What should a godmother buy for a boy's christening?
To baptize a child, it is necessary to have a pectoral cross; usually, according to tradition, it is bought by the baby’s godfather; a baptismal shirt, outfit or dress is bought by the godmother. ... Kryzhma must be present in the baptismal ceremony. It is a heirloom and has been kept for years.
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Godfather - closer than your own
If you become a girl's godfather, this is an important event. Now you are entrusted with the responsibilities of her spiritual education. After all, christening is, first of all, the internal rebirth of a person, the beginning of his turning to God. You know that for your goddaughter’s parents you are godfather, and that’s already good. Spiritual kinship is much stronger than blood: it is an internal connection between you and your goddaughter. We usually feel an inner attachment to people. It is impossible to explain, but it occurs in the person being baptized and the godfather (godmother) immediately after this sacrament.
Therefore, speaking in church language, for your newly-made daughter you are not just a godfather: you are her dad. Previously, in Rus' there was a wonderful custom: children called their godparents “mom” and “dad”. If the blood parents died, the godfather had to take their child into his family. Many people have kept this tradition to this day.
But we digress a little. Now we know that your goddaughter is not just a goddaughter, but a real daughter. You can tell her that if she is already an adult. Your goddaughter will definitely like the fact that she has three, or even four parents (if she has a godmother).
If your goddaughter is still small, be sure to visit the nearest children's store and buy an interesting toy for her. The baby will definitely feel your good disposition and will rejoice at your arrival every time.
The role of the godmother in the life of a child
The godmother receives the child from the font at the moment of the spiritual birth of the baby during the Sacrament of Baptism. Thus, the relationship between the godson and the godson is akin to the relationship between mother and child. The godmother should take an active part in raising the baby. While the child is small, you can help the parents take him to church to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Teach short prayers, help them get used to the church environment. The older the godson gets, the more information you can convey to him. The main thing is to do this only in a simple and understandable form.
The role of the godmother is to show by example what a virtuous life is in the traditions of the Church. Parents instill in their child the basic rules of hygiene and behavior in society. The godmother is called upon to teach her pupil the basics of the Orthodox faith and works of mercy. You need to guide your spiritual child on the path of salvation throughout his life, and protect him with advice from wrong actions. The godson may stumble and the parents will not be able to correct the situation. Then it is the godmother who must help realize mistakes and provide comprehensive support to her spiritual child.
What does it mean to be a “godmother”?
At that moment, when I was offered to be a godmother, I did not know at all what I know now. But even then I understood that this was a very big responsibility. These are not only gifts, or rather, not really them. This is spiritual education. And therefore, the first advice that should be given to godparents is that you need to be physically closer to your godchildren . If you live in different countries or cities, you should not take on such a responsible role.
It's worth being close to your child . Take them to church, to the Divine Liturgy, to Communion. Read religious literature to your godson and educate him. And if you live far away, then it is very difficult to complete this mission.
You can just always remember that there is a godson. And the promise made at Baptism will remain with you for the rest of your life. And even when your godson grows up.
The godmother introduces the godson to the church and is engaged in his spiritual education. In the Sacrament of Baptism there is a very important moment when the priest immerses the child in the font, he then immediately hands him over to the godparents.
From a conversation with the Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity on Oktyabrskaya Embankment in St. Petersburg, it became clear that godparents are guarantors for the baby before the Creator. The rector of the temple, Hegumen Thomas, said this:
“In the ancient church, someone who was trusted by the bishop had to vouch for a person who wished to be Baptized. It’s like in modern banks, when they require guarantors. And at the same time, the bishop could also examine the person preparing for Baptism, to the extent that he was catechized, that is, learned.”
For example, in the Church of the Holy Trinity there is a Sunday school for children together with their parents. This is a very positive experience of shared spiritual growth. Because parents don’t always know everything either, but here they learn together with their children. Many come with the whole family, mom and dad and children, godparents with their godchildren, so the children join the church and both of them grow spiritually.
Who belongs to whom and by whom after baptism
Hello, Mikhail! Since after baptism a spiritual relationship begins between the godson and his godparents, then you, in my opinion, can consider the godmother and godfather of your grandchildren only spiritual relatives. But, as far as I know, no special names and definitions have been invented for spiritual relatives who became such after the baptism ceremony of their grandchildren. And, despite the fact that these people have become godfather and godmother for your grandchildren, you cannot also consider them, for example, your spiritual son or spiritual daughter. Since spiritual kinship, by and large, occurred between godchildren and their godparents. And it is the godchildren that the godfather and godmother can call their spiritual son or spiritual daughter.
A spiritual daughter, for example, is also called a parishioner in relation to her confessor. Perhaps the same can be applied to a spiritual son.
Thus, again, by and large, there are no family ties between you. However, in my opinion, this does not in the least prevent you from maintaining pleasant communication with your grandchildren’s godparents, being interested in their affairs, or yours, etc. and so on.
But, for example, the godfather’s father used to become godfather, the son became godbrother, and both godparents in relation to the godson’s parents became godfathers: he is godfather, she is godfather.
In accordance with Byzantine law, spiritual kinship connects, after the baptismal rite, godparents with their godparents, with the parents of godchildren, as well as with the children of godchildren and with more distant descendants of godchildren. In addition, as far as I understand, spiritual kinship will also connect the godsons and goddaughters of the same successor and their descendants with each other.
But, it seems to me personally that this is all theory and it is extremely far from practice. So, for example, if we look at our life soberly, without emotions and objectively, we will understand that after the baptismal ceremony even such a simple rule is not observed, such as, for example, that godparents must be responsible for their godchildren, participate in their religious and moral education, contribute to the development of their Christian consciousness, etc. While such a practice would be extremely useful during our lifetime, for example, if the godson’s blood parents fail to cope with their responsibilities, or in cases where something bad happens to them and their children are left alone with their problems, and godparents in In such cases, they should have come to their aid and contributed in every possible way to their well-being. We see rather a formal approach to the rite of baptism, both from blood relatives and from spiritual ones.
Requirements for a godmother
An Orthodox woman is chosen as a successor who will be able to give the future godson the necessary knowledge about Christian life and faith. The godmother must know the basic prayers and understand the meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism. She needs to be aware of the responsibility that will be entrusted to her after receiving the baby from the font.
According to church canons, the minimum age for the named mommy is adulthood. It must be borne in mind that the rite of baptism is carried out once and for life. If the successor in the future for some reason fails to cope with her duties, it will no longer be possible to appoint another person as godparents.
The child’s own mother, an unbeliever or unbaptized woman, a girl under adulthood, or a nun cannot become a godmother. There is a strong tradition that husband and wife cannot be godparents of the same child. If the recipients, who were not spouses at the time of baptism, decide to tie the knot, this will require special permission from the bishop of the local diocese.
“Marriages between successors can be performed with the blessing of the diocesan bishop (taking into account the decree of the Holy Synod of December 31, 1837).”
What is a godmother for?
A godmother is a church-going Orthodox Christian who, in the Sacrament of Baptism, makes vows before God for the baby. She also undertakes to participate in the spiritual education of the child. The biological mother is responsible for the physical well-being and health of her child. The godmother, in turn, must contribute to the spiritual formation and salvation of the soul of her godson.
Being a godmother means much more than accepting a child from the font and reading the Creed. From infancy, you need to maintain contact with your godson. You need to pray for him, encourage him to participate in the Sacrament of Communion, and teach him to live like a Christian.
Baby in the arms of the godmother during the Sacrament of Baptism
Sacrament of Baptism
In common parlance it is often simply called “christening”. And for them you need to prepare not the table, but yourself. Because the Sacrament of Baptism itself is a very important rite in the life of a child. It is as if he is being born again. And the life of his child becomes sinless after it is committed.
The sacrament of baptism in the Orthodox Church
After the priest immerses the child in the font, puts on a ritual shirt and a pectoral cross, the child’s life begins with a “clean slate”, and his original sin of birth is removed.
What responsibilities do the godmother have?
When I was baptized, my mother didn’t even think about a godmother, since this all happened in adulthood. And my godmother turned out to be a random person who simply brought me to church. But when I came home from another city, she always visited me, brought prosphora, holy water, and asked me about my affairs. And I, in turn, always brought her something to please her. She has been gone for a long time. But I always remember her with warmth.
And yet, what responsibilities lie on the godmother:
- Based on the church charter, she must pray for the spiritual development of the baby and for his health
- Introduce your godson or goddaughter to Orthodox traditions and introduce them to church life
- Give the child communion and take him to church on all major holidays
- Provide all possible assistance and support
- Show a good and positive example of what an Orthodox believer should be
- Introduce your child to the Bible and read other Orthodox books
And if the godmother herself has any questions, I recommend that you contact them on the website of the Orthodox magazine Thomas. An interesting and useful publication for both adults and children.
