Sacraments. Life in the Sacraments
basement of faith
In Orthodox theology, sacraments are sacred rites in which God meets with man and unites with Him as fully as possible in earthly life. In the sacraments, God's grace descends upon us and sanctifies our entire being—both soul and flesh—participating in the Divine nature, enlivening, deifying, and rebuilding it into eternal life. In the sacraments, we experience heaven and foretaste the Kingdom of God, which can only be fully experienced, that is, entered and lived in, after death.
The Greek word μυστηριον (sacrament, mystery) comes from the verb μυω, meaning "I cover, I conceal." The Holy Fathers gave this word a broad meaning: "sacrament" was used to refer to the incarnation of Christ, His saving work, His birth, death, Resurrection, and other events of His life, the Christian faith itself, teachings, dogmas, worship, prayer, churchly holidays, sacred symbols, and so on. Among the sacred rites, Baptism and the Eucharist were primarily called sacraments. Dionysius the Areopagite's "Ecclesiastical Hierarchy" speaks of three sacraments—Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist—but monastic tonsure and the rite of burial are also called "sacraments."
The celebrant of every sacrament is God Himself. Before the beginning of the Liturgy, the deacon says to the priest, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work" (Psalm 119, 126 KJV); meaning the time has come, the hour has arrived, when God Himself will act, and the priest and deacon are merely His instruments. And at the moment of the Conversion of the Holy Gifts, the priest does not act himself, but only prays, calling upon God the Father: "And make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ, and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ." During the Rite of Baptism, the priest pronounces, "The servant of God is baptized...," emphasizing that it is not he himself, but God, who performs the sacrament. According to Saint Ambrose of Milan, "It is not Damasius, nor Peter, nor Ambrose, nor Gregory who baptizes. We perform our work as ministers, but the effectiveness of the sacraments depends on You. It is not within human power to impart divine blessings—it is Thy gift, Lord."
pkg-yasenevo.narod.ru