killing a child in the womb) was an obstacle to communion earlier. If there are such sins, it is better to confess them separately, and only then begin preparation for the sacrament.
How to prepare for confession and communion for the first time?
The Church does not demand from the beginners, that is, from people who have just come to the temple, strict fasting or hours of prayer. But it is necessary to impose a feasible post on yourself. Maybe at first refuse only meat?
Before preparing for confession and communion, you need to understand for yourself the essence of these sacraments. If they are approached without faith, this may be blasphemy. If faith is weak, you can consult a priest. Before Communion, one must attend the evening service, on the day itself - the morning service - the Liturgy. Communion takes place at the end of this service.