"Taste the source of immortality. Accept the body of Christ" - this is sung at the time of the sacrament. What great words! Christ himself at the Last Supper blessed wine and bread, turning these simplest products into their own Blood and Body. Jesus commanded the apostles to receive His Body and Blood, and they gave this commandment to Christians.
What is the sacrament?
Talking about the meaning and preparation for the sacrament, not knowing what it is - is pointless. Orthodox communion is a union with Jesus Christ through the eating of His Body and Blood. Under the guise of these are wine and bread (prosphora).
Why is this needed?
Communion is the communion of the soul to eternal life. This is the essence of the sacrament - to unite with Christ and inherit the kingdom of heaven.
An interesting point: to begin the sacrament is possible only by good will. That is, a person should want to partake, to believe that only through the acceptance of the Blood and Body of Christ do we become heirs to Eternal Life.
How to prepare for the sacrament?
The most important issue that worries the neophytes is not an offensive word, but the name of those who are just beginning their journey to Christ - preparation for the sacraments. As you know, there are only seven of them. However, the main ones that Christians come into contact regularly are confession and communion.
As we see, confession is in the first place. Absolution is closely interconnected with the sacrament, a person first confesses, only then comes to the Chalice. An exception - communion without confession - is possible in rare cases and only with the permission of the priest.
The second question, disturbing no less than the first, how to spend time after initiation. Is it possible to sleep, talk, do something after communion? We will talk about this a bit later. Now let's talk about preparing for the sacraments. Here's what you need to do before you partake in the Holy Mysteries of Christ:
to fast both physically and spiritually;
carefully prepare for confession;
to confess;
subtract the followings of the sacrament and the necessary canons.
Now let's talk more about each item.
Fast
Fasting is a voluntary rejection of animal products. There are four main posts and one day. Four long fasts are performed throughout the year, one-day fasts are Wednesday and Friday. Orthodox fast on Wednesday in memory of the Gospel events. On this day the Lord was betrayed by Judah, on Friday - crucified.
The first Christians fasted a week before performing the sacrament. Now the post has been reduced to three days, although the exact time of abstinence can only be set by a priest. With the blessing of the priest, indulgences are made for fasting for pregnant and lactating women, patients, travelers and children.
During fasting, as mentioned above, refuse animal products. We will list what is hidden under this name:
Any kind of meat.
Dairy products, cheeses are also included here.
Baking and baking, containing milk, butter.
The eggs.
It is advisable to refrain from eating fish before the sacrament.
This is a physical or physical post. However, there is a spiritual post. A person refuses to entertain, spouses refrain from intimacy for three days before the sacrament.
Entertainment events are loose concepts. This includes a visit to a nightclub and reading a love story. Here's what to give up, preparing to begin the sacrament of communion:
Reading detective stories, romance novels, collections of jokes. Classical literature is acceptable, but selective. The Master and Margarita, for example, does not contribute to the proper preparation for the sacrament. But it is advisable to talk with the priest on this topic, for everything is individual. For example, the student was asked to read part of the novel by Monday, and on Sunday - the sacrament. Reading obedience (teacher assignment) is acceptable.
Watching TV, computer games, aimless wandering on the Internet.
Singing and dancing.
Listening to worldly songs.
Visiting theaters, cinemas, exhibitions, discos, cafes and restaurants.
Going to visit.
Three days is a short time. A person is able to abandon the time listed for this.
Reading canons and followings of the sacrament
Let's talk about prayers before the sacrament. In Orthodox prayer books there are necessary canons and follow. It is necessary to read the three canons with an akathist - they are called so. The name makes it clear that the canons are large, in fact, reading takes about twenty minutes. Then we read the follow to the holy communion. In different prayer books, the follow-up is called either that or the prayers for the sacrament. Here you have to stock up on time; proofreading takes thirty to forty minutes.
Ideally, the canons are read in the evening on the eve of the sacrament, and the subsequent in the morning. However, this practice is gradually losing itself, people are reading the necessary prayers in the evening.
So we found out what prayers to read before the sacrament. For those who are not capable of proofreading due to illness, we publish a video recording of the follow-up.
Confession Preparation
Dear readers, be patient! Soon we will tell you what to do if you fall asleep after the sacrament, how to spend this day, what you can do, and what it is advisable to refrain from. Now we will pay attention to how to properly prepare for confession.
Sit down, pick up a sheet of paper and a pen, dig deep into the "bowels" of memory. Surely there will be something that is embarrassing to admit to oneself. Feel free to write down an unpleasant memory. Better yet, get a booklet on how to prepare for confession in the church shop. The book of Father John Krestyankin, “The Experience of Building a Confession,” where our daily and more serious sins are explained in detail, helps very well in this.
Note that it is advisable to come to confession on Saturday evening, on the eve of the sacrament. As practice shows, on Sunday morning a whole crowd of people wishing to confess and take communion rushes on the priest's lectern. The priest is not physically capable of giving each person a sufficient amount of attention and listening to an hour-long confession (sometimes it happens). On Saturday night, the priest has much more time for each confessor.
How to Communion
Can I sleep after the sacrament and how to behave on this day? Let's figure out how to proceed with the sacrament, and then we will answer these questions.
Before approaching the Chalice, hands are folded crosswise on the chest. It is advisable to read the prayers "Your Secret Supper" and "I Believe and Confess that You are truly Christ ..." to yourself. The priest recites these prayers from the pulpit, taking out the Chalice with the holy Blood and the Body of Christ. In the case when a person does not know these prayers, just ask for the sacrament to benefit: "Not in court or in condemnation, but in the remission of sins and eternal life."
When approaching the Chalice, clearly state your full name and open your mouth wide. After the priest put a teaspoon of wine and a piece of prosphora in his mouth, the lips of the communion get wet. This is necessary so that no traces of communion remain on the lips. The participle kisses the bottom of the Chalice and moves to a special table in order to take a drink and eat a piece of prosphora.
After the sacrament
What do the prayers read after the sacrament look like? They are called thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion. Printed in any Orthodox prayer book, quite short. Reading takes 7-10 minutes, depending on the speed of the proofreading.
Many temples practice prayers of thanksgiving at a time when believers come to attach themselves to the cross. A priest stands on a pulpit, holding a cross in their hands, people kiss the crucifix, then go aside and listen to prayers of thanks.
Prayers read after the sacrament are required. In them, we thank God for allowing us to unite with Him through communion with the sacrament.
What can not be done after communion?
Very often you have to watch how the two gossips meet. Both communed just now, but to talk is just a vital necessity. The young women will stand in the corner of the temple and begin to share news.
Dear readers, remember! The most important thing that you cannot do after the holy communion is to talk just like that. The sacrament gives us grace, which is very easy to lose, but difficult to gain. Chatting about nonsense, pouring from empty to empty, people lose this valuable gift. As an open stove loses heat, so in vain chatter we are left without the most expensive.
What is the best way to spend this day? Is it possible to sleep after the sacrament? The answers to the last question are different, different priests have their own opinion on this matter. for example, the famous priest Dmitry Smirnov looks at a dream after communion absolutely calmly. Other priests believe that drowsiness is a sign of demonic attacks on a person. Sleep after communion is compared to the loss of a warm spring day, when the rest of the week was cold and rainy.
If possible, it is advisable to refrain from visiting guests on this day, idle conversations, stupid jokes, discussions with others. Transfer TV viewing and computer games to another day, try to preserve this grace.
The question is ripening, how to preserve it, this grace? Sunday is dedicated to God, it is customary to read spiritual literature, it is advisable to spend time in the temple. Often people rush home after service, but you can offer your help and clean the candlestick, for example. Just try to refrain from idle talk, recall once again.
Once again about prayer
Is there a prayer after the sacrament in Russian? For those who are unable to read prayers of thanks on their own, we publish a video. It is very short, only eight minutes. Prayers are read clearly, everything is simple and clear.
About temple behavior
We dealt with interesting questions. How to prepare for the sacrament, how to spend this day, is it possible to sleep after the sacrament. There is very little time left, let's clarify some points regarding behavior in the temple.
Lovely women, the information is for you! Now many young priests are allowed to embark on the sacrament of the sacrament, being unclean (critical days). This practice is completely unacceptable, remember. A woman can take communion, being unclean only when it comes to life and death. Therefore, on the red days of the calendar, stay at home, refrain from visiting the temple.
They come to the service 10-15 minutes before the start. They calmly serve notes, put candles, and attach to the icons. During the service, it is forbidden to walk around the temple (especially during the Cherubic song and reading the Gospel). It is advisable to refrain from talking with others, not to glance around, looking at the parishioners. Just quietly pray with everyone.
Approaching confession, one should abstain from talking about one's sins. There are times when the confessors throughout the temple tell about what they are guilty of before God and even in not quite correct expressions. Father is a man, first of all, and a man. Women should especially remember this, because the fair sex is often confessed publicly.
Conclusion
So our article came to the end. Readers now know what the sacrament is, how to prepare for it, and how to behave on that day, is it possible to sleep and talk after the sacrament.