Priestly office (1)

By Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (Sokolov)

On the seven holy Sacraments

A brief message that every priest should know and understand by heart throughout his life

Question. What is a Sacrament?

Answer. A Sacrament is a service that, under a certain visible form, brings the invisible grace of God into the soul of the faithful.

Q. How many Sacraments are there?

A. Seven.

1. Baptism.

2. Chrismation.

3. Repentance.

4. Eucharist.

5. Marriage.

6. Priesthood.

7. Unction.

Q. Who instituted the Sacraments?

A. Christ the Lord instituted some Himself, and others through the apostles.

Q. Why did Christ the Lord institute the Sacraments?

A. As a testimony of His love for us and for the healing of our salvation.

C. How does the Sacrament work for the salvation of man?

A. It depicts the grace of God and the seal of the Holy Spirit in the soul of the one receiving the Sacrament.

C. Can Sacraments be repeated?

A. Some can, and others cannot.

C. Which cannot, and which can, be repeated?

A. The following three cannot be repeated:

1. Baptism.

2. Chrismation.

3. Priesthood.

And the last four, that is: Penance, Eucharist, Marriage, Unction – can be repeated.

C. What does the Sacrament consist of?

A. Of two things, without which there can be no Sacrament.

1. Of matter, that is, of things appropriate to the Sacrament.

2. From the form, that is, from the performance, or the priestly words with which the Sacrament is performed.

B. What must be observed in every Sacrament?

A. Four things.

1. The priest must be properly ordained.

2. There must be a proper and decent thing for the Sacrament that is to be performed, for example, in Baptism – water, in the Eucharist – bread and wine, in the Unction – oil, and also in other Sacraments there must be proper things for them.

3. The priest must know with what words the Sacrament is performed, and he must have a strong intention to perform the Sacrament, so that he can act according to the rite of the Church and perform it by the power of the Holy Spirit. But without such intention, or when the priest does not know with what words the Sacrament is performed, or when he acts in unconsciousness, without any intention, he never performs the Sacrament, but as an unworthy slave is condemned to eternal perdition.

4. Those who receive the Sacrament must have a strong zeal and desire for it.

Q. What is Baptism?

A. Baptism is a Sacrament in which, through threefold immersion in water, the sins of the baptized are washed away by the invisible grace of the Holy Spirit.

Q. What matter or thing is needed for Baptism?

A. Natural water, simple, unmixed with anything, pure.

Q. What is the form or performance of Baptism?

A. The words are: “The servant of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, amen, and the Son, amen, and the Holy Spirit, amen.”

Q. What must be observed in this Sacrament?

A. Three things.

1. The priest must say the form, or performance, that is, the words: “The servant of God is baptized,” and so on, together with the immersion.

2. The godparent who denies the devil and all his works for the person being baptized must be Orthodox, not a heretic.

3. If the person being baptized is of full age and can understand and speak, let him himself denounce (the devil and all his works) and answer the priest’s questions.

Q. What is Chrismation?

A. Chrismation is a Sacrament in which we are given strength through the Holy Spirit, so that we can firmly confess the name of Christ and the Orthodox faith.

Q. What is the matter or thing of Chrismation?

A. Holy Chrism, consecrated by the bishop.

Q. What is the form, or performance?

A. The words are: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, amen.”

Q. What should be observed in this Sacrament?

A. Two things.

1. The holy myrrh must be uncorrupted in its fragrance, because myrrh that has no fragrance or that has become stinking is not suitable for the performance of the Sacrament, since with the change of fragrance its essence has also changed.

2. The priest, anointing (with myrrh) in certain places, at each anointing must repeat the above-mentioned words: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, amen.”

Q. What is Repentance?

A. Repentance is pity and sorrow for the sins committed after Baptism, which are forgiven through sincere and true confession and contrition of heart, through priestly absolution.

Q. What is the matter or thing of repentance?

A. Sins, contrition of heart, confession and penance.

Q. What is the form, or performance, of repentance?

A. The words are: “The Lord and our God Jesus Christ by grace and mercies,” and so on to the end.

Q. What is sin?

A. Sin is a transgression of God’s commandment.

Q. Why is sin called mortal?

A. Because it brings eternal death to the soul.

Q. How many mortal sins are there?

A. Seven.

1. Pride, that is, an unbridled desire for power and glory.

2. Lust, that is, an immeasurable desire for external goods, or, in other words, the desire to have wealth and acquisitions.

3. Fornication and impurity, that is, an unbridled desire for carnal defilement, or the very fulfillment of bodily lust.

4. Gluttony, that is, an immeasurable consumption of food and drink.

5. Envy, that is, sorrow and illness of the heart about the good of one’s neighbor, joy and merriment about evil.

6. Anger, that is, an immeasurable desire for revenge.

7. Laziness, or despondency, that is, coldness and negligence about spiritual salvation.

Q. How many sins are there against the Holy Spirit?

A. Six.

1. Despair, in which one does not hope for God’s mercy.

2. Excessive trust in God’s mercy.

3. Resistance to the known truth of Holy Scripture and the dogmas of faith established by the apostles and Holy Fathers.

4. Envy of the spiritual blessings that one’s neighbor receives from God.

5. Staying in sin and growing old in malice.

6. Neglect of spiritual salvation until the end of one’s life.

Q. How many sins cry out to heaven to God and ask for vengeance?

A. Four.

1. Voluntary manslaughter.

2. Sodomite fornication.

3. Causing harm to the poor, widows and orphans, insult and oppression.

4. Withholding or not paying wages to hirelings and workers.

Q. What must be observed in the Sacrament of Penance?

A. Eight things.

1. The penitent must be a Christian of the Orthodox faith, because repentance apart from the true faith is unpleasant to God.

2. Also, confession must be before an Orthodox spiritual father, since a heretic and apostate will not absolve the penitent from sins.

3. The penitent must have contrition of heart and sorrow for the sins with which he has angered God.

4. The penitent must confess all sins in detail, declaring each of them separately.

5. Confession must be humble, reverent, true; during confession one must accuse oneself and not blame others.

6. The penitent must have the unfailing intention not to return to the sins that have been confessed and to correct his life.

7. After confession, one must immediately perform the penance for sins prescribed by the confessor; the penance must be moderate and prescribed with consideration regarding the person of the penitent, rank, age, sins and their causes, and so on.

8. The seal of the Sacrament is this: the confessor must keep the sins heard in confession to himself and not reveal them to anyone, in any cases, except those explained in the “Spiritual Regulations”2.

B. What is the Eucharist?

A. The Eucharist is a Sacrament in which the true Body and true Blood of Christ our God are given to us under the form of bread and wine, in which Jesus Christ is truly and essentially present.

Q. What is the matter or thing of the Eucharist?

A. Wheat bread, leavened, and natural grape wine.

Q. What is the form or celebration?

A. The words are these: “And make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ, and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ, changing it by Thy Holy Spirit” – and then the bread and wine are changed into the true Body and true Blood of Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit.

B. What must be observed in this Sacrament?

A. Four things.

1. The priest must be lawfully ordained, for no one can perform this Sacrament except a bishop or a priest.

2. There must be things suitable for this Sacrament, that is, wheat bread, leavened, pure, not mixed with other flour; likewise the wine must be natural and unadulterated and not mixed with anything, but pure in itself, neither turned into vinegar, nor moldy. A little water should be poured into it at the proskomedia, according to the rite set forth in the Service Books.

3. The throne on which the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered should be consecrated by the bishop himself; or instead of the throne there should be at least an antimins consecrated by the bishop. For no one can consecrate the throne or the antimins except the bishop.

4. During the consecration of the Gifts, the priest should have the thought and intention that the substance of the bread and wine will be changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit.

Q. What is marriage?

A. Marriage is a Sacrament by which persons of the male and female sex are united by mutual consent of both and with the blessing of the priest.

Q. What is the matter or thing of marriage?

A. Persons of the male and female sex.

Q. What is the form or performance?

A. The consent of both to enter into a marital union and to preserve love for each other, so as not to leave one another until the end of their lives.

C. What is to be observed in this Sacrament?

A. Three things.

1. Those who wish to enter into marriage must prepare themselves by pious deeds, confess their sins, and partake of the Divine Mysteries three or four days before the wedding.

2. They must have the right intention of uniting not out of passion, and not for the sake of carnal gratification, but so that the human race may increase to the glory of God, for the blessed birth and pleasing upbringing of their children. 3. There must be no obstacle, such as, for example, kinship between them, carnal or spiritual; also forbidden times, such as fasting; or the coercion of unwilling children into marriage by parents, and other such things.

C. Who is a Priest?

A. A Priest is the builder of the Sacraments of God.

Q. What is the Priesthood?

A. The Priesthood is a Sacrament in which, through the laying on of hands by a bishop, a special power is given by God to the priest to serve and perform the Divine Sacraments according to the rite.

Q. How is the Priesthood performed?

A. By the laying on of the bishop’s hand with the edge of the omophorion on the head of the one being sanctified with the prayer or words: “Divine grace always heals the weak,” and so on until the end.

Q. What must be observed in the Sacrament of the Priesthood?

A. Six things.

1. The person receiving the Sacrament must be of the right age, that is, thirty years old, since the Savior began to preach and teach the nations at the age of thirty. But one who is younger can also be accepted if he advances in reason and virtue.

2. He cannot be a bigamist or marry a widow.

3. He cannot be born of obvious fornication.

4. He cannot be defiled by a particularly vile sin, especially an obvious one or one known to many: murder and the like.

5. He must have a fair amount of intelligence, a good disposition and prudence in the construction of the Divine Mysteries.

6. He must have intact those members of the body that are necessary for this calling, that is, he cannot be blind, deaf or the like, according to the rule of the 78 holy apostles.

Q. What is Unction?

A. Unction is a Sacrament in which, through anointing with oil sanctified by the priest’s prayer, the sick are given remission of sins, salvation of the soul and health of the body.

Q. What is the matter or thing of Unction?

A. Pure, unmixed, sanctified oil.

Q. What is the form or performance of Unction?

A. The prayer is as follows, pronounced by the priest: “Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies! Heal Thy servant with this anointing,” and so on until the end.

Q. What must be observed in this Sacrament?

A. Four things.

1. There must be seven priests during the performance of this Sacrament according to the church rite. For the sake of necessity there may be fewer.

2. The infirm must first confess his sins, then receive this Sacrament, and then partake of the Divine Mysteries.

3. The oil must be pure, without any admixture.

4. Each of the priests performing the Sacrament of Unction must read the prescribed prayer during the anointing: “Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies,” since the Sacrament is performed at this time.

Q. Can everyone receive this Sacrament?

A. Not everyone, but only those who are seriously ill and near death, according to the words of the holy Apostle James: “Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal (“save” in Church Slavonic) the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

Ad Notem: The work “On the Seven Mysteries of the Saints” was written by Saint Tikhon soon after his accession to the Voronezh cathedra, namely in 1763, as a guide for those clergy who, due to a lack of schools, were unable to receive the education necessary for their ministry in a timely manner. This “little book”, as well as an addendum to it (on the mystery of holy repentance), written a year later, were sent by the saint in copies to all diocesan monasteries and spiritual administrations for free distribution to clergy. Both articles were printed for the first time in “The Other Works” of Saint Tikhon (published in 1799 by Archpriest Bolkhovitinov), with which, due to the loss of the original, they were compared for the present edition.