Parish of the Church of the Epiphany in Ust-Uda

Answering these and many other questions for the magazine “Nachalo” that are often asked to clergy online, the abbot of the Kyiv Trinity Monastery of St. John, Bishop of Obukhov IONA, notes: the main thing is to read the Gospel. Read every day and try to live by it.
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About the phenomenon that we encounter while reading the Gospel

Vladyka, the first question is about why the Bible is so difficult to read. Any magazine or newspaper, as a rule, is “swallowed” in one breath. But as for the Gospel and soul-helping books, this is more difficult. Either you can’t get around to it, or you don’t really want to. Can we talk about some kind of special laziness that “attacks” a person precisely when he has to do something for the soul?

It seems to me that in this case we are talking about a phenomenon that really confirms the existence of another world - the world of angels and demons - a very subtle, mysterious world.

Indeed, you noted very interesting point. When we have either a laptop or an exciting novel in our hands, for some reason we don’t want to sleep, and we are able to listen to what is written until late. But as soon as we get into the hands of some kind of spiritual book - this does not mean spiritual fiction, which has appeared in abundance in our time, but serious ascetic theological literature and, especially, the Holy Scriptures - then for some reason we immediately feel sleepy. Thoughts are not contained in our skull, they begin to scatter in various directions, and reading becomes very, very difficult.

All this shows that someone in the world of dark spirits really does not like what we are doing. That there is someone who in such a clear way opposes us in reading, which edifies us, brings us closer to God.

I would like to note this point. Even if we do not completely remember everything that we read - due to poor memory or for some other reasons - it is still necessary to read. This question was revealed in the book “Fatherland” by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, which collected the statements of Egyptian saints of the 4th-5th centuries. A certain student came to the elder and said: “What should I do, no matter how much I read the Holy Scriptures and other books, nothing remains in my head, I don’t remember anything. Is it worth reading in this case, maybe it’s not necessary? To which he was told: just as dirty laundry placed in a stream is cleaned even without washing, because running water washes away all the dirt from it, so reading divine books washes away dirt and debris from our heads and enlightens our thoughts with the light of the Gospel.

Regarding reading the Gospel, I would like to ask about purely practical aspects, based on the questions that are often asked to clergy on the Internet. For example, is it necessary to make extracts from the text while reading? After all, this way we read less, but it is remembered. Or is it better to try to read more without being distracted by note-taking?

It seems to me that everything depends on the degree of organization of a person. There are people who need to systematize everything, somehow record it, break it down point by point - this way they will perceive it better. It is indeed useful for them to take notes and make some extracts.

There are those who are not distinguished by such systematicity, I think they are the majority. Such people need to regularly and constantly read the Holy Scriptures and, preferably, with interpretation. It is clear that the first few times you need to read it completely without distractions. But the more we read, the more we see the need to understand him better. At some stages, we will not be able to comprehend many things with our minds, so it is worth turning to the 20-century experience of the Church.

Which interpretative books would you recommend for reading? Preferably one that is available for wide consumption, written in a light style and style.

In general, all people who are at the beginning of their spiritual path For those who are just becoming churchgoers, I highly recommend reading the book by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky, “The Law of God.” Perhaps the title suggests that the book is intended for children in some elementary age. educational institution, but in fact it is quite serious. In my opinion, this is a brilliant example of how it is possible to collect and formulate very succinctly and clearly the basic concepts of faith, the Church, and Orthodoxy in one small book. Including, there is a section about the Holy Scriptures, about the history of the Church, so that a person can get a systematic idea of ​​what the Church is and what place it occupies in our lives. This book is a must-read for every churchgoer.

Regarding interpretation Holy Scripture, that is, there are quite a lot of wonderful publications. A classic is the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom. But for a beginner it may seem somewhat complicated and not entirely clear. In my opinion, if a person is just going to start studying the Holy Scriptures, then it is best to use the interpretation of Archbishop Averky (Taushev). It will certainly be understandable and clear to everyone.

How to read the Gospel at home

- More practical questions about reading the Gospel at home. Do you have to read standing or can you sit?

According to custom, special reverence for the Holy Scripture involves reading it while standing.

But, in my opinion, nothing should distract from attention to the Gospel words; it is necessary to immerse yourself in reading as much as possible. But standing still presupposes some instability. And in this case, anyone, especially a young person, will definitely have thoughts that it would be nice to sit down, or that he needs to run somewhere, or go do something. Therefore, if in church we listen to the Holy Scripture “Forgive”, that is, standing straight, with our hands down, then at home, I think, we can read it while sitting, in order to better understand and not be distracted by thoughts from paying attention to the divine words.

- Question about the dress code for women: should the head be covered?

In my opinion, such questions are already in the category of “straining out a mosquito.” It turns out that if a person finds himself in a situation where he cannot cover his head, then in this case what - don’t read the Holy Scriptures?..

We know that a woman must cover her head during prayer, whether at home or in church. Reading the Holy Scriptures is not a prayer, so I think it is quite acceptable to read it with your head uncovered.

— Is it necessary to wear a skirt when reading, or is it possible to wear home clothes—sweatpants, for example?

— My opinion is that it is not necessary to wear any special clothes for reading or prayer rule. If these are your favorite pajamas and slippers in the shape of bears, then it’s quite possible. The main thing is that it is clothing, and not, say, underwear.

But this applies to the situation when a person prays himself. If we are talking about a Christian family, especially when there are children, then you need to try to dress in what is more consistent with prayer. The woman should wear a skirt and headscarf, the man should also be in more or less decent clothes - to emphasize the importance of the moment of the family coming before God. This is especially important for raising children - by this we show that prayer is not done on the go, but is the most important common task.

During days of natural purification for women, they should not venerate icons, or approach the cross for blessings. What about the Gospel? It is believed that it is also forbidden to kiss it. Accordingly - and read?

This is a joke, of course. But, in fact, in my opinion, such prescriptions are complete nonsense. Instructions regarding the purity of women, first of all, relate to the sacraments - confession, communion, unction and others. On certain days a woman cannot participate in them. All other restrictions are already the tradition of this or that locality, this or that parish. That is, the Church does not have clear instructions on what cannot be done during this period.

It is traditionally believed that in addition to not participating in the sacraments, a woman should also abstain from eating prosphora and holy water, not venerate icons, and theoretically should not take a blessing from the priest.

But again, you need to understand that in addition to the theoretical, there is also a practical side of life: if eating a prosphora or venerating an icon is entirely in our will, then when you come face to face with a priest, explain to the priest why you are hiding your hands behind your back, I think it would be inappropriate.

Again, being in this state does not exclude contact with certain sacred objects. After all, the greatest shrine is the cross of Christ, which we wear on our bodies, but we do not take it off during this period, it remains on us. AND sign of the cross we impose on ourselves. It’s the same with the prayer book and the home Gospel: I think that it is possible and even necessary not to interrupt your established prayer rule and, accordingly, not to stop reading the Holy Scriptures.

Preferred, but not required.

About prayer and reading the Gospel on the road

Continuing the theme of reverent attitude towards the Holy Scriptures - is it possible to read it on public transport? Modern man spends a lot of time on the road and combines this time with reading prayers and holy books. Is this acceptable?

It seems to me that the prayer rule should be read at home, in a calm environment, when nothing distracts from the conversation with God. The only exceptions can be force majeure situations, when a person either stayed late at work, or there was some kind of disruption to the established schedule, and the person knows for sure that he will come home and, due to objective reasons, will no longer be able to read all the prayers. In this case, it is allowed to read in transport. But this should not become a habit and become a constant practice. You should always listen to your conscience and evaluate whether the need to pray on the road is real and justified.

As for the Gospel, spiritual literature, I think it can and should be read on public transport. After all, most of the information enters a person through the eyes, so it is better to let them be busy perceiving the word of God than to be scattered on the people around them, on advertising and on other things that do not bear any fruit and are even harmful.

On Protestant editions of the Holy Scriptures and the dangers of some translations

Is it possible to use editions of the New Testament that are distributed free of charge by representatives of Protestant denominations? Or purchase the Gospel in churches of other faiths?

In Protestant publications, you always need to look at whose translation it is. If it is stated that it was reprinted from the synodal edition (published before the revolution with the blessing of His Holiness governing synod- the governing body at that time church life), then you can safely read.

If there is no such indication or it is said that this is a translation from some society, or a new translation, or adapted, or something else, then, of course, it is better to abstain. Often, many denominations, translating the Holy Scripture anew, adapt it to their own creed. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses significantly distorted the Gospel with their pseudo-translation for the reason that they do not recognize the deity of Jesus Christ. They remade all the places where the deity of the Savior is spoken of. Such publications should not be used and at the first opportunity they should be disposed of - just like any shrine that has become unusable. Usually the shrine is burned, and the ashes are either buried in an untrampled place, that is, where no one walks, or swept into running water - into a river, for example.

Many believers doubt whether they can use the Gospel publications published by the World Bible Society and trust only what is sold in church shops and stores. What do you think?

Holy Scripture, as I have already said, it is advisable to use only what is reprinted from the synodal translation, which was once made back in the 19th century in the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Bible Society may also publish adapted translations. They probably do not contain the distortions that are present in various translations of Protestant denominations, but it seems to me that it is better to use the traditional Synodal translation.

In addition, you also need to understand that by purchasing the Holy Scriptures in an Orthodox church, you are thus making your contribution to the church. Although books may be somewhat more expensive than in the Bible Society or among Protestants.

- Do purchased editions of the Bible or New Testament need to be blessed?

It seems to me that, firstly, the Holy Scriptures in themselves are already sacred, so there is no need to consecrate them. Secondly, there is no rite of consecration of the Holy Scriptures.

It should be said that previously crosses and icons were brought to the temple not for consecration, but for blessing. In Greece, the tradition has been preserved that neither crosses nor icons are consecrated, but only blessed in the temple.

What does it mean to be blessed? The priest, as a censor, looks at how much a given image corresponds to the canons of the Orthodox Church, and blesses or does not bless its use.

Actually, the very rite of consecration - both the pectoral cross and icons - came to us from Catholic breviaries from the time of Peter Mogila and is not entirely Orthodox in spirit.

The same Bible Society publishes many children's books - adapted New Testament stories, for example. There are publications where all the heroes of the Gospel events are depicted, one might say, cartoon characters. Is there any prejudice on the part of the Church towards depicting Christ and the saints in this form?

I am a big opponent of the profanation of everything sacred, including if this sacred thing is brought to children in some inappropriate form.

As for whether to use such publications, this could have been discussed 10-15 years ago, when the Orthodox did not have any analogues. Now in Russia a huge number of children's books are published with wonderful illustrations, which are made in the spirit of the Orthodox Church. There are even wonderful children's books with canonical icons. And all this is done brightly and efficiently. Thus, from childhood a child learns to perceive Christ, the Mother of God, in the image that the Orthodox Church has preserved for us.

We need to understand that in what image we first meet a character, he will often remain in our minds. Stirlitz, the main character of Yulian Semenov’s book, appears exclusively in the image of actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Alexander Nevsky - in the form of actor Nikolai Cherkasov, who played him in the film of the same name.

It’s the same with a baby: if for the first time he comes into contact with Christ, with the Mother of God, with the apostles in some comic books, there is high probability that this primitive image will be imprinted in his child’s head.

Is there a difference in what language to read the Gospel and pray in?

Are there any regulations regarding what language the Bible should be in? Many people believe that the Gospel and the Psalter should be read only in Church Slavonic - as is done in churches during services. But since we are all already cut off from tradition, when Church Slavonic was studied in primary schools, then we do not understand everything we read correctly and do not fully comprehend the meaning of the words. In this case, it would be logical and natural to read in the language we speak, what do you think?

Due to the fact that the Holy Scripture is not some kind of light reading, then, in my opinion, it is better to read it in translation - in Russian, Ukrainian or any other language - one that is understandable to a person.

The same applies to the Psalter - if a person wants to read the psalms carefully, and not just drum his tongue, uttering beautiful Church Slavonic phrases. You can read alternately: for example, once all the psalms are in Church Slavonic, the next time in Russian. Ideally, reading the Psalter should be part of a daily prayer rule. At least little by little, you need to read it, because the psalms are used in the circle of services of the Orthodox Church. And while at the service, if we read the Psalter in translation, we will be able to understand those allusions and references to it that sound at the service in the temple.

In addition, there is a commandment: sing to God wisely. This means that the psalms - and these are, in essence, spiritual songs - need to be understood and sung intelligently. As Elder Paisios of Athos said, if we do not understand what we are praying for, then how can we come to an agreement with God?

But I am deeply convinced that one should pray in Church Slavonic. Still prayers colloquial speech deprived of that sublimity that is present in the text not just in another language, but in CHURCH Slavonic.

And I consider references to the fact that everything is not always clear when reading prayers to be completely unfounded and even stupid. Now there are courses where people learn in a month or two foreign language, therefore, I think that anyone can learn 20-30 incomprehensible Church Slavonic words from prayer sequences.

About why the same Gospel passages are read in churches

During each Divine Liturgy The Gospel is read in church, and, as a rule, on certain Sundays we hear the same passages prescribed by the charter. Why are only certain episodes chosen for reading in the temple?

This is not to say that only individual episodes were selected. Over the course of a calendar year, the Gospel is read in full at daily services in church.

Where did the tradition of reading the Gospel at services come from? We know that 100% literacy of the population became possible only thanks (at least in our country) to the efforts of grandfather Lenin. Before the revolution, and even more so even in more ancient times, not all people were literate. And those who knew how to read did not have the opportunity to have the Holy Scriptures, since books were rare. We know how expensive lists and handwritten books were - they were literally worth their weight in gold. When such a book was sold, they often put some jewelry on the opposite side of the scale. Therefore, rarely did anyone have the text of the Holy Scriptures.

At the time when, in fact, worship was being formed Christian Church, all Christians attended almost daily common prayer, gathered daily for the Eucharist in the temple. And during these meetings, some part of the Gospel was read. And since people regularly attended services and lived in the spirit of the Holy Scripture, they knew it, because throughout the year it was read in full.

And now, if we open the liturgical calendar, then Gospel passages are indicated there for each day. And on Sundays the Church established the reading of the most edifying fragments.

I think that if a person wants to live in Christ, then any opportunity for him to hear the Holy Scriptures is always joyful and gratifying for his soul. Moreover, you need to understand that the Gospel readings have a yearly cycle. I think hardly anyone can remember what they read a year ago. Every time, even if a person reads the Gospel at home, that small passage that is read on Sunday is a small discovery for him, a reminder of the most significant parables and the most significant events in the life of Christ.

Orthodox Christians quite often hear reproaches from non-church people that we have the same thing every day - the same prayers, similar services, one book for daily reading - the Gospel. If we try to answer this reproach, then why is this daily repetition necessary?

It seems to me that such reproaches are kind of absurd. If we follow the Holy Scripture literally, then the Lord Jesus Christ left us only one prayer - “Our Father.” But if we only read her alone, there would probably be even more reproaches.

For me, the question has never been posed this way; it’s quite strange for me to hear it. If a person is embarrassed by monotony, then become a saint, achieve holiness, and then you will have the gift of prayer, and you will know what to pray for.

But if someone is confused by daily morning and evening prayers, then we can suggest: okay, pray in your own words. What will the majority ask for? - Lord, give me health. Lord, make it good at work. Lord, may my children grow up to be good people. And everything like that.

That is, most of us have a consumerist attitude towards prayer, although the Lord said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God, everything else will be added to you.” And the morning and evening prayers are precisely aimed at ensuring that a person learns to pray. This can be called a kind of spiritual gymnastics. When we do gymnastics in the morning and evening, we repeat basically the same movements. For what? So that these movements become a habit, so that we acquire some physical qualities and skills that we need for life.

In the same way, morning and evening prayers are gymnastics for our prayer consciousness. So that we get used to praying, know what to ask for: about the sublime, about the heavenly, about humility, about purity, about those things that lead to the Kingdom of God. Please note that in the morning and evening prayers ah, which were compiled by the saints, there is no “everyday stuff”, but only exclusively that which helps bring us closer to the Kingdom of God. You need to get used to praying in this direction.

Of course, if a person leads a spiritual life, if he has a confessor who knows his mental and heart structure, and this person gets tired of reading morning and evening prayers, then the confessor can bless him to read, for example, the Psalter. But this cannot be a universal practice, but only with the blessing of a priest who knows the person who turned to him.

In this regard, we can also recall the preparation for communion. Those who receive communion relatively rarely have great difficulty reading and complaining about the rule established in the Church for Holy Communion, which consists of three canons and a sequence. The following approach is practiced: if a person does not receive communion at every Sunday Liturgy, then in this case the rule for Communion can be “stretched” for a week: on one day read the canon of repentance, on the next - the canon to the Mother of God, then to the Guardian Angel, and so on, so that before with the sacrament itself, leave only the prayers for Holy Communion. In this way, a person’s prayer work will increase for several days, a certain prayerful mood will be created, and before communion itself there will no longer be such fatigue from reading a large number of prayers.

But I want to emphasize that everything should always be done only with the blessing of your confessor. You cannot apply in life all the advice that you have read or heard somewhere, even from the most authoritative people. This is very dangerous spiritually, because what is said to a particular person may not always be useful to others. Everyone’s structure is known to their confessor, so if there is a desire to change something in your prayer rule, then this should be done only after consulting with your confessor.

- What if there is no confessor?

- If there is no confessor, it means spiritual state such a Christian leaves much to be desired. After all, it turns out that in the matter of salvation he is guided only by his vision of Scripture and Tradition, choosing solely according to his own will what is saving for him and what is not.

Hence, by the way, a large number of micro-heresies (“heresy” means choice) in the lives of many overly freedom-loving parishioners or those parishes where the priest limits himself to performing divine services, does not work with the flock, and is not a real spiritual father for them.

At the end of our conversation, I would like to note that the things we talked about are still secondary and far from the most important in the life of an Orthodox Christian. If a person strives to live according to the Gospel, if he loves God and loves his neighbor, then he will perform all external actions with natural reverence, he will not need to drive himself into artificial frameworks.

The most important thing is to remember and fulfill the words of the Lord. Christ said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” And Holy Scripture is the book in which this path is outlined. Therefore, when reading the Gospel, you need to think not about when to cross yourself or where to sit in the at the moment, but how to fulfill it in your life.

The conversation was moderated by Yulia Kominko

On October 23, an evening in memory of Metropolitan Anthony will take place at the Pokrovsky Gate cultural center, and main theme discussion will become an opportunity for conversation, a genuine dialogue between a believer and an unbeliever. The evening will be attended by people who knew the Bishop personally, famous journalists (Alexander Arkhangelsky, Ksenia Luchenko), Archpriest Pavel Velikanov and Archpriest Alexy Uminsky. The evening will feature the presentation of two books by Metropolitan Anthony, which were published this fall, “God: Yes or No? A conversation between a believer and an unbeliever" and "Awakening to a new life. Conversations on the Gospel of Mark."

We present to your attention an introduction and a fragment of a conversation on the Gospel of Mark by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (published in abbreviation).

Introduction

I want to give some practical advice. After all, it is very important, when starting a task, to know as best as possible how to accomplish this task. First I will indicate how to read the Gospel, if possible, alone, on your own, and then I will try to indicate a way to discuss and study the Gospel in a group.

The first condition for deriving real benefit from consistent reading of the Gospel is, of course, an honest attitude to the matter; that is, one must approach it with the same honesty, conscientiousness with which a person begins to study any science: without preconceived views, trying to understand what it is about we're talking about what is said here, and only then respond to what was heard or read. Therefore, it is necessary to begin reading the Gospel with the only desire - to discover the truth, to understand what is said there. And secondly, treat this activity as seriously and conscientiously as any scientific endeavor should be treated.

We must be prepared for the fact that some places will be alien to us, some will touch us somehow painfully, and only a few will reach us deeply. But, reading the Gospel, pondering what we heard, no matter how we react to it, we gradually plow our souls to a new understanding. There is a place in the Gospel where it is said that when a sower throws a seed on the ground, one falls on the road, another in the roadside bushes, some on rocky soil, and, finally, some on good soil that can bear fruit. Each of us is at every moment either one or the other stone road, or such soil that can accept the Gospel. And therefore, if today nothing came of reading, if everything passed by, if there was absent-mindedness, if there was an inability to read deeply, read it tomorrow, read it the day after tomorrow: at some point it suddenly turns out that in fact the seed fell on good soil , but fell to such a depth that it still does not allow you to notice how a blade of grass sprouts. Only after some time will you see that what seemed alien and incomprehensible to you suddenly begins to sprout; the meadow turns green, the harvest begins to rise. This is the first.

Second: you need to delve into the meaning of the Gospel, that is, make sure that when you read it, you understand what is said. If something is unclear, if, for example, the words are alien, outdated, you need to think for yourself, or look in the dictionary, or ask someone, just to establish exact value these words, because how deeply you understand a word determines whether it reaches you deeply or is perceived superficially.

Now I want to move on to how to read the Gospel together. And the first question: should we read together? Why should we read together something that relates to me so personally? God speaks to me personally... Yes, but He speaks personally to all others who believe in Him and who read the Gospel or hear it. The gospel is good news not only about and for me, but about everyone. Each of us can perceive the same Gospel text, the same words - with equal inspiration, but with more or less deep understanding. And therefore, we must read the Gospel alone, we must think about it, get used to it, as St. Theophan the Recluse said, feel into it, we must begin to live according to it; but at the same time we must remember that the Gospel is given to us all and that each of us, listening, pondering, reading, living the Gospel, can understand it with new and new depth. Therefore, it is very important that, wherever possible, people gather in small groups, read the Gospel together and share their experience of understanding it.

I have already said that you must first read this or that passage yourself, think it over and feel it; but at the same time it is necessary to share this experience - not in order to enrich your mind, but because when you share what is most precious, most holy, most life-giving for you, you are doing a work of love; and the entire Gospel from beginning to end speaks about love, about how God loves us and how we should love each other and Him. Therefore, you need to gather in small groups of four, five, six, eight people, after reading a certain passage, pray together, remain silent, as if silent in your own silence or in the silence that constitutes shared silence; to be silent long enough for the silence to penetrate us deeply, and then to read this passage - quietly, carefully, without drama, soberly, knowing that we will never be able to pronounce the words of Christ the way He pronounced them - and therefore read with restraint, reverently. After that, be silent for a while, waiting for someone to say something. We need to give everyone time to respond. The one who leads this meeting must be ready, if no one immediately responds, to raise some question. Namely, not to give answers to those questions that, as it seems to him, arose in the souls of other people, but to pose a question that arose in his soul.

So I read this passage, I am perplexed: how can it be that Christ commands us and at the same time says that we must be ready to leave the people we love most in order to follow Him?.. There are many such passages that will cause bewilderment . And then wait: maybe somebody who has experience, or has thought through this, or has read something on this topic, will be able to respond and say, “You know, I may not understand everything, but this is how I understand this passage, this is how it was explained to me, this is how this or that spiritual writer explains it.” And so we can read the Gospel together, helping each other understand what we read, but also ultimately supporting in each other the determination and readiness not only to understand with the mind, not only to respond with the heart, but with all our will to strengthen ourselves in the determination to live according to the Gospel - according to what each of us personally and together we became clear about it.

Now, if you start reading the Gospel together in this way, then, as the Scripture says, brother strengthened by brother, like Mount Zion, will never move. The support of like-minded people, the support of friends, the support of people who are on the same path to the Kingdom of God as you can provide great help, and you don’t have to give it up. This means that you need to read the Gospel alone, and lovingly share your understanding with others, and from this communication draw strength to live.

Fragment from Metropolitan Anthony's interpretation of the Gospel of Mark

Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him: Leave it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then John admits Him. And having been baptized, Jesus immediately came out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending on Him. And behold, a voice from heaven said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:13-17).

I want to say something about the baptism of Jesus Christ.

People came to John to be baptized, confessing their sins. They came to John, shocked by his preaching, by the fact that there is truth on earth, that there is heavenly truth, that there is judgment on earth, the judgment of conscience, and in eternity - the judgment of God; and that he who does not reconcile with his conscience on earth will become irresponsible before the judgment of God. John the Baptist spoke about repentance precisely in this sense: turn to God, turn away from everything that captivates you, that makes you slaves of your passions, your fears, your greed. Turn away from everything that is unworthy of you and about which your conscience tells you: no, this is too little, you are too great a being, too deep, too significant, in order to simply indulge in these passions, these fears... But is it possible to say something like that? about Christ?

We know that Christ was the Son of God not only in some figurative sense of the word, but in the most literal sense of the word. He was God, who clothed himself with humanity, became incarnate. All the fullness of the Divinity, as the apostle says, dwells bodily in Him; and is it possible to imagine that a human being, permeated by the Divine, just as iron is permeated with fire, can at the same time be sinful, that is, cold, gloomy? Of course not; and therefore we affirm, we believe, we know experimentally that our Lord Jesus Christ, both as a man, was sinless, and as God, perfect in everything. Why did He need to be baptized? What's the point? The Gospel does not explain this, and we have the right to ask ourselves questions, and we have the right to be perplexed, we have the right to think deeply about what this means.

This is the explanation that an elderly Protestant pastor in southern France once gave me. I was young then and asked him this question; and he answered me: “You know, it seems to me that when people came to John, confessed their sins, their untruth, all their spiritual and physical uncleanness, they symbolically washed it in the waters of the Jordan River. And its waters, which at first were pure, like all other waters, gradually became polluted waters (as, you know, in Russian fairy tales they say that there are dead waters, waters that have lost their vitality, which can only convey death). These waters, saturated with human uncleanness, untruth, human sin, human atheism, gradually became dead waters, capable only of killing. And Christ plunged into these waters because He wanted not only to become a perfect man, but wanted, as a perfect man, to bear on Himself all the horror, all the burden of human sin.

He plunged into these dead waters, and these waters conveyed to Him the deadness, the mortality that belonged to those people who sinned. These waters carried death within them as rents of sin, that is, retribution for sin (Rom. 6:23). This is the moment when Christ communes - not with our sin, but with all the consequences of this sin, including death itself, which, in some respects, has nothing in common with Him, because, as St. Maximus the Confessor says, it cannot be that the human being who was imbued with the Divine was mortal. And indeed, the church hymn that we hear during Holy Week says: O Light, how are You extinguished? O Eternal Life, how do You die?.. Yes, He is eternal life, He is light, and He is extinguished by our darkness, and He dies by our death. Therefore, He says to John the Baptist: leave, do not prevent Me from plunging into these waters, we need to fulfill all the truth, that is, everything that is fair, everything that must be done to save the world, must be fulfilled by us now.

But why then does He come to the waters of baptism at thirty years, and not earlier or later? Here again you can think about what this could mean.

When God became a man in the womb Mother of God, a unilateral act of the wisdom and love of God was performed. The corporeality, soulfulness, humanity of the born Christ were, as it were, taken by God without them being able to resist. The Mother of God gave her consent to this: “Behold, I am the Servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” And a Child was born who was in the full sense a man, that is, autocratic, with the right to choose between good and evil, with the right to choose between God and His adversary. And throughout his entire life - childhood, adolescence, older years - He matured in His complete surrender to God. According to His humanity, as a man, He took upon Himself everything that God placed on Him through the faith of the Mother of God, through Her giving of Herself and Him. And Christ came to be baptized at this moment in order, and as a man, to take upon Himself everything that God, the Son of God, took upon Himself when, in the Eternal Council, He decided to create man, and - when this man falls - to bear all the consequences of His primary act of creation and that terrible gift of freedom that was given to man. In the Slavic text Old Testament, in the prophecy of Isaiah about Christ it is said that a Child will be born from the Virgin, who, before he can distinguish good from evil, will choose good, because in His humanity He is perfect.

And this Man Jesus Christ, growing to the fullness of His humanity, completely takes upon Himself what God has entrusted to Him, what the faith of the Most Pure Virgin Mary has entrusted to Him. Plunging into these dead waters of the Jordan, He, like pure flax immersed in a dyehouse, enters snow-white and comes out, as the same Isaiah says, in bloody clothes, in the clothes of death, which He must bear on Himself.

This is what the baptism of the Lord tells us: we must understand what feat is contained in it, what love for us. And the question is put before us - not for the first time, but again and again, persistently: how do we answer this?

The Gospel is a whole series of writings that tell about Jesus Christ, his life and deeds on earth. Bible ( New Testament) consists of four parts of the Gospel; before you start reading and after finishing any of the parts, you must read a prayer.

Gospel readings can be done both at home and in church, alone or in a group of people. The main thing is to believe what is written and correctly understand the essence of what they wanted to convey to the reader.

What is the Gospel

Translated, this word means “Good News.” For many readers, the Gospel does bring good news because it gives a person a unique opportunity to know and love God. When reading it, a person is freed from sin and from punishment for sins.

The following main provisions can be identified in the Gospel:

1. God created everything that surrounds us, including people.
2. God is impeccably holy; he cannot have sins.
3. God requires perfect obedience from people, since he is the creator of all mankind.
4. Eternal punishment for sins committed.
5. The possibility of salvation through good works.
6. Resurrection of Christ.
7. Trust in Christ as in yourself, readiness to follow him in any situation.

How to read the Gospel correctly

In order for a person to get the maximum benefit from this reading, it must be done correctly. Prayer before reading the Gospel is extremely important, and it is not so important where it takes place at home or in another place. Many priests believe that this procedure brought benefits, you need to follow some simple rules.

• Serious attitude to business. If a person has begun to study the Bible, then he must sincerely believe what is written there; a biased attitude towards reading will not give any results.
• Wish. You must want to read the Gospel, and only in this case will a person understand what is actually written there, but everyone understands it in their own way. After all, this is not fiction, but holy writing.

You can read it alone or together, but you definitely need prayer before reading the Gospel; it can be for your loved ones or relatives. If a person has decided to read the Bible, then it is necessary to go through at least one chapter a day; it is highly recommended not to interrupt reading in the middle of a chapter.

Very often, in order to better understand the essence of what they read, people can take notes on individual points. By all church rules, it is necessary to read the Gospel while standing, but if this happens at home, then you can sit, since a person must completely distract himself from everything extraneous and immerse himself in what he is reading. If a person listens to the Gospel while in church, then this is done standing, with his hands down.

Why is prayer needed before reading the Gospel?

The Holy Fathers believe that if you do not say a prayer before reading, a person may not understand the essence of what is written, and thus will be misled. People also say a prayer so that higher powers protected their family and friends.

Often people who are just beginning to become acquainted with the Gospel do not understand true essence written. In this case, you need to go to church readings, after reading the chapter, the priest talks in detail about what is written in it.

Also in the church there is a prayer by Ignatius Brianchaninov before reading the Gospel. It is very strong and a person better understands the essence of what he read. The main thing is to read every day and only then will understanding come.

Prayers before and after reading the Gospel

Prayer before reading the Gospel

Shine in our hearts, O Lover of Mankind, the imperishable light of Your knowledge of God, and open our mental eyes to the understanding of Your gospel sermons, place in us and Your blessed ones for Teach fear, let all carnal lusts be trampled, let us pass through spiritual life, all that is to please Thy and wisely and active. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we send glory, together with Your Eternal Father and Your All-Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, forever and ever, amen.

Prayer after reading the Gospel

Glory to You, Lord the King, Son of the living God, who has made me unworthy to hear Your Divine words and the voice of Your Holy Gospel; With this sovereign voice of Yours, strengthen me in the repentance of this present life so that the night may pass, delivering me from all slander and malice of visible and invisible enemies: You You are the only strong one, and reign forever. Amen.

Conclusion

All people who long to be closer to the Lord should read one chapter of the Gospel every day. It is imperative to pray before and after reading, only in this way can a person correctly understand the essence of what is written. This action must be approached with faith in the heart; one cannot be skeptical about the Holy Letter.

Prayer before reading the Gospel was last modified: July 8th, 2017 by Bogolub

Even if someone is good in deeds, but has not been sealed with water, he will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

2. You can try to live according to the commandments, i.e. honestly and decently, and without faith in God.

3. I believe in a higher mind, which may not necessarily be God, I try to live according to moral commandments and hope for the salvation of my soul even without faith in Christ.

Only he who has Christ as his head is saved, and only he who is in His body, which is, has Christ as his head. (St. Augustine)

Those who recognize the possibility of salvation without faith in Christ renounce Christ and, perhaps unknowingly, fall into the grave sin of blasphemy. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

4. Are all sins forgiven at Baptism?

Blotted out by Holy Baptism original sin and sins committed before Baptism. Sin's violent power over us is taken away. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins... (“Creed” - the creation of the first Holy Fathers Ecumenical Councils)

5. During Baptism, I was offered to renounce Satan, but I did not enter into any agreement with Satan, so what should I renounce?

“I renounce Satan and all his works”... What works? – Fornication, adultery, uncleanness, lying, theft, envy, fortune telling, divination, irritability, anger, blasphemy, enmity, quarrel, jealousy. I renounce drunkenness, idle talk, pride, and idleness. I renounce mockery, demonic songs, invocation of spirits... There is no time to list everything. I renounce everything called evil, which God hates. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

6. Why do they say that the Lord punishes whomever he loves?

The truth of God requires that the sinner be punished for his sins. If a sinner absolutely needs to be punished, then it is better for him to be punished here and endure temporary punishment with thanksgiving, rather than to suffer endlessly in the next century. (Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk)

7. How to behave in case of trouble?

Whatever sorrow befalls you, do not blame anyone but yourself for it, and say: “This happened to me because of my sins.” ( Reverend Abba Or)

Thanks be to God for everything! This word hurts mortal wound the devil and in any trouble provides the speaker with the strongest means of encouragement and consolation. Never stop saying it (especially in sorrows) and teach it to others. (St. John Chrysostom)

8. Why, when a person gets sick, do they say that the Lord visited him?

When a person is sick, then his soul begins to seek the Lord. Therefore admonition is good if only the admonished one gives thanks. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

9. Why are diseases sent to a person?

Illnesses are sent to cleanse sins, and sometimes in order to humble the ascension. (Reverend John Climacus)

I saw those who were seriously suffering, who, through bodily illness, as if by some kind of penance, were cleansed from spiritual passion. (Reverend John Climacus)

10. Some say that you need to be treated by doctors, others say that everything is in God’s hands and you don’t need to go to doctors.

Just as one should not completely avoid the art of medicine, it is also inadvisable to place all one’s hope in it. But just as we use the art of agriculture and ask the Lord for fruits... so, when we bring in a doctor... we do not give up our trust in God. (St. Basil the Great)

11. They say that illnesses are given to us because of our sins and therefore we need to endure them with humility, but then is it permissible to ask the Lord for recovery?

It is permissible to seek and ask God for healing with the firm intention of using the restored health and strength in the service of God, and not in the service of vanity and sin. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

12. I constantly read the patristic heritage, but it is very difficult to follow examples of virtue.

He who learns the lessons of virtue and does not practice them is like a man who plows but does not sow. (St. Basil the Great)

13. No matter how hard I try to live according to the commandments and be virtuous, it just doesn’t work.

People who do not have a natural disposition for good should not, in despair about themselves, throw up their hands, and neglect a God-loving and virtuous life, no matter how inaccessible and unattainable it may be for them; but they should also think about it and take greater care of themselves. For although they will not be able to reach the heights of virtue and perfection, by thinking about themselves and taking care in every possible way, they will either become better, or at least not become worse - and this is a considerable benefit for the soul. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

14. How to deal with rancor?

If someone annoys you... or somehow saddens you, then, according to the word of the Fathers, pray for him, as if he has done you great benefit. Pray with all your heart and say: God! help my brother and me, for the sake of his prayers. Thus, a person prays for his brother, and this is a sign of compassion and love; and he humbles himself, asking for help for the sake of his prayers: where is compassion, love and humility, what can irritability or rancor, or another passion have time for there? (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

15. How to wean yourself from identifying the shortcomings of others?

First you must correct yourself from your shortcomings, and then discover the shortcomings of others. (St. Basil the Great)

16. How to get rid of the habit of judging others?

Why do we condemn our brothers? Because we do not try to know ourselves. He who is busy knowing himself has no time to notice others. Condemn yourself and you will stop judging others. (Reverend Seraphim of Sarov)

17. They say you can’t slander, but if a person is really bad, is it really impossible to say anything about him?

There are two cases in which it is permissible to say bad things about someone, namely: when someone needs to consult with others who have experienced this, how to correct a sinner, and also when there is a need to warn others who, out of ignorance, may be in company with bad people. a person, considering him good, while the holy apostle commands not to communicate with such (2nd Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 14). And whoever, without such a need, says something about another, with the intention of denigrating him, is a slanderer, even if he spoke the truth. (St. Basil the Great)

Anyone who speaks about a brother’s sin without passion speaks about it for two reasons: either to correct him, or to instruct another. If he speaks to himself, or to him, or to another without this purpose, then he speaks either as an insult or as a reproach to another, and such a person will not escape abandonment from God, but will certainly fall into one or another sin, and then he himself, having been convicted and reproached by others , will be put to shame. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

18. How should I behave if they tell me something bad about someone?

Never accept slander against your neighbor, but stop the slanderer with these words: “Leave it, brother, I sin even more every day.” grave sins, how can we judge others? (St. John Chrysostom)

19. How to treat a loved one who has sinned?

If you can, help him rise from sin - give him a helping hand; if you can’t, at least pray for him. (Saint Demetrius of Rostov)

20. What if a person has committed a really bad deed, is it really impossible to condemn him in this case?

21. What should I do if someone who offended me came to repent, but I am not ready to forgive him?

Accept repentance... as from one sent by God, so as not to humiliate the Sender and not to incite Him to anger against yourself. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

The more someone has sinned against you, the more we should hasten to reconcile with him, because for this we will be forgiven more sins. (St. John Chrysostom)

And when you ask for peace, you must make peace with your enemies. For whoever does not reconcile... will not escape punishment from God. (Reverend Isidore Pelusiot)

22. I just can’t train myself to restrain myself when insulted.

23. How to get rid of constant irritability?

Food for the fire is firewood; and the food for irritability is arrogance. Be long-suffering... Long-suffering is a wonderful gift; it drives out irritability, anger and contempt, and brings the soul to a peaceful state. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

24. How to behave if it turns out that the words spoken against me turned out to be slander?

If you are subjected to slander and later the purity of your conscience is revealed, do not be proud, but humbly serve the Lord, who delivered you from human slander. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

25. They say that you cannot respond to insults, but what if they are unfair?

Do not repay evil for evil, or insult for insult, for by this the Lord Himself humbles you, seeing that you do not humble yourself....

Be wise, and the lips of those who speak evil of you; block with silence. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

26. I cannot understand the meaning of prayer for enemies.

If we offer prayers for those who offend and insult us, then our prayer for ourselves will be heard. (St. John Chrysostom)

27. Is it possible to criticize a person for his shortcomings?

28. What should you do if you feel annoyed and angry towards someone?

If you are angry with someone, pray for him, and by prayer, separating him from the memory of the evil done to you, you will stop the movement of passion; By becoming friendly and humane, you will completely drive passion out of your soul. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

29. How can I convince my loved ones so that they do not believe the slander against me?

As much as you pray for someone who has slandered you, God will admonish those who are offended about you. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

30. I have been slandered, although I am innocent.

They slandered you... although you are innocent? We must patiently endure. And this will serve as penance for what you consider yourself guilty of. Therefore, slander for you is the mercy of God. We must certainly reconcile with those who have slandered us, no matter how difficult it may be. (Bishop Theophan the Recluse)

31. Why do they say that needless reproaches must be endured humbly?

Through needless sorrow and suffering we are grafted into the Cross of Christ and from it we receive the power of the cross, which cleanses, illuminates and attracts God’s favor. The narrow and sorrowful path is the direct road to heaven... Every vain, complacently endured, is the crown of God, already placed on the head. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

32. What to do if a person commits obvious dishonor, and we are taught to endure everything humbly and not quarrel.

As far as it depends on you, do not give anyone a reason for hostility and quarrel. If you see that piety is somehow violated, do not prefer agreement to truth, stand up for it courageously, even to the point of death; but even in this case, do not be at enmity with your soul, do not be turned away by good disposition, but rebel only against actions. (St. John Chrysostom)

33. They say that if you are reviled, then you are blessed. Why should I strive for everyone to scold me?

So that you do not think that reproach, whatever it may be, makes you blessed, Christ defines these reproaches in two types, namely, when we endure them for His sake and when they are false. If there is neither one nor the other, then the one who is reviled is not only not happy, but also unhappy. (St. John Chrysostom)

34. What to do if communication with a friend for various reasons does not bring joy, but even vice versa?

For the annoyance that lies within you towards your brother, do not darken your previous praise of him in conversations with others, subtly interjecting reproach into your words, but speak about him with sincere praise, pray for him truly, as for yourself, and you will soon get rid of disastrous hatred. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

35. They say that you need to forgive insults. But in practice this is very difficult to do.

If someone offends you, do not hold anger against him, but forgive him immediately and pray to God for him, so that he will forgive him too. And although your heart does not want this, bow down and convince it, and pray to the Lord that He will help you conquer yourself and conquer carnal wisdom. It is difficult, but it is required of a Christian.

You must forgive your neighbor if you yourself want to receive forgiveness from God. Forgive - and you will be forgiven, if you do not forgive, then you will not be forgiven. This is scary, but true, because holy gospel That's how he teaches. (Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk)

36. How to determine your main passion in order to start fighting it?

In response to this, I will remind you of a legend about one ascetic who asked the elder a similar question, namely: with what passion should you fight first? The elder answered: fight the one who is fighting you now, and there will be no time to find out which is your main one. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

37. They say that you can’t trust dreams, but what if the dream is from the Lord?

It is a great virtue and a rule not to believe any sleepy dream. For dreams, for the most part, are nothing more than idols of thoughts, a play of the imagination, or demonic abuse and amusement of us. If, adhering to this rule, we sometimes do not accept such a dream that will be sent to us from God, then the loving Lord Jesus will not be angry with us, knowing that we dare to do this out of fear of demonic intrigues. (Blessed Diadochos)

38. There are very pious women who constantly go to temple, but when they meet in the temple they do nothing but discuss the news.

He who constantly talks idle talk in the temple of God walks not only without benefit, but also with harm. (St. Basil the Great)

39. They say faith in God and drunkenness are incompatible.

Drunkenness does not give room to the Lord, drunkenness drives away the Holy Spirit. Smoke drives away bees, and excessive wine drinking drives away spiritual gifts. (St. Basil the Great)

Drunkenness is the beginning of godlessness, for it darkens the mind, by which God is usually most cognized. (St. Basil the Great)

40. How to protect yourself from sin, because there are so many temptations around?

When you get carried away into some sin, imagine in your mind Last Judgment and the Judge and with this fear restrain your soul from evil desires. (St. Basil the Great)

41. Sometimes people of little faith ask me questions about the Holy Scriptures, but I don’t know how to answer some questions, and it’s inconvenient to show my ignorance - they can say: “How can it be that a believer doesn’t know?” Can I interpret certain passages of the Bible in my own way based on my church experience?

You should not go into explanations of the Holy Scripture yourself, for this matter poses considerable danger for non-believers. When you don’t know, it’s better not to say anything, because talking about the Holy Scriptures according to your own understanding is madness. ( Venerable Barsanuphius Great)

42. The Church condemns yoga and other physical exercises that form dispassion, but at the same time, in Orthodoxy, achieving dispassion is one of the virtues. So how to achieve it?

Some exhaust their bodies to achieve dispassion and wealth of talents, miracles and the power of insight; but these poor people do not know that it is not labor, but most of all humility, that is the mother of these blessings. (Reverend John Climacus)

43. Where to start when learning humility?

Know that humility is nothing other than to consider all people better than yourself... Train your tongue to say: forgive me, and humility will come... First of all, do not consider yourself anything - and this will give rise to humility in you.. Be afraid of becoming known for any of your deeds. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

44. Can a Christian hate anything?

45. Why does the Lord send temptations to man?

Temptations are brought on some to destroy sins already committed, on others to stop those being committed now, and on others to avert those that are to follow, excluding temptations sent to test a person, as was the case with Job. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

46. ​​Can human passions be considered a sin?

Some are passions, and others are sins. Passions are: anger, vanity, voluptuousness, hatred, evil lust, and the like. Sins are the very actions of passions, when someone carries them out in practice, i.e. performs... those deeds to which his passions prompt him; for you can have passions, but not act on them. (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

47. Is it necessary to pray before eating?

A table where there is no remembrance of God is no different from a stable of animals. (Reverend John of Damascus)

48. I can’t help it - I really like to eat.

49. On Wednesday and Friday I don’t eat meat, I keep long fasts, but somehow I don’t notice any spiritual benefit from it.

Anyone who believes that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting means avoiding evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury. (St. John Chrysostom)

50. How to determine the measure of fasting?

Eating food in moderation, according to the Holy Fathers, consists of eating so much food every day that after eating it you still feel hungry. Such a measure will keep the soul and body in the same state, and will not allow a person to fall into either excessive fasting, which weakens the body, or satiety, which suppresses the spirit. (Reverend Cassian the Roman)

The general rule of moderation in abstinence is that everyone, in accordance with his strength, body condition and age, should eat as much food as is necessary to maintain the health of the body, and not as much as the desire for satiety requires. (Reverend Cassian the Roman)

Each has its own measure and inner teacher - its own conscience. (Reverend Paisius (Velichkovsky))

51. I love to eat delicious food.

52. Peter's Fast often falls on very hot days and I sometimes allow myself to buy ice cream. Can this little thing be considered a sin, since otherwise I observe fasting?

If someone starts to say: what is the importance if I say this word? what is the importance if I eat this trifle, what is the importance if I look at this or that thing? from this: what is the importance of something, what is the importance of something else, one falls into bad habits and begins to neglect the great and important. Let us be attentive to ourselves and take care of the light while it is light, so that it does not become heavy: for both virtues and sins begin from small things and come to great good or evil. (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

53. It bothers me that sometimes during illness I have to break my fast.

Whoever eats not to please himself, but because of bodily weakness, does not condemn him. (Rev. John and Barsanuphius)

54. Is it possible to allow yourself to relax after a strict fast or should you adhere to the restrictions even after fasting?

Strict fasts, if they are followed by excessive indulgence in food, come to nothing, and their fruit is soon supplanted by the passion of gluttony. Therefore, it is better to reinforce yourself with food every day, wisely and in moderation, than to fast from time to time for a long and strict period. (Reverend John Cassian)

55. Why is immoderately strict fasting undesirable?

Excessive abstinence can not only shake the constancy and firmness of the soul, but also make the performance of prayers lifeless due to exhaustion of the body... Excessive abstinence is more harmful than satiety, because from the latter, due to repentance, you can move on to correct action, but from the former you cannot. (Reverend John Cassian).

56. What is spiritual fasting?

There is physical fasting, and there is mental fasting. In bodily fasting, the body fasts from food and drink; With spiritual fasting, the soul abstains from evil thoughts, deeds and words. A true faster abstains from idle talk, foul language, idle talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all slander. In a word, a true faster is one who shuns all evil. (St. Basil the Great)

57. Sometimes in disputes I feel angry and irritable. Is it worth arguing and proving the obvious in such cases?

When you meet a person who, loving to argue, enters into a struggle with you against truth and evidence, then stop arguing and avoid it... For just as bad water makes the best wines useless, so evil conversations corrupt virtuous people in life and character. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

58. How to treat praise for work done when, by universal recognition, this work is worthy of praise?

Do not be proud of your deeds, no matter what they are... If they begin to praise you for your deeds, do not rejoice in it and do not take pleasure in it: hide them as much as you can; do not allow yourself to talk about them to anyone, and try in every possible way to ensure that people do not praise you. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

59. Is it really a sin to be proud of your own work?

Do not be a lover of glory and do not hold self-praise in your heart, saying: I did this and that, I succeeded in this and that. Such thoughts breathe vanity, and whoever is filled with them has become the dwelling place of unclean spirits. (Reverend Anthony the Great)

60. How to suppress self-praise?

When self-praise comes, then collect everything from your previous life, which, in good conscience, you cannot praise, and with this you cover up rebellious thoughts, just as sometimes a flash of fire is covered with earth, so that a large fire does not arise from something small. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

61. They say that God loves us and we should love God, but at the same time we are constantly reminded of the fear of God. But what kind of love is this based on fear?

He who does the will of God out of fear of torment is still a beginner: for he does not do good for the sake of good itself, but out of fear of punishment. Another fulfills the will of God, loving Him specifically in order to please Him: he has learned what it means to be with God. This one has true love and this love brings him into complete fear, for such a one fears God no longer out of fear of punishment, but because he, having tasted the very sweetness of being with God, is afraid of losing it. (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

The fear of God is in itself the comprehension by reverent thought and the perception by feeling of God's endless perfections and actions. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

62. What is it like to live in the fear of God?

Two types of fear: if you don’t want to do evil, then fear God and don’t do it; if you want to do good, then fear God and do it. (Reverend Seraphim of Sarov)

63. Sometimes in a certain contradictory situation you don’t know what to do and have no one to consult with.

When you want to resolve a puzzling (confused) matter, then look for what is pleasing to God about it, and of course you will find a useful solution to it. (Reverend Mark the Ascetic)

64. Sometimes, depending on the situation, I am forced to say something different from what I think.

65. In confession I repent of almost the same thoughts and sins. Is it worth confessing them every time?

Whoever struggles with some passionate thought or is grieved by it and does not confess it, strengthens it against himself, i.e. gives the thought the strength to fight and torment it more. If he begins to fight and resist his thoughts, then the passion weakens and does not have the strength to fight him and cause him sorrow; and thus, little by little, struggling and receiving help from God, he will overcome passion itself. (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

66. At confession, the priest calls to repent of sins, but my sins are minor, and so I live according to the commandments: I neither steal nor commit adultery.

What does this mean? Is it a great sin?, what kind of sin is it?, it is not a sin! - this is how one who does not hesitate about his salvation argues. Do not think about any sin that it is unimportant: every sin is a violation of the Law of God, opposition to the will of God. From trifles, from apparently insignificant sins, we gradually move on to great falls. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

67. Why do former sins return to us soon after repentance?

When, by the grace of God, a sinner comes into contrition for his sins, repents and stops sinning, the demon is cast out from him. At first he does not bother the repentant, because at first there is a lot of jealousy in him, which, like fire, burns demons and, like an arrow, reflects them. But then, when jealousy begins to cool, the demon approaches from afar with its proposals, bombards you with memories of previous pleasures and calls you to them. If only the repentant is not careful, he will soon move from sympathy to desire; If even here he does not come to his senses and return himself to the state of his former sobriety, then the fall is not far off. From desire comes inclination and determination: internal sin is ready, for external sin only convenience is expected. It will present itself, and sin will be committed. (Saint)

68. I have committed a rather serious sin and I do not expect the Lord to forgive me.

The Lord, knowing the weakness of our nature, when we stumble and fall into some sin, demands from us only that we do not despair, but give up our sins and hasten to confession. And if we do this, He promises us a quick pardon, because He Himself says: “Do they not get up when they fall, and when they turn aside from the way, do they not return? ()". (St. John Chrysostom)

69. I rarely take communion because I consider myself unworthy.

Approach the sacrament of communion without hesitation. If you approach with faith in the Lord present in the Sacraments, with reverence and a readiness to devote all your strength to serving Him alone, then there is no need to hesitate through unworthiness. No one can consider himself a fully worthy communicant. Everyone rests in the mercy of God. And so do you. The Lord loves those who receive communion and graciously tolerates shortcomings in the proper state of mind. Then communion itself, little by little, will correct these shortcomings... You, with childlike faith, commit everything to the Lord in prayer... and He will graciously accept it and arrange everything. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

70. In our village there lives a folk doctor, who has many icons at home and who heals almost hopelessly ill people with prayer. True, he does not go to church and says that this is not necessary. Can he be treated?

If the words of the teacher and his deeds do not agree with the teaching of the holy fathers, then one should not accept him, even if he raised the dead and performed many other miracles. (Reverend Simeon the New Theologian)

71. The Church does not recognize those who cast spells, but among them there are also those who cure diseases, what’s wrong with that?

Just as slave traders, offering small children pies, sweet fruits and the like, often ensnare them with such bait and deprive them of freedom and even life itself, so sorcerers, promising to cure a disease, deprive a person of the salvation of his soul. (St. John Chrysostom)

72. Doctors of alternative medicine (they are called psychics) do not deny God, but on the contrary, they advise going to Church to receive communion before treatment, and they read prayers before treatment. How to treat them?

If the name of the Holy Trinity is invoked during such actions, if there is an invocation of saints, if the sign of the cross is induced, it is proper for such to flee and turn away. (St. John Chrysostom)

73. I recently started going to church, where to start reviving my soul, how to start a spiritual life?

Whoever wants to approach the Lord will be deemed worthy eternal life, to become the abode of Christ,... he must begin by first of all believing in the Lord... And he must constantly remain in prayer, with faith in the aspirations of the Lord, always expecting His visit and help. Then, because of the sin living in him, he must force himself to do every good deed, to fulfill all the commandments of the Lord... Force himself to love, if one does not have love, force himself to meekness, if one does not have meekness; to force oneself to be merciful and to have a merciful heart... when one is neglected, to be generous; when one is humiliated or dishonored, one should not become indignant: one must force oneself to prayer if one does not have spiritual prayer. In this case, God, seeing that a person struggles so much and, against the will of his heart, effortlessly restrains himself, will give him true spiritual prayer, give him true love, true meekness, true kindness and, in a word, will fill him with spiritual fruit. (Reverend Macarius the Great)

74. During prayer, I am often distracted by thoughts about everyday worries.

Just as you cannot look at heaven with one eye and at earth with the other, so the mind cannot be concerned about both God’s and worldly things. Whatever will not help you when you leave the body, you are ashamed to worry about. (Reverend Abba Isaiah)

Think about the splendor of heavenly blessings and no attachment to earth and earthly pleasures will enter into you. (Reverend Neil of Sinai)

75. During prayer, various thoughts arise against the will.

The devil knows well what a great blessing prayer is, and therefore he vigorously attacks the one praying. (Reverend Macarius of Egypt) Thoughts that are crowded into the heart against our will are usually blotted out by the Jesus Prayer from the depths of the thoughts of the heart. (Reverend Hesychius of Jerusalem)

76. It is very difficult to complete the evening prayer rule.

That is why there is no desire to pray in the evening, because a person cannot control himself in order to soften his soul even a little... They finish, for example, their morning prayers and think that in relation to God everything is fulfilled; then all day long it’s just business after business, and they won’t even turn to God; Is it possible that in the evening it will occur to you that you need to start praying again soon... It’s this wrong (isn’t it almost universal?) that needs to be corrected: i.e. it is necessary to make sure that the soul not only turns to God when you stand in prayer, but throughout the entire day, as much as possible, the soul ascends more continuously to Him and remains with Him. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

77. How to get rid of absent-mindedness during prayer?

You need to use tension to maintain attention, knowing in advance that the thought will run away. Then, when she runs away during prayer, return her; If he runs away again, come back again; like this every time. But every time you read something while your thoughts are running away - and, therefore, without attention and feeling - do not forget to read it again; and even if your thought wanders off in one place several times, read it several times until you read it with understanding and feeling. Once you overcome this difficulty, another time, perhaps, it will not happen again, or it will not happen again with such force. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

You need to pray in such a way that the mind is completely collected and tense... During prayer, we can maintain attention if we remember who we are talking to, if we imagine that we are making a spiritual sacrifice. (St. John Chrysostom)

And if you yourself do not hear your prayer (due to absent-mindedness), then how do you want God to hear it? (St. John Chrysostom)

78. How to accustom yourself to constant prayerful appeal to God?

Throughout the day we must cry out to God from our hearts more often. in short words, judging by the need of the soul and current affairs. You start by saying, for example: God bless! When you finish the job, say: glory to you, Lord, and not only with your tongue, but also with the feeling of your heart. What passion rises - say: save me, Lord, I am perishing...

But in order for the soul to begin to cry out like this, we must first force it to turn everything into the glory of God - every one of our deeds, big and small... With every deed, let us remember God, and let us remember not simply, but with caution, lest we act in any case. wrong and not to offend God by any deed.

But so that even this, i.e. the soul performed everything for the glory of God as it should, it is necessary to set it up for this from early morning - from the very beginning of the day, before a person goes out to do his work and to do his work until the evening. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

79. Every day I increase the number of prayers I read. Am I doing the right thing?

We must remember that the essence of the feat of prayer lies not in the number of prayers read, but in ensuring that what is read is read with attention, with the sympathy of the heart... Quantity is commendable when it leads to quality. The quality of true prayer is that the mind is attentive during prayer, and the heart sympathizes with the mind. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

80. I follow the prayer rules regularly, during confession I list my sins, but there is still some kind of understatement and dissatisfaction.

More contrition for sinfulness is needed than a listing of sins, although this is necessary. There are more prayerful sighs from the heart than reading prayers, although this is also necessary. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

81. How to get rid of vanity?

It is no small feat to get behind vanity. The means for liberation from it is the secret practice of virtues and frequent prayer, and the sign of liberation is kindness against the slanderer or slanderer. (Reverend Maximus the Confessor)

82. I always have money and know how to earn it, am I really a money-lover?

85. It is difficult to escape in this evil and corrupt world.)

If you want to look and enjoy your gaze, then look constantly at your wife and love her; No law prohibits this. If you look at someone else’s beauty, you will offend both your wife, turning your gaze away from her, and the one you are looking at, since you touch her contrary to the law. (St. John Chrysostom)

Tame your horse with the bridle of vision, so that he, looking this way and that, will not be inflamed with lust for women and will not overthrow you his rider to the ground. Pray to God that He will turn away “your eyes from seeing vanity” (). Stay awake, brother, you are mortal and short-lived; Do not wish to lose eternal life for a short time of pleasure. (Reverend Abba Dorotheos)

89. I like to dress beautifully and attract the attention of men. What's wrong with that? I don’t cheat on my husband, and a woman is always pleased to be the center of attention.

A woman who dresses up in order to arouse in herself the lust of the intemperate is already committing fornication in her heart. (St. Basil the Great)

90. Despite the fact that I fast, the lustful passion does not subside.

Whoever tries to satisfy this battle with abstinence alone is like a man who thinks to swim out of the abyss, swimming with one hand. Combine humility with abstinence; for the former without the latter brings no benefit. (John Climacus)

We should not believe that, for the perfection of the heart and the purity of the body, fasting alone, which consists of abstaining from visible foods, may be sufficient for us. No, to this must also be added the fasting of the soul. For she, too, has her own harmful foods, from which, having grown fat, she falls into precipices of voluptuousness. (Reverend John Cassian)

91. Constantly pursued by passionate thoughts. How to drive them away from you?

Do not flounder with passionate thoughts through your mental bickering with them, but immediately turn to the Lord with a prayer against them... Just do not stop praying with zeal. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Resist vigorously the demon of fornication; do not agree to be carried away by a thought, because a spark ignites coals and a bad thought multiplies bad wishes. Try to destroy memories of them too. (Reverend Ephraim the Syrian)

92. Are there Orthodox methods of self-control over oneself in order to prevent evil thoughts?

There is one way (technique) of sobriety: to watch relentlessly for dreams, or for excuses; for without dreaming Satan cannot arrange thoughts.

The other is to have a heart that is always deeply silent and silent from every thought, and to pray.

Another is to constantly, in humility, call upon our Lord Jesus Christ for help.

Another way is to have a constant remembrance of death in your soul.

All these activities, like gatekeepers, prohibit the entry of evil thoughts. (Reverend Hesychius of Jerusalem)

93. Is it really impossible for a Christian to go for a walk and have fun in good company?

If delicious dishes were offered to someone, and a deadly poison was hidden at the bottom, then, I believe, having learned about this, no one would dare to taste them - even if it is sweet food, there is poison underneath it. Such are the disorderly pleasures of the world, feasts, festivities, music and other idle demonic pleasures. And there is spiritual poison in them, and the poor man does not see it. (Elder Theodore of Sanaksar)

94. What to do if you are overcome by doubt in your faith?

Blasphemous thoughts or unbelief... straight from the enemy... Drive away and pray... Bow three times during morning and evening prayers, with the words: Lord, add faith to me... for the enemy confuses me, all the thoughts of unbelief.. And the Lord will give. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

95. What should I do if I am constantly haunted by thoughts of blasphemy against God?

The spirit of blasphemy torments you. Not only do blasphemous thoughts occur and amaze, but words are heard in the ears. The demon... produces them. He does this in order to confuse you and deprive you of the courage to pray. And what he means is, would you agree to some kind of blasphemy, in order to plunge you into the sin of blasphemy, and then into despair. The first thing to do against this demon is... do not be embarrassed and do not at all think that these are your thoughts, but directly attribute them to the demon. Then, against thoughts and words - thinking and speaking is disgusting. He inspires evil about the saint, and you say: you are lying, you sly; This is what he is like... So against everything - and keep talking until they move away. Conclude this way: be damned, blasphemer, and let the words of blasphemy be directed at your head! Turn to the Lord with this prayer: I open my soul before You, Lord! You see that I do not want such thoughts and do not favor them. The enemy is in control. Get him away from me! (St. Theophan the Recluse)

96. If man is created in the image and likeness of God, then where does he get such spiritual dirt and impurity of heart?

Uncleanness of the heart comes from the devil, who is most often called in Scripture an unclean spirit, and in church prayers, namely, when conjuring an evil spirit - an alien, nasty and disgusting spirit. It was he, this unclean spirit, having become, after his fall from God, an unclean vessel of all uncleanness, sin, from the beginning with his unclean breath the hearts of the first people, deeply infecting their entire being with the uncleanness of sin - soul and body, transmitting this uncleanness as hereditary corruption, to all their descendants, even before us, and will defile, especially the careless and unbelievers, until the end of the world. ( Righteous John Kronstadt)

To be in the image of God is characteristic of us from our first creation, and to be in the likeness depends on us only in possibility, but is actually acquired through activity. (St. Gregory of Nyssa Pimen the Great)

100. Why do dishonest people live happily ever after, while I, a believer, get nothing but the hardships of life?

There is no need to tell you that the goal of our life is not to live happily on earth, but to be happy or unhappy - to prepare both with dignity to receive eternal bliss in another life. Try to treat your situation in this way, so as not to step out of the circle of the Lord’s intentions, with which He arranges the life of everyone on earth. There are more sorrows on earth than joys. God sends this and that, now for arousal from moral lull, now for the suppression of wrongs and sins, now for their repentant cleansing, now for the exaltation of obedience to God, courage, patience for the glory of God, and other virtues. Some of these intentions of God are applied to you. Pay attention to yourself, and resolve not to deviate from what God has judged, and seek peace in the will of God, always wise and good. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

101. My sister always worked for the glory of God, was an example of Christian virtue to everyone, but suddenly she became seriously ill and died after suffering. Didn't she deserve a better fate? We are all very sad and cannot find a place for ourselves from grief.

You can’t help but grieve, and you shouldn’t grieve too much at all. She wasn't the one who died. She is alive, she has just moved to another world. So imagine her that she is alive, only in a different place and in a different form. One could grieve if there were no reason to believe that she would find mercy from the Lord. What sins does she have? I believed and worked for the Lord as much as I could. Just as there is no person without sin, then, of course, she had her own. But the Lord sent a rather serious illness... and with it he destroyed all these sins, the sins of weakness and ignorance... Having no doubt that she will find God’s mercy, what is the meaning of crying and immeasurable contrition? Better pray and pray with a calm and God-devoted spirit... How long will the separation last? After all, today and tomorrow, we will go there too. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

102. They say that it is useless to pray for the dead, since their fate has already been decided by earthly affairs. Should we pray for the dead, and if so, why?

This is a duty of brotherly love. Until the last judgment separates the believers, all of them, both living and dead, constitute one Church. And we should all relate to each other as members of one body: in the spirit of good will and loving communication, both the living and the dead - not being divided in half by dying. They say: “Their fate is decided”... The fate of those who have departed is not considered decided until universal judgment. Until then, we cannot consider anyone completely condemned; and on this basis we pray, strengthened by the hope of God’s all-round mercy... We cannot help but remember our parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends. And no matter how much your little mind screams: why? the heart will do its own thing - remember. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

103. It often happens that I pray about some business or undertaking, but it still doesn’t work out.

Desire that your affairs be arranged not as you imagine, but as God pleases. (St. Gregory of Nyssa)

When praying, wait for what you want, but do not predetermine that the Lord will determine it, but submit this to His will, with complete humility, accept from the Lord whatever it pleases Him to send to you. The lack of such submission distorts the prayer and deprives it of its power: for without it the prayer will have the following meaning: whether you like it or not, Lord, grant it. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

104. There are a lot of books on bookstores that present an unconventional view of Christianity. Is it possible to read them?

Keep your mind and heart from the teaching of lies, do not talk about Christianity with people infected with false thoughts, do not read books about Christianity written by false teachers. (Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov)

105. They say that an Orthodox Christian should not read secular books, but there are also worthy books among them?

To find out if they are good, you need to read them, and once you have read them, you will accumulate such stories and images that God forbid! Manure your clean little head. Afterwards, go and clean it up... Because... it’s better not to read them. When one of the well-meaning people who have read it recommends a story, you can read it. But a little of everything, and as if for variety. (St. Theophan the Recluse)

106. As soon as I sit down to read spiritual literature, I feel drowsy.

When, out of despondency, one finds oneself dozing and interferes with the task at hand, then one must rise to prayer and not stop praying - and the Lord will abolish dormancy through prayer. (Rev. John and Barsanuphius)

107. Is it really impossible to read anything except spiritual literature?

God made you rich so that you could help those in need, so that you could atone for your sins by saving others; I gave you money not so that you would lock it up to your destruction, but so that you would squander it for your salvation. (St. John Chrysostom)

111. How to get rid of addiction to earthly things and pleasures?

Believe in God, always have abstinence in everything, constantly remember the death and temporality of all things - and you will not have an addiction to anything on earth. (Saint

The Gospel is no more valuable book for a Christian. Four books written by the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian describe the life, teaching, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in worship Orthodox Church reading the Gospel occupies a special place. The liturgical Gospel, usually richly decorated, always lies on the Throne, and only sometimes is brought out for worship by the faithful. The reading of the Gospel always occurs at the semantic peaks of the divine service. The main place for reading the Gospel is the Liturgy. For ease of understanding, the Liturgy is usually divided into three parts, the second part, beginning with the exclamation of the priest: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and before the dismissal of the catechumens: “Depart the catechumens,” is called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, or the Liturgy of the Word. IN ancient church At this part of the Liturgy, repentants and those who were not baptized, but preparing to be baptized (catechumens), were allowed to be present. The pinnacle of this part of the Liturgy is the reading of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament (Apostle and Gospel). These readings and the sermon that followed edified both the church community and the people preparing to enter it. The Gospel is read both at Sunday matins and at festive matins, when the polyeleos is celebrated. The reading of the Gospel at Matins can be unusual: let us remember the sequence of the 12 Passion Gospels, which we usually do on Maundy Thursday in the evening. But there are other cases when the Gospel is read at less important services, and then its reading puts these services in a completely special position. For example, the Gospel can be read at Vespers, but this is a rare case: Vespers on the first day of Easter, Vespers on Great Friday. Of course, these are very special days, with exceptional liturgical regulations.

There are even more amazing case- reading the Gospel on the clock. The Hours are the most modest service, but three times a year a special service is performed, which in the Russian Church is called the Royal Hours. These unusual hours are celebrated on the Eve of Christmas and Epiphany, as well as on Great Friday. But, calling these hours Royal, the church charter stipulates that they take place on the eve of the greatest holidays. They read the Gospel on the clock and in the first three days.

It is not always possible for a modern believer to attend Lenten services. If you go to church during Great Lent only on Sundays, then it is difficult to feel the Lenten features of the divine service, through which the spirit of Great Lent is communicated to us. The weekend service is at least no different from the usual one. But, if you attend services in weekdays, then some bewilderment arises - the Gospel is not read at services. Yes, at Vespers and at the sixth hour, proverbs are read - special Old Testament readings from the books of Genesis, the Wisdom of Solomon and the prophet Isaiah. But there is no customary reading of the Gospel, at least in the first weeks of Lent. This has a special spiritual meaning. Lent is not a time for ordinary human joy about earthly things. By fasting we give up fasting food and entertainment and by repentance and fasting we prepare ourselves for the Feast of Feasts - Holy Easter. And this has a direct bearing on reading the Gospel. The Gospel is an indispensable joy, good news, this is how the title of these books is translated into Russian. And the Church wisely decided that the Gospel, as well as the celebration of the full Liturgy, is possible only on Saturday and Sunday of Great Lent. But still, we begin to hear the Gospel on the clock on weekdays of Lent. IN different temples it happens in different ways. Somewhere only from the sixth week of Lent, somewhere on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting from the second week, and somewhere we hear the Gospel on the clock for almost the entire Great Lent.

Typikon, prescribes reading all four Evangelists (the Gospel of John is not completely read) on the clock on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Holy Week. This tradition appeared in the 11th century and gradually spread throughout the Orthodox world. Holy Week has a clearly expressed pictorial character, and this makes it very different from the services of other days. church year. Each service marks some event in the history of the Passion of the Lord. For example, the Liturgy of Maundy Thursday depicts last supper, Matins 12 Gospels and hours Good Friday- the events of the night and morning of the Passion and the Crucifixion of the Lord, and the Gospel readings of the vespers of Great Monday and Tuesday tell about the teachings of Christ spoken by Him on the Mount of Olives, then daytime the first three days of Holy Week remained devoid of any specific symbolism. Since it is known from the Gospel that on these three days the Lord taught during the day in the Jerusalem Temple, then as a remembrance of these events, the reading by the priest (thus depicting Christ Himself) of the Gospel (as the Word of Christ) in the temple (pointing to the Jerusalem Temple) was chosen ) throughout the long daylight hours of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (for this purpose the Gospel is read in its entirety).

The content of the readings of the hours does not matter, unlike the Matins and Vespers Gospels, where specific conceptions speak about specific events of Passion. The tradition of reading the Gospel during the first three days of Holy Week is historically relatively late; but in the minds of people it has turned into an obligatory element, and some transformation has also taken place: many now think that it is necessary not only to depict the sermon of Christ in the temple, but to be sure to read all the Gospels from beginning to end. Since it is difficult to do this in the first three days of Passion, since you will have to spend a lot of time in the temple (although this was precisely the idea of ​​​​those who introduced this practice: to depict the sermon of Christ in the temple from morning to evening, to depict it extremely literally) , then many begin to read the Gospels in advance, before Holy Week, during ordinary Lenten weeks. This practice is widespread in Russia today. But, of course, reading the Gospel outside of Holy Week gives weekday Lenten services a solemnity unusual for them according to the Rule. The best option for reduction, but preserving an exclusive place in the hours of only Holy Week, is the practice of reading only one Gospel of John the Theologian. This is what they do in some theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Protodeacon Dmitry POLOVNIKOV