The Sacrament of Baptism is the first and one of the most important steps of a Christian on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Without it, an Orthodox Christian can not attain salvation, for as the Savior said: If one is not born of water and the Spirit, he can not enter the Kingdom of God. Born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I told you: you must be born again
The Savior showed us the need for Baptism by his own example, when He was baptized by John the Baptist. He gave us to see that the path of each of His disciples to Golgotha begins from Baptism, and that without it one can not even start a feat. Before the Ascension Jesus Christ commanded the apostles: "Go, therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; And lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28: 19-20). These words testify to our time that each of us should accept this gift and try to help all our loved ones and others to follow the Lord's example.
In the course of two thousand years, the Sacrament of Epiphany has undergone many changes and variations in different faiths and denominations. The Orthodox Church has preserved and, to the maximum, preserved the rite of the ordinance. Initially baptized in most cases, adults, passing before this training and embarking on a sacrament with living faith, which was a necessary condition. And only in the course of the last several centuries, in most cases, only infants became baptized. Because of their age, they can not testify to their faith, baptism is based on the faith of the parents. And on their behalf, they give vows before God, and the godparents also pronounce the Symbol of Faith. Their task is not only the presence, but also the Christian upbringing in the spirit of the Orthodox faith.
Today, there is a gradation of the categories of people who, for a number of reasons, are not allowed to be godparents. These are monks, parents of children who are baptized, married couples, unbaptized, unbelievers, people who are mentally ill.
If there are no followers, then it is allowed to baptize the child without them. In such cases, the godfather is the priest himself. Parents of the child can be found in the temple, if the priest before this read the prayer of the 40th day over the mother.
The sacrament of baptism is performed by a bishop or priest. It can also be committed by an Orthodox Christian, but only when someone dies or is exposed to mortal danger.
Before the commencement of the Sacrament, the priest dresses himself in white robes: epitrachel, bail and felon. The symbolism of these clothes consists in bringing a new life to the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the priest burns the font and all those present in the temple. Then the priest reads a preparatory prayer (about himself) and three prayers for the consecration of water and oil. He then anoints the water with water and the one who is baptized. After a threefold immersion in the font, during which to be pronounced: THE RAPE OF GOD (THE SLAVE OF GOD) RIDES: THE FATHER OF THE FATHER, AMEN! And the SON, AMEN! AND HOLY SPIRIT, AMEN! , Three times it is read or sung by a psalm. After this new member of Christ's Church is clothed in the old garments, which symbolize the restoration of the pristine nature, which was lost due to the fall of the ancestors.
It is from this moment for every Christian begins the path to Calvary, which is filled with many obstacles and obstacles. The path in which each step will bring the believer closer to the source of Love and all the blessings, to eternal prosperity and harbor quiet. And it is the Sacrament of Baptism that gives the foundation on which our salvation will be built.
September 2015
