Church life is filled with different rules and rituals. But there is one most important - this is the Sacrament of Communion. However, it is necessary to know exactly how to take communion in church. Otherwise, you can violate the strict church orders. It is believed that this offends God, one should not allow such a sin. Therefore, this issue should be taken seriously.

What is Communion

Before you take communion in church, you need to devote several days to preparation. This is the most important Sacrament of the seven that are in Orthodoxy. Catholics have similar sacraments. Protestant churches have different views on this issue.

During the Last Supper, Christ for the first time communed his disciples, we will offer them bread and wine. Until the moment of the Savior's death on the cross, people sacrificed animals as a prototype of the future trials of the Son of God. After He was resurrected, there was no need for other offerings. Therefore, now prayers are read over bread and wine. They also take Communion.

Why does the church demand that parishioners take communion and confess? How to do it right? It is a symbol of the unity of God with man. Christ Himself commanded people to do this. The sacrament turns bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. By accepting them, the believer receives the Lord into himself. He maintains his spiritual strength at the proper level.

Communion gives a great "charge" of spirituality. It is especially important that this Sacrament be performed over the sick and dying. The living must come to it regularly. At least once a fast, preferably on every big holiday.

How to Prepare for Communion

Everyone is not allowed to the sacrament in the Orthodox Church. A number of conditions must be met:

• be an Orthodox Christian;

• maintain a strict fast (at least 3 days);

• read all the necessary prayers;

• go to confession after the All-Night Vigil;

• come to Liturgy in the morning.

Only if all these conditions are fulfilled, the parishioner will be able to properly take communion in the Church. In some churches, confession is not received the night before, but in the morning during the service. But then it turns out that during the Divine service people are distracted by standing in lines. Still, it is better to confess when there is no need to rush and there is no pandemonium around.

Without confession, the following are allowed to the Sacrament:

• infants (children under 6 years old) - however, it is undesirable to feed them before the service;

• those who received Baptism the day before - but they also need to fast and also read prayers.

Fasting must be strict - it is required to give up all animal food (meat, fish, all dairy, eggs). The church calendar will help you navigate. It indicates which products are allowed. On some days, vegetable oil may be banned. For the sick and the elderly, the priest can make an exception, but in general it is not customary to relax the fast. Also, you can not drink after 12 at night and until the very moment of Communion.

How to Confess in Church

Many are also concerned about the question of how to properly confess in church - embarrassment and inexperience interfere. But in order to prove to God your firm desire to improve, you will have to overcome your fears. The priest is only a witness, he has seen and heard a lot, so it is unlikely that he will be very surprised. But before you approach the confessor, you need to prepare.

Since many are overwhelmed at confession, there is a tradition to write down their sins on a piece of paper. At the end of the confession, the priest takes this “list” and tears it up, as a sign that the Lord forgives everything. To compose a confession, you can use a special brochure, or simply take 10 commandments and think about what you have sinned against each.

• Do not blame others in confession, thereby justifying your negative behavior. Example: the wife yelled at her husband and says that he is “to blame” because he came drunk. So be it, but in any situation one must restrain oneself, act with love, without insults. As well as confessing in the church, it is necessary, talking only about yourself, and not about others.

• There is also no need to boast that there are no sins against some commandments. Yes, and is it? Adultery is considered not only physical adultery, but even the thought of it. Smoking is a slow form of suicide, and it is the gravest sin. In addition, the smoker harms others, exacerbating guilt. It is necessary to repent of this sin, because a Christian must maintain order not only in the soul, but also monitor the health of the body.

• No need to argue with the priest. This is a pure sin, for which they can generally be excommunicated from communion. Most likely, there are things that you still do not understand. You should reflect on what has been said.

There are no strict rules governing what to say in church during confession. It is important to show a sincere desire to improve. Confessors usually help those who are having difficulty by asking questions. There is no need to enumerate every sin whose name is read in the books. Many have a common root - pride, greed, unwillingness to work on themselves, dislike for others.

Prayers and worship

After the sins are named, the priest will cover his head with an epitrachelion (part of the vestment, a long embroidered strip), and read a special prayer. During it, you will need to give your name. After that, take a blessing from the priest, listen to instructions, if any. Then you need to go home to prepare further.

Before taking communion, one should read the daily prayer rule and special sacramental canons. They are published in all prayer books. The canon is a kind of church poetry that sets the soul in the right mood. You can read them in church before going to confession.

After the canons, prayers follow, they can be read in the morning, if there is time, only not during the Liturgy, but before it. The sacramental rule is sometimes broken into several parts to be read over the course of three days. But then the necessary mood is not reached. In case of doubt, you should ask the priest for advice - he will tell you how best to proceed.

We must try to maintain peace of mind during fasting days, not to quarrel with anyone, or all preparation will be lost. Many holy fathers teach that abstaining from certain foods is not as important as abstaining from anger, bad deeds.

• You must come to the Liturgy without delay.

• Small children are usually brought to Communion later - the priest will tell you what time to come.

• Women should not put on much perfume and make up - the Church is not a secular party, but the Temple of God.

• If a remark was made in the church, it is better not to be offended, but to thank and step aside.

• If after confession they committed some kind of sin, you should try to find your confessor and tell him about it. Usually, before Communion, one of the clergy leaves the altar to maintain order.

• Before you go to the Cup, you need to fold your hands on your chest so that the right one is on top. Make earthly bows in advance!

If a person has just accepted Baptism, he is obliged to come to the next Liturgy. He will be admitted to Communion without confession. Otherwise, the "Christian" demonstrates a complete disregard for everything on which the spiritual life is built. Baptism as a ritual does not guarantee salvation, for this it is necessary to constantly improve.

Now you know how to take communion and confess in church. Over time, most questions disappear by themselves, yesterday's newcomer becomes an experienced parishioner. May there be the acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ for the salvation of soul and body!

How to Confess for the First Time

How to Communion and Confess in Church was last modified: July 8th, 2017 by Bogolub

One of the main and most ancient church sacraments - the sacrament - was established in memory of the Savior and the apostles and their last joint meal - the Last Supper.

On it, the apostles and Christ drank wine and ate bread, while the Savior said: “This is my blood and my body.” After the execution and ascension of Christ, the apostles made the sacrament of communion daily.

What is required for communion?

First of all, you need a chalice - a special church bowl on a high leg with a round stable base. The first chalices were made of wood, later bowls made of silver and gold appeared. The chalice is decorated with an ornament; bowls made of precious metals can be inlaid with decorative stones.

The extracted pieces are placed in the chalice and the wine diluted with water is poured. Prayers are read over the bowl. It is believed that during the liturgy, the holy spirit comes to the chalice, and, eating the particles of prosphora soaked in wine, people partake of the blood and flesh of Christ.

Preparing for Communion

On the eve of the day when you are preparing to take communion, it is better to refrain from carnal pleasures and keep fasting, at least in the afternoon (an exception is made for the weak and children, and only until midnight). In the morning you need to go to church, before that you can’t eat or drink.


Before communion, it is obligatory to receive absolution from the priest. Without confession, children under the age of seven and those who were baptized no more than a week ago can receive communion.

First, the bishop, presbyters, deacons, and readers receive communion. Babies and their parents, who hold the children in their arms, are the first to go to communion among those who pray. After that, children come to the bowl with the Holy Gifts, then old people, and only then young people.

How does the sacrament take place?

The chalice with the Holy Gifts is taken out to the faithful. You need to fold your hands on your chest, go to the bowl that the priest is holding, and give your baptized name. The priest, having scooped from the bowl, will give you a spoon with the Holy Gifts, which you need to swallow without chewing. Two more priests standing in front of the bowl will wipe your mouth with a special towel.

After that, you need to kiss the lower edge of the bowl, symbolizing the rib of Christ. In some churches, they do it differently: first, the person who takes communion kisses the cup, and then they wipe his mouth. Next, you need to drink holy water and take the prosphora from a special table. On this day, it is not supposed to behave obscenely, swear and indulge in carnal pleasures.

Who can't take communion?

In addition to adults who did not confess before the sacrament, those excommunicated from the Holy Mysteries, demon-possessed and insane, blaspheming in fits of insanity are not allowed to take communion.


A man and a woman who had marital intimacy the day before, and women during menstruation, are not allowed to take communion. You can't give communion to the dead.

Some rules of communion

You must not be late for the beginning of the liturgy. When the Holy Gifts are carried out and at the end of the reading of the sacrament prayer by the priest, prostrations must be made. When opening the royal doors, the hands are folded crosswise on the chest, placing the right palm on the left; this position of the hands is maintained during communion and moving away from the bowl after communion.

They approach the bowl with the Holy Gifts from the right side of the temple, without pushing or creating a crowd, observing order and sequence. Women should approach the bowl without lipstick on their lips. After you have wiped your lips, and before you have drunk the holy water, you cannot kiss the icons.

They don’t touch the cup with their hands, they don’t cross themselves near it, so as not to push the priest and spill the contents of the chalice. The priest's hand is not kissed during communion.

On the way from the bowl to the table with holy water, you need to bow to the icon of the Savior. You can't take communion twice a day. If during Communion the Holy Gifts are served from several bowls, you need to take only from one. You can venerate and talk with other parishioners only after you have washed your mouth with holy water (or berry juice) so that not a single particle of prosphora remains in your mouth.


Upon returning home, you need to read a prayer of thanks (this rule is optional - you can listen to a prayer of thanks in the temple, at the end of the liturgy).

The first inhabitants of the Earth, the forefathers Adam and Eve, lived in Paradise, not knowing the need for anything. According to the persuasion of the crafty Serpent, they tasted the forbidden fruit - they sinned and were expelled to Earth. Modern man succumbs to other temptations, just like Adam and Eve, by his actions he becomes unfit for Paradise. It is never too late to ask God for forgiveness, being in earthly life, one must have a firm desire not to sin - to confess and take communion. What is communion in the church and how it is performed - requires clarification, because not everyone knows about it.

What does it mean to take communion in church?

Awareness of one's own sinfulness entails a desire to repent, that is, to admit a wrong deed and the intention not to commit such a thing in the future. To ask for forgiveness for the sins committed - to confess, and to reunite with him in soul - to take communion in the church, to feel like a part of God's great grace. Communion is prepared from bread and wine, which are the blood and flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How is the sacrament?

The main condition for taking communion is confession with a priest, spiritual rebirth, in which a person admits his mistakes, sincerely asks for forgiveness not from a priest, but from God himself. During the service in the church, bread and wine are invisibly transformed into church communion. Taking communion is a sacrament, through which a person becomes an heir to the kingdom of God, an inhabitant of paradise.

What is communion for?

For a believer, communion gives deliverance from bad thoughts, helps to fight the attacks of evil in everyday affairs, serves as spiritual reinforcement, and leads to inner spiritual rebirth. The unequivocal answer regarding reflections on whether it is necessary to take communion is yes. The human soul is the creation of the Lord, his spiritual child. Every person, coming to an earthly parent, rejoices if he has not seen him for a long time, so every soul rejoices, coming to God, the heavenly father, through this ritual.

What days can you take communion in church?

They accept it on the days when the Divine Service is taking place in the church. A person decides how often he can receive communion on his own. The Church recommends that every fast, and there are 4 fasts, come to confession and receive communion, preferably annually. If a person has not come to church for a long time - he has not taken communion, and the soul requires repentance, there is no need to be afraid of condemnation from the priest, it is better to come to confession right away.

How to take communion in church?

It is customary to follow the rules indicating. After confession, the priest blesses for the acceptance of Holy Communion, which is performed on the same day. At the liturgy, after the prayer "Our Father", the communicants approach the steps leading to the altar and wait for the priest to take out the Chalice. It is not appropriate to be baptized in front of the chalice; one must carefully listen to the prayer.

At such a moment, there is no need to fuss, create a crowd - slowly approach communion, letting children and the elderly go ahead. In front of the Holy Chalice, cross your arms over your chest, say your name, open your mouth and swallow a piece, kiss the edge of the bowl, then go to the table with warm tea and prosphora, drink the sacrament. After such actions, it is allowed to kiss the icons, to talk. It is forbidden to receive communion twice on the same day.

How to Prepare for Communion?

Preparation for the communion of an adult is to endure fasting, reconcile with enemies, not harbor feelings of hatred or anger, realize sinful offenses, regret what was done wrong, refrain from bodily pleasures for several days, make penitential prayers, confess. The decision to receive communion for the seriously ill is made by the priest without much preparation.

People who are in mortal danger, if they do not have the opportunity to prepare for the reception of the Holy Mysteries, are not deprived of the opportunity to receive communion. Baptized children under 7 years of age are allowed to take communion without confession and fasting. Infants after the Sacrament of Baptism can be communed very often, they are given a small particle - a drop under the guise of Blood.

Fasting before communion

Before communion, it is customary to fast, to refrain from taking meat, dairy, fish products for 3-7 days, if the same fast established by the church for everyone does not fall on this period, for example, Christmas, Great. It is necessary to make a decision whether it is possible to take communion if one has not fasted due to the physical state of a person’s health, only on the advice of a clergyman. An exception to the rule is children under the age of seven and people whose health does not allow adherence to such a nutrition system.

The answer to the question of whether it is possible for a repentant person to receive communion without confession is no. The priest listens to the sins of the penitent not out of curiosity, he is a mediator who testifies to God that a person who repented came to church, regretted, expressed a desire to start life from a new leaf. The priest who confesses a person makes a decision on admission to communion, gives a blessing based on specific rules, and not personal motives.

Prayers Before Communion

On the day preceding communion, from the evening until the very acceptance of the Sacraments, they refuse to eat and drink water, do not smoke cigarettes, and do not allow intimate relationships. You should first read - appeals to God, in which he expresses his sinfulness in words and asks for forgiveness. Before confessing, they read penitential prayers called canons:

• canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ;
• prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos;
• canon to the Guardian Angel;
• adherence to Holy Communion.

It is difficult to read the prayers set before communion in one evening; it is allowed to divide the reading of their rules into 2-3 days. The Canon for Communion (the Rule for Communion) is read the evening before, after which there are prayers for the coming dream. Prayers before Communion (the Rule for Communion) are read in the morning on the day of Communion, after morning prayers.

Is it possible to take communion during menstruation?

It is impossible to take church communion if a woman has her period. Communion among Orthodox Christians is a celebration of the triumph of the soul, it is customary to prepare for it in advance, not to postpone the possibility of repentance until later. Coming to the temple, a person brings the soul to a living source - by taking communion, he renews his spiritual strength, and through the healed soul, bodily weaknesses are healed.

Confession (repentance) is one of the seven Christian Sacraments, in which a penitent who confesses his sins to a priest, with a visible forgiveness of sins (reading a permissive prayer), is invisibly resolved from them. by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was instituted by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (untie) on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit: to whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain ”(Gospel of John, ch. 20, verses 22-23). The apostles, however, transferred the power to "bind and loose" to their successors - the bishops, who in turn, when performing the Sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.

The Holy Fathers call repentance the second baptism: if at baptism a person is cleansed from the power of original sin, transferred to him at birth from our forefathers Adam and Eve, then repentance washes him from the filth of his own sins committed by him after the Sacrament of Baptism.

In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to take place, the penitent needs: awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, a desire to leave sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has the power to purify and wash away, through the prayer of a priest, sincerely confessed sins.

The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st Epistle of John, ch. 1, verse 7). At the same time, we hear from many people: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t

I commit adultery, so why should I repent? But if we carefully study God's commandments, we will find that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Ingratitude to God.

Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying your disbelief with an atheistic upbringing.

Apostasy, cowardly silence, when they blaspheme the faith of Christ, not wearing a pectoral cross, visiting various sects.

Mentioning the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer and not in pious conversation about Him).

Oath in the name of the Lord.

Divination, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

Thoughts of suicide.

Playing cards and other games of chance.

Failure to fulfill the morning and evening prayer rule.

Not visiting the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

Reckless (non-daily) reading of the Holy Scriptures, soulful literature.

Breaking vows to God.

Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in the Providence of God, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

Absent-mindedness at prayer, thoughts about worldly things during worship.

Condemnation of the Church and her ministers.

Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

The continuation of a sinful life in one hope of God's mercy, i.e., excessive hope in God.

A waste of time watching TV, reading entertainment books at the expense of time for prayer, reading the gospel and spiritual literature.

Concealment of sins at confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Self-confidence, human-confidence, that is, excessive hope in one's own strength and in someone else's help, without hope that everything is in the hands of God.

Raising children outside the Christian faith.

Irritability, anger, irritability.

Arrogance.

Perjury.

mockery.

Avarice.

Non-repayment of debts.

Non-payment for hard earned money.

Failure to help those in need.

Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

Disrespect for elders.

Restlessness in your work.

Condemnation.

Taking someone else's is theft.

Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

Killing one's child in the womb (abortion), persuading others to commit murder (abortion).

Murder with a word - bringing a person by slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

Drinking alcohol at the commemoration of the dead instead of intensified prayer for them.

Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,

Unreasonable laughter.

Foul language.

self-love.

Doing good deeds for show.

Vanity.

Desire to get rich.

Love of money.

Envy.

Drunkenness, drug use.

Gluttony.

Fornication - inciting fornication thoughts, impure desires, fornication touches, watching erotic films and reading similar books.

Fornication is the physical intimacy of persons who are not bound by marriage.

Adultery is adultery.

Fornication is unnatural - the physical proximity of persons of the same sex, masturbation.

Incest - physical intimacy with relatives or nepotism.

Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, in the end they are all sins against God (because they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against neighbors (because they do not allow true Christian relationships and love to be revealed). ), and against themselves (because they hinder the salvific dispensation of the soul).

Whoever wants to bring repentance before God for his sins must prepare for the Sacrament of Confession. You need to prepare for confession in advance: it is advisable to read the literature devoted to the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, remember all your sins, you can write them out on

a separate piece of paper to review it before confession. Sometimes a sheet with the listed sins is given to the confessor for reading, but sins that especially weigh on the soul must be told aloud. There is no need to tell the confessor long stories, it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of condemning relatives or neighbors. It is not the list of sins that is important to God and the confessor, but the repentant feeling of the confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. It must be remembered that confession is not only an awareness of one's own shortcomings, but above all, a thirst to be cleansed of them. In no case is it unacceptable to justify oneself - this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains what real repentance is: “Here is the sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord forgave you your sins.”

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with a confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from all those who have offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule by reading the Penitential Canon, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

In order to confess, you need to find out when the Sacrament of Confession takes place in the temple. In those churches where the service is performed every day, the Sacrament of Confession is also performed every day. In those churches where there is no daily service, you must first familiarize yourself with the schedule of services.

Children up to seven years old (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary from early childhood to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great

Sacrament. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the routine of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare babies for the upcoming Communion 2-3 days in advance: read the Gospel, the lives of the saints, other soulful books with them, reduce, or better, completely exclude watching TV (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations with the preparation for Communion in the child ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bedtime, talk with the child about the past days and bring him to a sense of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than a personal example of parents.

Starting from the age of seven, children (youths) already begin the Sacrament of Communion, like adults, only after the preliminary celebration of the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics. To set the children up for sincere repentance, it is pleaded that they be given the following list of possible sins to read:

Did you lie in bed in the morning and did you miss the morning prayer rule in connection with this?

Didn't he sit down at the table without praying and didn't he go to bed without prayer?

Do you know by heart the most important Orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”, a prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

Did you go to church every Sunday?

Didn't he get carried away with various amusements on church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

Did he behave properly in the church service, didn’t he run around the temple, didn’t he conduct empty conversations with his peers, thereby introducing them into temptation?

Did he not pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

Are you making the sign of the cross correctly, are you in no hurry to do so, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?

Did you get distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?

Do you read the Gospel, other spiritual books?

Do you wear a pectoral cross and are you not ashamed of it?

Do you use a cross as a decoration, which is a sin?

Do you wear various amulets, for example, signs of the zodiac?

Didn't he guess, didn't he tell?

Didn’t he hide his sins before the priest at confession because of false shame, and then take communion unworthily?

Was he not proud of himself and others of his successes and abilities?

Have you argued with anyone - just to get the upper hand in the argument?

Did you lie to your parents out of fear of being punished?

Didn’t you eat fast food, for example, ice cream, without the permission of your parents?

Did he listen to his parents, argue with them, demand an expensive purchase from them?

Did he hit anyone? Have you encouraged others to do so?

Did he offend the younger ones?

Have you tortured animals?

Didn't he gossip about anyone, didn't he snitch on anyone?

Have you laughed at people who have any physical handicaps?

Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue, or using drugs?

Didn't he swear?

Have you played cards?

Did you do any handicraft?

Did you take someone else's for yourself?

Have you been in the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

Are you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

Was he pretending to be sick to avoid his duties?

Did you envy others?

The above list is only a general scheme of possible sins. Each child may have their own, individual experiences associated with specific cases. The task of parents is to set the child up for repentant feelings before the Sacrament of Confession. You can advise him to remember his misdeeds committed after the last confession, write his sins on a piece of paper, but this should not be done for him. The main thing: the child must understand that the Sacrament of Confession is a Sacrament that cleanses the soul from sins, subject to sincere, sincere repentance and the desire not to repeat them again.

Confession is made in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. In no case should one be late for the beginning of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rites, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rites, the priest addresses the penitents so that they give their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the beginning of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of the confession, reads the rites again for them and accepts the confession, or appoints it for another day. It is impossible for women to start the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

Confession usually takes place in a church with a confluence of people, so you need to respect the secrecy of confession, not crowd around the priest who is receiving confession, and not embarrass the confessor who reveals his sins to the priest. The confession must be complete. It is impossible to confess some sins first, and leave others for the next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in pre-

previous confessions and which have already been released to him are not named again. If possible, you need to confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a sense of false shame prevents a familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this are trying to deceive God Himself by their actions: at confession we confess our sins not to the confessor, but together with him - to the Savior Himself.

In large churches, due to the large number of penitents and the impossibility of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists the most common sins aloud and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone in turn comes under the permissive prayer . Those who have never been to confession or have not confessed for several years should avoid general confession. Such people need to go through private confession - for which you need to choose either a weekday, when there are not so many confessors in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed. If this is not possible, you need to go to the priest at a general confession for permissive prayer among the last, so as not to detain anyone, and, having explained the situation, open yourself to him in the sins you have committed. The same should be done by those who have grave sin.

Many ascetics of piety warn that a grave sin, about which the confessor kept silent at the general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

After confessing sins and reading the prayer of permissiveness by the priest, the penitent kisses the Cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern and, if he was preparing for communion, takes a blessing from the confessor for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises intended to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, spoken through a priest, requiring obligatory fulfillment in order to heal the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible for various reasons to fulfill the penance, one should turn to the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.

Those wishing not only to confess, but also to take communion, must adequately and in accordance with the requirements of the Church prepare for the Sacrament of Communion. This preparation is called fasting.

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Modest food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses abstain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and TV viewing. If circumstances permit, these days one should attend services in the temple. The morning and evening prayer rules are more diligently carried out, with the addition of reading the Penitential Canon to them.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is performed in the temple - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading the prayers for the future, three canons are read: Penitent to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read until the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to make such a prayer rule in

one day, they take a blessing from the priest to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to follow all the prayer rules for preparing for the sacrament. Parents, together with the confessor, need to choose the optimal number of prayers that the child will be able to do, then gradually increase the number of necessary prayers needed to prepare for Communion, up to the full prayer rule for Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, some do not go to confession and do not receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers to be read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to approach the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing sins, ask your confessor for advice. It is necessary to pray to the Lord that He will help to overcome difficulties and give strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to start the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock in the morning they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years old, and if possible even earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

In the morning they also do not eat or drink anything and, of course, do not smoke, you can only brush your teeth. After reading the morning prayers, prayers for Holy Communion are read. If it is difficult to read the prayers for Holy Communion in the morning, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, it is necessary to arrive on time, before the start of confession. If confession was made the night before, then the confessor comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a Sacrament established by the Savior Himself during the Last Supper: “Jesus took bread and, blessing, broke it and, distributing it to the disciples, said: take, eat: this is My Body. And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins ”(Gospel of Matthew, ch. 26, verses 26-28).

During the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed - bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the communicants, taking Them during Communion, mysteriously, incomprehensibly to the human mind, unite with Christ Himself, since He is all contained in each Particle of Communion .

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary in order to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks of this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day ... ”(Gospel of John, ch. 6, verses 53-54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary purification by the Sacrament of Penance; the only exceptions are infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation prescribed for the laity. Women need to wipe lipstick off their lips. It is forbidden for women to receive communion during the month of cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the fortieth day prayer of cleansing has been read over them.

During the exit of the priest with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one earthly (if it is a weekday) or waist (if it is a Sunday or holiday) bow and carefully listen to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers

private traders, with their hands crossed on their chests (the right over the left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let the children go first to the Chalice, then the men come up, after them the women. One should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having called his name aloud, the communicant, opening his mouth, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After Communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the mouth of the communicant with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes a drink (warmth) and eats a particle of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting warmth, one cannot venerate either icons, or the Cross, or the Gospel.

After receiving the warmth, the communicants do not leave the temple and pray with everyone until the end of the service. After the dismissal (the final words of the service), the communicants approach the Cross and carefully listen to the prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion. After listening to the prayers, the communicants sedately disperse, trying to keep the purity of their soul cleansed of sins for as long as possible, not exchanging for empty talk and deeds that are not useful for the soul. On the day after communion of the Holy Mysteries, prostrations are not performed; with the blessing of the priest, they are not applied to the hand. You can apply only to icons, the Cross and the Gospel. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoiding verbosity (it is better to be silent more in general), watching TV, excluding marital intimacy, it is advisable for smokers to refrain from smoking. It is advisable to read thanksgiving prayers at home after Holy Communion. The fact that on the day of the sacrament one cannot shake hands is a prejudice. Under no circumstances should you take communion several times in one day.

In cases of illness and infirmity, communion can be done at home. For this, a priest is invited to the house. Depending on

Depending on his condition, the sick person is properly prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can take communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of the dying). Children under seven years of age do not receive communion at home, since, unlike adults, they can only partake of the Blood of Christ, and the spare Gifts that a priest communes at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts celebrated on weekdays during Great Lent.

Each Christian either determines the time when he needs to confess and take communion, or does it with the blessing of his spiritual father. There is a pious custom to take communion at least five times a year - on each of the four multi-day fasts and on the day of your Angel (the day of memory of the saint whose name you bear).

How often it is necessary to take communion, St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer gives pious advice: The heart then partakes of the Lord spiritually.

But just as we are constrained by the body, and surrounded by external affairs and relationships, in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual tasting of the Lord, due to the bifurcation of our attention and feelings, is weakened day by day, obscured and hidden ...

Therefore, the zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are, as it were, eating the Lord again.

Published by the Orthodox parish in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Novosibirsk.

Sacrament Communion established by the Lord Himself last supper- the last meal with the disciples on Easter night before His arrest and crucifixion.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, before giving the Sacrament of Communion, said: “The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). That is, the food that I want to give you is My Flesh, which I want to give for the revitalization of the whole world. This means that Divine Communion for believers is a necessary component of spiritual and Christ-like life.

If you do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you.
In. 6:53

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
In. 6:56

With these words, the Lord pointed out the absolute necessity for all Christians to participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The most was established by the Lord at the Last Supper. “Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and said: drink all of you from it, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). As the Holy Church teaches, a Christian, taking Holy Communion, is mysteriously united with Christ, for in every particle of the fragmented Lamb the whole Christ is contained. Immeasurable is the significance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the comprehension of which surpasses our reason. It kindles the love of Christ in us, elevates the heart to God, engenders virtues in it, restrains the attack of the dark force on us, grants strength against temptations, revitalizes the soul and body, heals them, gives them strength, cultivates virtues - restores that purity of soul in us. which was with the original Adam before the fall.

In his reflections on the Divine Liturgy of St. Seraphim of Zvezdinsky, there is a description of the vision of one elder ascetic, which vividly characterizes the significance for a Christian of communion of the Holy Mysteries. The ascetic saw “a sea of ​​fire, the waves of which rose and churned, presenting a terrible sight. On the opposite bank stood a beautiful garden. From there came the singing of birds, the fragrance of flowers wafted. The ascetic hears the voice “Cross this sea!” But there was no way to go. For a long time he stood thinking about how to cross, and again he hears the voice, “Take the two wings that the Divine Eucharist gave: one wing is the Divine Flesh of Christ, the second wing is His Life-Giving Blood. Without them, no matter how great the feat, it is impossible to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Elder Parthenius of Kyiv once, in a reverent feeling of fiery love for the Lord, repeated the prayer in himself for a long time: “Lord Jesus, live in me and let me live in You,” and heard a quiet, sweet voice “Eating My Flesh and drinking My Blood abides in Me and I am in him” (John 6:56).

In some spiritual illnesses, the Sacrament of Communion is the most effective remedy: for example, when so-called “blasphemous thoughts” attack a person, the spiritual fathers offer to fight them by frequent communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Righteous John of Kronstadt writes about the significance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist in the fight against strong temptations: “If you feel the severity of the struggle and see that you cannot cope with evil alone, run to your spiritual father and ask him to partake of the Holy Mysteries. This is a great and omnipotent weapon in the struggle. For one mentally ill, Father John recommended living at home and partaking of the Holy Mysteries more often as a means of healing.

According to the custom of the Church, the Sacraments of Repentance (confession) and Communion follow directly one after the other. Saint Seraphim says that the rebirth of the soul is accomplished through two Sacraments: "through repentance and complete cleansing from all sinful filth by the Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ."

Repentance alone is not enough to preserve the purity of our heart and strengthen our spirit in piety and virtue. The Lord said: “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and, not finding it, says: I will return to my house from where I came out; and when he comes, he finds it swept and tidied up; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and having entered they dwell there, and the last for that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-26).

So, if repentance cleanses us from the filthiness of our soul, then the communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord will infuse us with grace and prevent the return of the evil spirit, expelled by repentance, into our soul. At the same time, no matter how necessary the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ may be for us, it cannot take place unless repentance precedes it. The Apostle Paul writes: “... whoever eats this bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many die” (1 Cor. 11:27-30). As we see from the words of the Apostle Paul, the Sacrament of Communion will be effective only with proper preparation for it, with prior self-examination and repentance for sins. And if the latter was not, then the person is doomed to infirmity, illness, and even.

What could serve as an indicator for us that we have properly prepared for the Sacrament of Communion? Here is the opinion of the Monk Simeon the New Theologian on this matter: “Once, when the inspired words of our holy father Simeon of Studius were read: “Brother, never take communion without tears…” - then the listeners, hearing this, - and there were many of them not only laity, but also monks from well-known and glorious in virtue, - they were surprised at this word and, looking at each other, smiling, they said unanimously, as if with one voice, “Therefore, we will never take communion, but we must all remain without communion ...”. Further, St. Simeon analyzes the features of an active life, full of labors of repentance, that those who go through such a life receive a tender, sensitive heart and tenderness, and their tears will always accompany communion. Those who spend their lives in self-gratification, who are lazy, negligent, do not repent and do not humble themselves, they constantly remain with a callous, cruel heart and will not know what tears are at communion.

As Archbishop Arseniy (Chudovskoy) writes, “It is a great thing to receive the Holy Mysteries and the fruits of this are great: the renewal of our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the blissful mood of the spirit. And how great is this work, so careful it requires from us and preparation. Therefore, if you want to receive the grace of God from Holy Communion, do your best to correct your heart.” However, here one should also remember the words of St. Theophan the Recluse: “The action of the Sacraments is not always reflected in the feeling, but also acts secretly.”

How often should one partake of the Holy Mysteries?

In the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer "Our Father" we ask for the daily granting of "daily bread" to us. According to the interpretation of many Church Fathers, these words most likely should not be understood as ordinary bread and food, which God gives us in abundance without our petition (see Matt. 6, 31-32). Thus, St. Cyprian writes: “We call Christ our bread, because He is the Bread of those who eat His Body… But we ask this bread to be given to us every day, who are in the temple and receive the Eucharist every day as food of salvation, in the sense that no grave sin occurred and we were not forbidden to partake of this Heavenly Bread... Therefore, we ask you to give us our Bread, i.e., Christ, so that we, abiding in Christ, never deviate from the sanctification of His Body.”

St. John Cassian the Roman writes on the same subject, “Give us our daily bread today.” “Daily”, i.e. “above-essential” - the highest of all essences, which can only be the Bread that came down from heaven. When it says “today”, it is shown that yesterday’s eating of it is not enough if it is not also given to us today, convincing us by such an everyday need for it to pour out this prayer at all times, since there is no day on which it would not be necessary to strengthen the heart of our inner man by accepting and eating this bread.” And here is the opinion of St. Basil the Great. In a letter to Caesarea, he writes: “It is good and beneficial to commune and receive the Holy Body and Blood of Christ every day. We commune four times a week: on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as those days when there is a memory of a saint.” The Monk Nil of Sorsk communed the Holy Mysteries daily and said that this "apparently supports the strength of the soul and body." St. Ambrose of Milan thought the same way. In the book on the Sacraments, he writes: “If the Blood is poured out many times, which is poured out for the remission of our sins, then we must always accept it so that my sins are forgiven; and if I always sin, then medicine is always necessary for me ... Take every day that which can heal you. So live so that you will always be worthy of this acceptance (i.e., communion).

St. Theophan the Recluse also blessed one of the spiritual children to take communion every day from the reserve Holy Gifts. Righteous John of Kronstadt pointed to the forgotten apostolic rule to excommunicate those who had not been at Holy Communion for three weeks.

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov commanded the Diveyevo sisters to “unremittingly confess and commune on all and, in addition, the twelfth and great holidays: the more often, the better, without tormenting yourself with the thought that you are unworthy; and the opportunity should not be missed as often as possible to enjoy the grace bestowed by the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The grace bestowed by communion is so great that no matter how unworthy and no matter how sinful a person is, if only in a humble consciousness of his great sinfulness he comes to the Lord, who redeems all of us, even if from head to toe covered with ulcers of sins, then it will be cleansed by the grace of Christ, becomes more and more bright, completely enlightened, and saved.”

Of course, it is very good to receive communion on the days of your name day and birth, and for spouses on the day of their marriage. Rev. Alexy Zossimovsky recommended that his spiritual children take communion also on the memorable days of their deceased loved ones - on the days of their death and name days. This contributes to the unity in Christ of the living and those who have gone to another world.

If you wish to receive communion even more often (perhaps even every day), you need to follow this instruction of St. Simeon the New Theologian: “Who does not reveal the secrets of his heart every day, who in them and in what he has done through ignorance does not bring due repentance, who does not go weeping and lamenting always and what has been said before with care does not pass, he is truly unworthy [of daily communion]. And whoever does all this and in sighs and tears completes the course of his life, he is very worthy to be a partaker of the Divine Mysteries, and not only on a holiday, but every day, and even - although I boldly say - from the very beginning of repentance and conversion. .

As Archbishop Arseniy (Chudovskoy) writes, “constant communion should be the ideal of all Christians. But the enemy of the human race immediately understood what power the Lord had given us in the Holy Mysteries. And he began the work of rejecting Christians from Holy Communion. From the history of Christianity, we know that at first Christians took communion daily, then four times a week, then on Sundays and holidays, and there - at all, that is, four times a year, finally, barely once a year, and others even less often." “A Christian must always be ready for both death and communion,” said one of the spiritual fathers. So, it is up to us to frequently participate in the Last Supper of Christ and receive the great grace of the Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ at it. And if the heart lives entirely by God - both in deeds, and in words, and in thoughts, if a Christian weeps in his soul about every sin and has the goal of his life to please God and acquire the Holy Spirit of God, then he has no obstacles for daily communion of the Holy Mysteries , as did the Christians of the first centuries and as Simeon the New Theologian writes about it. One of the wisest modern pastors, Fr. Valentin Sventsitsky writes: “Spiritual life is not an abstract theology, but a real and most undoubted life in Christ. But how can it begin if you do not receive in this terrible and great Sacrament the fullness of the Spirit of Christ? How, without having accepted the Flesh and Blood of Christ, will you be in Him? And here, as in repentance, the enemy will not leave you without attacks. And here he will build you all sorts of intrigues. He will erect a lot of both external and internal barriers, You will have no time, then you will feel unhealthy, then you will want to. set aside for a while, "to better prepare." Do not listen. Go. Confess. Communion. You don't know when the Lord will call you."

Let each soul sensitively listen in his heart and be afraid to listen to the knocking at his door of the hand of the High Guest; let her be afraid that her hearing will be hardened by worldly fuss and will not be able to hear the quiet and tender calls coming from the Kingdom of Light. Let the soul be afraid to replace the experiences of the heavenly joy of unity with the Lord with the muddy entertainments of the world or the base consolations of the bodily nature. And when she is able to tear herself away from the world and everything sensual, when she yearns for the light of the heavenly world and reaches out to the Lord, let her dare to unite with Him in the great Mystery, dressing herself in the spiritual clothes of sincere repentance and the deepest humility and the unchanging fullness of spiritual poverty. Also, let not the soul be troubled because, with all its repentance, it is still unworthy of communion. Righteous Alexy Mechev says this about it: “Communion more often and do not say that you are unworthy. If you talk like that, you will never take communion, because you will never be worthy. Do you think that there is at least one person on earth who is worthy of communion of the Holy Mysteries? No one is worthy of this, and if we do receive communion, it is only through the special mercy of God. We are not created for Communion, but Communion is for us. It is we - sinful, unworthy, weak - more than anyone who need this saving source.

Why do we still not receive the blessings of our spiritual fathers for more frequent communion? Only due to our hardness of heart and negligence, because in our sinful life and the absence of constant repentance and sobriety, we would begin to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily.

If the Christians of the first centuries tried to partake of the Holy Chalice every day, then in the 19th century many Christians in Russia considered communion as a dying parting word. In our time, the desire to receive communion often has revived again. However, knowing that the Chalice must be approached after careful preparation - fasting, many cannot find the strength and time for fasting (which thereby turns into an end in itself).

At the heart of deciding how often we need to take communion lies the degree of preparedness of the soul, its jealousy, its love for the Lord, its strength of repentance. Therefore, the Church leaves this issue to the priests and confessors to decide. It is with the spiritual father that it is necessary to agree on how often to take communion, how long and how strictly to fast before this. Different priests bless in different ways, but to each according to his ability. Many modern pastors recommend that people who seek to church their lives take communion from one to two times a month. Sometimes priests bless even more frequent communion, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Of course, one cannot take communion “for show”, for the sake of fulfilling certain quantitative norms. The sacrament of the Eucharist must become for the Orthodox Christian a need of the soul, without the fulfillment of which it is impossible to live.

On the preparation for Communion of the Holy Mysteries

Those who wish to worthily partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must prayerfully prepare themselves for this in two or three days: pray at home in the morning and evening, attend church services. Before the day of communion, you must be at the evening service. The rule for Holy Communion is added to home evening prayers (from the prayer book). Its size is determined by the spiritual father. Usually it includes the canons: repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, as well as the Follow-up to Holy Communion.

At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the following instructions of the righteous John of Kronstadt: “some put all their well-being and service before God in reading all the prescribed prayers, not paying attention to the readiness of the heart for God - to their inner correction; for example, many read the rule for Communion in this way. Meanwhile, here, first of all, we must look at the correction of our lives and the readiness of the heart to receive the Holy Mysteries. If the right heart has become in your womb, by the grace of God, if it is ready to meet the Bridegroom, then glory to God, although you did not have time to subtract all the prayers. The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). Good obedience in everything to the Mother Church, but with prudence; and, if possible, "he who can contain" a long prayer "may he contain". But “not all can bear this word” (Mt. 19:11; see also v. 12); if a long prayer is incompatible with the ardor of the spirit, it is better to make a short but fervent prayer. Remember that one word of the publican, spoken from a warm heart, justified him. God does not look at a lot of words, but at the disposition of the heart. The main thing is the living faith of the heart and the warmth of repentance for sins. Prayer is combined with abstinence from fast food - meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, with and from fish. In the rest of the food, moderation should be observed.

Those who wish to take communion should, best of all, on the eve, before or after the evening service, bring sincere repentance for their sins before the priest, sincerely opening their soul and not concealing a single sin. Before confession, one must certainly reconcile both with one's offenders and with those whom one has offended oneself. At confession, it is better not to wait for the priest's questions, but to tell him everything that is on your conscience, without justifying yourself in anything and without shifting the blame to others. In no case should you condemn someone in confession or talk about other people's sins. If it is not possible to confess in the evening, you need to do it before the start of the liturgy, in extreme cases - before the Cherubic Hymn. Without confession, no one, except for infants up to seven years of age, can be admitted to Holy Communion. After midnight, it is forbidden to eat and drink, you must come to Communion strictly on an empty stomach. Children should also be taught to abstain from food and drink before Holy Communion.

How to approach the Holy Chalice?

Each communicant needs to know well how to approach the Holy Chalice so that communion takes place sedately and without fuss.

Here are the rules.
• Before the Chalice it is necessary to make an earthly bow. If there are many communicants, then in order not to disturb others, you need to bow in advance.
• When the royal doors open, one must cross oneself and fold one’s hands crosswise on the chest, the right hand over the left, and with such a folded hands take communion; you need to move away from the Chalice without separating your hands
• It is necessary to approach from the right side of the temple, and leave the left free.
• Altar attendants receive communion first, then monks, children, and only then everyone else. It is necessary to give way to neighbors, in no case do not push.
• Women need to remove their lipstick before communion.
• Approaching the Chalice, one should loudly and clearly state one's name, accept the Holy Gifts, chew (if necessary) and immediately swallow Them, and kiss the lower edge of the Chalice like the rib of Christ.
• You can not touch the Chalice with your hands and kiss the priest's hand.
• It is forbidden to be baptized at the Chalice! Raising your hand for the sign of the cross, you can accidentally push the priest and spill the Holy Gifts.
• Going to the table with a drink, you need to eat the antidor and drink the warmth. Only after that you can apply to the icons and talk.
• If the Holy Gifts are taught from several Chalices, they can only be received from one. You cannot take communion twice a day.
• On the day of Communion, it is not customary to kneel, with the exception of bowing while reading, bowing before the Shroud of Christ on Great Saturday and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity.
• When you come home, you should first of all read the thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion; if they are read in the temple at the end of the service, one must listen to the prayers there. After communion until the morning, one should also not spit anything out and rinse the mouth. Communicators should try to keep themselves from idle talk, especially from condemnation, and in order to avoid idle talk, one must read the Gospel, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, and Holy Scripture.

Communion of the sick

This rite is a special kind of teaching the Sacrament of the Eucharist to people who, due to a serious illness, cannot be in church during the celebration of the Sacrament at the full Liturgy and participate in its reception. In this case, already the ancient Church, condescending to the infirmities of the sick and looking at the Sacrament as the best and surest medicine of the soul and body, sent the Holy Gifts to the faithful at home. The Church is doing the same now. According to the custom of the Orthodox Church, the Holy Gifts for the sick are prepared on Great Thursday, but they can be prepared at any other time at the full Liturgy. For this purpose, a second lamb is prepared, and in those churches where the liturgy is celebrated daily, only a part of the liturgical lamb is set aside. The whole lamb or part of the lamb is prepared for teaching to the sick in the same way as for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, according to the instructions of the teaching message.

The very process of communion of the sick has this order: The priest takes a portion of the Holy Mysteries, puts it into the chalice, and pours in as much wine as the patient can conveniently take. After the usual beginning, they read: “Come, let us bow down” three times, the Symbol of Faith and prayers for Holy Communion. Then the patient prepared in this way confesses and receives permission from sins, if he has not been confessed, and otherwise receives direct communion. After communion, they read: Now you forgive, the Trisagion, Our Father, the troparion of the day, the Theotokos, and there is a dismissal of the present day.

Follow-up to Holy Communion

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth, Who is everywhere and fills everything, Treasury of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Blessed, our souls.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)

Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake.

Lord have mercy. (Three times)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

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.

Lord have mercy. (12 times)

Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)

Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God. (Bow)

Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)