Perhaps the most beautiful of the seven church sacraments is a wedding. It is shrouded in some mystery, secrecy. God brings together two hearts, two souls. Man and woman - now they make a vow to be in joy and sorrow, in wealth and poverty, to live in love, mutual respect and support each other on the whole long way of their joint stay on Earth. How to prepare young for this sacrament? This will be discussed in the article.
Semantic load
There are two sides to any church sacrament - external and internal. As a rule, our attention is attracted by the external, and the last thing we think about is the internal. But it is precisely about the meaning of all church sacraments that you need to know first of all.
Where to start and how to prepare for the wedding completely so as not to lose sight of anything? First of all, you need to agree on the ceremony in advance. To do this, choose a temple and drive up to the priest. In large cathedrals there are special departments for registration and ordering req. You can go directly to the priest, or you can contact the employees, and they will tell you everything. If young people want to hear singers, and even a whole choir, then you need to agree on this in advance. This moment needs to be clarified right away: whether the young need to contact the leader of the choir separately or does the priest organize everything himself. Perhaps all this needs to be ordered in the department for registration.
When they ask the priest how to prepare for the wedding, he will, first of all, advise him to start with confession. Yes, yes - with confession. Often young people first come to the priest and talk with him. This is very good indeed. After all, it is not difficult to marry - it is difficult to live on. Therefore, the task of the priest is to understand how young people take a conscious step, how responsibly they approach marriage, and understand their roles in this important union. First of all, this is a church sacrament, which means that everything is done before God.
Labor for the Glory of God
The main purpose of man is to unite his soul with Heavenly Father, overcome sin in himself, and live according to the commandments. Young people do not create a family for fun. It is labor, a constant sacrifice for the sake of another. If God blesses, then there will be children, and this is even more labor and self-sacrifice. Do all newlyweds understand this well? Therefore, to the question: “How to prepare for the wedding?”, The priest will say: “First of all, inwardly ... Bare your soul before God and experience it: is you ready to live for the other, is you ready to go with your other half to the end and beyond. to appear together before Heavenly Father and how much this desire is not dictated by emotions, which, when they subside, will no longer brighten up the difficulties and will have to be accepted as is ... ”
Why go to the priest?
In the conversation, the priest talks about the understanding of marriage in the church sense, about the order and blessing of the union of the young. If the young couple have serious intentions for each other, they will listen to the priest and try to accept his advice on how to prepare for the wedding correctly and according to church law, and not just for the sake of a beautiful ceremony. Then, during the wedding, the newlyweds will understand the meaning of what is happening.
Often, the priest recommends reading certain chapters from the Holy Scriptures, something from the Holy Fathers scriptures, or he himself will tell about important aspects of this sacrament. All this was said for those who are interested in how to prepare for a wedding in the Orthodox Church, although Catholics have much in common in conducting a wedding ceremony.
The wedding day is discussed with the priest, but this cannot be the time of fasting and in the days before fasting. In general, according to tradition, in the Orthodox Church, marital intimacy does not occur during fasting days. Of course, everything should be consciously and only by mutual agreement. If one of the spouses is against, then the second is possible to yield, so as not to introduce him into sin on the side. If the couple is churched, then they all understand. If the husband and wife do not know or understand anything in church traditions, then it is better for them to either inquire or speak with the priest. Since not everyone is ready to live completely according to the charter of the church, everything must be realized and reasonably accepted.
Important sacrament
Enough literature has been written about how to prepare for the wedding in the Orthodox Church, which can be easily purchased in the church or taken to read in the church library.
Earlier, the wedding rite itself included the communion of future spouses. This suggests that the wedding took place during the Divine Liturgy. Marriage is a great Sacrament, thanks to which a husband and wife become already one body, they are united in Jesus Christ for salvation and entry into eternal life. Today, Communion is not already included in the sacrament of marriage, but the meaning itself has not lost its meaning. All the same, the young become one in Christ. Therefore, before the wedding, future spouses need to go to the Divine Liturgy and take communion. Before communion, of course, a person fasts and confesses.
Not only the newlyweds go to get married, often married couples often resort to this sacrament. It is worth saying that the preparation for the wedding of those living in marriage is no different from the preparation for those who are just about to take this path. Unless, in conversations with the priest, the conversation can go a little different way, because these people are already husband and wife before God, although they live without blessing. Such couples, perhaps more consciously and responsibly, relate to the sacrament.
What else is needed
We turn to the outside, which is also important for people going to a wedding. The rules of preparation speak, first of all, of the internal, but also do not lose sight of the external. That is why the ceremony is so beautiful and touching.
Of course, weddings need rings. They are bought in advance and given to the priest before starting. It happens that rings are sold directly in the temple.
Today everyone is buying gold rings. It is interesting that according to church tradition, a silver ring is put on the husband, and a golden ring on the wife. And even earlier manuscripts generally speak of an iron ring for a husband.
There are crowns above the heads of the bride and groom. They are held over the heads of young friends of the bride and groom. The crowns symbolize the royal path of Orthodoxy and at the same time the martyrdom of the spouses. This is not a field to cross, and not even a river to cross. The article stated above that in a certain sense, husband and wife sacrifice their interests for the second half, and together they live for the sake of children, if God blesses the marriage with them.
A family
Do not neglect the opportunity to learn how to prepare for the wedding ceremony in the Church correctly and why you need to come to a conversation with the priest.
It so happens that children are not born for any reason. This does not mean that God has turned his back on spouses. We can not understand and accept everything, but regardless of us, everything has its own meaning. Do not despair, and certainly you do not need to leave each other if you have mutual feelings. There are enough couples in the world who were not destined to have children, but they were able to give their love and care to other children left without a family. It is even possible that they did not raise other children, but did something important and significant in this life. Even if they just loved and helped each other live and not lose heart - this is also good. In general, it always makes sense to live and give love.
Icons
When wondering how to prepare for the sacrament of marriage, young people begin to understand a lot. And, if the meaning of everything that happens during the performance of this church rite touches the heart to the very depths, without causing resistance, then most likely the young are on the right track.
What remains of the spouses after the rite is the wedding icons. Parents can give them, or you can get an image in the temple. Often, mothers themselves embroider icons as a sign of blessing to their children. As a rule, this is the image of the Savior and the Mother of God. Before the wedding, they, too, along with the rings are given to the priest. Newlyweds will also have wedding candles. They can be bought immediately before the ceremony or purchased in advance to decorate them at your discretion.
Canvas under your feet
Still need fabric for the wedding. How to prepare for this rite, our parents and grandparents know well. In the past, mothers embroidered a wedding canvas for their children. Young people become on it. The color of the canvas is white. Today, it is rarely anyone who embroiders it himself, mostly they buy it. By the way, the tradition of laying a towel under the feet of the bride and groom was preserved in atheistic times. He was laid in the registry office, and they still do it. The canvas can be bought in a special store, in the market or directly in the church shop.
Even having learned everything about how to prepare for a wedding in the Orthodox Church, there still remains an excitement that is absolutely difficult to cope with.
Important!
There is another important point, which was not mentioned above. This, as it were, is implied. Those wishing to accept the sacrament of weddings in the Orthodox Church must necessarily be baptized in Orthodoxy. And also, it is desirable to be believers, which plays an important role in saving the soul of man. And family is a small church. Where the husband is likened to Christ, and the wife of the church. Children are their children. Together, they are floating in their ark to God. But this understanding in people has lost. A husband should carefully guard his wife, take care of her as a faithful friend of his and his mother's children. To do everything so that they do not starve, do not need, can learn and improve, enjoy life and thank God for it. And the wife is a keeper. Faithful companion and creator of the hearth. Is this so in the modern world?
About rings
So, now the newlyweds know how to prepare for a wedding in the church, which is primarily important spiritual component, and then the external.
The bride and groom put on each other rings - a sign of eternal and inextricable union. The gold ring on the wife’s finger symbolizes the brilliance of the Sun, and the silver ring is the light of the Moon, reflecting the daylight. The husband is likened to the Svetoch in a marriage, and the spouse to a smaller source that receives his light.
Rings are an outward expression of the inner readiness of two hearts to love each other before and after death. Indeed, according to the Christian worldview, life does not stop. We are eternal. And death is only a temporary state. Therefore, the second religion is not accepted among Christians. Even if someone became a widower. After all, what should be done before God? So, they say I have two, three wives or husbands? In Christianity, marriage is swan fidelity. And who does not understand this, think - is it worth it to get married?
Depth of feelings
Here it is - a wedding in the church. Preparation for it carries not so much an external meaning, expressed in efforts to equip the ritual environment, as an internal, spiritual one. Love and love are far from the same thing. Love is deep, not superficial and capable of strong deeds. Love rumbles loudly, ignites quickly, is hot to burning, but cools down as soon as it encounters a small hindrance to its burning.
There is still much to be said on this subject, but it’s only better about love than the Apostle Paul said, hardly anyone will say ... Read these words, find them, they impress and convict at the same time. The beginning is: “Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love is not exalted, not proud ...”.
findings
To summarize: the main preparation for the sacrament of the union of two loving hearts in God is Govin. The Holy Orthodox Church says that newlyweds are recommended to prepare themselves for the wedding by the feat of fasting, repentance, prayer and communion.
Day and time are discussed in the temple with the priest. For the ritual side of the sacrament, you must have:
- Icons of Christ the Savior and the Virgin;
- wedding rings (for the choice of future spouses, it is possible without symbolic expression, but it is possible and taking into account traditions);
- wedding candles;
- the canvas.
Guarantors
What should married witnesses know? In the old days, when there was still pre-revolutionary Russia, a marriage concluded in the Church was legal before the State. Therefore, witnesses with their signatures in special books confirmed (testified) that these people became husband and wife not only before God, but also before people and the state. They usually knew the newlyweds well and vouched for them.
A friend and a friend, as they were nicknamed by the people, took part in the sacrament, and while circling the bride and groom around the lectern, they held crowns over their heads. They also must be baptized in Orthodoxy. These are kind of guarantors before God. Like the godparents of a baby, although it’s hard to vouch for adults. After all, they have their own head and their own thoughts. But you can pray for each other. Ask the Lord for blessings and help. And this is the work of God. Thus Christ commanded: to pray for one another is one of the manifestations of love.
In the rite, nothing has changed. They also still hold crowns, and probably at this moment think about their future.