Orthodox Christianity from Birth to Death
The life of the Orthodox Christian is shaped and defined by participation in the sacraments of the Church. (A sacrament is any physical act performed by the believer and the priest through which God transmits His grace.)
When a baby is born to an Orthodox family, there is great rejoicing. A child is never considered a burden, far less a commodity to be disposed of if the parents so wish; rather, every life is a precious gift from God, and even parents in difficult circumstances trust that God will provide for the child's needs as long as they are faithful to raise the child in the service of Christ.
The first event in the child's Orthodox life is the "churching" or "naming." Soon after birth-often on the eighth day-the baby is brought to church and blessed by the priest. The parents offer their thanks for a safe childbirth, and the baby officially receives his or her name, which is traditionally the name of a saint.
Sometime after this, within the first few months of life, the baby is baptized. The Sacrament of Baptism was instituted by God as the means by which Christians are united to Christ. The infant's parents and godparents-who must be faithful Orthodox Christians-speak for the child, promising to raise him or her faithfully in the Church and professing Orthodox belief on his or her behalf. The baby is fully immersed in the baptismal font three times, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He or she is then clothed in white garments, symbolizing purity and enlightenment.
After being clothed, the infant is anointed with holy oil, called chrism, in the Sacrament of Chrismation. This is the second half of baptism, in which the child receives the Holy Spirit to dwell within him or her. Then tiny locks of hair are cut from three sides of the baby's head and burned in a candle flame, symbolizing the infant's total commitment to Christ. This is called "tonsuring."
After baptism (which often takes place during the Divine Liturgy, or eucharistic service), the child is ready to partake of the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. The Eucharist is the central and most important sacrament of the Christian faith. This is the sacrament (also known as "Communion" or the "Lord's Supper") instituted by Christ at His Last Supper with His disciples, when He commanded them to participage in His life by partaking of the bread that is His Body and the wine that is His Blood.