How to baptize in the Orthodox Church

Those who regularly attend church are well aware of church rites and rules. But if you honestly, now few people have time every Sunday to go to the temple. And many people only at the conscious age understand the importance of such visits, but are afraid to do something wrong. After all, in the church there are tactless know-alls who love to make comments. To have a good time in prayer, without attracting the attention of others, you should learn to be baptized by the rules before visiting the temple.

How to make the right sign of the cross

The ability to be baptized shows a respectful attitude towards their faith and Orthodox traditions. That is why a true Christian not only performs this action himself in strict accordance with the church ritual, but also always shows the correctness of actions to those who ask for it.

To apply the sign of the cross on yourself or on any other person, you first need to correctly fold the fingers of your right hand. Together they connect the tips of the index, thumb and middle fingers, and the little finger and the ring finger are pressed to the palm of the hand. The correct arrangement of the fingers is the basis for performing the ritual of illumination with the holy cross.

When your fingers are folded as necessary, you need to put an impressive gesture to their foreheads, then lower your hand to the level of the solar plexus, then to the right shoulder and finish with the application to the left shoulder. After the right hand is lowered, you can bow.

What is the meaning of this action
If a child has pious parents, they usually take him to church from childhood and naturally teach him to be baptized. But for many children attending church, this action is done out of habit, they may not understand the meaning of covering themselves with such a sign. But this gesture is not accidental and has a certain meaning.

The folded three fingers of the Orthodox faith signify the Holy Trinity, that is, faith in God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Two pressed fingers to the palm signify the dual nature of Jesus Christ, the union of the divine and human principles in the Son of God.It is customary to be baptized with the right hand, because it is the human guardian angel that stands behind the right shoulder.

Places of attachment of the connected tips of three fingers also have their meaning. Putting fingers to the forehead, the mind is illuminated, and to the area of ​​the solar plexus - the inner feelings. To illuminate the physical forces of the attachment make alternately to the right and left shoulder.

In some cases, after covering yourself with the holy cross, it is customary to make a bow. It is necessary to bow only after “Amen” has been pronounced and the right hand has already dropped, otherwise the admiration breaks the inflicted cross, and this is considered wrong. The bow can be belt or earthy. In the first version, the head is bowed to the waist, and in the second case, they drop to their knees and touch their forehead to the ground. Worship of the head is an act of humility before the Lord God and an expression of love for him.

The death of the Son of God, Jesus Christ after being crucified on the cross, is an act of self-sacrifice for the salvation of human souls. The divine power is invested in the cross to protect the soul. By illuminating himself with the flag of the cross, a person protects himself from the temptations of the devil, various misfortunes.The same power is held by the cross laid by the priest or parents.

When to baptize

Usually the Christian prayer ends with the words: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen." It is at the time of pronouncing this phrase, whether it is mentally or aloud, and illuminate themselves with the holy cross. Also baptized when a priest says a prayer.

Orthodox Christians are baptized not only when you pray. Upon entering and leaving the temple, they are baptized three times and make a half-bow, and during the fast, the bow must be earthly. Illuminate themselves with the holy cross and in front of Christian shrines. For example, before the miraculous icon and the Bible in the church.

A believer will always cross three times if he walks past a temple and bows to the belt. Even if this way he goes twice a day to work and home. With this gesture, he publicly declares his faith and love for the Lord God, and shows respect for Orthodox traditions.

The believer is also baptized upon waking, before the beginning of the meal, before going to bed. In order to cross, it is not necessary to say a long prayer.Suffice it to be simple words of gratitude to God for the beginning of one more day in his life, for the food sent to the table or for a successfully spent day.

Usually, parents cover their children before they leave the house, as well as before important events in their lives, before going to bed. Thereby they give them protection from misfortunes, send quiet dreams or good luck in the accomplishment of the intended business. Illumination by the holy cross by the parents of their children has a special power, since it is invested in it besides God's love for any person and parental love.

Why is it important to be baptized correctly

The illumination of oneself with the sign of the cross can not only cause condemnation from other visitors to the temple, which is unpleasant, but not dangerous. Misplaced cross negates all the power of prayer. It is believed that indiscriminate waving hands in an attempt to illuminate himself with the sign of the cross, attracts demons. A man as if deprives himself of protection against the temptations of the devil.

Movement while covering yourself or a loved one with a cross must be slow and clear. Every touch on the forehead, stomach or shoulders should, as it were, imprint the symbol into the body.When performing this church ritual, thoughts must be clean and orderly, that is, you need to think only about God.

When covering themselves with a cross, many people do not bring the hand to the abdomen, but stop it at chest level. Clergy consider such a cross upside down and therefore wrong. Such a sign was previously used by those who opposed the rites of the Orthodox Church and preferred their way of addressing God. But if a person has already decided to visit the temple, then it is worth to begin to learn how to properly baptize.

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