It is by means of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism that one is united to Christ and becomes a member of His Body, the Church. Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, the Priest of mystical and pure marriage, and the Ordainer of the law of the marriage of the body, the Preserver of immortality, and the Provider of good things!
And so, in continuation of the Apostolic Tradition, those baptized into the Orthodox Church also immediately receive the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” by means of the Sacrament of Chrismation. In this way, the baptized is born anew in Christ and so the Priest exclaims:
May the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the all-holy, consubstantial and life-giving Trinity, one Godhead, and one Kingdom, bless you; and grant unto you length of days, fair children, prosperity of life, and faith: and fill you with abundance of all earthly good things, and make you worthy to obtain the blessings of the promise: through the prayers of the holy Theotokos, and of all the Saints. Amen.
To request a Wedding, please contact Fr. Iskander at abouna@stgeorgeto.org or 905.731.7210.
