A Sacramental Church – The Seven Sacraments
As an apostolic church, the Orthodox Church continues to practice the seven sacraments that our Lord Jesus Christ established during his time here on earth. Four of these sacraments are required for salvation, as our Lord Jesus Christ has instructed us: baptism, confirmation, confession, and communion. The other three of the church sacraments are not required for salvation, but are still works of the Holy Spirit which are manifested to us through a physical action. All seven of the sacraments are spiritual mysteries which are physically manifested to us. For example, baptism’s spiritual manifestation is that a person has died with Christ and is now risen with Christ, and its physical manifestation is immersion in water three times. All of the sacraments of the Church are performed by either priests or bishops–except the ordination into the priesthood, which only the bishop can perform.
Baptism
Baptism is the first of the four sacraments that are required for salvation. Baptism happens directly before the sacrament of Chrismation, and both of these sacraments are only performed once in the believer’s life. The Bible is clear on the necessity of baptism of believers. Christ says to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). From the beginning, the Church has recognized the “water” to be the water of baptism and the “Spirit” to be the Holy Spirit . The sacrament of baptism is the first sacrament a believer will partake in. Through baptism, the believer becomes part of the Church and is given the right to partake of the rest of the sacraments. The key purpose of baptism is to wash away original sin.
Baptism & Resurrection
Through baptism, we are born again by being immersed in water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Through baptism we die with Christ in his crucifixion, are born again with Him in His resurrection, and the consequences of the original sin are taken away. Through baptism we are united to the body of Christ in His death and resurrection.
Age of Baptism
The Orthodox Church believes that infants are born with original sin. Since we are concerned about their eternal life (John 3:5), we can not prevent children from being baptized and expose them to God’s judgment.
Although many Christians are baptized in their infancy, there are many believers who are baptized later in life. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). This is meant for adults who are capable of understanding the significance of faith and who choose to be baptized when they believe.
Renouncing Satan
One of the first of the baptismal prayers is the renouncing of Satan. Renouncing Satan means that we break the covenant with him. This covenant is our obedience to him, and it is inherited as part of the original sin. To renounce Satan means to refuse to remain under his bondage, and so to refuse all his profane deeds, his plans and deluding tricks, his deceit, and his deadly lies.
Facing the west and then to the east when renouncing Satan has a significant meaning. The one who leaves the direction of the west and turns towards the east proves that he hates and renounces sin and its darkness, and instead yearns for the holiness and light granted in baptism. He turns towards a new, pure life renewed day by day according to the image of his Creator. He who faces the east proves that he seeks the first heavenly life, because the first paradise planted by God was a garden eastward in Eden (Genesis 2:8).
After the Baptism
Wearing white following the baptism symbolizes being born again and united with Christ. The red ribbon wrapped around the baptized following baptism symbolizes salvation through the blood of Christ. Baptisms usually occur during or before the liturgy. After the liturgy there is a procession. During this procession, the baptized goes around the church and then stands before the altar. Then the priest says a concluding prayer, the deacons chant “Axios (Worthy)” three times, and the red ribbon is taken off.
Chrismation
Chrismation happens immediately after baptism. It is the process of anointing the baptized with the Chrism (also known as the Holy Myron) in order to give them the Holy Spirit. Whereas baptism is for atonement of the original sin, chrismation is for the believer to receive the Holy Spirit within them.
Chrismation & Salvation
“Whoever is baptized should be anointed by myron, to become the anointed for God, and so is granted the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
(St. Cyprianus)
Chrismation, or the anointing of the chrism (also known as myron), is the equivalent of the apostles’ laying of hands on the believers. The Bible mentions the apostles laying hands on the baptized to give them the Holy Spirit: “Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17). With the growth of the church, it was not plausible for the apostles (the bishops of the time of Christ) to go and lay hands on every person who was baptized. Thus the chrism was made so that priests could perform this sacrament and give the baptized the Holy Spirit without the physical presence of a bishop. Although bishops can give the baptized the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, they still opt to use the chrism to avoid confusing the congregation.
Chrismation & The Chrism
The holy chrism is also often known as the “holy myron.” This tradition of using sacred oil goes back to the Old Testament in the book of Exodus (30:22-32) when God ordered Moses to prepare an anointing oil of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and sweet calamus mixed with pure olive oil. This oil was used to anoint kings, priests, the tent of the tabernacle, and its furniture. The chrism has been made several times and has a special service that involves mixing previous chrism with several other components to make additional chrism. The chrism originally came from the spices and fragrances that anointed the body of Christ after His burial.
When using the chrism, the priest anoints the baptized in 36 places, including several joints and the senses. After the anointing of the chrism, the anointed becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this anointment, God grants the grace of confirmation to the baptized as well as the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Anointing the external organs with the myron oil denotes anointing the power of the internal soul and its spiritual senses with the power of God to fight the hosts of evil. This is because the Holy Spirit is the most powerful weapon against the devil and the best protection against sin and its seduction.
Repentance & Confession
The sacrament of repentance and confession is needed for salvation. This sacrament is often referred to as just confession. This sacrament is the means by which the sinner returns to God after confessing his sins before a priest. With the authority granted to him by God, the priest absolves the sinner. Sincere repentance should always precede confession. The absolution at the end of confession grants the believer the forgiveness of the sins they confessed. Our Lord Jesus Christ founded the sacrament of repentance and confession when He said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Thus Christ gave His apostles the authority to forgive sins of the people through the sacrament of confession.
Repentance & Confession
Confession means admitting and declaring a certain matter. The sacrament of confession means humbly repenting and verbally confessing before the priest one’s sins and mistakes in order to be granted the absolution and forgiveness.
Repentance should be offered prior to confession. There are four components to true repentance:
- Contrite heart and remorse for previous sins.
- Steadfast intention to improve.
- Strong faith in Christ and hope in His love to forgive.
- Verbal confession of sins before the priest.
The Act of Confession
Confession is done face to face with your spiritual father of confession who must be an ordained priest of the Orthodox Church. Confession remains confidential between you and the priest and is a means for spiritual growth. The priest often gives spiritual guidance during confession. The Orthodox Church grants all priests the same sacrament of confession, to pronounce God’s absolution of sins. In this sacrament of forgiveness of sins, the repentant sinner confesses his sins to the Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of the priest. Refer to John 20:22-23 and 1 John 1:9.
Communion
Communion is another one of the four sacraments needed for salvation. Communion is the partaking of the body and blood of Christ which are manifested in the bread and wine that are prayed on during the liturgy. The pattern of the Orthodox holy communion is derived from Christ’s practices during the Last Supper. For example, during communion the body is given first and then the blood. During the Last Supper, Christ “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you’ ” (Luke 22:19-20). The baptized should partake of their first Communion in the liturgy immediately following their baptism, even for infants, since they have just received the Holy Spirit in baptism.
Communion & Salvation
Christ is clear about the necessity of Communion in the Christian’s life: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him’ ” (John 6:53-56).
Communion as a Living Remembrance
Regarding communion, Christ said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). This means much more than communion is just a memory, however. The Greek word for “remembrance” is ἀνάμνησιν (anamnēsin). This is more than a mere memory, but a living remembrance. The bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ exactly as Christ said in the Last Supper.
The Role of the Priest in Communion
During the Divine Liturgy, the serving priest who sanctifies the sacrifice is completely responsible for it before God, just like the cherubim with a fiery sword that God appointed at the eastern side of Eden is responsible for guarding the way to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). The sword in the priest’s hand is the authority of priesthood given to him by God to give communion to the worthy, penitent believer, and to forbid it from those who are unworthy.
Worthily Partaking of Communion
“No one proceed to the Holy Communion with laziness or negligence, but let all go to receive it with enthusiasm and preparation so that we may not be punished. Do not be guilty of His Body and Blood as those who crucified Him.”
(St. John Chrysostom)
Communion occurs at the end of the Divine Liturgy. For believers to partake of communion,they must partake of it in a worthy manner as St. Paul warns us: “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord” (1st Corinthians 11:27).
What does preparing for holy communion in worthiness mean? Worthiness is feeling unworthy and sinful, and knowing that the holies are for the holy person, and that no person has reached this holiness but struggles to attain it. Even if the person is contrite, repentant, and confesses, they must believe in what our teacher St. Paul said: “For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this” (1 Corinthians 4:4).
In addition, the Church advises the faithful to observe the following practices in order to ensure that they are partaking of communion in a worthy manner:
- Be baptized and chrismated.
- Regularly practice the sacrament of confession.
- Have no grudges against anyone in their life.
- Fast since midnight the night before. (With the exception of certain night festal liturgies which require just nine hours of fasting before the liturgy)
- Come early to the Divine Liturgy to hear the readings, especially the Holy Gospel.
Partaking of Communion
The believers who do partake of communion at the end of the Divine Liturgy will line up on their side when it is their turn to take communion. It is important to note the following:
- Since the bread is consecrated and the priest is the chosen and appointed leader of the church, he is the only one that can give us the Body of Christ. He does so by breaking it into a small piece and placing it in your mouth. Next, the Blood is given with a spoon that you sip from.
- What happens if the Body falls out of your mouth (or your child’s), or if Blood drips from your mouth?
SInce the Body of Christ is consecrated and sacred, if bread falls on the floor the priest is the only one who can pick it up and put it back in your mouth. The Blood of Christ is similarly consecrated and sacred, so if it drips down your chin the priest must wipe it with his finger and partake of it himself. If the blood drips onto clothes, the person must burn that piece of clothing or give it to the priest to take care of.
- Do: We should take off our shoes to partake of communion. Only cover your mouth with the handkerchief after the body. Drink water from the provided small cups immediately after partaking of the Blood.
- Don't: Females can not take communion when on their menstrual cycle. Do not cover your mouth with the handkerchief following the blood; the blood should not touch any piece of clothing or fabric.
Unction of the Sick
The sacrament of the unction of the sick heals psychological and physical diseases through faith. The priest anoints a person with holy oil. The service for the unction of the sick, which includes prayers, provides healing for the soul. This in turn cures bodily ailments. Since the soul and body are so strongly linked, if the soul is sick, the body will likewise suffer. For this reason, the Church always asks her children to first repent from their sins to heal their souls and spirits. When our Lord Jesus Christ healed the lame man at Bethsaida who had been sick for thirty-eight years, He said to him, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14).
Unction of the Sick & Faith
“If anyone among you is sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:13,14).
Professional Help
There is nothing wrong with seeking a doctor when a person is sick. However, it is also vital that a priest is called so he can perform the unction of the sick. The power of faith should not be underestimated, because God never abandons those who hope in Him.
Marriage
The sacrament of marriage, or matrimony, is one of the seven holy sacraments. In this sacrament, one man and one woman are united and become one. As our Lord Jesus Christ said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6).
The Crowning Ceremony
The Church calls the wedding ceremony “The Crowning Ceremony.” Since marriage is a sacrament, the crowning ceremony has to be officiated by an Orthodox priest, because he alone has the authority from God to carry it out. The crowning ceremony is composed of required canonical prayers which call on God’s Spirit to bless the bride and groom and to sanctify their union. Everything in the ceremony is meaningful, from the repetition of the signing of the cross and the beautiful hymns, to the crowning of the bride and groom as a symbol of kingship and queenship over a new kingdom: their home.
Monogamy & Divorce
Christianity insists on monogamy, for in the beginning God created male and female, one Adam and one Eve. Through matrimony the two become one in Christ. They are no longer two but one body. Man and woman are unified with Christ. The Orthodox church believes this union to be permanent. There are very few cases where divorce is allowed, for Christ Himself said, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:9). The only three reasons for which the Church allows divorce are:
- Adultery – divorce is permitted if a strange person has entered the unity of marriage and profaned its holiness. However, if the person who sinned repented and the partner forgives them, then the Church permits the continuation of the marriage.
- Physical Abuse – if one of the partners in the marriage is in physical danger, then the Church allows that person to leave the marriage for their safety.
- Spiritual Immorality – denial of faith and abandonment of Christianity by one of the partners.
Priesthood
The final sacrament is the sacrament of priesthood. Unlike the other six sacraments, a bishop is required because only bishops may ordain priests. Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted this sacrament when He chose His twelve disciples and consecrated them for ministry (Luke 6:13). He gave them the authority of absolving and binding sins (as during the sacrament of confession): “Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Christ also gave them the authority to perform the other five sacraments.
In the Orthodox Church priesthood is a divine calling and divine choice. Priests are appointed and selected, meaning that a servant is recommended for the priesthood because of his good manners, successful service, and good deeds. He should also be knowledgeable of the doctrine, meek, comforting, merciful, and married (according to the Law of the Holy Gospel).
Ranks of the Priesthood
The priesthood encompasses more than just priests. In fact, there are three ranks of the priesthood: deacons (the servants), priests (the teachers), and bishops (the overseers and shepherds).
Customs of the Priesthood
Priests are addressed as “Father” or “Abouna,” which is “father” in Arabic. Bishops are addressed as “Sayedna,” which means “Master” or “Teacher.”
The hand of the priest is an instrument for imparting the Divine Grace, as through the prayers offered by the priest the Holy Spirit changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The priest’s hands distribute the holy Body and Blood bestows a special sanctity upon Christians imparting Divine Grace. Therefore, whenever approaching a priest or bishop it is traditional to kiss their hand. This tradition has endured for centuries in Eastern Christendom and shows paternal respect and affection.
Priests usually wear a large cross, black clothing, and a round hat. Priests do not shave their beards. The black clothing symbolizes that they are dead to the world. Orthodox monks and bishops follow this custom as well.
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