ON THE RITE OF CHURCHING AN INFANT AND THE PRAYER FOR A WOMAN WHO HAS GIVEN BIRTH
Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky
The question is often raised as to why the Church does not permit the mother of a newborn child to enter a church or approach the Mysteries of Communion before the fortieth day following the delivery of her baby - the day on which the "churching" of the newborn child is performed. We consider it best to respond to this question by way of an explanation of the rite itself.
The fundamental purpose of the Rite of Churching is the reception of a new person into membership in the Church of Christ, just as an adult passes a set period of time in preparation before entering the Church of Christ, standing in the ranks of the catechumens, which of old occupied, and today still occupies, a period of about forty days. Usually this was the period of the Great Fast before Pascha, or another fast, likewise forty days, prior to the feast of Theophany - the Baptism of the Lord, which was later moved after the feast of the Nativity of Christ. The Church has recognized that such a length of time is also necessary for the infant, though in a somewhat different sense, namely, that having been accounted worthy within the first few days after his physical birth of a new, spiritual birth in the Mystery of Baptism, he might be prepared, throughout the succeeding days until the fortieth, for his entrance into the ranks of the members of the Church; and this means that the parents themselves are assured that the child will be able, in the arms of his own mother, to receive the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the Divine Liturgy. Although as a newborn infant he as yet does not have a Christian consciousness, he nevertheless stands on the path which leads to the appearance and strengthening of this consciousness, under the Grace-bearing influence of the Church and Her divine services with the good influence, of course, of the family lifestyle. The infant is still in need of physical strengthening. He must enter upon conditions of earthly life unknown to him, become familiar with the method of partaking of nourishment and respond normally to the sensations he receives - in a word, he must show himself capable of a new form of life. The child is already baptized, already cleansed, spiritually washed; sponsors have made the Orthodox confession of faith for him and have promised to guide him spiritually in that confession. In Chrismation, the second Mystery, which immediately follows that of Baptism, he received the "seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit," and is thus open to the influence of the Holy Spirit's gift of Grace upon his soul.
The Church has done all that is within Her power in this sphere to open the path of salvation to him. He has been clothed in spiritually radiant garments. Adult catechumens who have received Baptism remain for eight days thereafter in their white robes as an expression of their radiant spiritual state. Here, also, concerning the infant, we ought to be especially attentive to the purity and noble aspect of his external appearance and environment. What else should follow?
Those first steps toward the fulfillment of the confession of faith and the promises given in the infant's name should be made. He has been received by the Church: let him enter therein. Churching is that first step: the child enters, is carried into the temple. Under the conditions of our way of life it is far from possible always to keep exactly the forty-day period of time for bringing the child into the church, since parish churches are often open only on Sundays and feast days. This matter, of course, is purely a formality: the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath.
This rite of Churching is not lengthy, and the fulfillment of the duty of bringing the child to church is not complicated. But for the one who does so, it is a profound obligation in the Christian upbringing of a new member of the Church.
Who shall bear him for the first time, as is fitting, into this divine chamber where the Mystical Supper is performed? "I behold Thy bridal chamber, O my Saviour, but have no garments that I might enter therein." Who, if not the mother? To whom, if not to her, does this right, this spiritual obligation, belong? In actuality she will yet further nourish him physically and spiritually. Forty days is sufficient for her to become strong in body and spirit, just like her child, and she is able to fulfill that duty, which is a joy to her: to bear her child into church and hand him to the priest, that with prayer he might lay him spiritually before God, might bear him before the altar and the holy things of the temple; that in the shortest possible time she may commune of the Mystical Supper of the Lord, not only herself, but with her child.
Once the All-holy Virgin, accompanied by her betrothed, the righteous elder Joseph, bore her divine Infant into the temple in Jerusalem precisely on the fortieth day - the temple was then open for prayer. She bore Him there to offer Him to the heavenly Father, in accordance with the prescription of the law of Moses that firstborn sons be specially consecrated to the Lord. And we honor this day among the great feasts of the Church, calling it The Meeting of the Lord.
For the woman who has given birth, these forty days as they pass are not simply days of waiting: they are a period for the restoration of her physical strength, and her spiritual equilibrium as well. For many hours and perhaps for many days she was completely in the hands of other people, most likely unknown to her. There were times when she could not pray. Was the medical and other aid accorded her always pure in the moral sense? Does her own conscience not accuse her of sin committed then in spiritual confusion? After the recovery of her strength there were new concerns; the former style of her domestic life has had to undergo certain modifications. If she has experienced a long lapse in the fulfillment of the duty of Confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then it is beneficial for her to accept this on her soul as a period of penance similar to those imposed at Confession in accordance with the Church's canons.
The period of time comes to an end and the mother, child in arms, enters the church. At this point we should note that in the Church's rules there is no strict prohibition forbidding a woman who has given birth from entering the church before the end of the forty-day period. Circumstances may arise when such must take place before the fortieth day; in these cases, what is important is spiritual benefit, spiritual nourishment.
The mother enters the church with the thought of having her child receive a blessing for the rest of his life. She is conscious of the fact that the child is pure of soul, but she can no more say the same of herself than can we. It is significant that all home rules of prayer, as well as the divine services, begin with the words of repentance: "Have mercy on us, O Lord... cleanse us of our sins... forgive our transgressions... visit our infirmities...." For this reason the Church, blessing the infant, does not leave the mother bereft of attention, but goes beforehand to meet her feeling of lowliness.
In the following beautiful prayer it is suggested to us all in general that we each make our morning entry into church: "Glory to Thee, O King, Almighty God, Who through Thy divine and man-loving providence hast vouchsafed me, a sinner and an unworthy one, to rise from sleep and obtain entry into Thy holy house" - with such words it begins; and further on: "Deign that, through my defiled lips, but from a pure heart and humble spirit, praise may be offered to Thee so that I also,.. may become a companion of the wise virgins..."
For the believer, attending church is a precious privilege, a joy, and he yearns when deprived of it. Having every possibility of attending church, it may happen that we underrate it, so it is at times profitable to arouse this feeling by delaying this possibility for a short period of time.
But in the given case we have in mind there is another reason: the strengthening or even the rousing of feelings of humility and repentance. Although marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled (Heb. 13:4), yet life remains life: married life has its weaknesses and stumbling blocks. Thus, the Apostle Paul saw grounds for placing celibacy above marriage. Come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency (I Cor. 7:5). Psalm 50, with its words: For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me, is part of nearly every rite of the Church performed in the home.
It is clear that the short restriction on the entry into the church of a woman who has given birth and on her receiving the Holy Mysteries casts no shadow on her, and thus should not elicit any bitterness on her part. A Christian woman should not here introduce the now popular demand for the "equality of women" to the rights of men. In Christianity these rights are always equal and always lofty; only their spheres of activity are different because of the difference in several of the attributes of their respective natures. There are no grounds for personal distress. Whoever might harbor such a feeling of discontent should realize that it is only an indication of self-importance, of too great a confidence in oneself, of the languishing in the soul of pride which is the root of our moral discontent. In this decision of the Church it is precisely the particular concern of the Church for the mother, its care for her, that is evident. In and of itself, the desire to partake of the Mysteries is always blessed, but only insofar as the reception of the Mysteries does not bring condemnation upon the communicant.
Thus, according to the Church Slavonic text of the Rite of Churching, we read:
On the fortieth day the babe is brought to the church by its mother, the babe having already been cleansed and washed... And when she hath inclined her head and the infant, the priest maketh the sign of the Cross over them, and, touching the child's head, he saith the prayer: "Let us pray to the Lord. O Lord God, Ruler of all,.. by Thy will Thou hast saved Thy handmaid, N., who cometh to Thy holy temple, cleansing her of every sin and of every impurity, that without condemnation she may be vouchsafed to partake of Thy Holy Mysteries. The babe born of her do Thou bless, sanctify, enlighten, render chaste, and make of right mind,.. that he (she) maybe vouchsafed the noetic light at the time which Thou hast ordained, and may be numbered among Thy holy flock by Thine Only-begotten Son. With Him art Thou blessed, with Thine all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit..." There follow then several brief prayers of similar content, and then the priest, taking the infant in his arms, bears it into the depths of the church, saying: "The servant (handmaid) of God, N., is churched...; he (she) entereth into Thy house...; In the midst of the church he (she) will hymn Thee.. " Such is the essence of this short rite.
It may be that the infant was baptized before the fortieth day. In general, however, if it is in no danger and is healthy, the mother comes to church for the prayers of remission without the baby; and the infant is brought to church for its churching immediately after the Mystery of Baptism has been performed. Hence, the chronological significance of several of the prayers is altered.
Let all things be done decently, and in order (I Cor. 14:40).
