Who is baptized from left to right? About the sign of the cross. How to be baptized Orthodox Christians in the church

Which hand is the right one to be baptized and how to be baptized correctly - from left to right or from right to left? How to fold your fingers correctly? Why is it necessary to be baptized and is it necessary to do this before entering the temple?

The essence of the sign of the cross, why is it necessary to be baptized?

In the sign of the cross for a believer, several essences are combined: religious, spiritual-mystical and psychological.

Religious essence consists in the fact that, by making the sign of the cross, a person shows that he is a Christian and lives with Christ; that he is part of the Christian community, appreciates its traditions and cherishes them. That he remembers and keeps in his heart the whole earthly life of Christ - from His first to the last day - and tries to match it to the best of his ability. That honors and tries to live according to the commandments that were given by Christ.

Spiritual mystical essence lies in the fact that the sign of the cross itself has life-giving power - protecting the one who is baptized and sanctifying him. The cross is a spiritual image that a person puts on himself, “overshadows” himself with it - makes himself similar to Christ in the degree of his faith. Therefore, Christians to the sign of the cross reverent attitude and they try to be baptized not hastily, "fussily", but - with giving an account.

At the same time, when it is said that the sign of the cross has a certain "mystical" essence, it does not mean that the cross is a "mathematical" formula - such as an Indian mantra, or the rituals of magicians - which begins to "act" from a simple repetition of a set of actions or words. In an inexplicable way for human understanding, the cross sanctifies everyone who is baptized, but at the same time, everyone is “rewarded according to his faith” ...

The sign of the cross is a prayer and the attitude towards it should be appropriate.

Emotional-psychological essence sign of the cross lies in the fact that a believer unconsciously begins to be baptized when he is “used” (at certain moments of the service), or at those moments when he wants to gather himself inwardly (before important matter, before a secret step), or simply when experiencing psychological fear of something. Or vice versa - we are filled with joy and gratitude to God. Then the hand "begins to be baptized by itself."

With what hand and how correctly should the Orthodox be baptized?

In the Orthodox tradition, you need to be baptized with your right hand - regardless of whether you are right-handed or left-handed.

The order is: forehead - stomach - right - then left shoulder.

You can “shrink” the sign of the cross (not the stomach, but the chest) - for example, in situations where there are unbelievers around, you want to cross yourself, but you try to do it “imperceptibly”.

The main thing is not to make the cross "inside oneself" smaller, always remember its greatness, importance and strength.

How to fold your fingers correctly (photo)

The Orthodox tradition says that the fingers should be folded like this: the thumb, middle and index are brought together - this symbolizes the Holy Trinity - and the ring finger and little finger are pressed against the palm.

Is it possible to be baptized in some other way or, for example, with two fingers or from left to right? No - in the Orthodox Church it is customary to be baptized with three fingers from right to left, and you need to do this - without reasoning. Even if we assume that the number of fingers is a convention and an earthly institution (referring to the fact that the Old Believers are still baptized with two, as all Orthodox in Russia once did), the very violation of tradition brings more spiritual harm to a person than good.

A page from the pre-revolutionary book "The Law of God", which tells about how to properly fold your fingers during the sign of the cross, and what it all symbolizes.

Do I need to be baptized before entering the temple or passing through the temple?

When entering the temple, it is customary to be baptized. For a person who is just getting acquainted with religion, this may seem like an artificial rule (like “should”), but over time it becomes natural and even a need to “gather” internally, to overshadow oneself the symbol of Christ and by force, to pay tribute to the temple in which the sacraments are performed.

As for the situation when you just see the temple and pass by it, then a person should rely on his feelings and there are no rules. There are people who overshadow themselves with a sign every time they see the domes of the temple. There are those who do not do this, but at the same time in life they will be no less a model of a Christian.

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

How to overshadow yourself correctly with the sign of the cross

The ability to be baptized shows respect for one's 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 make the sign of the cross on yourself or on any other person, you first need to correctly fold the fingers of your right hand. The tips of the index, thumb and middle fingers are connected together, and the little and ring fingers are pressed with the tips to the palm. Correct location fingers is the basis for performing the ritual of illumination with the holy cross.

When the fingers are folded as they should, you need to attach them to the forehead with an imprinting gesture, then lower the hand to the level 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 purpose of this action
If a child has devout parents, they usually take him to church from childhood and naturally teach him to be baptized. But for many church-going children, this action is done out of habit; they may not understand the meaning of lighting themselves up with such a sign. But this gesture is not accidental and has a certain meaning.

Three fingers folded together Orthodox faith designate the Holy Trinity, that is, faith in God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. Two fingers pressed 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 baptize with the right hand, because it is behind the right shoulder that the Guardian Angel of a person stands.

The places of application of the connected tips of the three fingers also have their own meaning. Putting fingers to the forehead, the mind is illuminated, and to the area of ​​​​the solar plexus - internal feelings. To illuminate the physical forces, the applications are performed alternately to the right and left shoulder.

In some cases, after lighting yourself with a holy cross, it is customary to bow. You need to bow only after the “Amen” has been pronounced and the right hand has already dropped, otherwise the bow breaks the inflicted cross, and this is considered wrong. The bow can be in the belt or the earth. In the first variant, the head is bowed to the waist, and in the second case, they kneel down and touch the ground with their foreheads. Bowing 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 crucifixion is an act of self-sacrifice for the salvation of human souls. Embedded in the cross divine power to protect the soul. By illuminating oneself with the banner of the cross, a person protects himself from the temptations of the devil, various misfortunes. The cross placed by a clergyman or parents has the same power.

Usually christian prayer end with the words: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen." It is at the moment of pronouncing this phrase, whether mentally or out loud, that they illuminate themselves with the holy cross. They are also baptized when a clergyman says a prayer.

It is customary for Orthodox Christians to be baptized not only when you pray. When entering the temple and leaving it, they cross themselves three times and make a bow from the waist, and during fasting, the bow should be earthly. They illuminate themselves with the holy cross and in front of Christian shrines. For example, before miraculous icon and the Bible in the church.

A believing person will always cross himself three times if he walks past the temple and bows at the waist. Even if he walks this road twice a day to work and home. With this gesture, he publicly declares his faith and love for the Lord God, shows respect for Orthodox traditions.

A believer is also baptized upon awakening, before the start of the meal, before going to bed. In order to cross yourself, it is not necessary to say a long prayer. Will be enough simple words gratitude to God for the start of another day in your life, for sending food to the table or for a successful day.

Usually, parents illuminate their children before they leave the house, as well as before important events in their lives, before going to bed. In this way, they give them protection from misfortunes, send peaceful dreams or good luck in the accomplishment of the intended business. The illumination of the holy cross by the parents of their children has a special power, since in addition to the love of God for any person, parental love is also invested in it.

Why is it important to be baptized properly?

Incorrect 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. An incorrectly applied cross nullifies the entire power of prayer. It is believed that the random waving of the arms in an attempt to illuminate oneself with the sign of the cross attracts demons. A person, as it were, deprives himself of protection against the temptations of the devil.

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

Many people, when covering themselves with a cross, do not bring their hand to the stomach, but stop it at chest level. The clergy consider such a cross to be inverted and therefore incorrect. Such a sign was previously used by those who opposed the rites of the Orthodox Church and preferred their own way of addressing God. But if a person has already decided to visit the temple, then it’s worth first to find out how to be baptized correctly.

Video: how to be baptized

Many people visit the temple regularly and are well acquainted with all the rules and regulations. church rites. But still there are those who rarely go to church and do not know all the subtleties.

Usually believers come to the aid of such "visitors", but by no means always the mistakes are corrected correctly. There may be ill-mannered people who will speak out very rudely and insultingly against the one who violates the rule. Often this discourages any desire to go to church. To prevent this from happening, and you can calmly defend the service and spend time in prayer, you need to know the rules of how to make the sign of the cross and with what hand Orthodox Christians are baptized.

Why right to left

For the sign of the cross, it is customary for the Orthodox to combine three fingers of the right hand into a pinch. There is an explanation for this: on the right shoulder, there is paradise (the place where the salvation of the soul takes place and angels live here), on the left shoulder there is hell, in which the soul dies (demons and sinners live here). First, bringing the three fingers to the right shoulder, the person prays to Jesus Christ for the salvation of the soul, and then touching the left shoulder, asks the Lord to save him from death.

Sometimes the question arises, why be baptized? The cross is a symbol of repentance and protection during prayer.

Interestingly, Catholics are baptized, on the contrary, from left to right. In Catholicism, the symbols mean everything the same, on the left - heaven, and on the right - hell, but the hand moves from left to right, because they go from sin to the salvation of the soul.

Important rules for the Orthodox

How to baptize Orthodox Christians at the entrance to the temple? According to the established rules, it is necessary to cross yourself three times and bow to the ground. By this action, a person praises Jesus Christ and declares his faith.

How to fold your fingers correctly

In order to cross, you need to put your thumb, index and middle fingers together, as if in a pinch, the ring finger and little finger, bend and press against the inside of the palm.

This position of the fingers is very symbolic. The three fingers denote the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The two remaining fingers tell us that Christ is man and God at the same time.

The sequence of the imposition of the sign of the cross:

• First, bring your fingers to your forehead, while saying "In the name of the Father."
• Next, put your hand on your stomach, with the words: and the Son.
• Cross the right and then the left shoulder: and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Each movement has its own designation:

• Touching the forehead, the mind is sanctified.
• Baptizing the stomach - all organs are blessed.
• Then moving on to the shoulders - a person sanctifies his entire body.

In an idle life and endless bustle, people rarely go to church. Usually a person turns to the Lord only in difficult moments of his life. It is not right. It is necessary to have icons at home and pray. Every believing Christian must know how to be baptized. You have to wake up with morning prayers, and go to bed with the evening. Know such prayers as: “Our Father”, “Symbol of Faith”, “Hail Virgin Mary”. A prayer Holy Cross will protect you from all troubles.

Danger of wrong actions

When making the sign of the cross it is necessary to bring the hand to the stomach, many neglect this, stopping the hand at chest level. The priests do not approve of this. They see such a cross like inverted. This method of baptism was used many centuries ago by those who opposed the church, and they were ranked as heretics.

When you illuminate yourself or another person with the cross, the movements should be slow and consistent, meaning true faith. During prayer, you need to think only about God and the salvation of the soul.

An incorrect sign of the cross, imposed on oneself, devalues ​​all prayer. It is believed that if a person is baptized incorrectly, he attracts demons to himself and can be tempted by the devil.

How they were baptized centuries earlier

The current way of crossing has been formed for more than one century. Initially, when Christianity was just being formed, people were baptized with one finger and at the same time they touched their lips, forehead and chest. They did this at every mass when they read the gospel. After some time, they began to use two fingers or even a whole palm in order to cross themselves. On icons, Jesus Christ is depicted with two fingers raised up - index and middle. That is why the clergy use this gesture to cross someone.

Believers began to baptize their forehead, shoulders and navel when the Orthodox Christianity. Then the navel was replaced with the chest, explaining this by the fact that the heart is located here.

How to be baptized properly must be taught with early childhood, because not a single prayer is performed without the sign of the cross. Guide your children to properly fold their fingers into three fingers and cross themselves faithfully, slowly and without fuss. Passing by the temple, linger a little, cross yourself and bow to God. By this you once again confirm your faith and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith, so it must be performed carefully and with reverence.
To find out if the person in front of you is Orthodox or not, you just need to ask him to cross himself, and by how he does it and whether he does it at all, everything will become clear. Remember the gospel “He who is faithful in little things is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).

The power of the Sign of the Cross is unusually great. In the Lives of the Saints there are stories about how demonic spells dissipated after being overshadowed by the Cross. Therefore, those who are baptized carelessly, fussily and inattentively, simply please the demons.

How to overshadow yourself with the Sign of the Cross?

1) It is necessary to put three fingers of the right hand (thumb, index and middle) together, which symbolizes the three faces of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. By connecting these fingers together, we testify to the unity of the Holy Indivisible Trinity.

2) The other two fingers (little finger and ring finger) are tightly bent to the palm, thus symbolizing the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ: Divine and human.
3) First, folded fingers are placed on the forehead, to sanctify the mind; then on the stomach (but not lower) - for the consecration of internal abilities (will, mind and feelings); after that - on the right, and then on the left shoulder - to consecrate our bodily forces, because the shoulder symbolizes activity ("turn the shoulder" - to help).

4) Only after lowering the hand, we make a waist bow so as not to “break the Cross”. This is a common mistake - bowing at the same time as the Sign of the Cross. You shouldn't do this.
The bow after the Sign of the Cross is made because we have just depicted (overshadowed ourselves) the Calvary Cross, and we worship it.

The sign of the cross accompanies the believer everywhere. One should make the sign of the cross at the beginning of the prayer, during the prayer and after it ends. We are baptized, getting out of bed and going to bed, going out into the street and entering the Temple, kissing the icons and holy relics; before eating, we ourselves are baptized and overshadow food with the Sign of the Cross. We are baptized, starting a new business and finishing it. It is necessary to be baptized in all important cases of life: in danger, in sorrow, in joy. Mothers, sending their children away from home, give their maternal blessing, overshadowing the child with the Sign of the Cross and betraying their child to God's protection. Cross of Christ sanctifies everything and everything, and therefore the image of him by believers on himself is saving and soul-beneficial.

An Orthodox baptized person should always wear a cross!

From the first centuries of Christianity, every believer wears the Cross on his chest, fulfilling the words of the Savior: "Whoever wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me" (Mark 8:34).
The meaning of wearing a cross is revealed in the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:19). The consecrated pectoral cross is a symbol of faith and a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ. The cross protects from temptation and evil. He who does not want to bear the cross himself rejects the help of God.
The pectoral cross can be anything: from ordinary metal, from silver, gold, from wood. Also, it is not important to have a cross on a chain or on a string - just to hold on tight. The important thing is that you wear it. It is desirable that the Cross be consecrated in the Church. On the back of Orthodox crosses, according to tradition, an inscription is made "Bless and save".

You can’t wear a pectoral cross and signs of the zodiac (or any amulets, amulets, etc.) on the same chain - because the pectoral cross is a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ, and the signs of the zodiac, amulets, amulets are evidence of adherence to various superstitions (you should not wear them at all) - all this is from the evil one.

It is necessary to wear an Orthodox cross on the body, under clothing, without showing it off. Until the 18th century, only Bishops had the right to wear the Cross over clothes, and later - Priests. Anyone who dares to imitate them commits the sin of self-sanctification.

Unfortunately, many today still do not know how to be baptized correctly, despite the fact that everything more people they began to turn their eyes to God again, go to Orthodox churches and monasteries, thereby returning to faith.

Very often one has to see - believing people, who have been attending services for many years, are baptized completely incorrectly ... One of them waves his hand around him, as if driving away flies; the other folded his fingers into a pinch, and it seems that he does not make the sign of the cross, but sprinkles himself with salt; the third - with all his might drives his fingers into the forehead, like nails. What can we say about the most common mistake, when the hand does not reach the shoulders, lowering it somewhere near the neck. A trifle? Trivia? Formalities? No way. It is necessary to know how to be baptized in the church by Orthodox believers.

Even St. Basil the Great wrote: “In the Church, everything is fine and according to order, let it happen.” The sign of the cross is a visible evidence of our faith. To find out whether the Orthodox is in front of you or not, you just need to ask him to cross himself, and by how he does it and whether he does it at all, everything will become clear. Yes, and let us remember the gospel: “He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). The power of the sign of the cross is extraordinary. Many times in the Lives of the Saints there are stories about how demonic spells dissipated after a single image of the Cross on a person. Therefore, those who carelessly, fussily and inattentively are baptized simply delight the demons.

sign of the cross- this is a small sacred ceremony in which a Christian, depicting a sign on himself (a sign is a sign Church Slavonic.) The Cross of the Lord with the invocation of the Name of God, attracts upon himself (or on the one whom he overshadows, for example, his child) the Divine Grace of the Holy Spirit.

Gracious power is given to the sign of the Cross because Christ, by His death on the Cross, which is an act of the greatest Divine Self-sacrifice out of love for His perishing creation, defeated Satan with his pride, freed man from the slavery of sin, sanctified the Cross as a victorious weapon, and gave this Weapon to us for struggle with the enemy of the human race - the devil.

We, Orthodox Christians, should know that the sign of the cross only has the power of grace when the reverently and rightly.

So how to be baptized, and how to be baptized correctly, how are the Orthodox baptized?

"Demons rejoice at random waving,"- tells us the experience of the holy fathers. So, in order not to please, but to drive away unclean spirits with the sign of the cross and receive grace-filled sanctification from God, it is supposed to be done like this:

We fold the fingers of the right hand like this: we add the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with the ends smooth, and the last two (nameless and little fingers) are bent to the palm of your hand.

The first three fingers put together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and the two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God, after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are divine and human.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross slowly:

(1) put it on the forehead- to sanctify our mind,

(2) on the stomach(slightly above the navel (2 cm) - in the area of ​​​​the solar plexus) - to consecrate our inner feelings,

(3) on the right shoulder

(4) and then to the left- to sanctify our bodily forces.

When we are baptized not during prayer, then mentally, to ourselves, we say: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen", thus expressing our faith in the Holy Trinity and our desire to live and work for the glory of God.

The word "amen" means: truly, truly, so be it.

Lowering right hand you can bow.

About those who signify themselves with the whole five, or bow before they have finished the cross, or wave their hand in the air or on their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: “Demons rejoice at this frantic waving.” On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed correctly and slowly, with faith and reverence, frightens demons, consoles sinful passions, and attracts Divine grace.

Recognizing our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are belt when we bend down to the waist, and earthly when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our heads.

“The custom of making the sign of the cross originates from the time of the apostles” (Full. Orthodox Theological Encyclop. Dictionary, St. Petersburg. Published by P.P. Soikin, b.g., p. 1485). into the lives of contemporary Christians. In the treatise "On the Crown of a Warrior" (circa 211), he writes that we protect our foreheads with the sign of the cross under all circumstances of life: going in and out of the house, getting dressed, lighting lamps, going to bed, sitting down to do something.

The sign of the cross is not only part of a religious ceremony. First of all, this is great weapon . Patericons, fathers and lives of saints contain many examples that testify to the real spiritual power that the image possesses. Cross.

Why do people cross themselves when they pass by a temple or a monastery? Is it necessary to be baptized?

An Orthodox Christian, according to the rules of piety, passing by a temple, must stop, reverently make the sign of the cross and bow to the temple of God, thereby giving the glory of God to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for our sake and our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnated from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and incarnated. He was crucified on the Cross for our sins. Buried, Resurrected and Ascended to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Heavenly Father, so that at His second coming in glory with all the Saints and Angels to judge everyone according to his deeds. That is, by worship, a Christian publicly professes the faith Orthodox Church in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And about those who are ashamed of such a confession, the Lord said: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

We are called Christians because we believe in God as the Son of God Himself, our Lord, taught us to believe Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ not only taught us to believe in God correctly, but also saved us from the power of sin and eternal death.

The Son of God, Jesus Christ, out of love for us sinners, descended from heaven and, like a simple man, suffered instead of us for our sins, was crucified, died on the cross and on the third day resurrected.

So the sinless Son of God with His cross(that is, by suffering and death on the cross for the sins of all people, the whole world) conquered not only sin, but also death itself - rose from the dead and made the cross the instrument of His victory over sin and death.

As the conqueror of death - resurrected on the third day - He also saved us from eternal death. He will resurrect all of us who have died, when the last day of the world comes, will resurrect for a joyful, eternal life with God.

The cross is the instrument or banner of Christ's victory over sin and death.

That is why, in order to express our faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, we wear a cross on our body, and during prayer we depict on ourselves right hand the sign of the cross, or we overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross (we are baptized).

The sign of the cross gives us great power drive away and overcome evil and do good, but only we must remember that the cross must be placed right and leisurely, otherwise there will be no image of the cross, but a simple waving of the hand, which only demons rejoice at. By negligently making the sign of the cross, we show our disrespect for God - we sin, this sin is called blasphemy.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, as well as when approaching everything holy: when we enter the temple, when we kiss the cross, the icon, etc. We must be baptized and in all important cases of our life: in danger, in sorrow, in joy, etc.