The next great event in the lives of most Christians is marriage. In the Orthodox faith, marriage is not a civil contract or even a contract blessed by God; it is a sacrament, in which the couple receive an abundance of God's grace so that their lives together may be fruitful and may lead them both into the Kingdom of God.

The ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage reflects this view. There are no vows per se; the couple is asked whether they enter into marriage with a "free and unconstrained will," and then a multitude of prayers are said, asking God to bless the new couple with prosperity, health, long life, and many children. After the exchange of rings, which is called the "betrothal," the couple is "crowned." Crowns made of precious metal and jewels, or sometimes of flowers, are placed on the heads of the bride and groom. These crowns have a double significance: they show that the couple are the king and queen of their new family, and they signify martyrdom. In marriage, one must give one's life for the other person just as a martyr gives his life for Christ.

Two Scriptures are read in the wedding ceremony: Ephesians 5:22-33, in which St. Paul compares marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church; and John 2:1-11, in which Christ performs His first miracle at the wedding at Cana, thus blessing the Sacrament of Marriage.

There is one major sacrament that relatively few ever receive: the Sacrament of Ordination. In this sacrament, a candidate is ordained to the office of deacon, priest, or bishop by the laying on of hands of a bishop (or, for the office of bishop, three bishops), through which the candidate receives the Holy Spirit. This sacrament was instituted by Christ in John 20:21-23, when He breathed on the Apostles that they might receive the Holy Spirit and granted them the authority to forgive sins. Orthodox clergy are ordained within the apostolic succession to preach the Word, administer the sacraments and lead the Church.

There are a number of lesser sacraments in which the believer may participate throughout his life, including blessings of homes, water, churches, wine, bread, oil, and so forth, and-for a few-monastic profession. Many ordinary acts of the Christian are also considered sacramental, such as prayer, the giving of alms or charity, the veneration of icons and relics of the saints, and hearing the Word of God preached. All these are actions through which we commune with God.

Earthly life for an Orthodox Christian, as for all men, ends in death. The last sacrament one may receive is the funeral service. But an Orthodox funeral is as different from other funerals as life is from death. When an Orthodox Christian dies, he is merely passing over from one state of existence into another, far more blessed state. He leaves his body behind for the present, only to resume it in a glorified state at the end of time. The funeral service commits the body to its rest in the earth, awaiting the resurrection from the dead on the last day, and commends the soul into the hands of God-with sorrow on the part of those left behind, but with joy for the one who has passed on.

Orthodox Christians try to remember death at all times, so that we may be prepared to face our Maker when our own turn comes. "In the midst of life we are in death." The Orthodox view of death as an integral part of our earthly life was eloquently expressed by Fr. Seraphim Majmudar in September of 2002, on an occasion when a member of the parish died unexpectedly the day before a wedding was to be celebrated. Here is an excerpt from his words to the congregation at Vespers on the evening of the death, before the memorial prayers were said:

"In the midst of the joy of the wedding on this coming day, we have the sorrow of a death in our midst. Maximos Treadwell had a heart attack this afternoon at his home. He died very quickly. Thanks be to God, Father Thaddaeus was notified before Maximos actually was pronounced dead, so he was there saying all the prayers over the departed.

"So this presents us with reality. This is something that is regular in a place like Russia, where they will have a funeral, a marriage, and a baptism of a baby in the same church building at the same time. And we are entering into that reality, day by day.

"So let us remember that the joy of a wedding in our midst is in no way diminished by the death of one of us. It is enhanced, because the same God who will be present at this wedding is also present in the death of our brother Maximos. And it is in that same reality of the Church coming to the Lord in supplication in both cases that the Church becomes what it is to be, which is the life of God incarnate in this world.

"So let us not give in to the temptation to push this away, to try and somehow grab hold of happiness in the wedding and forget about the death, or somehow lose sight of the joy of the wedding in sorrow for a death. These are one and the same, and clearly, God has given us a blessing this day. This is not an unfortunate event, this is a blessing in our midst. Let us take this blessing to heart, and offer a fervent prayer, both for Matt and Amy [the couple to be wed], and for our brother Maximos, especially on this day, on the third day after his death, on the ninth day after his death, and on the fortieth day after his death. These are very important moments for the soul of the person who is experiencing the separation of the soul from the body."

Our life in Christ is not a series of separate events, but a unified whole, from birth to death and into the life to come. "Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11). "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). The sacraments of the Church bind all together in blessing and in grace.

Orthodox Christianity from Birth to Death: 1 | 2 | 3