The modern institution of godparents has become almost formal. Some parents choose godparents from among rich people who would give their godson expensive gifts and provide for him, while forgetting about the real responsibilities of godparents. And others are looking for ideal candidates for godfathers, deeply religious and constantly participating in the Sacraments of the Church, but finding such people is problematic.
Therefore, many people have questions about Baptism: is it possible to baptize a baby without godparents or with one godparent, when no godparents are needed; believing parents themselves are able to raise a child in the faith?
Why are godparents needed and how to choose a godparent?
Photo: Flickr.com
Many questions disappear by themselves when parents find out what the Sacrament of Baptism is and why they need to baptize a child (first of all, the blood father and mother must answer this question for themselves).
A child, especially under 7 years old, cannot testify to his faith, is not able to answer the priest’s questions and renounce Satan, and does not understand the meaning of the Sacrament. Therefore, during the baptism of children, it occurs according to the faith of their godparents, who promise to God to raise a newborn member of the Church in the Orthodox faith.
The main criterion when choosing godparents is that they must be churchgoers who can instruct the child in the faith, help him fight sins, pray for him and love the child.
Consequently, only people of the Orthodox faith, believers and adults can be godparents.
What is the Sacrament of Baptism
There are 7 Sacraments in Orthodoxy:
- The ritual is performed only once in a lifetime. Baptism;
- Participle;
- Unction;
- Wedding;
- Repentance;
- Ordination;
- Confirmation.
The laity go through some of them several times during their lives (for example, confession, communion, unction), some they are granted only once or not at all (ordination).
When the Sacrament of Baptism is performed, the birth of a person’s soul occurs from the old life to the renewed one. It is said about this in the Gospel that a person must be born of water and spirit, and thus enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In this case, the person is given a name, which is chosen according to the calendar. The saint whose name was given to a person is his patron in this earthly life and a prayer book for him. You need to pray to this saint all your life.
The name is given to a person at baptism once for the rest of his life; it cannot be changed.
It should also be remembered that the Sacrament of Baptism can be performed on a person only once!
Some argue that a person can be “rebaptized”, i.e. re-baptize. This is a big misconception. At the Sacrament of Baptism, a person is immersed in consecrated water, while important words are pronounced:
“The servant (or servant) of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Then the Sacrament of Confirmation is performed on the person being baptized. During it, the priest will anoint parts of the person’s body with holy oil. This represents the grace of the Holy Spirit.
is usually customary to baptize newly born babies, so sometimes it happens that the child gets sick, and his life can suddenly end. And without the Sacrament of Baptism there is little hope that a person will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but, of course, much here depends on the will of God.
It is customary to baptize on the 3rd or fortieth day after birth.
But still, you should not tempt God, but it is better to baptize the child immediately after birth. Some baptize the baby on the 40th day, some on the 3rd. special regulations about the age at which a person should be baptized.
The rite of Baptism includes a mandatory condition - renunciation of Satan and his works and confession of faith.
Since baptism was previously performed by adults who had independently chosen the Orthodox faith, who could renounce the devil and his works and profess the Orthodox faith, the course of the ceremony was designed specifically for adults.
But babies cannot utter the words of renunciation themselves, nor can they read the creed. That is why a person is needed who could do this for him.
Is it possible to baptize a child without godparents?
Photo: Flickr.com
There is no unanimous answer to this question among the priesthood of the Russian Orthodox Church. For example, Archpriest Andrei Efanov believes that if parents are firmly confident in their own abilities and can raise their child in the Orthodox faith, then they can baptize him without godparents. The famous professor Osipov A.I. is against the baptism of children. He is sure that they themselves must choose what to believe in. Many church rectors do not agree to baptize children without godparents, following the tradition established in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Currently, almost all churches conduct public conversations before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. At them, parents of children and candidates for baptism and godparents are explained the basics of faith, what Baptism is and what the responsibilities of recipients are. There you can also ask questions about preparing for the Sacrament.
It is good for any person (even an adult) to have a mentor - a person who is trusted by a godson or goddaughter, who instructs in spiritual matters. If parents can find such a godfather, the child will benefit greatly.
Presence of parents at baptism and baptism of child
A huge number of young parents are wondering whether it is possible for them to be in the temple during the Baptism ceremony of their child. This point depends on what age their child is. Until the fortieth day after the birth of a child, a woman in the Orthodox religion is considered “unclean.”
Therefore, if a child under the age of forty days undergoes the sacrament of Baptism, the woman is not allowed to be in the church. She will be forced to wait outside the church for the end of the ceremony. Baptism with her baby To avoid uncomfortable moments, you should discuss all the exciting moments with the priest in advance and come to church for cleansing prayer.
Modern life makes big adjustments to everything, even to some issues of the Orthodox Church. Currently, many churches are tolerant of the presence of a young mother at the ceremony, regardless of how long has passed since the birth of the child, and whether prayers were read over the mother. Accordingly, responsibility for making this decision falls on the mother herself. It depends on her whether she will undergo the “cleansing” procedure or not. This is already in her area of responsibility.
Deciding whether or not to baptize a child
, the Orthodox Church is guided by a number of specific rules describing the age characteristics of children receiving baptism. Until the child has reached the age of seven, the consent of his parents is required to conduct the Baptism ceremony, since they are the ones responsible for the spiritual development of the child and bear responsibility for this to themselves, God and the church. Upon reaching the age of seven, the consent of the parents alone is no longer enough; it is important that the child himself wishes to be baptized. If the child does not express such a desire, the clergyman will simply refuse to perform the ceremony. If a child is 14 years old and agrees to be baptized, then his parents’ consent to baptism is not necessary. At this age, the child is considered old enough to make an independent, thoughtful decision in this matter.
It is not surprising that many parents are interested in how baptism occurs, what to expect from it, and what they should prepare for. We will briefly explain some of the moments that occur during the sacrament. These elements may vary among churches, which make their own rules. But there are approved, inviolable canons in the rite of Baptism.
For example, while the baby is immersed in the font, he is supported by his godparents - the boy is held by the godfather, and the girl is held by the godmother. After the child is dipped, the godfather (if the child is male) and the godmother (if the child is female) also receive him into his arms. Godparents must take care of clothes for Baptism
which will be needed during the Sacrament
For the procedure of churching, a male child is brought behind the altar, entering through the doors of the sextons. The priest, together with the child, bows to the throne, and then carries him out through the southern doors. For girls, the procedure is completely different - they are prohibited from being brought behind the altar, since the clergy are men. At the end of the sacrament, both boys and girls are brought to the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God and applied. After this, they are handed over to their biological mother and father, if they are present at the ceremony, or to their godparents.
What to do if the priest refused to baptize a child without a godparent?
First of all, don't panic. We need to understand the reasons why Baptism was denied. It often happens that parents want to baptize their baby only because everyone else is baptizing. At the same time, they forget that the Church baptizes children according to the faith of their recipients and parents. If the father and mother of the child do not go to church and do not lead a spiritual life, then how can they be entrusted with raising the child in the Orthodox faith?
Secondly, each case is individual and all issues can be resolved by coming to a specific church and talking with the priest and explaining to him the reasons why the parents want to baptize the child without godparents.
Can relatives or a priest baptize?
If you have not found a girlfriend or boyfriend who could become godparents to your child, then you can turn to your close relatives for help.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles can fill this important role. This in no way contradicts the laws of the church. The only thing is, according to Rule 53 of the VI Ecumenical Council, adoptive parents are not allowed to baptize a child. The question regarding stepfather and stepmother is very ambiguous.
Very often, priests refuse to perform the ritual if these relatives apply for the role of godfather or godmother. In extreme cases, the priest himself can become godfather. Various facts can push parents to make such a decision:
- someone believes that no one worthy was found among ordinary people;
- someone is sure that the holy father will be able to invest more in the child than the biological parents.
Church laws do not prohibit a clergyman from participating in such a ceremony (and not just conducting it). However, you should not count on this option and confront the priest with a fact. After all, he has every right to refuse.
Perhaps this will happen due to the fact that most likely you will never see this person again, you have never known him before and you are not going to communicate further. In this case, the clergyman will not fulfill his role, will not be able to instruct the child, teach him, and because of this he will take sin on his soul. However, both a priest and a deacon can become godparents to the children of their friends, acquaintances and parishioners.
When can you be baptized without godparents?
Photo: Flickr.com
If a person is in mortal danger, seriously ill, then he is baptized urgently. Even a layman can baptize a person, including a baby. Such baptism is performed in trust in the mercy of the Lord, and if the sick person recovers, then the Sacrament of Confirmation is performed on him in the church. Also, an adult can be baptized independently without recipients.
It is best to follow the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church and try to choose two godparents for the child. So that he has an example of the life of not only biological parents, but also his adoptive children who attend church and live according to the commandments of the Lord.
( 16 ratings, average: 3.81 out of 5)
Opinions are for
Of course, if there is no godfather, then who will pronounce the words of rejection of the devil for the child and read the creed? It would seem that the Sacrament cannot be performed without these conditions being met. But in some cases you can do without godparents.
These are the cases when you can do without godparents:
- The child is not guilty that no suitable adoptive parents were found; he has the right to accept the Orthodox faith without godparents! Child's illness. In cases of mortal danger, you can even baptize the baby yourself, without a priest. In this case, you need to pour water on the child three times, preferably holy water, with the words that are written above. If the child survives, the priest will then perform the Sacrament of Confirmation on him. If not, the baby will still be considered baptized.
- The impossibility of the godmother's presence at Baptism. For example, during critical days a woman cannot attend the Sacrament. And the date had already been agreed upon earlier. If it is impossible to quickly find a replacement godmother, then you can baptize the child without her.
- Urgent departure of the godfather and serious illness. Also, if it was not possible to find a replacement godfather, and the date has already been agreed upon with the priest in advance, then you can baptize without him.
In these cases, the priest who conducts the Sacrament can become the godfather. He himself pronounces the words of renunciation of the evil spirit for the child and reads the symbol of faith for him. If the priest refuses to do this, you can ask another priest. Even the deacon who concelebrates with the priest at baptism can pronounce these words.
