Baptism is the first and most significant event in a child's life. According to church rituals, the sacrament should be held on the 8th and 40th day from the birth of the baby, but in principle parents can choose their own time for the ritual. Of great importance is the choice of the godparents, since they will have a serious responsibility on their shoulders. It is important to understand what prayer is read at baptism, because the godparents are direct participants in the ritual. In addition to the prayer texts, second parents should have at least basic ideas about faith and religion.
To begin with it is necessary to talk about the duties of the godfather and mother, because they are not only in the presence of the rite and the purchase of gifts, but also in providing assistance throughout the life of the child. It is believed that the godparents will be responsible for the sins of their godson on the court of God, therefore it is important to bring him up as a good person who believes in God. The duties of the godparent are as follows: pray for the godson, regularly go with the child to the temple and tell him about God. You also need to teach the child to pray and be baptized. It is important to instill in him the good qualities that he lived by the rules.
Prayer for the godparents at baptism
Going to church for baptism, it is necessary to put on a cross, refuse to use decorative cosmetics, and as for clothes, then a woman must certainly wear a skirt below the knees. Before the beginning of the ritual, the priest must hold a conversation with potential godparents.
Prayer texts are important not only to know by heart, but also to understand their meaning. During the sacrament they are pronounced by the priest, so you can just repeat the words behind him in a whisper. The first and most important prayer , not only for the godparents, but also for all believers - "Our Father". In it there is an appeal to God, that he helped to cope with the existing temptations, gave food for life and forgave for sins. The text of the prayer of the godmother and father during baptism is as follows:
The next strong and compulsory prayer at baptism is the "Symbol of Faith". It contains 12 short formulations of all Orthodox dogma. While praying a person, he claims that he believes in God, who created heaven and earth, in his Son Jesus, who for the salvation of people came to earth and suffered torment, and then rose again. It is mentioned in prayer and about the Holy Spirit, which is worshiped by believers, as well as about faith in baptism and eternal life. This important prayer must certainly be known to the godparents, adults, as well as children who are consciously. The "Symbol of Faith" prayer, read by the godparents at baptism, sounds like this:
The third prayer at the christening of a child for the godmother and godfather - "Virgin Virgin, rejoice." She entered the list of prayer texts at baptism, as the church raises the Mother of God above all the saints and angels. By the way, this prayer is also called the "Angelic greeting", because it was composed according to the words of the archangel Gabriel, with whom he greeted the Mother of God, telling her that she had given birth to the Savior. The text of this prayer is as follows:
Repeat this prayer several times, but the Virgin herself bequeathed believers to pronounce these lines exactly 150 times.
Another thing worth investigating is how holy the godparents should pray for their godson. To address the saints is recommended as often as possible, which will protect the child from various problems and direct it to the right track. Time for reading prayers does not matter, and you can pronounce them in the morning and evening. It is recommended to address in the prayer texts to the Savior, and also to the Theotokos. It is best to do this before the icon of the Savior Jesus Christ and Vladimir's Mother of God.