Online priest answers questions. Questions to the priest: how to ask
Hello, father! Can you listen to the sacramental prayers on Orthodox channels or do you have to read them yourself? Thank you
Hello. You can listen to prayers, but if possible, it is better to work yourself.
Hello, father! We can't baptize the boy. I don't have a godfather. You cannot baptize without it. So, don’t take your child to church and don’t teach him Christianity... that’s normal... the neighbors have the same situation. No one can baptize. I'm feeling some disappointment towards the church.
Hello. With such a question, it is better to contact the temple you go to or is nearby and tell the priest about your problem. I don’t think that Father won’t offer you a solution to your problem that would suit everyone. God's help.
Hello, is it considered a sin to give birth to a child in marriage from an elderly husband? (60-70 years old). Thank you.
Hello. If you live in a legal marriage, please give birth.
Hello. My dad recently died. February 5th was 9 days since he was gone. I wanted to ask you if it’s possible to occupy yourself with knitting or is it a sin?
Hello. Please, you can knit, it is not a sin.
Thoughts like a river constantly flow through my mind. They arise from the subconscious on their own and why they also disappear without a trace. The brain, while alive, works without stopping, just like the heart, breathing and everything else in the human body. A whole universe, with its own rules and laws.
The river of thoughts that visit me is sometimes not even pleasant. Condemnation, envy, anger, even aggression. I don’t want this, my whole consciousness is against it, but my subconscious constantly slips this nasty stuff in. The result is no friends, difficult relationships with my husband and adult children.
I even managed to condemn my spiritual mentor and stopped visiting the Temple of God.
This made the situation even sadder.
Mentally, I understand everything that the bad things that I attribute to people are in MY head (or heart) and this is the result of my conclusion. If a person, with the help of autosuggestion, can change his inner world, your consciousness and subconscious, how to do this without resorting to outside help???
I don’t want to allow anyone into my inner world, probably for this reason, that split occurred between me and Fr. Sergius. Spiritual people say that after confession they experience a period of purification, lightness and love. For me, everything is completely opposite: after confession, I felt like I was covered in dirt and, worst of all, I was rejected from the church.
I went to confession with a spiritual problem. I am worried about the lack of love, humility, and patience in my soul. But in the end, the confessor was more interested in my bodily sins of a sexual nature. Disgusting and disgusting. He probably enjoys such speeches. Here I am again judging. I can remain silent, but I THINK SO.
Last hope for spiritual healing lost.
First, make peace with your confessor and ask him for forgiveness by telling him about your thoughts. Because with such questions you need to contact a priest and communicate live.
Hello. We have the following situation: the priest, while lighting a 3-story house, pasted an image of a cross only on the 1st floor in the living room, room, hallway and bathtub. And nowhere else... is this right??? I heard that you need to stick them in every room and what should I do now if this is so??
Hello, father did everything right. The crosses are glued in the form of a cross. In the seminary there is a subject in which they study the rites, so there is no need to listen to the “knowledgeable” people who do not have a theological education.
I came to God, like probably many others, out of need... My parents baptized me in infancy, my grandmother talked about God all my childhood, bought me a children's Bible with pictures and thereby taught me. Sometimes I went to church, lit candles for health and peace, prayed in front of the icons as best I could, often in my own words. This was my whole faith. Now I’m 28 years old, I’ve been married for 7 years, we’ve been dreaming of becoming parents for 7 years, but alas...it’s not working out. Once again (rarely) I came to the temple. I stood in front of the icon Mother of God Quick to serve, she begged and cried. A woman who serves in this church came up to me and said that I needed to turn to the priest, saying he would help. Father talked to me, at some point he even calmed me down and said that I needed to consecrate my home and come to confession. I did just that, and from that moment on, I became very interested in all this. I purchased icons for my home, a Psalter with a parallel translation to better understand the meaning of what was written, the Old and New Testaments. Little by little, and whenever possible, I read and get to know each other. I purchased a prayer book for evening and morning prayers, as well as akathists. But at the moment I am in complete confusion... I have been asking the Lord for a child for so long, but nothing changes - that means it is God’s will, but I keep asking... And often I cry in prayer, but if I’m crying - it means I feel sorry for myself (rather, I regret that I won’t have a child, that I won’t be able to play with him, teach him something, go with him to first grade, classes... I have no one to give myself to in life, specifically my maternal part, and in old age who will be my support?!!), and if I feel sorry for myself, it means I don’t agree with the will of God. It turns out vicious circle? I ask him, he doesn’t give, but I still insist, by asking in my prayers. One day a picture came to mind: a small child asks his father for something, and the father, not with malice, but rather with concern for the child, refuses his request, and the child continues to ask, cries and asks. I probably look like that from the outside too... I’m completely confused... I know that you can’t beg for something or someone. But all the same, even if secretly, if not with words, but with my heart I ask God for a child. What should I do? Are my requests in prayer an expression of disagreement with the will of God? Maybe I should be humble and never even think about it again? But I can’t... When I think about the child, I cry, I feel very sad and scared, but isn’t this despondency and grumbling about my life? Tell me, please, what to do?
I think this topic will be of interest to many, because deep down in our souls each of us has a cherished desire for which we ask God. But we don’t always receive an answer to our prayers in the form of the fulfillment of our desires, so how should we approach this? Continue to ask and pray, in the hope that one day God will give us what we ask for. Or is it still worth coming to terms with the fact that since God didn’t give it, he won’t give it anymore, and for the rest of your life restrain your impulse to ask for what you want within strict limits.
Please forgive me for writing it long and chaotically, but I think I got the main idea across. Thank you in advance.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives...” (Matthew 7:7,8). Such thoughts should not be allowed, because the Lord, as a loving Father, provides everything necessary for the salvation of the soul, and not by fulfilling the passionate impulses of the soul. Calm down and humble yourself under the strong hand of God. And in due time the Lord will give you what you ask for. You are only 28 years old. God help you.
Hello. I like to embroider with beads, landscapes, icons, but I don’t know when it’s possible and when it’s not, and what prayer to read at the beginning and end of the work? Thanks in advance for your answer!
Hello. In church, in order to do something you need to take the blessing of a priest or bishop. The same goes for writing icons or embroidering them. Pious icon painters fasted before work and read an akathist to the person whose image they were going to depict.
Hello. This question worries me: when my husband and I quarrel, I begin to dream about another man, imagine how my life would turn out with another, and have erotic fantasies. The marriage has been completed. What is the correct name for this sin? What should you call him in confession? Adultery? So this is like physical betrayal, but it has not happened and will not happen. Thanks for the answer.
Hello. This sin is called adultery. “Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
Hello! This is nonsense, but as a person of little faith, this is unpleasant for me. There is an inscription from the ceiling of the temple of Takht-i-Sulaiman (Throne of Solomon) at Dal Lake in Srinagar, which says: “The columns were created by Bihishti Zargar, in the year 54. Khwaja Rukun, son of Murjan, built these columns. At this time Yuz Asaf declared about his prophetic mission, in the year 54. He is Jesus, the prophet of the children of Israel." References to legends of the traveling Jesus also survive in medieval Islamic chronicles. The 15th century book Rauzat as-safa, which describes the lives of kings and prophets, mentions him in the following words: “He was a great traveler. From his country he came with several disciples to Nasibain. And he sent them into the city so that they could teach." The second part of the theory of Jesus' stay in India is connected with the period of the so-called missing years of his life, when, according to the writings of St. Luke, "Jesus gained wisdom" (although the Gospel does not indicate where and how). In 1887, during a trip to the Himalayan Ladakh, called "little Tibet", Nikolai Notovich (1858-?), a Russian journalist, officer and explorer, learned some details. In the monastery of Himis, he came across a manuscript about the life of Saint Issa, who seemed surprisingly similar to Jesus. No less controversial topic and subject of search by Yuz Asaf. He went to look for the descendants of the so-called 10 lost tribes of Israel. They disappeared from the map when their country was occupied by the Assyrians. There are indeed ethnic groups and communities in the Middle East and Indian Peninsula whose traditions date back to the history of the lost tribes. The best known are the Afghan Pashtuns and Bnei Israel, a community of Hindus who recognize themselves as descendants of Israelis. Despite years of isolation, numerous Jewish traditions were preserved. In the spring of 1925, during his Central Asian expedition, N.K. Roerich visited Kashmir, where he wrote down that the legend of the presence of Christ was widespread in India and beyond. The Master's tomb is located in the basement of a private house in Srinagar. The existence of an inscription is indicated that the son of Joseph lies here; healings seemed to take place at the tomb and the smell of aromas spread. N.K. Roerich also quoted lines from a Kashmiri song about Christ. Or maybe Jesus actually survived the crucifixion and fled to a country where he could count on a warmer reception than in his homeland? I ask these questions to believe in Christ, and not to rant about whether Jesus was in India or not.
Hello. First, read “The Law of God” as edited by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskov. God's help.
Question No. 18160 (Miscellaneous)
Hello, I am an Internet marketer and have 3 years of practical experience. I am looking for a permanent remote job as an internet marketer/brand manager. What I can do: - Administer websites on CMS Bitrix/Wp/OpenCart/Joomla/Tilda/Lpmotor/uKit/uCoz - SEO website optimization - competitor analysis, semantics collection, query clustering, writing technical specifications for copywriters/ generating relevant meta tags for pages . I use modern tools + Key Collector - Set up and maintain advertising companies in Yandex.Direct - intern payment systems + telephony + RoiStat - Create maps of meaning (mide map), - Collect conversion Landing Pages - Create technical specifications for programmers, designers, layout designers, copyrights... For all suggestions, write to my personal email: [email protected]
(Internet marketer (РњРѕСЃРєРІР°), 03/14/2019 11:57)
Question No. 18159 (Spiritual life)
Hello! It's started now Lent and at Sunday service the priest invited all parishioners to come to Communion in the first week of Lent. I really wanted to do this, but just these days I will be in uncleanness. Is it possible for a woman to receive communion these days or not? There, after all, you will still have to venerate the Bible and the cross during confession.
(Irina (Kyiv), 03/14/2019 11:08)
Question No. 18158 (Miscellaneous)
Good afternoon, father. Bless. I began to catch myself thinking that I was afraid to pray for deliverance from passions and sins. The thought popped into my head that what if God would take me and deliver me from this with the help of some kind of sorrow. It turns out that I am begging for punishment for myself. What is this, distrust of God? How can I get rid of such thoughts and do I need to confess this? I don’t know if you can understand me. Maybe I didn’t formulate the question correctly, but I’m still grateful in advance.
(Elena (Vinnitsa), 03/14/2019 11:00)
Question No. 18157 (Miscellaneous)
Hello! Last night, before going to bed, I watched documentaries about elders and saints. I have been carrying an icon of St. with me for several days. LUKI Krymsky and before going to bed I put it next to me (I have back pain, so I carry it with me), questions about solving problems and getting rid of back pain were spinning in my thoughts! And so I fell asleep, woke up at 4 in the morning after “sleep paralysis”, where I tried to call my wife, but I could only moo, my cat looked at all this in fear, when I finally woke up, I realized that I was lying with my back to the icon of St. Luke, How can one evaluate such an incomprehensible feeling? This is not the first time this has happened to me. Thank you!
(Pavel, 03/14/2019 10:51)
Question No. 18156 (Man. Woman. Family. Children.)
((РњРѕСЃРєРІР°), 03/14/2019 01:39)
Question No. 18136 (Miscellaneous)
Hello, Father Alexander! With all my heart I congratulate you and your entire parish on the beginning of Great Lent! With the beginning of the Holy Pentecost! I wish you peace and tranquility, mental and physical purity! Fasting that is beneficial for the soul! God bless you!
(Irina (Kursk), 03/11/2019 08:08)
Question No. 18130
You wrote here that your mother “cannot believe as the Orthodox Church demands.” And I tell you that the Orthodox Church does not demand anything from anyone, it simply warns - do not jump from the fifth floor, it will hurt. You have only reached the first floor, but you are already thinking that you will have to jump, and you are trying to shudder from the pain in advance, forgetting that you may not have to jump, maybe stop.
Why do you go to Church? Because you're afraid? Looking at yourself and measuring everyone to your own yardstick? And we go to the temple because we believe in God, who said: “Him that comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6.37) And where is your faith?
I began to notice that many people now think for everyone else, and not just think, but try to live for others. And it turns out as in the old saying - there is neither a horse nor a cart yet, but they have already harnessed it and rode off. Here you are, driving so hard that you are flying past life, and what you are afraid of is what you will get in the end. But this can be avoided.
I don’t know if you’ll see yourself in this, but it’s written about this too:
Some Cook, literate,
He ran from the kitchen
To the tavern (he ruled the pious
And on this day the godfather held a funeral feast),
And at home, keep food away from mice
I left the cat.
But what does he see when he returns? On the floor
Pie scraps; and Vaska the Cat is in the corner,
Crouching for a barrel of vinegar,
Purring and grumbling, he works on the little chicken.
"Oh, you glutton! Oh, you villain! -
Here the Cook reproaches Vaska: -
Aren't you ashamed of the walls, not just the people?
(But Vaska still cleans up the little chicken.)
How! Having been an honest Cat until now,
Sometimes people say that you are an example of humility, -
And you... what a shame!
Now all the neighbors will say:
"Vaska the cat is a rogue! Vaska the cat is a thief!
And Vaska didn’t just go to the cookhouse,
There is no need to let him into the yard,
Like a greedy wolf into a sheepfold:
He is corruption, he is a plague, he is a plague of these places!
And Vaska listens and eats.)
Here is my rhetorician, giving free rein to his words,
There was no end to the moralizing.
But what? While he was singing it,
Vaska the cat ate all the roast.
And I would tell another cook to write on the wall:
So as not to waste speeches there,
Where should power be used?
How similar it is! Smoking another menthol cigarette, sit and think, now all the demons will tell you not to let her into the Kingdom of Heaven... Here you suffer, and there still...
Now we have a Week about the paralytic, that is, about the one who cannot do anything himself because he has no strength. Twice in the Gospels the Lord heals the paralytic, one was brought by four, the other at the Sheep's font. And he heals both by simple forgiveness of sins. Immediately, strength appears in the relaxed. Here we are too. After Confession, I would use the power over myself and not allow myself to do such things. Believe me, we have the strength to do this! But, instead, we again start persuading ourselves, or even again, we do the same thing. But even if you haven’t seen these powers, go to Communion and ask the Lord for strength, to take power over yourself and no longer sin by relaxing your mind. You just have to live!
It often happens to us
And work and wisdom to see there,
Where you just have to guess
Just get down to business.
A Casket was brought to someone from the master.
The decoration and cleanliness of the Casket caught my eye;
Well, everyone admired the beautiful Casket.
Here a sage enters the mechanics room.
Looking at the Casket, he said: “A casket with a secret,
So; it doesn't even have a lock;
And I undertake to open it; yes, yes, I'm sure of it;
Don't laugh so secretly!
I will find the secret and I will reveal the little chest to you:
In mechanics, I’m also worth something.”
So he set to work on the Casket:
Turns him from all sides
And he breaks his head;
First a carnation, then another, then a bracket.
Here, looking at him, another
Shakes his head;
They whisper, and they laugh among themselves.
It just rings in my ears:
"Not here, not like that, not there!"
The mechanic is even more eager.
Sweated, sweated; but finally tired
I fell behind Chest
And I couldn’t figure out how to open it;
And the casket simply opened.
Our body was formed in the womb, with which we will go through life. Here, living on earth, we ourselves form the soul. That is, we dress her in clothes, either in: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, [temptations,] heresies, hatred, murder, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, etc. like" (Gal. 5.19-21), or in: "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control" (Gal. 5.22-23) Or in other words, so that, living in relaxation, leave from life, because the first clothes are acquired easily, just don’t resist anything, and you will be like that. But such a person will no longer see the Kingdom of Heaven. Or, having made every effort on yourself, put on second clothes, and then you will have something to cover your shame in the same ordeals, not to mention the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything is very simple and you don’t need to invent anything!
04.05.15 Mon 15:11 - Anonymous
Polina Appolinaria
Oh, in vain, father, you think that I live in a relaxed mind. On the contrary, she is focused, she has changed a lot, a lot. I will never enter into a relationship with a man again, no matter how much I would like to (Thank God and I don’t need this due to a painful condition, which is not relaxation of the body and mind, it’s just my once precious health “planted”), I will not cultivate envy and love of money, despite poverty, I will not feel sorry for myself (as Elena writes, she saw self-pity, and this is something else, really), I always pray when I see temptations (the closest prayer is “May God rise again...”, i.e. the prayer to the Cross, the Lord’s Prayer itself, I sincerely repent not just of some individual sins, but of my entire life, for which I really want to cry, not out of self-pity, as Elena writes, but out of repentance, simply because that you really want to turn back time and change everything, but the fact that this cannot be done is painful). Father Vladimir from the village of Glebychevo near Primorsk says that there is no need to think and say this way, because the invaluable experience that you now have cannot be acquired in any other way, the way of the righteous and without mistakes. I feel that he is right, I need to let go of past sins in life, which I will consciously never repeat, because I repented sincerely, very sincerely, for example: in adultery, blasphemy, condemnation, abortion (I listened to my mother, a fool, but with responsibility I’m not filming myself and I hope that at these damned ordeals they won’t show me murdered children, because at that time I didn’t perceive abortion as murder, because for me then a person was “from birth”, but not in a cellular state); now everything is different: I refused by force of will antidepressants and sleeping pills, but I continue to take painkillers, which are similar to sleeping pills, simply because the dream is very strange and scary, my back hurts; I can’t yet overcome the fear of hell, it’s true, I see it everywhere, for example, in Yulia Voznesenskaya’s book “My Posthumous Adventures” everything is described so colorfully that I go to work, do something, but can’t think about almost anything else Can. Forgive me for my frankness, I put everything on display on the general website, but somehow I don’t know how to do it any other way. Tell me anyway: will a person’s good deeds be counted there, in another world, despite the fact that he did not have time to take communion? How to overcome fear and despair by reading literature about ordeals, even if prayer helps short time, but does not completely banish fear? Why is smoking considered a sin (this has nothing to do with me, there are generally different opinions on this matter), because even Andrei Kuraev “is not a sin, but rather a sinful habit”? Can the Lord have mercy if passions negative emotions nevertheless, they will not be defeated, it will not be possible to eradicate them completely, because sometimes negative emotions and the passion of anger arise precisely as a reaction to injustice, for me - a reaction to obvious indifference? What to do if a divorce is necessary (I feel this more than I even know), but we have a child whom I will not raise either financially or in any way at all, because I don’t have the health or basic human strength to do this, or you can simply rely on God and go take the divorce papers without fear of anything? Thank you for the comparison with the cook in your parable and for the balcony, “from which you may not have to jump...”
04.05.15 Mon 22:00 - Priest Sergius
This parable is not mine, but grandfather Krylov’s “The Cat and the Cook”
I love reading Krylov, not only his fables, but also his early works, how subtly and accurately he conveys the similarity of our actions.
The main tactic of demons is to divide and conquer. Therefore, when you act to destroy relationships with people, then, most likely, demons persuaded you to do this. So you are already starting to put walls between you and the people around you. I beg you not to do this, the farther you are from people, the further you are from God, almost all the Holy Fathers say. Remember that even such a weak person, you are needed, first of all, by your child, who will no longer have another father. God needs you, why then did He go to the Cross so that you would slowly drag yourself to suicide? I ask again: where is your faith? There is not a word about it, but it turns out that you read all sorts of books of dubious origin, some Orthodox fantasy and draw your conclusions from these works, and not from the Gospel. Here you can dream of anything, not just the fear of ordeal. Is Yulia Voznesenskaya a saint? glorified by the Church? that you take all her words on faith? Either there will be something similar, or not, it’s written on the water with a pitchfork, and you are already waving like a flag: “Ah. It says there...” I do not advise you to read such works, especially about ordeals. Teach yourself not to dwell on these thoughts. Start reading the Gospel better, Apostle, every day, at least by chapter, but constantly. I think it won’t be long until you finally get over yourself.
About smoking. One day at Rev. John of Kronstadt was asked: “Father, is smoking a sin?” - he replied: “Whether it’s a sin or not, I don’t know, but they smell like a goat.” There are many mansions in hell, there is a fiery Gehenna, there is a student of decay, there is the darkness of eternal darkness, there are also smoky barracks... Do you want to sit in a smoking room for eternity? After all, we are used to “calming” ourselves with a cigarette or two. So you will “calm down” yourself forever. Smoking, it’s the same sinful captivity as any other, every cigarette is taken by the collar and dragged, let’s go, and the person goes, because he’s in captivity and doesn’t even want to break out. You should not reassure yourself that this is not a sin, but a sinful habit. Although it is a habit, it is a sinful one.
And one more property of sin - sin loves darkness, loves that others do not see it, because it loses its power when it is seen, when it is in the light. He cannot, in this case, act freely. That’s why I refused to correspond in personal mail and stayed on the site, sorry if I caused any inconvenience. Continue to Confess and take Communion. Once, when I had just come to faith, I went for a lecture. I realized that every disease is demons, so I think I’ll kick him out and live normally. I have ankylosing spondylitis, they say it is incurable. There are a lot of people, and during the reading of the Gospel everyone usually kneels. I’m on my knees on the second day, and in my head Someone asks: “What are you doing here?” I was dumbfounded, wow, is that what I’m thinking to myself? and the Voice continues: “Do you go to Church? Do you confess? Do you take communion? So what else do you need?” Then I realized that I would not have any healing, I had to humble myself. And indeed, a little later I read from the Apostle Paul: “And so that I would not become proud of the extraordinary revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, the angel of Satan, to oppress me so that I would not become proud. Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But The Lord said to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” , in oppression for Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12.7-10) And after I became a priest, we had an accident in a car, and now I have been walking bent for seventeen years. And, you know, nothing! It doesn't even bother me!
So I ask you, do not despair, but believe in God, He knows how to protect us!
05/08/15 Fri 14:08 - Anonymous
Appolinaria
1. I also love Krylov, although I forgot this fable “The Cat and the Cook” from school, but when I said “Your parable,” I did not mean, of course, “Your personal one.” It is clear that this fable is very instructive, although, I must admit, it is very offensive to me.
2. You say: what Voznesenskaya writes about the ordeals is “written on water with a pitchfork...” But your phrase “there are many mansions in hell, there is a fiery Gehenna, there is a student of corruption, there is the darkness of eternal darkness, there are smoky barracks.. ." - from St. Scriptures? I just can’t remember the phrase about the smoky barracks. It’s hard to comprehend that a smoking person, even with a kind heart (again, I don’t mean myself, almost all my relatives smoke, and I don’t have a “nicotine” addiction, Thank God) can so easily be cast into hell . What is this, a revelation of the church? And why does Voznesenskaya write “with a pitchfork on the water”, and the blzh. Theodora, A. Optinsky, the book “On the Exodus of the Soul...” and other sources - not “with a pitchfork on the water”, because many describe ordeals... Is it only because Voznesenskaya is a “Christian fantasy”? After all, she actually repeats what respected people of Orthodoxy write, only, I would say, in a more soft form. When you listen to St. Oleg Stenyaev, for example, becomes not just ill, but very ill, because 20 ordeals are not a joke, it is torture for the soul. And no one, There, in another world, will ask: why did you do this (for example, you stole when you had no choice at the moment, because of hunger, etc. or borrowed money and did not pay it back on time - also theft?!), I just acted badly - there is no excuse for this, no matter what the reason. Here, of course, I already have myself in mind: I took money without asking my husband, because I knew that he wouldn’t give it, no matter how I asked, because he doesn’t know what an attack is (I wouldn’t want to talk about an attack, but, believe me, this is a very scary thing), and the doctor cannot write out a preferential prescription, and, unfortunately, the medicine is not vital according to the legislation of the Russian Federation (as for diabetics).
3. I also stole money from my grandfather for the same reason, realizing that I would not be able to repay the debt in full, only in parts. All this is not because I don’t want to work, but because the salary is simply not enough, I’m working for now, but I can’t get another job that pays well. So tell me: what should I do? Maybe there is a relief fund for people like me, who are not disabled, because they won’t give you disability anyway, but not quite full-fledged people, whose ailments and pain do not allow them to work normally, and are known only to a tiny percentage of people, so as not to fall into the sins of theft or the like, because, I’m afraid, I won’t be able to repay the debts or I won’t repay the entire amount, although I willingly forgive, it’s easier for me, it’s not a merit, or rather not my merit, but from God.
4. Tell me why divorce is certainly “from demons”? For many years I have not been able to find a common language with my husband. After all, it is obvious that it is simpler and easier for him in all respects to condemn me, to say: “you are pretending to justify your laziness,” but in fact, he simply feels sorry for my money, and this greed towards me does not allow me to completely reconcile With his position, I’m not even saying that he can easily humiliate me in front of the child, and I “stupidly” don’t know how to prevent this? Is such a life with a person who, of course, does not love, although he is a magnificent, wonderful father to my child, or rather children, does not respect and does not regret (a synonym for love) - not a path to a heart attack, not destruction? I realize that during a divorce it will be difficult financially, probably unbearable, and I will not be able to support the children myself, but I really hope that they will not starve and the Lord will help, no...? To hope for peace where there is none and never will be, can one only endure it and not provoke the husband to either bad or good?
05/08/15 Fri 15:49 - Priest Sergius
“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8.34)
So, if you cannot calm yourself down and put yourself to sleep without 1-2 menthol cigarettes (your words), and even without pills, then you are precisely the slave of those menthol cigarettes. Imagine, you got to the Kingdom of Heaven, and there are no smoking rooms there, but you are already accustomed to these menthol cigarettes, you can no longer live without them, you will have to look for a smoking room. And they are only in hell. You will enter there yourself, but you will no longer be able to leave, because you are a slave. Indeed, the Holy Scriptures do not mention smoky barracks, but a woman who had an accident and died spoke about them... and then was resurrected, and after some time, remembering everything, began to tell. This can be believed, because God is Love, and He does not take away a person’s free will; if a person likes to smoke, then he will be given such an opportunity.
Blessed Theodora wrote about her experiences, Rev. Ambrose of Optina spoke about what was revealed to him, and almost all Orthodox sources confirm their thoughts in the words of other authors. This is done in order to explain that they are not the only ones who say this, that is, they speak in a new way, but do not say anything new. Yulia Voznesenskaya writes, without referring to anyone, ordinary stories, richly seasoned with fantasies and all kinds of horror stories. In any case, when reading these books, I got this impression, and under no circumstances will I refer to her fantasies.
Do you see how cunning you are? You allow yourself to forgive other people’s debts to you, but you do not allow other people the opportunity to forgive you your debts. And by carefully trying to hide this sin of yours, you are ruining yourself. I wonder if you even repented of this? You seem to know the Scripture.
I have already written to you that the tactics of demons are all kinds of divisions. And this division comes from you, because you do not say that your husband wants to divorce you.
Now I have questions for you: 1. How often do you go to church? 2. Do you go to the same temple? 3. How often do you go to Confession and Communion? 4. Aren't you afraid of Confession? 5. What prayers do you read at home? 6. Do you confess to the same priest?
05/09/15 Sat 14:27 - Anonymous
Appolinaria
Now I can’t find your questions, or your letter in general, so, from memory, I’m writing confusingly and illogically, sorry (a virus in the computer, the lines “run away” from me):
1. I try to go to church every Sunday, but it doesn’t always work out. If I don’t go to church, I try to get to “church on the screen,” on TV, on the Soyuz channel, and repeat some prayers with the priest. Throughout my life I go to different churches, there are many of them in St. Petersburg, but I only go to receive communion in one (wooden Orthodox church in the village of Glebychevo, Leningrad region) relatively recently, because I trust Father Vladimir, he had my most complete confession, many hours. I consider her the main thing in life, and one can only be amazed at how he put up with me then and still puts up with me. True, I am infinitely sorry that there is no financial opportunity to travel to see him often.
2. You called me cunning, so my husband says so, he also says that I am lazy and arrogant (it’s understandable with him, it’s easier for him to think so as not to give money for treatment, this is obvious), well, God bless him, apparently so it is, but reading this in your letter, I honestly admit, it becomes very offensive, because I try as best I can (since I came to faith) not to lie, not to be cunning and not to get out. Apparently I’m trying in vain. And with my grandfather the situation is like this (for me it’s complicated and incomprehensible in the sense of what to do?): he’s very old, I’ve been looking for an approach to him for a long time, all my life, but I tried poorly, he’s too difficult a person, he allowed himself, as it seems to me, unacceptable insults, hatred towards me and such statements that, honestly, the desire to go to him and help him even in memory of my father (grandfather is the father of my deceased dad) disappears completely. And now telling him that I take his money for medicine, nothing else, is completely useless. He is, how can I put it, not entirely adequate. It seems to him that I am stealing money from the apartment, from a briefcase, a mattress, my husband is stealing, my sister is stealing, they are stealing everything, in a word. Sister, house help, me - everything was stolen by some large amounts, his savings. I can’t imagine how I’ll come to him to repent of taking money for medicine? He will not forgive not because he does not know how to forgive, but simply the reaction may not be adequate. Yeah, that means you did take money from your briefcase, etc.! Thief, etc.! I'm honestly not ready for such a turn yet. Yes, I’m cowardly, yes, I’m weak, but I can’t help it. I cannot learn, even with God’s help (after all, He gave me such a grandfather; other, beloved relatives died) to forgive and endure insults. They say that to be offended is a reflexive verb with a reflexive suffix, i.e. It's impossible to be offended if you don't want to. But I still think that it is possible to be offended, and very strongly, when you have been insulted, specifically offended consciously or even unknowingly. And if a person is alive, reacting, made of nerves, flesh and blood, and also with a rather weak, frankly speaking, psyche, like Ivan Gromov in Chekhov’s “Ward No. 6,” you can react with indignation, indignation. Although, Glory to you, Lord, it is GIVEN to me to be indignant, yes, it is given, not for long, not at all, it is easier and more organic for me to forgive and let go of the offense than to keep it to myself, although there are things that I remember for a long time. This doesn’t mean that I hold a grudge, I just remember that with this person you can’t do this and that, you can only use certain methods. I want to escape. It’s easier for me now (I’m going to see him) to allocate a certain amount from my salary and give it to food, and then pay it back until I cover at least 30,000 (this is very approximate). If all of the above is a trick, then how to live, not to be cunning, never to lie? In the world this is almost impossible. It’s also a shame that with you I’m being sincere and not being cunning. Well, okay, you know better. It’s easier for me and my mother to lie, for example, by praising a tasteless salad (which happens extremely rarely), than to say directly: I can’t eat, I can’t eat it. She will be offended, and so much so that I, I myself will be completely exhausted later, why, they say, did I offend?
3. Yulia Voznesenskaya writes stories, but I mean a book that, although called “fantasy,” is not at all like fiction. The book-parable “My Posthumous Adventures” is about how the heroine (Voznesenskaya herself) fell into a deep coma, i.e. died, and the body was supported in Munich with wires and devices. This is some kind of instructive post-mortem experience, but I don’t understand how this differs from BLZ. Theodora, can you trust that woman who had an accident that it wasn’t “a pitchfork through the water”? By the way, I listened to her story.
4. You need to quit smoking, you can’t use drugs, drinking is harmful, you can’t overeat, there is no excuse for this, but why will these people certainly die? If they have a good soul, I can’t understand. They don’t force other people to smoke and drink. I don’t mean alcoholics and drug addicts, who don’t care where to get the hellish potion, they won’t spare their mother, I mean people who don’t abuse all this (except for drugs, of course). We all, except the monks, are made up of passions and habits, will it all follow us and “there”? I have a stupid habit of waving a piece of paper when I write and say something or twirling a flag. This may even irritate many people, but is it really necessary to get rid of it? Sometimes it happens involuntarily.
5. Yes, my husband doesn’t want to get a divorce, but seeing what I am like, why and by what right does he mold me into an ideal? Moreover, he sees that I do not correspond to him, and... a conflict arises. What makes him angry? If, due to back pain, I, however, cannot clean the apartment as before (I mopped the floors 5 times a day), I cannot do general cleaning, I cannot get up at 6 in the morning, I often get colds and have a diagnosis - is it possible? is this a reason to “spread rot” on me like this, to say that I’m lazy, etc.?
6. Despotism is not a reason for divorce, because it is a demonic principle? Vladimir told me that Christian marriage is a free marriage, unlike Islam, but where is the freedom? A despot husband who is also an atheist, won’t this lead to trouble? I myself do not have such faith that I am ready to endure everything and lead him, the unfortunate one, to Orthodoxy...
05/09/15 Sat 19:59 - Priest Sergius
Say, my questions were not found, nothing, I will repeat:
1. How often do you go to church? 2. Do you go to the same temple? 3. How often do you go to Confession and Communion? 4. Aren't you afraid of Confession? 5. What prayers do you read at home? 6. Do you confess to the same priest?
I would really like to receive not vague answers, but precise ones. And yet, I didn’t say that you were being cunning with me, excuse me, you’ve already thought of that.
Nevertheless, having not yet received answers, I will try once again to remind you: “everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8.34)
“Sin committed gives birth to death” (James 1.15)
“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3.4)
“Whoever commits sin is of the devil, because the devil sinned first” (1 John 3.8)
“We know...he who is born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5.18).
But your points 4 and 5, to be honest, completely discouraged me. I'm starting to doubt whether you are Orthodox? In the morning I was thinking, what is the seventh question I should ask, an important one. Only now he has appeared: what do you actually want to hear from me? This is my last question.
10.05.15 Sun 14:10 - Anonymous
Appolinaria
1. I go to different temples, there are many of them in St. Petersburg: approximately, on average, once every 2 weeks, sometimes more often, sometimes less often, this is the average figure. I try to come in whenever possible. On Sundays I read the Akathist to the Mother of God, but it doesn’t happen every Sunday; more often it’s for health reasons, and not because I don’t like the Orthodox Church. I wrote about this earlier (maybe more briefly), and I don’t understand why the answers are “blurry”?
2. Unfortunately, I do not receive Holy Communion often, but once a year it is mandatory, and only with Father Vladimir. Previously, this was the case with different priests. True, very soon I’m going to go to Glebychevo again, as soon as the financial opportunity arises. Sorry, now I don’t understand, why does this even matter? Is it necessary to receive communion and confess to different priests? After all, I already wrote that Father Vladimir is the only one I trust, who knows me, and to whom I can ask any question and tell him what I’m embarrassed to tell. to a loved one and I don’t want to tell another priest. Yes, I understand, this is false shame, I can only write, it’s easier for me, but I can’t say it out loud in detail, and I’m not able to remember everything... This concerns mainly my past.
3. Am I afraid of confession? Good question! Yes and no. On the one hand there is fear, on the other hand there is relief. I used to be very afraid, but now I’m less afraid. But now I don’t fall into those sins that I repented of several times in different churches when I didn’t yet know Father Vladimir. Fornication, abortion, unbelief, blasphemy against God, harmfulness, envy, in a word, NOT CHRISTIAN LIFE. Now I have a question: is it necessary to repeat this at every confession, and remembering something else in detail, for example, various fornications in youth, should I also tell this in detail or is it enough to characterize it in one word, for example - adultery? Or: anger often arises at children when they are mischievous and disobey. Is it possible to say in confession: “anger” and not go into details: at whom is the anger, why is it angry, anger at a cat that pees in the bed, etc.? I keep asking this in order to know: how to quickly and clearly confess to any priest, given the flow of people, if Father Vladimir, who usually asks leading questions himself and makes confession easier for me in this sense, cannot confess and give me communion due to distance distances?
4. At home I read “Our Father”, a prayer to the Cross, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice (sing)”, “Lord, forgive and have mercy on me, a sinner”, simply “Lord, have mercy”. The prayer “Creed” doesn’t work at all. Again, I don’t understand: is this so important? Andrei Tkachev generally said that the “Our Father” prayer is from the Lord himself, everyone always needs it, but in principle there can be only one prayer, the main thing is that it lies on the heart and is from the heart, extremely sincere, not “on a piece of paper” , but from the heart. This is not an exact quote. I don't remember exactly. Is he wrong? If I’m wrong, who, excuse me, should I believe? We are earthly people, worldly people, we don’t know anything.
5. What discouraged you and why do you have doubts about Orthodox faith? I don't understand at all, sorry for my stupidity. Point 4: apparently I want to justify people’s habits. No, I don’t justify it; Who am I to judge and justify?, I’m just asking: we are all made up of habits, does this mean hell after death if a person has a good heart? A person has not had time to quit smoking, does this mean that he will go to the same smoking room and barracks that you wrote about or is it actually not for us to judge? I myself think that it is not for us to judge, but I still ask you to answer, I need to hear your opinion. Or do you think that a person’s heart cannot be good if he smokes? It is clear that smoking, alcohol and drugs are more than a habit, although Kuraev writes about smoking precisely as a habit, but I meant habits (point 4, apparently the letter disappeared again) such as: waving a piece of paper, a bookmark, a pen during a conversation; the habit of talking to oneself, etc.: it seems like nothing bad, but it can annoy the interlocutor. Sorry, if the questions seem idiotic to you, you don’t have to answer. In point 5, I also didn’t understand what actually discouraged you? Can divorce be considered a sin if... And then I already wrote about how my husband treats me, why should I live with a despot if I don’t have the faith that will save my husband? Or rather, there is no faith, but rather there is no hope that he will come to faith and treat his own wife a little better. “With a believing wife, the husband is saved” (inaccurate quote). That's what I meant. Is it worth enduring everything just because you are Orthodox, even the unacceptable, such as beatings? After all, they treat us the way we allow. What should I do if I don’t feel the strength to endure and save, and I don’t know how not to allow myself to be treated poorly? Does this mean that I am not an Orthodox person? So you doubt that I am a believer? Once again I apologize for the stupidity and misunderstanding.
6. I only want to hear from you answers to questions, even stupid ones. If I ask, it means I need it.
7. Can what I wrote to you and put on public display for several days, starting on May 2, be considered a confession? Or is this just a conversation?
8. If you do not answer this letter, I will understand that gaining at least some understanding is a pointless waste of time, which is already short, and I will not bother you with my stupid questions.
Apolinaria, Polina in the world.
01/08/18 Mon 23:25 - Russian wanderer
The Russian Wanderer answers
Dear Gregory! Merry Christmas!
It’s even strange that in 6 years you have not come across the knowledge of the Church about the Invoking Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was She who acted in you for a whole year, She filled you and worked miracles.
And you don’t know about the next period of a Christian's life- as if "Forsakenness", about the period of impoverishment of faith. This is how it happens that God hides His help for a while and tests a person’s DETERMINATION to follow His path already in the conditions of ordinary human life. Where is waiting for those good seeds that were sown by His Grace to germinate and grow.
The saint of the 20th century, the Monk Joseph the Hesychast, knew all this well and is talking about exactly this.
Father Anatoly Garmaev has an excellent large book “WAYS AND MISTAKES OF NOVICES ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS (CONVERSATIONS ON A PILGRIMAGE VOYAGE)”
(http://zavet.ru/garmaev/ways.htm#01), describing in detail all the main periods of Christian life IN ORTHODOXY.
People also have a different format of religious life - only human, without the wonderful period of action of the Invoking Grace of the Holy Spirit. There are quite a few such people and they do not understand how it is to LIVE in the GRACE of Jesus Christ.
You, thank God, know! Therefore, read the book of Father Anatoly, and calmly, without despondency, continue your path to God.
01/29/18 Mon 23:23 - Archpriest Anatoly Garmaev
Answered by the priest of the Russian Orthodox Church MP Archpriest Anatoly (Garmaev)
Peace be with you. Archpriest Anatoly Garmaev
10.01.18 Wed 20:35 - Anonymous
Anything is possible, I don't dispute it
Anything is possible, I don't dispute it. Maybe a visit, maybe an admission.
I miss the state, but I don’t strive and I understand that we live not by feelings, but by faith.
I just want to be pleasing to God, but without God I can’t do anything, that’s why I have sorrow.
Because of this, Seraphim of Sarov knelt on a stone for a thousand days and nights. Silouan of Athos writes about something similar. After I turned to God with repentance, I changed dramatically. If I stopped drinking, smoking, swearing, removed all dirty (at that time in my opinion) music, threw out everything related to horoscopes, gave up dishonest earnings, began to read only Christian literature (Isaac the Syrian, Theophan the Recluse, Paisius the Svyatogorets, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Philokalia...).
Was it really not from God? Is there really nothing but beauty all around?
Moreover, I see not angels, but my sins.
Sorry, I didn't want to disturb anyone, it was necessity. But the fact of the matter is that in the first 2-3 years, Grace is so strong that it drives away all inclinations to sin.
“Wasn’t it really from God? Is there really nothing but beauty all around? Moreover, I see not angels, but my sins.”
- Go to Father Anatoly’s community (in Volgograd), live there for a little while, at least a month.
And everything will become clear what happened - maybe a visit.
Here is a wonderful ascetic, Elder Sophrony (Sakharov), was the confessor of the Athonite Greek monastery of St. Paul of Xiropotamia for two whole years. He lived in a cave 3-4 km from the monastery. When it rained, there was water in the cave, flowing from everywhere, he hung a sheet of tin above him in the cave so as not to be completely wet. And that’s where the Greek monks went to him for confession. They respected him very much, seeing his holy life and the gifts of the Holy Spirit on him. And in those days (1930s) on the Holy Mountain there were many simpleton monks, overshadowed by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and often seeing the uncreated light. But in their simplicity, they did not know this, which protected them from pride and vanity.
So, Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) shares this spiritual technique:
- If God does not reveal (with accuracy) what happened to the spiritual child: visitation or permission. So I say this: “Repent, this was not permission from God.”
And if the monk immediately repented in simplicity and tried to forget and discard this memory, then this is a GOOD SIGN. For those who are seduced usually firmly stand their ground, saying that there was a visitation from God!
So since they responded and were not indignant, and quite calmly, then there is a good chance that there was a visit. But it’s better to undergo an “offline diagnosis”, plunging into the life of the community. In the closed space of the community, everything secret will come out quite soon.
And, of course, it is important to find out what happened and what is now. Treatment varies significantly...
Sorry!
11.01.18 Thu 22:41 - Anonymous
Insanity - I didn’t have such thoughts (in the primitive sense), sorry!
By the way, maybe you don’t know, a very good book was published in 2015 "Birds of the Sky" Simeon of Athos, 2 volumes. This is the diary of Monk Simon, and a very wonderful diary. You can also buy or download it online.
01/12/18 Fri 23:33 - Anonymous
Simeon of Athos.
Thank you, I will definitely find this book. Silouan of Athos has another interesting book, “Why We Are Not Gods.” And about mental disorders I contacted Fr. Anatoly. But that's not the point. Once upon a time God showed me His love and now without this love I am nobody and nothing. I seek God as He is my life. It’s like you’re thirsty and there’s water in front of you, and you see it, but it’s still drawn in the picture. Well, something like that. So I pester everyone, what if someone shares their experience that was not depicted. Thank you for everything, you kind person. May God bless you and your ministry.
02/12/18 Mon 12:50 - Priest Sergius
Sorry, I'm interfering.
From the correspondence we managed to understand only one thing - they are trying to explain to the person that what happened to him was wonderful. And the person is trying to prove that it was a real miracle. Did I understand correctly?
If I understand correctly, I will not agree with either the person who defends his point of view, or with those who are trying to prove the opposite. Visits, no matter who they come from, are real, and a person experiences this state quite realistically. Another person does not see this reality that a person has experienced, so he tries to explain it as he understands. Often this is not what actually happened. The difference is in the little things, but it's not the same. Therefore, a person tries to prove his point. Both are wrong, because in proving something, both are moving away from reality, because they need to come up with an argument to justify their point of view.
I also had a “visit”, after which I became so insignificant that I don’t know what to do now. There was no awareness of the forgiveness of sins, but there was an awareness of my unworthiness so much that my life seemed to continue only by the grace of God. It feels like they crushed you, but left you to live. There was another experience that I was embarrassed to express out loud, but St. Silouan of Athos revealed it to me when I read his life and his sayings. “When a person is in the Holy Spirit, he loves everyone, he has no enemies,” I experienced this love, of course, as much as I could perceive it. I know her now, and that has kept me going over the years. Now more than 20 years have passed since that event, but it still warms me and does not allow me to weaken.
So, my advice to you is, don’t ask anyone what it was? Nobody will tell you this. Continue to stubbornly seek God the Father, but do not expect His visit, otherwise He may come. I hope you understand who. You must look for Him in your heart, when your heart is open to help those near and far. Try not to be alone, even when you are alone, at this moment be with God, or at least before Him, thinking, for example, about the Gospel stories. Do not forget about cleansing your heart at Confession so that there are no doubts, envy, anger, etc. in it. And do not forget about the fulfillment of the New Testament. Then you will understand everything yourself.
04/16/18 Mon 21:58 - Anonymous
Invoking Grace
Hello! I read Father Anatoly Garmaev’s answer to your cry from the heart, and I was very upset, that’s why I’m writing. I just can't remain silent. I will not give examples of quotes from St. Feofana, I’ll just say that I understand you very much, I myself experienced the touch of God, being an absolutely unbelieving person at the age of 19. And for almost 20 years after that I was in the state that you describe (despondency, hardship, etc.) And always, no matter how difficult it was, I remembered WHAT the Lord once gave in my heart. And this gave me strength to go and go...
You know, I (unfortunately) also had to go through communication with the “young age”... Its main feature is categorical judgments. I won't stop here either. And you know, when after 20 years of “ordeal” the Lord returned everything to me in EXCESS, then, having crushed my whole being into “I am dust and ashes,” I regretted only one thing: LACK OF FAITH and doubt in the promises of God during these years of trials. I felt so SHAMED, impossibly ashamed before the Merciful God, that there were moments of despondency, doubt, trust in the one who said: “This is all from the evil one”... That this trust in a clergyman outweighed my faith in God for several years, who called me, sinful, from simple non-existence, from dirt, from petrified life... And if I knew what the Lord was preparing for me, if I firmly believed in Him, then it would have happened earlier - now I know this for sure.
I don’t know your name (I even started praying for you when I read the correspondence), but I have one piece of advice for you. Always remember the phrase that Fr. John (Krestyankin) repeated as a mother’s blessing: “God will not do anything bad.”
Second: pray to your Guardian Angel (pray every day, read the akathist to him every day!). He is responsible for you before God. You can’t imagine how qualitatively everything will change when you start constantly calling on him! It will change immediately, believe me.
And lastly: remember that priests are people too, and they can make mistakes, just simple mistakes. Go to church, confess, take communion more often.
And always keep in your heart this touch of God, this Invoking Grace. You will not forget it, it is impossible to forget.
And the fact that you have been allowed a painful, seemingly graceless state is a test of your FAITH. As they say, how much grief a person is given to endure is how much happiness he can contain... Christ is Risen!!!
04/17/18 Tue 22:45 - Anonymous
Hello
Truly Risen! Thank you very much for your message and concern. During this time, I never found a reason why everything happened this way. He burned so much, loved so much, everything was Christian, and then suddenly there was emptiness. I didn’t think, I didn’t ask, nothing.
And today I remembered an incident after your letter, although I also thought about this before, because... tried everything possible. I didn’t do biometrics, but I contacted the bank. I wanted to get a bank card for the convenience of money transfers. Before entering the bank, I turn to God, whether I need it or not. When I opened the door to the bank, my phone rang. It was mine brother. He said he fell off a stool and broke his arm. I didn't get to the bank that day. The fracture was very bad, I had to put a plate in my arm, my brother still walks with it.
But a week or a month passed and I silently went and applied for a Privatbank card. They also gave me a credit card.
A few years later I closed these cards and broke up with the bank, but not for long, about two years.
Recently I again applied for services from the bank and I regret it, I want to pay off the credit card and not even think about it anymore. I don’t know what’s next, I miss God, but it’s as if He hid His face from me. I had communication with God, I knew that He was nearby.
Thank you for everything. Sorry if something is wrong. Christ is risen!
04/18/18 Wed 10:38 - Anonymous
Truly Christ is Risen!
Grigory, yes, there is nothing good in cards and banks, I agree. As a family, we abandoned them, and we don’t need any worldly convenience - such inner freedom has arrived..
Now to your letter. There is one point I will note. I would venture to guess: you go to Orthodox church infrequently, receive communion less than once every three weeks, do not know the annual cycle of church holidays (not with the knowledge of your mind, but with your little legs) go to church for services every Sunday, all twelfth holidays and great ones, if possible . So? Do you know why this assumption is made? A church person, at least one who has been going to church for six years after his conversion to God, will not respond the way you responded to the Easter greeting. And he answers in Church Slavonic: Truly He is Risen!!! This goes without saying, naturally. And you say like a secular person: Christ is Risen.
Gregory, look for God in an Orthodox church (while you can still go to churches, while there are still Orthodox churches where they serve according to the canons and there are no modernist changes, until our churches are Catholicized), appreciate the opportunity every Saturday evening and Sunday at the Liturgy to be at the greatest land of the Last Supper, which our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates! Do not lose the opportunity to take communion; this must be done at least once every three weeks. According to the canons of the Church, a person who has not received communion on more than three Sundays in a row excludes himself from the Body of the Church. And we also need to repent of this - that we have not received communion for more than three Sunday Liturgies in a row. You are looking for God, but He Himself is waiting for you every Sunday at Communion!
If you, having sincerely confessed, take communion regularly, then HOW can you not feel God? We must work now, work with all our might. Grace was given to you in advance seven years ago, just like that. Not by business, but by Love. It was given so that you would now seek God, seek Him where He put it on your heart - in the temple.
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been in need (it is received with need), and the needy has caught it up” (Gospel of Matthew, 11, 12). And He will answer - answer in the heart.
Not on the Internet, not in philosophical conversations, but in those places where He is present - in the temple, in the hospital, in prison, where people suffer hardships and are waiting for help. Help the homeless, feed the hungry... Especially now, before the Ascension - when the Lord literally walks the earth, when through any person He can Himself test us for our mercy, our faith. I speak from experience - by helping our neighbor who is suffering hardships (no matter who he is - a Muslim, an atheist, or anyone) - we heal the wounds of the Gospel poor man who has fallen into the hands of robbers. And the Lord literally “washes” our heart with His Grace. While you are alive, you have the opportunity to do this.
You yearn for God - this means your soul is alive - now DO AND BELIEVE. Have you heard the audio “The Vision-Dream of a Woman in 1994 (Revelation N)” in five parts? If you haven't heard, here's a short summary.
“In 1994, one woman, a Muscovite (who decided not to identify herself), was shown a dream-vision in which she lived her life in one night. future life. Overnight she became a believer, an Orthodox Christian. The Lord showed her what probably awaits us all in the near future. In particular, about the third world war, about an asteroid on America, about climate change in the world, about the real Resurrection of Elder Seraphim of Sarov, about the flood in St. Petersburg, about the flooding of the metro in Moscow, and about much more. Her vision coincides with the prophecy of many saints who lived in the past.
The recording was made public at the beginning of 2013, with the blessing of Archimandrite Seraphim (Stoyanov)".
Listen to the 4th part - about the Last Judgment. This woman was shown the Last Judgment - how all earthly generations stood in childbirth at the last Judgment. Why exactly this is what I recommend listening to - it is clearly conveyed to us to the point of piercingness - WHAT our deeds will intercede for us before God at the last Judgment, when we will no longer be able to do ANYTHING - neither justify ourselves, nor escape from this...
My letter is big, but it’s so easy on my heart)). CHRIST IS RISEN!!!
Number of entries: 16441
Good afternoon Some time ago I dreamed about my mother's death several times, after the last similar dream Mom died (a month ago). Now I dream that my husband is dying (I have dreamed about this twice already). I also often dream that my mother seems to have come to life. I don't understand anything. Help me understand what this is all about. What should I do??? I'm very worried about my husband.
Maria
Dear Mary, do not be afraid of dreams, but trust all your fears to the Lord God in prayer. Since you are worried about your husband, pray especially for him, okay holy gospel read. God bless you!
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello, priests! I want to thank you, and in your person the entire Orthodox priesthood, for your invaluable help and blessed work! Glory to the Lord for his care for people with your hands and words! Such a question. In my prayer book there is a sequence on the departure of the soul from the body, consisting of one canon. It is signed that it is read by the laity if there is no priest. I just can’t quite figure out whether this is a canon about a single deceased person or another canon that must be read immediately after the death of a person? I would like to read it for the repose of my father’s soul. Is it possible? And one more thing. Is it possible to wipe the face on icons with a cloth or do you just need to carefully blow off the dust from it? I was told that I couldn’t touch my face. This is true? Save me, Lord!
Tatiana
Hello, Tatyana. The canon of the one-dead and the succession according to the exodus of the soul are different successions. You can read it. You can wipe the icons without touching (or kissing) the face, so as not to damage it, and not for sacramental reasons. God help you!
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello. I am interested in the following question: Is it possible to pray for the health and well-being of unbaptized children and grandchildren? (the son-in-law does not consent to the baptism of the child) And will the Lord hear such prayers?
Natalia
Hello, Natalya. Of course, you can and should pray, both at home and in church. Only in church remember them yourself during the reading of the hours (then a proskomedia is performed before the liturgy); only baptized people can be written in notes. God bless you.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello, priests. Is it possible to listen to the audiobook of Abbot N Hidden Athos? I liked it when I listened to it once, and Abbot N is Abbot Efrem Vinogradov, he also wrote a book about why they want to save us. I liked both books. Is it possible to read and listen to these books?
Catherine
Yes, Ekaterina, you can. God help.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello! Thank you very much to Priest Sergius Osipov for answering my question about “... is it possible to change the name given to me at baptism if no one remembers or knows it...” But the fact is that when my wife goes to church, to the temple and writes notes with names, then my name is crossed out by the grandmothers who accept these notes, citing the fact that my name is not on the lists of Orthodox Christians (my name is Eduard) and this has already happened in no church and no temple. Believe me, I don’t tell you I’m complaining, I just want to know what to do in such situations? Is it possible to film your answer on your phone and show it in churches and temples if my name is crossed out again? Or change the name of your heavenly patron? Excuse me if you are annoying and illiterate in church affairs. Thank you very much in advance.
Edward
Hello, Eduard. This issue will be resolved with the blessing of the priest of the temple where the candle makers so zealously check the notes. The wife can approach him, but it is better, of course, for you to defend your saint yourself :) God bless you.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello. My child is 1.9. Baptized with Love. That was the name of her father’s mother. He left me about 5 months ago and I want to change the child’s first and last name. Name for Vitaly. There are no patron saints with that name among the female saints, as I understand from the Internet. What even seems significant to me: let her be love in baptism, I loved her father, even though we lived in fornication, he left the family first and even divorced. If I had immediately called her Vitalia, she would still have been baptized by a different name, I understand correctly, since the saints feminine no with that name? I’m changing her first and last name because it’s hard to bear being constantly reminded of the name and memory of this person. Will I sin a lot if I make such a change or do I have the right to slightly alleviate my grief at the loss of support and hope for family happiness with such a step? After all, that's all I can do. I’ll say right away that I don’t believe in God’s mercy and I can’t wait for relief through prayers and cultivating faith in myself, it’s too hard to be left alone. I need more effective and real support.
Maria
Mary, the name given at baptism does not change. If you decide to change your child’s “worldly” name, think about whether it will be difficult for her to live with the somewhat unexpected, unusual name for a girl, Vitaly. God bless you.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Good afternoon Father, I have three godsons - Alexander (born January 5), Sergius (January 12) and Pavel (July 29). Which saints are considered their heavenly patrons and when is it correct to congratulate them on Angel’s Day?
Tatiana
Dear Tatyana, in order not to guess and make mistakes, it is better to ask your parents which saint is written on the baptismal certificate. It will be possible to determine the day of the angel by the name of the saint by turning, for example, to the website days.pravoslavie.ru. You can congratulate in any words that fit your heart, and on Angel’s Day it’s good to take them (if the godchildren are still children, of course) to church for communion. God bless you.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Good afternoon, a question for Sergei Osipov. I have a small child, her father, my partner for two years, left me in the summer of this year. The feeling of tenderness and admiration for the child has disappeared. I live only with a sense of duty, that I do not honor life and that it is a great burden to her. The father is not against taking her away, according to his words. I myself feel that in his family, where he left me and got divorced, his daughter will be calmer in every sense. What is more sinful - to give it to him (I myself am ready to go to the monastery, I have no debt to the child here, I am already 40, we have several monasteries in the city, I have already written to the abbess, to seek humility and faith) or to keep it with me on principle (the principle, i.e. that it is generally accepted that children with mothers are better off), tormenting her with his inescapable despondency (I can’t fight it, I’m tired). Thank you.
Maria
Dear Mary, do not choose the lesser of two evils. “Inescapable sadness” is called depression. The doctor will help you cure it. Then you won’t have to choose from unacceptable options. God help you!
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello, Father Alexander. If I took the books of Mother Photinia to the temple, and then let them do what they want with them, did I do the right thing? It happens with us that people bring icons and books to the temple, and others take them.
Catherine
Hello, Ekaterina. When something useful, but no longer needed, is brought to the temple so that others who want or need it can use this thing, then this is good. But sectarian literature must be immediately destroyed so that no one catches the infection. Imagine that someone will take the book you left and read it with confidence, because he took it from the temple, which means it is permissible to read. This person, if he turns out to be ignorant of Orthodox doctrine, will be harmed, and the sin will be on you. Correct what you have done, if it is not too late, and be sure to confess.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello, fathers! Help me understand this issue. I believe that God is not subject to change. I also believe that Jesus Christ, our Savior, ascended to heaven along with human nature (since in Jesus Christ both natures were united inseparably and forever), and thus human nature through Jesus Christ became part of the Holy Trinity. It seems to my unenlightened mind that a change did occur in God the moment Jesus ascended into heaven. Help me find the error in such reasoning. God bless you!
Paul
Hello, Pavel. The Chalcedonian oros defines the image of the union of natures, Divine and human, in Christ with four negations (apophatically): unfused, untransformed, inseparable, inseparable. You paid attention only to the last two, “inseparably and inseparably.” Now notice that these are the third and fourth definitions, and the first and second point to the "unconfluence and immutability" of the natures in Christ. Neither human nature acquired anything unusual for it, nor did the Divine nature undergo any changes. Humanity was “hypostatized” - perceived by the Son as the second Person of the Holy Trinity, and not perceived into the single nature (essence) of the Divinity, the One and indivisible Holy Trinity. Otherwise, both God and man would have changed, but this did not happen. And even in the Hypostasis of the Son, His Personality, there was no transformation into something in between Divinity and humanity. Oros describes the properties of the compound apophatically, because nothing cataphatic can be said about it without distorting the truth. We do not even see our own created nature, we see only the skin, so how can we judge the nature of the Divine? Therefore, the Holy Council simply cuts off everything that distorts the truth, but does not formulate the truth itself, for lack of the possibility of logical understanding of this issue. The mystery of God's existence cannot be comprehended by the mind, but can be known by experience. As the fathers expressed it, God is known by the power of life. The mystery of intradivine existence is learned in the Kingdom of God, about which Christ said that it is within us. The entrance is narrow and not many people find it. But those who entered saw a truth there that cannot be expressed in human language. The experience cannot be expressed in words. The experience can only be repeated. So that those seeking to know God through their own experience would not get lost, the fathers set guidelines for them. These guidelines are dogmatic definitions and ascetic teachings. They are in our coordinate system, but by using them and forcing ourselves to an appropriate way of thinking, a way of life, we can gain experience that corresponds to our structure, about God, about Providence, about Love. In the primal Church, only those who knew God in the cell of their hearts were called theologians, and not those who spoke well about God. I think that you are quite capable and will find it useful to read the works of Rev. Isaac the Syrian: and “Words of Asceticism”, and “On Divine Mysteries”.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello, Father. I recently came across this video testimony (...), and as a believer, I Orthodox man, this came as a shock. I know that this evidence cannot be trusted, but still I wanted to know if this evidence is true? God bless you!
Dmitry
Hello, Dmitry. Most likely, this girl is speaking sincerely. But what bothers you? In Catholicism, the delirium of a sick imagination, demonic delusion and outright demonic possession have long been elevated to the rank of revelation. The content of such “revelations” is not a reflection of objective reality, but reflects only what was shown to the unfortunate woman by demons. She tells the truth, what she saw, what she heard, that’s what she says. I just mixed up the source. But she has no means of distinguishing a demon from an Angel. In Orthodoxy, this phenomenon has been known for a long time and has its own name - prelest. I advise you, for your personal spiritual safety, never, under any circumstances, watch, listen to or discuss anything related to supernatural phenomena and mystical experiences. The Lord gave man after the fall leather vestments to protect him from the direct influence of demons exiled to earth, into the same space as man. But we are curious.... So we strive to dig a hole in these protective vestments. But what enters the gap is not the knowledge of the truth, but the knowledge of demons. The goal of these subjects is death.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Question to priest Alexander Beloslyudov. Father! Tell me please. I am married, my husband is not a church member. I miss communication. And this has been the case since the very beginning of our relationship. There are few general topics for conversation. I have few friends, and I am always very happy when I find like-minded people. This happens to all my friends, regardless of gender. In this regard, the question is: what to do if a congenial person with whom you develop a warm relationship is male? Should we stop communicating just because he is a man? Or is it still possible to be friends? And if so, how can we understand where the acceptable boundaries of this friendship are? God bless you!
Olga
Hello, Olga. It is difficult to draw a clear line in communication. In actions, yes, it is possible. While we are drinking tea, this is normal, but when we are already hugging, then this is fornication. But pay attention to whether voluptuous thoughts are creeping into the conversation itself. It seems to me that we should pay attention to the words that the Apostle Paul addressed to wives with unbelieving husbands: “How do you know, wife, whether you will not save your husband?” Probably, we should not run away from our husband in search of communication, but look for points of contact from which we can, drop by drop, lay the preconditions for spiritual interest. I can’t tell you specifically what to do, you have to find it yourself. Just think in this direction. And friends are a good thing until you begin to value them more than your husband. God help you.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Please resolve my confusion. What is the degree of obedience of a parishioner to a confessor? 7 years ago I asked for a blessing to buy a car, but I never received it. Father said: “You will die.” I studied and got my license. But since I don’t have a car, I didn’t start driving. Now I understand that a car is necessary for trips to the country, to take, bring building materials, things, crops, to go order something, to transport pets. Until now, I traveled by train (it’s really hard to carry 20 kg) or with my parents by car. But the parents will soon grow old. I'm single. I was afraid to buy a car, but I understand that without a car it’s difficult to manage a dacha. Sorry for asking this question.
Evgenia
Hello, Evgenia. The priest has no moral right to give orders. Obedience in the proper sense is possible only in the relationship between a student and an elder. This phenomenon monastic life. This word also refers to the relationship between a subordinate and a superior. In a broad sense, following Christ is like obedience to God. In the relationship between a layman and a parish priest, this form is unacceptable in principle. In spiritual matters, a priest, if he has sufficient experience and common sense, can give useful advice, and you can implement them or not, according to your own reasoning. If you see that the advice is useful and does not contradict the teachings of the fathers, follow it. If you see that the advice contains passion (power, vanity, pride), or it contradicts the teachings of the fathers, then you do not need to follow it. And everything that concerns private life, relationships with people, work, everyday life has nothing to do with the priest. If he gets into these topics, then this is a warning sign. Maybe in all other respects the priest is wonderful. Then don’t tempt him anymore, don’t ask questions related to your everyday life. Take blessings only for spiritual things. For prayer, fasting, any good undertaking. But you make the decision. You, and only you, are responsible before God for your decisions, actions and intentions. If you need a car, take it. Anyone can get killed. Everything is in God's hands. However, since you do not have practice, be sure to take special safe driving courses. Learn useful skills that are worth your time and money. God help you.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello, Father Alexander. Did the Apostle Paul lose his freedom when the Lord appeared to him and asked why he was persecuting Him? And if sometimes I want the Lord to appear to me Himself and show me the demons, or to put me in hell for at least 5 minutes so that I know what it’s like to be in hell, can I ask Him for this? Venerable Seraphim Sarovsky also saw demons.
Catherine
Hello again, Ekaterina. Saul was always a sincere believer in One God. He persecuted Christians out of ignorance. When the light shone on his path, and the Divine voice addressed him, he immediately fell to the ground, bowing before God. Having learned that it was Christ, he immediately cast aside his previous conviction and freely surrendered himself to the Lord: what do you tell me to do? Remember how the Virgin answered the Angel: behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word. How the apostles abandoned their nets and followed Christ at His call. There is no loss of freedom here, there is choice. And the choice is obvious. The Jewish leaders, after all, also did not doubt the Divinity of Christ after the resurrection of Lazarus, but did not recognize Him, but became embittered. They made a different choice. And Judas made a different choice. Asking God to show demons and hell is foolish. The Lord protected us from the perception of spiritual beings for our own safety. If your child asks you to let him run barefoot in the snow or eat an icicle, will you allow him? Isaac the Syrian said that in order to see Heaven and the Lord, you must force yourself to enter your heart. The Kingdom of God is within you. And Angels, and demons, and hell are there too. Be sure to read the “Sermon on the Sensual and Spiritual Vision of Spirits”, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Get comprehensive and sound information about this issue.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello, Father Alexander. In the letters of abbot Nikon Vorobyov about suicide it is written that anyone, even on purpose, in order to scare other people, climbs into a noose, the demons will strangle him against his will. How can they do this if they are spirits, and without God’s permission they cannot do anything with a person? And if I had thoughts that it was better to die than to live with sorrows, was it from demons? Is there an audiobook on the Internet “Great Russian Elders” by Abbot Aristarkh Lokhanov, and is it possible to listen to the soulful teachings of Abba Dorotheus in audio format?
Catherine
The answer to the first question, Catherine, you will find in the same “Word” of St. Ignatius. The suicide gives himself over to the demons, so they gain power over him. But even in this case, they remain an instrument of God’s Providence. The books you are looking for are here: http://predanie.ru/audio/izdanija-predanie-ru/velikie-russkie-starcy/ - these are the “Elders”, and this is Abba Dorotheus: http://predanie.ru/audio/jitija_i_tvorenija_svjatih /prepodobnii-avva-dorofei/.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Can a priest serve two liturgies in one astronomical day? One in the morning, as usual, and the second in the evening, after Vespers and Matins, on the next church day?
Elena
Hello, Elena. The day is counted from midnight to midnight. There are instructions about this in the “Teacher’s Certificate” placed in the Service Book. And every priest uses the Missal. During the day, only one celebration of the liturgy is possible. Once a day on one throne, by one priest. Here is an extract from the "Handbook of the Clergyman": " Ancient Rule determines the time of execution Divine Liturgy the third hour, according to our calculation the ninth. It can be performed earlier or later, as circumstances require, but not after noon and not before dawn. The only exceptions are some days when the liturgy is celebrated “porana” or combined with the evening service. This is the day of Holy Easter, the days of Holy Pentecost for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the days of the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, as well as the days of Great Saturday and Pentecost. A priest cannot perform more than one liturgy on one day. The participation of a priest who has already served on the same day in the conciliar celebration of another liturgy is unacceptable. On one altar on one day, only one liturgy can be performed due to the unity of the sacrifice of the cross made by the Lord Jesus Christ." Although the liturgy is celebrated several times a year in conjunction with Vespers, it is not celebrated at the usual time for Vespers, not in the evening, but in the morning, so that the liturgy is celebrated during daylight hours. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts does not contain the Eucharist, but is simply Communion, and therefore can be celebrated in the morning. evening time. Let me remind you that in Great Lent the Eucharist (the complete liturgy of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom with the consecration of the Holy Gifts) is celebrated only on Saturday, Sunday, the Annunciation and Holy Thursday.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Father, tell me, how does the church feel about circumcision among Orthodox Christians? Medicine talks about the hygienic benefits of this procedure, but from the point of view of religion, if a person abstains, wouldn’t this be a kind of help for him in this? Or is it self-harm? Sorry for the pun.
Dmitry
Hello, Dmitry. Circumcision has no effect on lust, and therefore does not help abstinence. Hygiene should be maintained with water and soap, equally for circumcised and uncircumcised. So this is not an argument either. The only medical indication for circumcision is the inability to have sexual intercourse due to the anatomy of the genital organ.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
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