Ancient Faith

The musings of an Anglican convert to Orthodoxy

church

Why We Need to Go to Church

June 17, 2014 by jleecbd Leave a Comment

The following is from an interview with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev broadcast in Russia in the spring of 1999.

Many people who rarely attend church have a kind of consumer’s attitude towards church. They come to church, for instance, before a long trip – to light a candle just for the sake of it, so that nothing would happen on the road. They come for two or three minutes, hurriedly cross themselves and, having lit a candle, go on their way. Some, entering a church, say: “I want to pay money so that Batiushka would pray for such-and-such” – and pay money and leave. The priest needs to pray, but these people themselves do not participate in the prayer.

This is a wrong attitude. The Church is not a machine for buying “sneakers”: drop your coin and candy falls out. The Church is a place to go to live and study. If you are experiencing certain difficulties or if one of your neighbors has fallen ill, do not limit yourself to going and putting up a candle. Come to church for the divine service, immerse yourself in the elements of prayer, and lift up your prayer for your need along with the priest and the community.

It is important that attendance at church be regular. It is good to attend church every Sunday. The Sunday Divine Liturgy, as well as the Liturgy on great feasts, is the time when we can, by giving up two hours of our earthly affairs, plunge ourselves into the elements of prayer. It is good to come to church with one’s entire family, in order to receive Confession and Communion.

If one learns to live from Sunday to Sunday, in the rhythm of the church services, in the rhythm of the Divine Liturgy, then one’s whole life will change dramatically. Above all, it will become disciplined. The believer knows that next Sunday he will have to give an answer to God, and he lives differently: he does not allow himself many sins that he would otherwise allow himself if he did not go to church. Moreover, the Divine Liturgy itself is an opportunity to receive Holy Communion, that is, to unite with God not only spiritually, but also physically. Finally, the Divine Liturgy is a comprehensive service at which the entire church community and each of its members can pray for everyone that troubles or worries him or her. The faithful during the Liturgy can pray for themselves, and for their neighbors, and for their future, bringing repentance for their sins and asking God’s blessing for their further ministry. It is very important to learn to participate fully in the Liturgy. In Church there are also other services, for example, the All-Night Vigil – a preparatory service for Communion. One can order molebens [supplicatory services] for the health of one person or another. But no so-called “private” services – that is, services ordered for someone’s specific needs – can take the place of the Divine Liturgy, because the Liturgy is the center of church prayer, and it should become the center of the spiritual life of every Christian and every Christian family.

 

Posted in: Orthodox Practices, Prayer, Salvation Tagged: church, divine liturgy, prayer

Recent Posts

  • Is Luther Finally Winning?
  • What We Want vs. What We Need
  • Corruption and Creation
  • Eucharist and Epidemic
  • Does Racism Have a Place in Orthodoxy?

Recent Comments

  • DavidS on A New Lenten Fast

Archives

  • January 2023
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • August 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • January 2016
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • November 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • March 2013
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • December 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • June 2010
  • April 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • September 2009

Categories

  • Anglicanism
  • Ecumenism
  • Encyclicals
  • Eschatology
  • Evangelism
  • History
  • Hymnography
  • Orthodox Practices
  • Orthodoxy
  • Orthodoxy and Politics
  • Orthodoxy and Society
  • Other Faiths
  • Prayer
  • Salvation
  • Scripture
  • Theology
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2025 Ancient Faith.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall