Of all the church rituals, repentance and communion are among the most responsible in the life of every Christian who regards himself to the Orthodox faith. But great responsibility implies thorough, scrupulous preparation, the most important components of which are prayers before confession and communion.
Why pray before a communion?
How to tell God about what is in your heart? Of course, with the help of prayer. So we communicate with the higher forces, share our experiences with them, ask for help or express gratitude. If that which is the soul remains unspoken, the person becomes disheartened and feels unhappy. Often this is reflected in his family, career, communication with friends and personal life. There is no need to accumulate anxiety in yourself, it is better to voice them, even if it is a conversation with yourself or a prayer.
Orthodox prayers before confession and communion are not a duty, not a punishment for offense and not a duty. Moreover, if you perceive them in this way, then it is definitely early for you to learn the Sacrament of Communion. Do not cling to the canons, if the spirit does not require. Any violence against yourself in this matter is a sign that morally a person is not ready for change.
Prayers for confession and the sacrament (especially for the second) in the Orthodox world are obligatory, however, they are read only if the participant receives full confidence in his choice and decision. Communion prayer includes three canons (see below) and pronounced the day before, before the images before going to bed. But praying at home should not replace communion in the church. The utterance of the holy text in the house of God passes through other channels and brings special spiritual peace to the one who prays, also being an expression of a respectful attitude towards religion and faith.
Preparing for confession
If there is a feeling that preparation for repentance does not contain any difficulties, then think twice. Already committed sins should be announced, so that there is no doubt in your sincere repentance. In confession, there is power to fight the sins of the future. The offense itself is not only a serious violation of the Orthodox canons, but even a thought in which you have diverged from the will of God.
None of us is flawless, therefore in the daily life we are haunted by hundreds of temptations. Especially great is the temptation of self-deception, which is considered a serious sin. Repentance means to desire a change of soul. The way you confess will be the basis for complete repentance. It is impossible to confess badly or well: everything is determined by the measure of self-consciousness and the natural desire for change without compulsion.
What should confession contain? We list the main things:
- The list of perfect sins. It is unacceptable to conceal or hush up any facts - this is how you deceive not only God, but also yourself.
- If you imagine how to repent, it is difficult, read the relevant biographies from being blessed - for example, St. Theodora.
- To voice a sin is not only to confess it, but also to let it go to repentance, therefore, confession without uttering the desired aloud will not be complete.
- Try to maintain the power of the spirit. Strong crying is dangerous for self-deception and excessive self-pity. Bumping into tears, you do not repent, but only give vent to feelings and fall into self-love.
- If you are afraid that you will forget about any sins at a confession, do not hesitate to make a list of them.
- First, voice those misconduct, which you remember the hardest. What causes us the greatest discomfort and is the subject of shame causes serious damage to the soul. But the total weight of the minor sins is sometimes heavier than the joint "terrible" sins.
- Remember that you repent to the Almighty, and do not ask forgiveness for one particular sin or several offenses. Just listing them is the wrong move. You should feel remorse, and not try to hit him "mechanically", tritely pronouncing the names of sins out loud.
- Detailed confession is not an abundance of unnecessary words. Be meaningful, but do not spread the thought on the tree. Try to speak clearly, carefully, think over your words, build complete phrases. But to talk about the committed sins - too.
- To justify yourself is a bad form. God must forgive you.
To tune in to the desired spiritual mood and enter the grace-filled trance, the following prayer is pronounced before confession:
"God and Lord of all! All power and soul and power, He is one who heals me, hear prayer for me, damned, and the serpent nesting in me by the flow of the All Saints and the Life-Giving Spirit to kill the saints: and all the virtues of nature, to the feet of the saints, sacrifice me: and all the virtues of nature, to the feet of the saints, die to me: and all the virtues of nature, to the feet of the saints, die for me: father (spiritual) with tears to take the reward, and his holy soul to charity, dear me, beloved. And wait, my God, in my heart humility and thoughts of goodness, befitting a sinner who agreed to Thee to repent, and let not your soul leave one soul, combined with you and confessing Thea, and one hundred of the world elected and predpochetshuyu Thee knowest bo, O Lord, that hoschu save ashche and the wicked, my custom is an obstacle: but it is possible to Thee, O Lord, are all, Elika can not be the essence of man, Lord, help me to sincerely repent Amen. ".!
No confession will bring results if it is not supported by concrete actions, and this must be remembered.
What prayers to read before confession and communion?
Inexperience and the fear of condemnation often prevent a person from properly preparing for repentance and communion. Some arrogantly rely on memory or horizons, which makes it look awkward during the process itself. It is one thing to have sincere intentions, but not to possess the necessary knowledge due to lack of experience. It’s quite another thing to consider yourself above asking for help from knowledgeable people. Preparation for the rites includes the mandatory reading of prayers.. They provide an opportunity to plunge into the atmosphere of reverent awe and feel it with all my soul. Before confession can be pronounced the prayer of Simeon the New Theologian in Church Slavonic:
"God and Lord of all, every breath and soul is his power, he is the only one to heal me! Hear the prayer of me, the blasphemed, and the serpent nesting in me with the flow of the All-Saints and the Life-Giving Spirit to slaughter the people. my father (duhavnago), with tears, to bring in a gift, and his holy soul to charity, dear me, fawns. And give, Lord, in my heart humility and thoughts of goodness, befitting a sinner who agreed to Thee to repent, and not completely abandon my soul , combined with You and confessing Thee, and in the place of the world that chose and chose Ty. Vesi bo, O Lord, as a hostage save, even if my sly custom is an obstacle: but it is possible for You, Vladyka, to be the whole, the whole is impossible from the person. Amen. "
You can read prayers to Holy Communion by starting with Prayer books of St. John of Damascus. It is rather short, but it contains everything necessary in order to morally prepare for the sacrament:
"Lord Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, merciful and human-loving, alone having the power to forgive sins to people, despise (forget), forgive all my sins, conscious and unconscious, and reward me without condemnation to partake of Your divine, most glorious, most pure and life-giving Secrets in punishment, not in the multiplication of sins, - but in cleansing, sanctification, as a pledge of the future life and kingdom, in a firm stronghold, in defense, and defeat of enemies, in the destruction of many of my sins, for YOU are the God of mercy and bounty, and humanity, and glorify you with the Father and by the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen! "
If you need a prayer before the sacrament and confession, the text of which includes gratitude to the higher forces for assistance in this difficult process, you can download it here.
Prayer to St. Basil the Great
For repentance of sins and asking for pardon for committed offenses, the fifth prayer of St. Basil the Great is read, which is included in the morning rule, obligatory for execution by Orthodox believers:
"Lord Almighty, God of forces and all flesh, in the highest alive and humble contemplate, test the heart and womb and the inmost of men you have foretold, Primordial and Receiving Light, He has no use, or presentation of the autumn; Himself, the Deathless King, Our prayers, even now, to the multitude of Thy bounty are daring, from the bad ones to You, we make, and forgive us our sins, by deed, and by word, and by thought, by knowledge or ignorance, we have sinned, and cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. And give us a bold heart cem and sober-mindedness of all real-life knowledge to come, awaiting the coming of the light and revelation on the day of the Only Begotten Thy Son, Lord and God and Our Savior Jesus Christ, more disgustingly with glory Judge of all will come, given by his cause, not even fallen asleep, but vigilant and raise up in the work of the people in the room prepare, into the joy and the Divine palace of glory with His sovnidem, making the one celebrating the voice unceasing, and the unspeakable sweetness of those who see Thy face the unspeakable. Thou art art the true Light, enlighten and sanctify every kind, and Thee sings all creatures for ever and ever. Amen!"
Prayer to St. John Chrysostom
Before performing the rite of repentance and communion, be sure to memorize and repeatedly repeat the second prayer of John Chrysostom, which is included in the Follow-up to Holy Communion. Observe all placed accents correctly:
"God, my God, we, I am not worthy, less pleased, and under the shelter of the worm the hands of my soul, is empty, and everything is worthless, and it is not worthy of me; peace and melody you can see in the window and you can hear the saddle of the sun in the sun. such And in the house, in the house, in the house, and in the heart of it; in the midst of it; and unclean, kissing thee, below my, abhor the veils of the mouths of the mouths and the unclean, the undershorts of my mouths and the filthy, and the square and the unclean of my tongue. But the blessing of the Holy Ghost is yours; it is the Holy Ghost. in the killing of the passions, in the supply of your commandments, in the application of your Divine gratitude, and in Your kingdom, confession. I do not despise coming to You, Christ in God, but dare to the unspeakable Your goodness, and don't remove Your communion from the mysteriously wolf-like body. I pray to Thee: I am one, holy, Vladyka, consecrate my soul and body, mind and heart, the womb and morning, and just renew, and put your fear in the midst of my heart, and consecration, your heart is warm and warm, warm and warm, and your fear will come to my joy, and your blessing will be at the heart of the warmth and warmth, and your fear will come to my joy and warmth, and your blessing will be at the heart of the warmth and warmth, and your fears will come to my joy and warmth, and your blessing will be at the heart of the warmth and warmth, and your fear will come to my joy and warmth, and your blessing will be warm and warm. and the goddess of peace, and the spirit of the world, and the soul of the world; it is with you. Amen!"
Psalms before Communion
In order for the sacrament procedure to be carried out in accordance with church canons and not to violate the instituted statutes, also three psalms numbered 22, 23 and 115. In the first psalm there is an appeal to the Lord, who gave life and guidance on the true path, mentioning the greatness of his will and the universal mercy. The staff and staff of the Lord are mentioned as a weapon to protect the believer:
“The Lord is tending (leading) me and does not deprive me of anything. There, in the place of crying, He settled me and brought me up by the quiet water. He turned my soul, sent me on the path of truth for the sake of His name. Even if I walk among the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of evil, for you are with me: your rod and your staff — they have comforted me. You have prepared a meal for me in mind of my oppressors, smeared my head with oil, and your cup gives me drink, as excellent! And your mercy follows me all the days of my life. And I will be in the house of the Lord many days! "
In the religious chants number 23 the beauty and power of the land created by the Lord is famous, the King of Glory is glorified:
"The land of the Lord and everything that fills it, the universe and all those living in it. He founded it on the seas and made it on the rivers. Who will climb the mountain of the Lord? Or who will be in His holy place? He who has irreproachable hands and pure heart who in his soul was not fond of vanity and did not swear slyly to his neighbor. He would receive a blessing from the Lord and mercy from God his savior. Such is the kind of seekers of the Lord who seek the face of God of Jacob! Princes, lift your gates and rise, eternal gates! And enter King of Glory. Who is this King of Glory? Lord of mighty and strength "Lord, the Lord is strong in battle. Princes, lift up your gates and rise, eternal gates! And the King of Glory will enter. Who is this King of Glory? Lord of forces, He is the King of Glory."
Reading Psalm 115th, express the full will to accept the will of God, rejecting all pride and repenting of transgressions:
"I believed and therefore said: I am very crushed. I said in my frenzy: every man is deceitful. That I will repay the Lord for everything that He has given me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Lord's name. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord before all His people. Honest to the Lord the death of His saints, Lord, I am Your servant. I am Your servant and the son of Your servant. You have broken my bonds. I will sacrifice you to praise and call upon the Lord's name. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord before all His people in the courtyards of the Lord's house. among you, Jerusalem! "
Memo to prepare for Holy Communion
The sacrament of Communion cannot be performed without proper preparation. Praying and repentance are the main stages of preparation, but this is not enough. If you fulfill the prescribed prescriptions, this is welcome, but the whole way of life must follow the principles of the gospel. The church and religion are full of forgiveness, but hypocrisy and the so-called "one-day holiness", when following the foundations of Christianity manifests itself spontaneously, in one second, is not welcomed too hotly. Especially if the past life was full of sinfulness. One must desire change and unity with the Creator with his whole soul, so that the message will come from its depths, and not from selfish motives or blind fear.
You can pray before communion in the house or in the temple. Anyone who wants to share the Holy Secret of Christ is obliged to prepare his spirit for this, spending long hours in prayer and participating in church service. Immediately before the procedure evening service is attended.
Prayer cooking includes reading a few special texts:
- Follow up to Holy Communion;
- Canon repentance to Christ;
- The canon of prayer to the Virgin;
- Canon Guardian Angel;
- Akathist to Holy Communion.
If everything happens on Holy Week, you can replace the reading of the above prayers with the Easter canon. However, if you have free time, do not miss the opportunity to deduct all akathists and canons.
The spiritual cleansing is necessarily supported by the liturgical fasting. If you have fallen away from the faith, have never fasted before, and are new to the faith, the priest can appoint an additional restriction in the form of a three-day or seven-day fast. Abstinence from skoromnoy food - not the only part of the post.. You should eat as modestly and moderately as possible, stop watching entertainment shows for a while, not attend game shows, leave listening to secular music. If you are married, one day before Communion do not enter into the bodily act of intercourse with the second half.
Half a day before the participle, drinking and food are completely stopped, the same applies to tobacco products. The church makes an exception for those who are obliged to take medications on a schedule. Physical purity is accompanied by an appropriate mental attitude. Anger, resentment, irritability, envious and other bad thoughts are completely left - they are unacceptable. Spend time alone with yourself and in prayers., read the gospel and other spiritual literary sources.
The sacrament of Communion begins only after you have cleared the spiritual component in the sacrament of Repentance. In simpler terms, one should repent of the sins of the Most High, and the bishop or priest will examine the act. Reconcile with your offenders before confession, ask forgiveness from those whom you offended. The very purpose of confession is to discover hidden in its character, to reveal features and emotions that interfere with righteous life according to religious regulations. Излейте все, что лежит камнем на душе, но при этом не ищите оправдания и не обвиняя других в личных бедах и несчастьях.
Идеально, если исповедь состоялась накануне причастия. Так у вас останется время для участия в утренней литургии. Не опаздывайте, появитесь в храме заранее: опоздание расценивается как неуважение к Богу, служителям церкви и прихожанам. Детей в возрасте до семи лет причащают без проведения исповеди.
