What a godfather needs to know. Godparents: who can be a godparent

Believers Orthodox people know about the seven Christian sacraments, one of which is baptism. The teaching says that every Orthodox Christian needs to be baptized in order to save his soul and gain the Kingdom of Heaven after physical death. God's grace descends on those who are baptized, but there are also difficulties - everyone who accepts the ritual becomes a warrior of God's army, and the forces of evil fall upon him. To avoid misfortunes, you need to wear a cross.

The day of baptism is very important for a believer - it is like the day of his second birth. This event must be approached with full responsibility. Let's talk about what the baby needs to perform the sacrament, what to buy and take with him, what godparents should do, how to celebrate this holiday at home.If the godparents (godparents) take on part of the responsibility for organizing the ceremony, this will be correct. Preparations for the holiday are carried out by all its participants, especially the baby’s relatives.

It is believed that wearing a pectoral cross protects a person from the forces of evil, and also strengthens his spirit and directs him to true path. Appearance or the cost of the material of the cross does not matter at all - as long as the cross is Orthodox and not pagan

When is the best time to baptize a baby?

According to custom, the baby is baptized on the 8th or 40th day after birth. There are circumstances that may affect the timing of baptism infant: if the baby is sick, the illness poses a threat to life, you can baptize him earlier. Orthodoxy says that after christening a person has a guardian angel who is always behind his right shoulder. He will protect the baby and can save him. It is believed that the more prayers addressed to an angel, the stronger he will be.

Some people prefer to wait until the little man grows up and becomes stronger. The other side of the coin is that while the child is an infant, he sleeps in the arms of his godmother and calmly endures the sacrament. The older he gets, the more difficult it is for him to serve quietly. At 2 years old, the baby is spinning, wants to run, go outside. This creates difficulties for the priest and godparents, because the action can last more than an hour. Bathing a baby in the font is also easier.

The first thing mom and dad do before the sacrament is choose a spiritual name for the baby. In our country, a tradition has developed of calling a baby in the world by a name other than the one given to him at baptism in the church - this is a custom justified in Orthodoxy, since it is believed that church name Only the mother and father, the priest and the successors can know.

Then the little man will be more protected from life’s adversities. In the church, you can agree that the baby is named after the saint on whose day the baby’s birth date falls.

Recommendations for preparing for the baptism ceremony of a small child

How to organize a child's christening? You need to visit the temple where the procedure will take place. In the church shop you can ask any questions you may have. The church minister in the shop will offer you to read a brochure about baptism, which describes all the rules. The date of birth of your baby will be written down, and the desired church name of the baby and the names of his godparents will be asked. For the ceremony, a voluntary payment is made in the form of a donation, which goes to the needs of the temple. How much should I pay? The amount of donation may vary from church to church.

Before the sacrament of baptism, godparents must be sent for an interview with the priest. If the baby’s mother and father come along with them and take part in the conversation, this will only be a plus. The priest will tell you how the baptism of a young child is performed, and what you need to take with you. He will definitely ask during the conversation whether the mother and father and the baby’s adoptive parents are baptized. If not, then the unbaptized should be baptized before the sacrament is performed on the baby. During the conversation, the priest will give recommendations to the baby’s family and set a day and time for the child’s baptism. On this day, you should arrive early in order to have time to get your bearings and prepare. Many parents invite a photographer to their child’s christening and take photos and videos. You need to know that to record videos and take photographs, you must ask permission and blessings from the priest.

The priest will be able to tell you more about the sacrament and instruct the godparents, with whom a preliminary conversation must be held. Parents of the baby can also attend.

Who to choose as godparents?

Usually godparents are people of the same sex as the baby: for girls it is a woman, for boys it is a man. You can invite two godparents of different genders. Then the baby will have a spiritual father and mother.

The question of who is worthy to become your baby's godfather is very important. Godparents become the baby's second parents. Think about who treats the little man better, who is ready to bear responsibility for him, give him a spiritual example, and pray for him? Most often, relatives and family friends become recipients.

It is best if the godfather is a deeply religious person who knows and observes church traditions and laws. This person should often visit your home, since he is responsible for the upbringing of the little man, primarily spiritual. He will be next to your baby all his life.

Can be chosen as godfather sister or mom and dad's brother, a close friend or family friend, or the baby's grandparents.

The recipients must be baptized themselves - this must be done in advance. Parents need to understand that the issue of choosing godparents must be approached very seriously.

Who can't become a godfather?

The laws of baptism in the Orthodox Church are such that the following cannot become a godparent:

atheists or non-believers;
monks and nuns;
mentally ill people;
children under 15 years of age;
drug addicts and alcoholics;
promiscuous women and men;
spouses or sexually close people;
baby's parents.

Brother and sister cannot be godparents to each other. If you are baptizing twins, you must not do it on the same day. Twins may well have the same godparents.

If twins are growing up in a family, then they need to be baptized in different days, but another pair of godparents is not needed for this - it is enough to find two reliable and pious people

Memo for godparents

Appearance. The baby's adoptive parents must come to church with their crosses around their necks. If it is a woman, she wears a skirt that is below the knee and a jacket with sleeves to the temple. A headdress is required for the godmother. The rules for being in church also apply to a man’s clothing: you cannot expose your knees and shoulders, that is, even in hot weather you will have to give up shorts and a T-shirt. A man is in the temple with his head uncovered.
Purchases and payment. People often ask, who should buy a cross for a child’s baptism? Who pays for the procedure? There is a certain procedure for baptizing a newborn child and preparing for it.
1. It assumes that the godfather buys a cross for the godson and also pays for the baptism. The godmother buys a cross for her goddaughter. It is best to choose a cross from ordinary metal or made of silver. It is not customary to use a golden cross at a ceremony. When choosing a cross, make sure that it cannot injure the baby; let the cross have oval edges.
2. In addition to the godmother's cross, you need to buy a towel, baptismal shirt and sheet in advance. She buys kryzhma - the material in which the baby is baptized. Caring mothers keep the material for many years, as it helps to cure the child from illness. The sick little man is wrapped in kryzhma, and he begins to recover. It should be stored in a place hidden from prying eyes, since it is believed that through it it can be used to damage the baby.
Preparation. People appointed as spiritual parents are required to prepare for the rite of baptism small child and themselves. Preparation includes strict fasting, starting a few days before the event, and refusal of entertainment and pleasure. The day before, it’s a good idea to take communion in church, before going to confession. You must take your child's birth certificate with you to church. You can watch the video of the baptism in advance to roughly understand the sequence of events.
Prayer. Recipients are required to learn the “Creed” prayer. This prayer is read by the priest three times during the sacrament of baptism of the child; the godfather may also be asked to read it by heart.

Nuances of christening

A little man can be baptized on any day of the week - on holidays and weekdays, on Lent and on an ordinary day, but most often christenings take place on Saturday.
The foster children are supposed to pick up the child from the parents in advance and go with him to church on the appointed day and time. Their parents follow them. There is a sign that the godfather should chew a clove of garlic and breathe in the baby’s face. In this way, evil forces are driven away from the baby.
Only the closest people are present at the ceremony in the temple - the parents of the boy or girl receiving the sacrament, maybe grandparents. The rest can come to the house of the baptized person after the ceremony and celebrate this event at the festive table.
Baptism of an infant does not always take place in the church itself. Sometimes the priest conducts the ceremony in a specially designated room.
If necessary, parents can arrange a ceremony at home or in the maternity hospital. To do this, you need to come to an agreement with the priest and pay all his expenses for organizing the sacrament.
The priest reads prayers and anoints the newborn. Then he cuts a lock of hair from his head, as if making a sacrifice to God. Then the baby is lowered into the font three times, the priest says: “Here is the cross, my daughter (my son), carry it.” Together with the priest, the godfather says: “Amen.”
The child's parents also come to church, observing Orthodox customs. They dress as is customary in the temple. During the ceremony, the mother can pray for her child. Such prayers will surely be answered.
In the evening, relatives and friends come to the holiday with gifts. Their choice depends on wealth and imagination: toys or clothes, baby care items or an icon of the baby’s patron saint.

Traditionally, baptism takes place on the premises of a church, but in some circumstances parents may request an outdoor ceremony - for example, at home or in the maternity ward

Features of christenings for boys and girls

The christening of a girl and a boy differs little. During the ritual, the godfather carries the male child behind the altar, but the godmother does not carry the female child there. The christening of a newborn girl requires the presence of a headdress, that is, a headscarf is put on her. When are christenings performed? little boy, he is in the temple without a headdress.

If both godparents participate in the ritual, then first the godmother holds the boy, and after bathing in the font, the godfather picks him up and carries him to the altar. The girl is held in her arms only by her godmother. This is the main difference in the ritual for children of the opposite sex.

If the procedure for baptizing a small child is followed, the child’s blood and spiritual parents will prepare for christening, and the child will grow up healthy and cheerful. When he grows up, he will become a highly spiritual person striving for a righteous life.

Clinical and perinatal psychologist, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Perinatal Psychology and Psychology of the Reproductive Sphere and the Volgograd State Medical University clinical psychologist by specialty

Christ's.

After the baby is immersed in the baptismal font, the godfather receives him from the hands of the priest. Hence the Slavic name - receiver. Thus, he takes upon himself the responsibility for life to raise the child in Orthodox spirit, and the answer for this education will be given at the Last Judgment.

During the Baptism of infants, the recipients recite (confess) the Creed in their place, pronounce vows and take care of teaching faith and morality to those received by them (;,).

The custom of having a recipient at Baptism dates back to the most ancient Apostolic Tradition.

The presence of two receivers is a Russian tradition. According to the rules of the Church, one godfather is enough: a godfather for a boy and a godmother for a girl. In practice, gender mismatch is tolerated.

In the Sacrament of Baptism, the godparents promise God to bring the baby to Him. It's important to remember this.

Who can be godfather

– The godfather (father) must be Orthodox Christian. A godfather cannot be from the Church (who does not regularly receive communion), a representative of another religion, or an atheist. The recipient is required not only to know and read it at Baptism, but also to spiritually educate the godson in the future, daily prayer for him.

– The godfather must be a churchgoer, ready to regularly take his godson to church and raise him in the Christian faith.

– After the Sacrament of Baptism has been performed, the godfather cannot be changed, even if he has gone missing or fallen from the faith.

– Pregnant and unmarried women can be godparents to both boys and girls.

– The father and mother of a child cannot be godparents, and a husband and wife cannot be godparents for one child; other relatives - grandmothers, aunts and even older brothers and sisters can be godparents.

– A person should only have one godparent. According to , only one recipient is considered necessary - a man for a male person being baptized or a woman for a female person. The presence of a second godfather is an unwritten, albeit ancient, custom of the Church.

– Monks and nuns are not allowed to be ordained.

– The rite of the Sacrament of Baptism assumes the presence of recipients in person during its celebration. As a last resort, infant baptism is allowed even without godparents, then the priest himself is considered godfather.

– Marriages between the baptized person and the recipient are prohibited: the recipient cannot marry his spiritual daughter, and the godfather cannot marry the widowed mother of his spiritual daughter ().

It is reckless to invite a non-church person to be godparents: what can someone who does not know the subject teach? It’s like choosing a guide on a dangerous journey, where the price at stake is life (in our case, Eternal), a rogue who does not know the route.
It is also unreasonable for a church person to take vows before God to raise a child in the Christian faith, whose parents are not only outside the Church, but also do not intend to become a church member, to instill their child in Christ the Savior.
If you are invited to be a foster parent by parents who are not only not against baptizing a child, but are themselves ready to become members of the church community, then it is reasonable, before taking your own vows, to make your parents vow to fulfill the Commandments, to pray daily for their children, come to church with them, try to give them communion weekly. Ideally, it would be good to advise parents to go to Sunday school or catechesis classes: after a couple of classes it will be clear whether they are serious about spiritual life, or whether they view Baptism as a magical rite.

According to the ancient church rule, during the Baptism of infants, only one recipient was considered necessary - a man for a male person being baptized or a woman for a female person (Great Trebnik, Chapter 5, “see”). The rule about “being one recipient at Baptism” belonged to the first centuries of Christianity and was strictly observed in the Eastern and Western Churches until the 9th century. In our time, the custom of having two recipients at Baptism has become widespread: godfather and godmother.

Only Orthodox successors or successors have ecclesiastical significance. Their names are remembered in prayers and included in certificates of Baptism. Receiver " represents the face of the person being baptized and makes vows to God for him, makes, confesses the symbol and is obliged to instruct the adopted son in the faith and law of God, which neither an ignoramus in the faith nor a non-believer can do"(Book on the positions of parish elders, 80).
According to practice ancient Church Just as people of other faiths are never allowed to adopt children, so it is indecent for an Orthodox Christian to be the adopter of children from parents of other faiths, except in those cases when the children are baptized into the Orthodox faith. The canons of the Church also do not provide for such a case as participation in baptism as a recipient of a person.

Insane people, completely ignorant of the faith, as well as criminals, obvious sinners, and those who came to church drunk, cannot be recipients. For example, those who, due to negligence, did not attend confession and Holy Communion long time cannot give guidance and edification in life to their godchildren. Minors (under 14 years of age) cannot be recipients, since they are still incapable of teaching and are not firm in their understanding of the faith and power of the Sacrament (except in those cases when it is completely impossible to have an adult recipient).

Ancient Russia did not know such a rule that would eliminate monks from succession. It is known that the godfathers of our Russian grand ducal and royal children were mostly monks. Only later were monks prohibited from succession because it involves the monk in communication with the world (Nomocanon at the Great Trebnik). Parents cannot be recipients of their own children from the baptismal font. It is inconvenient for a woman who is in normal purification to be a recipient. In such cases, you can postpone Baptism or invite another recipient.

Church rules do not prohibit siblings, father and daughter, or mother and son from being the adoptive parents of the same baby. Currently, priests do not allow husband and wife to share the same child. To prevent violations existing rules Regarding the successors, the priest usually finds out in advance from the parents who they want to have as the successors for their children.

Prayers for godchildren

Prayer for children and godchildren, father

Sweetest Jesus! God of my heart! You gave me children according to the flesh, they are Yours according to your soul. You redeemed both my soul and theirs with Your priceless Blood. For the sake of Your Divine Blood, I beg You, my sweetest Savior, with Your grace touch the hearts of my children (names) and my godchildren (names), protect them with Your Divine fear, keep them from bad inclinations and habits, direct them to the bright path of life, truth and of good. Decorate their lives with everything good and saving, arrange their fate as You yourself want and save their souls with their own destinies! Lord, God of our fathers! Give to my children (names) and godchildren (names) a right heart to keep Your commandments, Your revelations and Your statutes. And do it all! Amen.

On raising children as good Christians: Parents' prayer to the Lord God

God, our merciful and heavenly Father!
Have mercy on our children (names) and godchildren (names), for whom we humbly pray to You and whom we entrust to Your care and protection.
Put strong faith in them, teach them to revere You and deign them to deeply love You, our Creator and Savior.
Guide them, God, on the path of truth and goodness, so that they do everything for the glory of Your name.
Teach them to live piously and virtuously, to be good Christians and useful people.
Give them mental and physical health and success in their work.
Deliver them from the cunning machinations of the devil, from numerous temptations, from evil passions and from all wicked and disorderly people.
For the sake of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, lead them to the quiet haven of Your eternal Kingdom, so that they, along with all the righteous, will always thank You with Your only begotten Son and Your life-giving Spirit.
Amen.

Prayer to the Lord God, composed by the venerable

Lord, You are the only One who weighs everything, who is able to do everything, and who wants to save everyone and come to the mind of Truth. Enlighten my children (names) with the knowledge of Thy truth and Thy Holy will, strengthen them to walk according to Thy commandments and have mercy on me, a sinner.
Amen.
Merciful Lord, Jesus Christ, I entrust to You my children whom You have given to me, fulfill my prayer.
I ask You, Lord, save them in the ways that You Yourself know. Save them from vices, evil, pride, and let nothing that is contrary to You touch their souls. But grant them faith, love and hope for salvation, and may their life path be holy and blameless before God.
Bless them, Lord, may they strive every minute of their lives to fulfill Your Holy will, so that You, Lord, may always abide with them by Your Holy Spirit.
Lord, teach them to pray to You, so that prayer may be their support, joy in sorrow and consolation of their life, and so that we, their parents, may be saved by their prayer.
May Your angels always protect them.
May my children be sensitive to the grief of their neighbors, and may they fulfill Your commandment of love. And if they sin, then grant them, Lord, to bring repentance to You, and You, in Your ineffable mercy, forgive them.
When their earthly life ends, then take them to Your Heavenly Abodes, where let them lead with them other Your chosen servants.
Through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother, Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and Your saints (all holy families are listed), Lord, have mercy on us, as You are glorified with Your Beginningless Son and with Your Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.

Does it really teach that marriage between godparents is inadmissible according to Article 211 of the Nomocanon?

Obstacles to marriage and adoption at baptism. Grigorovsky S.P. Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. 2007. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. pp. 49-51. Quote from there:

« Currently, Article 211 of the Nomocanon [which states the inadmissibility of marriage between adoptive children] has no practical significance and should be considered cancelled... Since during baptism it is enough to have one recipient or one recipient, depending on the gender of the person being baptized, there is no reason to consider the recipients to be in any spiritual relationship and therefore prohibit them from marrying each other».

Prof. Pavlov, in his course on Church law, comments on the problem of spiritual kinship between the recipient and the recipient of one child and the marriage between them:

“...several rules of apocryphal origin and strange content (for example, rule 211, prohibiting a husband and wife from being the adoptive parents of the same baby, on pain of being separated from their marital cohabitation). Already in the first years of its existence, the Holy Synod began to regard such rules with great doubt and often made decisions directly contrary to them, especially in matters of marriage.”

In December 2017, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a document stating: “ Marriages between recipients can be performed with the blessing of the diocesan bishop (taking into account the decree of the Holy Synod of December 31, 1837)".

Can pregnant and unmarried women become godparents?

Pregnant and unmarried women can be godparents; there are no canonical prohibitions against this. All prohibitions apply exclusively to dense folk superstitions and have no power for Christians.

At what age do you not need a godfather?

Persons over 14 years of age.

How to baptize a child if one or more family members are against it?

– You should try to bring such people to a meeting with the priest. The main thing here is to understand what is inside a person, why he refuses to baptize his child. If people are atheists, it can be difficult to convince them to give up their views. But it is still possible to convince of the need for a calm and loyal attitude towards the fact of a child’s baptism.

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Before baptizing a child, parents need to choose good godparents. Then the child's parents and godparents pass special interview with a priest, sign up for certain time and the day on which the sacrament will be performed. You will also need to know certain christian prayers, prepare a baptismal set for the baby, a towel for baptism, a pectoral cross with a chain. Pectoral cross serves as an image of our life's cross, which manifests itself in all sorrows, joys, worries and concerns. If a person carries his life’s cross with dignity and without grumbling, then he will rejoice at his salvation and will be in the heavenly abodes. The task of the godparents and the baby’s parents is to show him good example their lives, teach the basic principles of Christian behavior and worldview.

What you need to know before baptizing a child

The child’s parents and his godparents must know certain Christian prayers, which include the prayer “Our Father”, “Heavenly King”, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary”, and also know them by heart or at least be able to read well. When you come to church with your baby for his baptism, you need to know why you want to do it. Parents and godparents always wish the best for the child. The greatest good for every person is the salvation of his soul. The life that is given to us on earth is temporary and fleeting, it is a preparation for eternity. The eternal fate of the soul depends on how we live it. If a child is baptized, they will pray for him in church and at home, he will be brought up in a Christian spirit, strive to do good deeds and please God, then there will be every chance of saving his soul. And this is the goal and responsibility that is entrusted to parents and godparents by God himself.

The baptism of a child is an event that occurs only once in a lifetime. It should be a step on the path of the spiritual ladder. Going up stairs is always more difficult than going down. The same applies to spiritual life: doing good deeds, especially when we don’t want to, is much more difficult than relaxing and allowing ourselves to say or do something thoughtlessly. The Holy Scripture says that for every idle word, i.e. thoughtless, a person will answer to God on the day Last Judgment. Raising a child is a very difficult and responsible task. After baptism, the Lord gives invisible grace not only to the child to grow physically and spiritually, but also to his parents and godparents to raise the child correctly. The main thing is that they listen to the suggestions that the Lord will send through their hearts and thoughts.

Fasting, confession and communion before a child's baptism

There are dioceses of the Orthodox Church where the strict requirements for the baptism of a child are fasting, confession and communion before the baptism of the child by his godparents. In other dioceses this is expressed as a wish. Fasting, confession and communion are important points spiritual preparation for performing the sacrament. Responsible parents and godparents of the child will have to monitor his spiritual life, and this cannot be done without a personal example that the child will see.

Fasting before the baptism of a child by godfather and godmother

Godparents who are preparing for the sacrament of confession and communion should eat lean food and pray more for several days. The fast usually lasts from three to seven days. On these days, the godfather and godmother should not eat foods that contain meat, milk and its derivatives, eggs and other animal products. These days you need to try to diligently fulfill your morning and evening routines. prayer rule, do not watch TV, do not engage in empty activities, avoid various entertainments.

Confession before a child's baptism

The godmother and godfather must prepare well for the confession that will take place before the baptism of their godson or goddaughter. During confession before the child's baptism, you need to sincerely tell the priest about those words, thoughts and actions that you regret. Perhaps you offended someone and caused pain with your thoughtless word. There are people to whom you did not pay enough attention, although they really needed it, and you could have done it. Perhaps you judged or envied someone. Before confession, you can retire somewhere, think carefully and analyze your behavior. The sacrament of confession is also called the sacrament of repentance. The word repentance occurs and this sacrament is expressed on Greek the word "mitanoya", which means "change". After confession, in which you tell about what you repent of, you need to make every effort towards your spiritual change. You should try to avoid those bad thoughts, words and deeds and try not to do them again.

Communion before a child's baptism

The Sacrament of Holy Communion or the Eucharist is one of the most amazing moments of the manifestation of God's grace in people's lives. This mystery cannot be understood by the human mind. However, the soul and body of a Christian perceives the Eucharist to the extent that it is ready for it. During communion, under the guise of bread and wine, believers eat the very Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this way we connect with God himself. In order to understand this sacrament at least a little and prepare for it, before communion they usually fast and begin the sacrament of confession, and also read special prayers. These prayers are contained in the Orthodox prayer book, they are called “Following to Holy Communion.” Also, before this sequence, Christian believers read penitential canon to our Lord Jesus Christ, the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as the canon to the Guardian Angel and the canon to holy communion. If these prayers are read thoughtfully and pondered over their meaning, then a picture of the Last Judgment, God’s love for righteous people and anger towards sinners opens before a person. Also, these prayers contain a large number of examples when people who committed very terrible sins, such as fornication and murder, came to repentance and received God's mercy and forgiveness. These prayers are designed to warm the heart of a Christian and make him capable of accepting God's grace. Now there are Orthodox prayer books that contain a parallel translation from Church Slavonic into Russian. If you do not have such a prayer book, and you do not understand the meaning of some words, you can look for these prayers in Russian on the Internet. You can print them out and keep them before your eyes while reading prayers in Church Slavonic. When you encounter an unclear moment or word, you can look it up in Russian.

After the child’s baptism, you need to try as soon as possible so that the baby also begins the sacrament of holy communion.

By Orthodox tradition baby already on the 8th day after birth. But if the baby was born weakened and ended up in intensive care after childbirth, then you can baptize him earlier. After the parents have decided on the time and time, they need to choose godparents for their baby. These must necessarily be pious Orthodox people, because they must take responsibility for the spiritual education of their godson.

A godson has a spiritual connection only with a godfather of the same sex as him (for a girl - with a godmother, for a boy - with a godfather); the custom of taking two godparents for a child came to us somewhat later from Catholicism. Godmother must be over 13 years old, godfather over 15 years old, you cannot invite a husband and wife to be godparents, but they can baptize different children in the same family. Parents cannot become foster parents for their children, but other relatives: aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers, grandparents can.

After immersing the baby in the font, the godfather (godmother) accepts him from the hands of the priest, thereby vouching for him before God and renouncing Satan. In the future, the responsibilities of the godson include the spiritual education of the godson: studying the Bible and reading the Gospel, driving to church for Communion.

recipients must prepare: take communion and confession, fast for 3 days and go to the church ceremony on an empty stomach. The godmother must be piously dressed: a skirt below the knees, covered shoulders, no neckline and a headscarf. The godfather must remove his headdress when entering the church; in the summer you cannot come in shorts and T-shirts. A woman who is having a wedding is not allowed to enter the church. critical days, so coordinate the day in advance with the future godmother. Receivers must lead godly life, receive communion, confess, wear a cross, pray for their godchildren, so parents must choose people who are firm in their faith and spiritually higher than themselves. The Lord will ask the godparents for the spiritual education of their godchildren if their parents provide them with such an opportunity. In the event of the death of blood parents, spiritual parents must take responsibility for raising children and caring for them as if they were relatives. Before the christening, you must definitely go to church and talk with the priest about the ritual, the responsibilities of godparents and the sacrament of baptism.

If you are invited to become godparents, then think about the responsibility that is entrusted to you, because a spiritual child will appear in your life, the connection with which is very strong. Be sure to pray for the salvation of his soul, for the health of his godson, take him to church, tell him about God. At Christmas, it is customary for godchildren to bring a “supper” to their godparents’ house; usually, this is a Christmas party. The godparents, in turn, give the child gifts: candy or toys. In the old days, godparents were always consulted before the wedding, received their blessing for the marriage, and were invited to become the father and mother.

In order to choose good godparents, it is necessary that the parents themselves understand the responsibilities of godparents, so that they can immediately tell the prospective godparents about the responsibility that is assigned to them. Everyone knows that now, in order to begin the sacrament of baptism, you must first go through preparatory conversations, and parents often think this the most important task find among your loved ones or acquaintances those people who will agree to undergo these conversations.

Godparents' responsibilities before baptism in Orthodoxy

And the found godparents count the most important thing theirs go through this period of preparation for baptism, and they believe that this is where their responsibilities end. It would be more correct for the parents to immediately explain to the prospective godparents about their duties and responsibilities. It must be said that the decision to become a godfather is new stage in their life, deciding to become a godfather, you will have to pray daily for your godson, you will have to read the Gospel daily, at least one chapter a day, you will have to come to church every Sunday, and you will also have to reject all superstitions, appeal to grandmothers, astrology, amulets, you will have to study the commandments of God, in order to fulfill which you will need to regularly draw strength from the sacraments of confession and communion.

You will need to find time to give spiritual instructions to your godson, you will need to instruct him in the basics Orthodox faith, a study that you yourself will need to regularly participate in throughout your life. If the godfather is married, the marriage must be registered, because the godfather must be a model in all actions for his godson. Where can I find one like this? If there is one among your loved ones or acquaintances, then you need to choose him, but most often among your friends and relatives there are lukewarm and lazy Christians who do not regularly go to church and do not read Holy Bible, therefore these responsibilities must be immediately agreed upon with them.

It is also necessary to understand that in two preparatory conversations with a priest or with a church worker, a person, of course, will not study all the foundations of his faith, will not become a professional, so to speak, but during the preparatory conversations he needs to get a good start so as not to stop studying the Law of God, not to count A brief introduction to the creed during the preparatory conversations is sufficient.

Why can't husband and wife be godparents?

Many people are interested in the question “why can’t a husband and wife be godparents?” or why a godfather and godmother cannot get married in the future? They cannot because they acquire a spiritual relationship, that is, they are like brother and sister, just as brother and sister do not marry each other, neither do godfathers and godmothers, these are the rules of the church.
How often should you pray for your godson, maybe on birthdays or special occasions? church holidays or on the occasion when a person enters the temple. Of course, you need to pray every day, you need to purposefully find time for prayer in the morning and evening, and for prayer to have great power, you need to fulfill God’s commandments. The Lord says: Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but do not fulfill my commandments? For prayer to have greater boldness, one must be reconciled with God, and we are reconciled with God at the sacrament of confession.
The listed responsibilities of godparents apply no less to parents in the flesh. I wish everyone God's help in all your affairs.