The meal is a fertile food satiety

Modern man is taught to accept food as breakfast, lunch, dinner. In monasteries and among believers in God, people in the kitchen, in the dining room, it is customary to call meals a meal. Why is it so strangely called? The meal is not just a dinner or a supper, it is the acceptance of any food and drink by the whole family of the house or by the brotherhood in the monastery. Modern people who do not belong to any religion, can be surprised: "We, too, sit down to eat everything together!". They can answer that the meal is different from the usual dinner.

Table for a meal, not for calls

Christians, especially Orthodox, know that at home one must necessarily have the icons of the Lord and of His Mother. Where there is usually a meal (in the kitchen, in the living room or in the hall), there is a holy corner. The table is set so that the head of the family is sitting right in front of the images, and the rest of the household and guests sit down on the sides. What does a Christian meal look like? The photo, which is presented below, illustrates it in former (and even current) times among pious families. The master of the house begins to pray aloud before the icons, having made the sign of the cross before the Lord sanctifies the food. The others listen in silence. The father at the end of the prayer oversees food and drink with the sign of the cross. He sits at the table first.

In past centuries, almost every child knew that the father is the most important, he is respected at all, so he sits at the table first and takes the spoon exactly he. Undoubtedly, a wife or daughter serves a bowl of soup at first to him. The meal is not a reason for talking. They eat everything in silence. At the end of the dinner, the head of the family gets up from the table and thanks the Lord and the Mother of God aloud for the food provided. All relatives and friends also pray. Only after the words of thanksgiving to God can we begin talking, communicating.

What is the meaning of the meal?

Why are there such rules for lunch among Christians? Where did this custom come from? To answer this question, you need to look into the Gospel. Before his death, Jesus Christ called the disciples, and they sat down for the last time at the common table. He broke bread and told his followers that it would be in remembrance of His body. Then he pointed to the cup of wine.

The meal is the memory of Jesus Christ. To this day, the clergy are preparing the Holy Communion in the temples at the Liturgy, while in the cup are put pieces of prosphora (small bread) and pour the wine. At this time in the altar, God Himself creates a miracle. Bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of the Lord, crucified the day after the holy meal with the disciples.

That is why the tradition has always been preserved on the table to have bread during a homemade or monastic meal. Christians pray before eating and after that the Lord was present nearby, Himself blessed dinner. They say that food after the prayer becomes sanctified. No illnesses stick to believing people. There are cases when food was spoiled, but people did not get symptoms of poisoning.

Memorial meal

The word "meal" is Greek. It means "eating and drinking in society". All people sit down together at the table, after praying.

There is a special meal - a memorial. When a Christian dies, they pray for him on the 3rd, 9th, 40th days after death. All relatives, relatives, acquaintances sit down at the table and remember the deceased. The church calls on the mourners to invite beggars to the table, deprived of them, so that they pray about the newly-departed. The Lord says that He will reward the man who gives his own and does not require anything back. You need to be able to give free of charge.

Lenten meals are an exception to the menu of meat, eggs, milk. Such products in Orthodoxy are called fast. It can be assumed that only vegetarian food is allowed on the table. In fasting days you can not overeat. It is better to eat very little than oversaturated. Many people believe that fasting is only about eating. This is not true. During the fast, you need to beware of chattering, quarreling, irritation, entertainment. Every minute, it is better to hold a prayer, including a meal.

Holy meal

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the church calls on people to confess their sins and to partake of Christ's Mysteries in order to be reconciled to God and come to Paradise. People take turns after the confession to the priest, putting their arms crosswise on the chest, calling their name and eating a piece of bread and wine from the spoon, which are the Body and Blood of Christ. Young children under the age of seven receive communion without confession.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the consecrated food can be spiritually and physically healthy, give strength, patience. Every person who first participated consciously at a meal knows how it differs from the usual meal. During such a pious dinner, a swarm of thoughts leaves his head, there is no desire at the same time to watch TV and argue with relatives, and the stomach takes food with profit.