Split. What should Orthodox Christians do? What an Orthodox Christian should never do

Reader question:

How can an Orthodox Christian live in the world? Renounce everything (worldly books, computer games, TV series, other types of leisure (entertainment)) and live like a monk in the world?
The Gospel speaks of precisely this ideal. You need to renounce everything, because any type of leisure is passion and worldly vanity, which does not bring anything useful. At the beginning of the journey, God helps, and a person easily gives up his previous hobbies, devoting himself entirely to God, but then it ends, and he has to crawl on his belly through the ocean of passions. Gradually you return to your former hobbies and become “worldly.” And there is no strength to fight passions. You become jealous of a pious life, suddenly give up everything worldly (books, games, etc.), it lasts for a few days, and then you succumb to the world again. And I am constantly tormented by doubts: is it right for a layman to live like a monk in the world, avoiding everything, or not? You run out of strength, and internally you reach such a degree of despair that you realize that you cannot live piously and keep yourself from the world, to the point that you realize that you cannot handle such a struggle and you cannot live piously, as befits a real Christian. , because you constantly fall into various passions that surround you. For me these are “unbearable burdens.” How then can one be saved in the world? Maybe I'm doing or understanding something wrong? If I understand everything correctly, then it is not possible for me to be saved at all, because... I can't stand this kind of struggle.

Priest Peter Guryanov answers:

Christ is Risen!

Nice man! Worldly books, computer games, TV series and other types of leisure – is this the whole meaning of your life?!
The Gospel tells us that a Divine opportunity has arisen—the Kingdom of God has become achievable. And you can get there through the doors of new knowledge. The freedom of the human spirit from sin and death, the spirit transformed by grace, is the highest calling of man... this is what the Gospel speaks of! The Lord gives grace to tuna, that is, for nothing, but demands that a person seek it and, preferably, accept it, devoting himself entirely to God. I strongly advise you to read the book of St. Theophan the Recluse “The Path to Salvation. A Brief Essay on Asceticism,” he reveals this topic in great detail!

There is an Indian story for children in which a child asks his mother: “Mom, why sometimes I feel that God is here, close, and I feel so good with Him, and then He moves away? Why did He leave? How can I find Him? And the mother answers: “Remember how we played hide and seek with you? You close your eyes, I go and hide in the bushes or behind a tree and call you from there: ah! You open your eyes, look around and try to understand: where did you hear the voice from? And you run towards him. Sometimes you find me right away, and I pick you up, and you are happy, and we laugh and hug each other. But sometimes you search and can't find me. For a moment you will think: what if mom went away and left me here? And it becomes scary. At first you just look around, then you look around more and more anxiously, and at the moment when I begin to feel your fear, I come out of my hiding place, and you run to me, and I take you in my arms, and you are happy again.

So is God. He gives us the experience of His presence, and then He says: now live with what you have learned, live as if I am with you, live so that I can be proud of you, and you will feel good with Me... And He is watching, as if from behind the bushes, from behind a tree, so that at that moment, when it seems to you that you have lost contact with Him, to call you. He will not necessarily appear Himself, but He will call in one way or another: you will meet someone, and this person will tell you about God, or you will go to a temple, pray with others and feel: yes, He is here, He is here with all these people and with me."

The same thing happens to us. At first we experience something, but this experience may fade, and then questions arise. The first question is: where has God gone? But then we ask: was He here at all or is this my fantasy and there was no God? And then it becomes scary and doubt overcomes.

And one more thing - regarding the rule of prayer and ascetic deeds, you must definitely consult with a priest who knows you well, with your confessor. In spiritual life, an inexperienced person can make many mistakes by taking on something that he cannot currently do. It’s like a person who has just started training should immediately take heavy weight or start running a long distance. Some will survive, but the majority may have a tear, as a result of which they may have to stop playing sports. Likewise, in spiritual life, gradualism, preparedness and observations of an experienced person - a priest - are very important. In this case, everything will go more smoothly and there will be no feeling of unbearable burdens. With God blessing!

An archive of all questions can be found. If you haven't found the question you are interested in, you can always ask it.

1. Tell people “I will pray for you” and not do it.

The accusation is well founded. I don't think anyone hasn't done this from time to time. And since most of us do not “willfully” forget about this, the best we can do is immediately (when we promise) to set aside time in our schedule to pray for certain people. Are we really so busy that we can't stop for a minute and pray for someone else's need? We must take care to truly fulfill our responsibilities as Christians and monitor this at all times. Our prayer can become a turning point in another person's life, leading him to knowledge God's love. Do not allow your “busyness” to deprive you of the opportunity to bring the life of Christ to others through your prayers.

2. Attend church every Sunday and ignore God's voice on other days of the week.

Oh! It stuck a little, didn’t it? Many of us have made God just one item in our weekly schedule, and it has become a habit. The truth is that our whole life should revolve around God. God deserves to be number one on our list of priorities. Any other attitude towards Him destroys the very foundation Christian faith. Analyze how and what you spend your time, money, and energy on. If you want to see change in your life, then you must give God the most honorable place in your heart. Stop treating God as the “last substitute” on the field.

3. Constantly ask God for “what is ours” and reject what He has already given us.

Too many of us treat God as our “personal genie.” Prayer is given to us as open access to God to communicate with Him, but the sad reality is that too many of us use it like a bank or fast food restaurants. It is not for us to decide and tell God what to give us. We must trust His plans, believe His promises. I won't tell you how many times God sent me answers and I didn't accept them just because they didn't "look" like I thought they were. Every time we consciously ignore God’s answers (those we don’t like), it’s as if we are saying to Him: “I don't trust Your plans”.

4. Excessive attempts to fit into the culture, which distorts the message of Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be modern, but we must understand that it is very easy to completely distort Christ's message in the desire to be “culturally relevant.” We hope in vain to change this world if we are no different from it. I firmly believe that Jesus came not to abolish but to enlighten the culture, but that doesn't mean we should water down His message to make it easier for people to swallow.

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5. Telling people that “God will never send something they can’t handle.”

Why shouldn't we teach this to people? Just because... it's a lie. This opinion is a complete distortion of what is written in 1 Cor. 10:13 because this verse is talking about temptation - but even it says that in times of great trial we need God. The reality is that God can send just such difficulties that we cannot cope with ourselves and we will be forced to seek help from Him. Does this shock you? Understand that not everything in your life will always happen in accordance with your plans, opinions and hopes. Sometimes life gives us such unpleasant surprises that in order to get through this dark streak, we simply need to rely on God, on His consolation, peace, and presence. God did not create us for a life “independent of Him.”

Currently before big amount people who have understood in their minds or felt in their hearts that God exists, who are aware, albeit unclearly, of their belonging to the Orthodox Church and want to join Her, a problem arises churching, that is, entering the Church as a full and full member.

This problem is very serious for many, since upon entering the temple, an unprepared person is faced with a completely new, incomprehensible and even somewhat frightening world.

Priests' robes, icons, lamps, chants and prayers in an obscure language - all this creates in the newcomer a feeling of alienation in the temple, leading to thoughts about whether all this is necessary for communication with God?

Many people say: “The main thing is that God is in the soul, but going to church is not necessary.”

This is fundamentally wrong. Popular wisdom says: “To whom the Church is not a Mother, God is not a Father.” But in order to understand how true this saying is, it is necessary to find out what the Church is? What is the meaning of Her existence? Why is Her mediation necessary in human communication with God?

The rhythm of Christian life

PriestDaniel Sysoev

Let's start with the simplest. Each type of life has its own characteristics, its own rhythm, its own order. So a newly baptized Christian should have his own rhythm and type of life. Firstly, the daily routine changes. Waking up in the morning, a Christian stands in front of the icons (they are usually placed on the eastern wall of the room), lights a candle and lamp and reads morning prayers from the prayer book.

How to pray according to the text correctly? The Apostle Paul writes that it is better to say five words with your mind than a thousandtongue (1 Cor. 14:19). Therefore, the person praying must understand every word of the prayer. St. Feofan advises starting by analyzing part of the rule, praying with these words, and gradually adding new prayers until a person begins to understand the entire rule. During prayer, you should never imagine saints or Christ. This way you can go crazy and become spiritually damaged. We must carefully follow the words of the prayer with our minds, forcing our hearts to remember that God is everywhere and sees everything. Therefore, it is more convenient to keep your hands pressed to your chest during prayer, as the liturgical Rules say. We must not forget to protect ourselves with the sign of the cross and bow down. They are very good for the soul.

After morning prayers, they eat prosphora and drink holy water. And they go about their business. Before sitting down to eat, a Christian reads the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, be hallowed your name, let your kingdom come, let it be Thy will, as in Heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

And then he makes the sign of the cross over the food with the words: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." After the meal, we do not forget to thank the Lord:

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as You came among Your disciples, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. We magnify You, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption. (Bow.)

During the day, Christians try to keep God in mind all the time. And that's why we often repeat the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When it’s hard for us, during temptations, we turn to the Mother of God with the words:

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

Before every good deed, we ask God for help. And if it’s a big deal, then you can go and order a prayer service at the church. In general, our whole life is dedicated to the Creator. We consecrate houses and apartments, cars, offices, seeds, fishing nets, boats and much more to receive grace through this. If you like, we create an atmosphere of holiness around ourselves. The main thing is that the same atmosphere is in our hearts. We try to be at peace with everyone and remember that any task (whether work, family, cleaning the apartment) can serve both for salvation and for destruction.

In the evening, before going to bed, we read prayers for the coming sleep, asking God to keep us through the night. Every day we read Holy Bible. Usually a chapter of the Gospel, two chapters of the Epistles of the Apostles, one kathisma of the Psalms (but the amount of reading is still determined individually).

Every week we fast on Wednesday (remembering the betrayal of Judas) and Friday (remembering the Calvary torment of Christ) and observe major fasts (Great, Petrovsky, Assumption and Nativity). On Saturday evening and Sunday morning we are always in church. And we try to take communion at least once a month (and the more often, the better). Before Communion, we usually fast for three days (so, if we take communion once a month or less, and if more often, then we determine the measure of fasting together with our confessor), we read the rule from the prayer book (three canons: penitential, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, as well as the Consequence to Holy Communion). We will definitely come to evening service, we confess our sins and come to the Liturgy in the morning on an empty stomach.

It is very useful to find a confessor for yourself - a priest who helps us go to Christ (but in no case to ourselves - beware of false spirituality!). There is no need to rush to the first priest you meet. Confess to different people, pray, and if you have a heartfelt understanding with someone, then he, gradually, he can become your spiritual father. Just find out first whether his life is pious, whether he follows the Fathers of the Church, whether he is obedient to the bishop or not. It is also advised to look at how he performs worship. Reverence before the face of God will tell you whether he can help you come to Christ. Ask your confessor for an explanation based on Scripture and the works of the Holy Fathers, and then follow their advice. This should be done not because you don’t trust him, but because you need training, which is impossible with blind obedience.

From the book of Priest Daniil Sysoev “Why haven’t you been baptized yet?”

MY FIRST PRAYERS

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.
Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Symbol of faith

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. Tea resurrection of the dead, and the life of the next century. Amen.

Virgin Mary

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
Worthy to eat

It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God. The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, we magnify Thee as the real Mother of God.

CHURCH ETIQUETTE

Before entering the Temple, you should make the sign of the cross and bow three times.

To do this, in order to correctly make the sign of the cross, thumb, index and middle fingers the right hands are connected in such a way that their ends are folded evenly, the other two fingers - the ring and little fingers - are bent to the palm. With three joined fingers we touch the forehead, stomach, right shoulder, then the left, depicting a cross on ourselves, and lowering our hand, we bow.

You should come to the service in advance in order to calmly, without fuss, enter the Temple and be a participant in the service from the beginning to the kissing of the Cross. First you need to approach the festive icon lying on a lectern in the middle of the church: cross yourself twice, bow and venerate, that is, kiss the Holy Icon and cross yourself and bow again.

You must enter the Temple quietlyand reverently, as into the house of God. Noise, talking, walking, and even more so laughter offend the holiness of the Temple of God. In the temple, men of any age remove their hats and must stand on the right, while women pray with their heads covered with a scarf, being on the left side of the Temple. When entering and leaving the Temple, you must cross yourself three times and bow at the waist towards the altar. We bow with prayers: “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” “God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me,” and “He who created me, Lord, forgive me.”

In health or death notes, only names and only baptized people are written. The Church does not pray for the unbaptized. Names neededwrite in full, in the genitive case.

In the Temple we can pray for ourselves, for our family and friends, for their health or repose. To do this you need to go to the desired icon. When placing a candle in front of an icon of this or that saint, you need to be able to turn to him with prayer, request, and gratitude. Approaching the icon, cross yourself, gather yourself mentally and say to yourself: "Holy Father ( saint's name), pray to God for us." Then light a candle, venerate the icon with the same words and, standing in front of the icon with a lit candle, say your prayer. Who knows, maybe read the troparion. When lighting a candle for yourself or someone else, you can pray like this: "Holy servant of Christ and father ( saint's name), help me, a sinner, in my life, beg the Lord to grant me health and salvation and forgiveness of my sins, help my children. .." etc. Putting candles in front of different icons, especially during the service, try not to walk throughout the Temple, as this distracts the worshipers.

The Church has rules of conduct during congregational prayer. When the priest overshadows those praying with the Cross or the Gospel, an image or with the Holy Gifts, everyone crosses themselves, bowing their heads. When he overshadows with candles, blesses with his hand or censes, you should not be baptized, you just need to bow your head.

Before communion, everyone bows to the ground and stands up, saying to themselves: “Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God.” In front of the Holy Chalice, the hands are folded crosswise on the chest, and right hand top left. This replaces the sign of the cross, since you cannot cross yourself in front of the Chalice before and after communion, so as not to accidentally touch it and spill the Holy Gifts. When approaching the priest, they say their name. Having received communion, everyone kisses the edge of the Chalice. After this, a little warmth is received: diluted wine and a piece of prosphora, which are on a separate table. After communion that day, people no longer kneel.During the liturgy, one usually kneels three times: when the consecration of the Gifts occurs (from the exclamation "We thank the Lord" until the end of singing “I’ll eat for you” ), when the Holy Chalice is brought out for communion and when the priest overshadows the people with the Holy Chalice with the words: “Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” When the priest censes in our direction, reads the Gospel, pronounces the words "Peace to all" , it is customary to bow your head. At the end of the liturgy, believers go to venerate the Cross, which the priest holds in his hand, and kiss it. TO repose without bowing:

In the middle of the six psalms on “Alleluia” - three times.
In the beginning "I believe"
On vacation "Christ" true God our"
At the beginning of the reading of Holy Scripture: the Gospel, the Apostle and proverbs.They cross themselves with a bow from the waist:
When entering and leaving the temple - three times.
With each petition, litanies.
With the exclamation of the clergyman giving glory to the Holy Trinity
With the exclamations of “Take, eat”, “Drink from it all” and “Yours from yours”, “Holy to saints”
With the words: “The most honest”
With every word: “Let us bow down,” “Worship,” “let us fall down”
During the words: “Alleluia”, “ Holy God" and "Come, let us worship"
at the cry of “Glory to you, Christ God,”
before leaving - three times
On the canon on the 1st - 9th song at the first invocation to the Lord, the Mother of God or the Saints
At the litia, after each of the first three petitions of the litany, there are three bows, after the other two, one bow each.Cross themselves with a bow to the ground
During fasting, when entering and leaving the temple - three times
During Lent, after each chorus to the song of the Mother of God “We magnify you”
At the beginning of the chant: “Worthy and Righteous”
After “We’ll sing for you”
After “It’s Worthy to Eat” or Zadostoynik
At the cry: “And grant us, Master”
When carrying out the Holy Gifts, with the words: “With the fear of God” and a second time - with the words: “Always, now and ever”
IN Lent, at Great Compline, while singing " Holy Lady", on each verse; when reading “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” and so on. at Lenten Supper - three bows
During fasting with the prayer “Lord and Master of my life”
During the fast, during the final singing: “Remember me, Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom.” Just three prostrations Bow without bow sign of the cross: With the words:
"Peace to all"
"The blessing of the Lord is upon you"
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ"
"And may the mercy of the Great God be"
At the words of the deacon: “And forever and ever” (after “For art thou light, our God”) It is not necessary to be baptized:
While reading the psalms
In general, while singingYou need to cross yourself and bow down at the end of the singing, and not at the last words. Prostrations to the ground are not allowed:
On Sundays,
in the days from Christmas to Epiphany,
from Easter to Pentecost,
on the days of the Transfiguration and Exaltation (on this day there are three prostrations to the Cross). Bowing stops from the evening entrance until “Grant, O Lord,” at Vespers on the very day of the holiday.

SACRAMENTS

Baptism. A symbol of a person’s entry into the Church. It is performed according to the faith of the person being baptized (adult) or according to the faith of the baby’s parents. This is the only sacrament that can be performed not only by a priest, but (if necessary) by any layman. Baptism is performed with water (a symbol of the washing of the spirit), but if absolutely necessary, snow or sand can be taken.
Confirmation. The mystery of the descent of the Spirit of God on a newly baptized member of the Church. Usually performed immediately after baptism.
Repentance. The sacrament of reconciliation of a sinner with God through confession and permission given by the priest
Eucharist, or communion. Participation in the eternally occurring Last Supper of Christ. The Eucharist is the incarnation of Christ under the guise of bread and wine, the reception of which means participation in the redemptive mystery.
Blessing of oil, or unction. A sacrament performed on the sick for their healing
Marriage. The sacrament of the sanctification of married life...
Priesthood, or ordination. The sacrament of the transfer of apostolic grace from bishop to bishop and the right to perform sacred functions from bishop to priest. There are three degrees of priesthood: bishop, priest, deacon. The first performs all seven sacraments, the second - everything except ordination. The deacon only assists in the performance of the sacraments. Patriarch, metropolitan, archbishop is not a rank, but only various shapes episcopal ministry.

CHURCH CALENDAR

HOLIDAYS

Twelfth Moving Holidays
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem- Sunday;
Easter- Sunday;
Ascension of the Lord- Thursday;
Day of the Holy Trinity(Pentecost) - Sunday.

Twelfth Immovable Holidays
Epiphany- January 6/19;
Presentation of the Lord- February 2/15;
Annunciation Holy Mother of God - March 25/April 7;
Transfiguration- August 6/19;
Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary- August 15/28;
Exaltation of the Holy Cross- September 14/27;
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple- November 21/December 4;
Nativity- December 25/January 7.

Great Holidays
Circumcision of the Lord- January 1/14;
Nativity of John the Baptist- June 24/July 7;
Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul- June 29/July 12;
Beheading of John the Baptist- August 29/September 11;
Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary- October 1/14.

Church reckoning is carried out according to the old style. The second date indicates the new style.

POSTS

There are four long fasts a year. In addition, the Church established fast days- Wednesday and Friday throughout the year. One-day fasts have also been established to commemorate some events.

Multi-day posts
Lent- pre-Easter, lasts a total of seven weeks. Fast strict. Very strict weeks- first, fourth (Worship of the Cross) and seventh (Passion). On Holy Week fasting ends after the liturgy on Holy Saturday. According to custom, they break their fast only after Easter Matins, i.e. on the night of Holy Resurrection.

Great Lent is associated with a rotating circle of holidays and therefore different years falls on different numbers, depending on the day of Easter celebration.

Petrov post- before the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Starts on All Saints' Day (Sunday after Trinity) and continues until July 12 in the new style. This fast changes its duration in different years, because it depends on the day of Easter celebration. This post is the least strict, ordinary.

Dormition post- before the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It always falls on the same dates: August 14-28 new style. This - strict fast.

Christmas (Filippov) post- begins the day after the celebration of the Apostle Philip, always falls on the same days: November 28 - January 7 new style.

One-day posts

Wednesday and Friday- throughout the year, except for continuous weeks (weeks) and Christmastide. Fast ordinary.
Epiphany Christmas Eve- January 5/18. Fast very strict(exists folk custom on this day do not eat until the star).
Beheading of John the Baptist- August 25/September 11. Fast strict.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross- September 14/27. Fast strict.

Very strict fast - dry eating. They eat only raw plant foods without oil.
Strict fasting- eat any boiled vegetable food with vegetable oil.
Regular post- in addition to what they eat during strict fasting, they also eat fish.
Weakened post(for the weak, on the road and eating in canteens) - they eat everything except meat.

HOW TO CORRECTLY REMEMBER THE DECEASED.

The custom of remembering the dead is already found in the Old Testament Church. The Apostolic Constitutions mention the commemoration of the dead with particular clarity. In them we find both prayers for the departed during the celebration of the Eucharist, and an indication of the days on which it is especially necessary to remember the departed: third, ninth, fortieth, annual Thus, the remembrance of the dead is an apostolic institution, it is observed throughout the Church and the liturgy for the dead, the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for their salvation is the most powerful and effective remedy to ask the departed for the mercy of God.

Church commemoration is performed only for those who were baptized in the Orthodox faith.

Immediately after death, it is customary to order a magpie from the Church. This is a daily intensified commemoration of the newly deceased during the first forty days - until the private trial, which determines the fate of the soul beyond the grave. After forty days, it is good to order an annual commemoration and then renew it every year. You can also order longer-term commemorations in monasteries. There is a pious custom - to order commemoration in several monasteries and churches (their number does not matter). The more prayer books there are for the deceased, the better.

Days of remembrance should be spent modestly, calmly, in prayer, doing good to the poor and loved ones, and thinking about our death and future life.

The rules for submitting notes “On repose” are the same as for notes “On health”

Memorial services are served before the eve. Kanun (or kanunnik) is a special table of square or rectangular shape, on which there is a Cross with a Crucifix and holes for candles are arranged. Here you can put candles and put food for remembrance of the dead. Believers bring various foods to the temple so that the ministers of the Church will remember the deceased at a meal. These offerings serve as donations, alms for those who have passed away. In former times, in the courtyard of the house where the deceased was, on the most significant days for the soul (3rd, 9th, 40th) they covered funeral tables, behind which they fed the poor, the homeless, and orphans, so that there would be many prayer books for the deceased. For prayer and, especially for alms, many sins are forgiven, and the afterlife is made easier. Then these memorial tables began to be placed in churches on the days of the universal remembrance of all Christians who have died since the ages for the same purpose - to remember the departed. The products can be anything. It is prohibited to bring meat food into the temple.

Memorial services for suicides, as well as for those not baptized in the Orthodox faith, are not performed.

But besides all of the above, the Holy Church creates at certain times special commemoration all fathers and brothers in faith who have passed away from time immemorial, who have been honored with a Christian death, as well as those who, having been caught by sudden death, were not given farewell afterlife prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at this time are called ecumenical.
On Meat Saturday, before Cheese Week, on the eve of the memory of the Last Judgment, we pray to the Lord that He will show His mercy to all the departed on the day when Last Judgment. This Saturday Orthodox Church prays for all those who have died in Orthodox faith, whenever and wherever they lived on earth, whoever they were in terms of their social origin and position in earthly life.
Prayers are offered for people “from Adam to this day who have fallen asleep in piety and right faith.”

Three Saturdays of Great Lent - Saturdays of the second, third, fourth weeks of Great Lent- installed because during presanctified liturgy there is no such commemoration as is performed at any other time of the year. In order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church, these parental Saturdays were established. During Great Lent, the Church intercedes for the departed, so that the Lord forgives their sins and resurrects them into eternal life.

On Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week of Easter— with the departed they share the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord, in the hope of the resurrection of our departed. The Savior Himself descended into hell to preach victory over death and brought from there the souls of the Old Testament righteous. Because of this great spiritual joy, the day of this commemoration is called “Rainbow”, or “Radonitsa”.

Trinity parent's Saturday - on this day the Holy Church calls us to commemorate the departed, so that the saving grace of the Holy Spirit may cleanse the sins of the souls of all our forefathers, fathers and brothers who have departed from time immemorial and, interceding for the gathering of all into the Kingdom of Christ, praying for the redemption of the living, for the return of the captivity of their souls , asks “to rest the souls of those who have departed first in a place of refreshment, for it is not in the dead that they will praise Thee, Lord, those who exist below in hell dare to bring confessions to Thee: but we, the living, bless Thee and pray, and we offer purifying prayers and sacrifices to Thee for our souls.”

Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday- on this day, commemoration is made of all Orthodox slain soldiers. It was established by the holy noble prince Dimitri Donskoy by inspiration and blessing St. Sergius Radonezh in 1380, when he won a glorious, famous victory over the Tatars on the Kulikovo Field. The commemoration takes place on the Saturday before Demetrius Day (October 26, old style). Subsequently, on this Saturday, Orthodox Christians began to commemorate not only the soldiers who laid down their lives on the battlefield for their faith and fatherland, but along with them, for all Orthodox Christians

It is imperative to remember the deceased on the day of his death, birth and name day.

Three hundred years of agreements have been discarded. The purpose of the actions taken by Constantinople is to break the back of Orthodoxy and make Ukraine forever hostile to Russia. But this will not be decided by church officials, but with God’s help by people on earth—Orthodox Christians in Ukrainian parishes.

Let us briefly recall what the decisions of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which ended on Thursday, October 11, say.

1. Confirm already decision that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is beginning to grant autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine.

2. Restore the stauropegy of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kyiv.

3. Accept and consider the appeal petitions of Filaret Denisenko and Makariy Maletich to cancel the anathema imposed on them by the Russian Orthodox Church. The above-mentioned persons are "canonically restored to their hierarchical or priestly rank, and their followers are restored to communion with the Church."

4. Abolish the legal obligation of the Synodal Letter of 1686, which granted the right to the Moscow Patriarch to appoint the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

5. Appeal to all parties involved to avoid the appropriation of churches, monasteries and other objects, as well as any other act of violence and retribution, “so that the peace and love of Christ may prevail.”

Thus, autocephaly was not given. It is precisely to determine its subject that the anathema was lifted from the schismatics so that they are there in Ukraine, including Onufry, the patriarch of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. But it is not a fact that there will be a tomos in this case, because this is why stauropegy was restored, that is, the direct subordination of specific churches (and not territories) to Bartholomew. It is obvious that if the Ukrainian clergy do not agree, then all their assets, including financial ones, will de facto go to Bartholomew (de jure they have already been transferred).

Last year's Procession The Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate showed Poroshenko and his masters that without eliminating Orthodox power, transferring it into their subordination will not be possible to build a nationalist state, which, in their idea, should forever become hostile to Russia. The plan began to be implemented. Let's hope that with God's help we will be able to fight back.

Andrey Muzolf, a teacher at the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, warns Christians against possible dangers.

– Andrey, to the editor “ Orthodox Life“We regularly receive various questions from readers. We have selected the most frequently repeated ones and would like to discuss them with you. Let's start with this question: is it possible for Orthodox Christians to enter Catholic churches and mosques? How to behave there?

– In one of his Epistles, the Holy Apostle Paul says: “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12). Consequently, in order to more correctly answer this question, it is first worth determining the very purpose of visiting a heterodox or heterodox religious building. If we go to a church or mosque to look, so to speak, to expand our cultural horizons, then, in principle, there is nothing reprehensible in this. If we visit non-Orthodox churches in order to pray, we should remember the 65th Apostolic Canon: “If anyone from the clergy or layman enters into a Jewish or heretical congregation to pray: let him be expelled from the sacred rank and excommunicated from church communion.” . But there are exceptions: in many Roman Catholic churches, as well as in churches belonging to the jurisdiction of the so-called Kyiv Patriarchate, there are shrines that are also revered by the Orthodox. The Apostolic Canon cited above refers to the prohibition of participating in PUBLIC worship together with non-Orthodox people. Therefore, there is nothing reprehensible if Orthodox Christian will prayerfully honor this or that shrine located in a non-confessional church.

Regarding how one should behave in non-Orthodox churches, the rule for leadership can be only one factor: good manners. An Orthodox Christian, wherever he is, must behave in a civilized and restrained manner. Despite our personal beliefs, we in no way have the right to offend religious feelings other people because main criterion What distinguishes a Christian is, first of all, love. And this criterion was determined by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

– Is it possible to turn to alternative medicine, such as Chinese?

– The Orthodox Church has never considered achievements in the field of medicine to be a spiritual obstacle. But before resorting to the help of one or another “alternative doctor,” a person must understand for himself: what sources he uses, otherwise he can cause considerable harm to both his body and his soul.

One of the researchers of alternative methods of treatment once noted: the Chinese, for example, treat their medicine as a religion. Such an attitude towards medicine should be alarming Orthodox man, because nothing can be higher and more sacred than religion. In addition, German scientists, studying the practice of acupuncture, conducted the following experiment: some patients were given needles, so to speak, according to all the “canons” of Chinese medicine, while others, roughly speaking, were given at random, just so as not to touch important organs and cause harm. As a result, the effectiveness of the first acupuncture was 52%, and the second – 49%! That is, there was practically no difference between “smart” and “free” acupuncture.

However, a more pressing issue is the use of some spiritual practice in medicine. So, for example, some “healers”, in order to cure this or that ailment, suggest that their patients try to leave the physical world into the supersensible, extrasensory world. But we must remember that ours physical body- this is a certain barrier that separates us from direct direct communication with the spiritual world and, in particular, the world of fallen spirits. Some Eastern cults use a whole set of exercises that promote such an exit into the “spiritual world,” and this practice weakens our protection from demons. Saint Ignatius of Caucasus warns: “If we were in sensual communication with demons, then in the shortest possible time they would completely corrupt people, constantly instilling evil in them, clearly and incessantly promoting evil, infecting them with examples of their constant criminal and hostile activities to God.”

That is why any “alternative medicine”, practicing some kind of communication with the spiritual world, even if it promises its patients physical recovery, ultimately becomes dangerous for their spiritual health.

-What does it mean not to go to the council of the wicked?

– The meaning of this verse, which is the first verse of the first psalm of the Book of Psalms, is very deep and multifaceted. Thus, St. Athanasius the Great says: “the council of the wicked” is a meeting of wicked people who seek to divert the righteous from following the path of God. And St. Basil the Great clarifies: “the advice of the wicked” is all sorts of wicked thoughts that, like invisible enemies, overcome a person.

In addition, it is very interesting that in the above psalm about the opposition of the righteous to the “council of the wicked” it is said “in three dimensions” - walking, standing and sitting: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked, and does not stand in the path of sinners, and the seats of the destroyers are not seated.” According to St. Theophan the Recluse, the purpose of such a threefold indication is to warn against the three main degrees of deviation into evil: in the form of an internal attraction to evil (march towards sin), in the form of confirmation in evil (standing in sin) and in the form of a fight against good and propaganda evil (collaboration with the destroyer, that is, the devil).

Thus, going to the council of the wicked is all kinds of participation in evil, be it in thought, word or deed. According to St. John Cassian the Roman, in order to be saved, a person must constantly control himself, practicing spiritual work: without the latter there will be no spiritual life.

– Is it possible to go on vacation, for example, to a ski resort during the Nativity Fast?

– According to St. Ephraim the Syrian, the purpose of fasting is so that a person can overcome lusts, vices and sins. If fasting does not help us overcome sin, we must think: how are we fasting, what are we doing wrong?

Unfortunately, historically it has happened that in the life of a modern person most of vacations occur during the Nativity Fast - during New Year's holidays. The purpose of the Nativity Fast is to prepare a person to accept the Divine Infant Christ, who comes into this world and becomes a man with the goal of saving each of us from the power of sin and death. And therefore, the main thing that an Orthodox Christian should think about on the eve of Christmas is how best, most correctly, to prepare himself to meet the Savior.

Active recreation, such as skiing, is very beneficial for health if it is combined with a person’s spiritual growth. Otherwise, there will be no benefit from such “recovery”. Therefore, if our rest does not allow us to make our heart a worthy receptacle for the Living God, it is better to refuse such rest.

– Is it possible to give a tattoo to a woman, for example for cosmetic purposes?

– In order to answer this question, you need to decide: why is such a tattoo needed at all, what are the reasons that motivate a person to make certain images on his body?

Also in Old Testament it was said: “For the sake of the dead, do not make any cuts in your flesh or write marks on yourself” (Lev. 19:28). This prohibition in the Pentateuch of Moses is repeated twice more: in the same Book of Leviticus (21:5), as well as in the Book of Deuteronomy (14:1). Moses forbids mutilation human body, since such an action is an insult to the Creator, who gave man beautiful flesh. Historically, a tattoo is a sign of belonging to a pagan cult: people, with the help of tattoos, hoped to gain special favor from one or another deity. That is why, since ancient times, tattoos have been “an abomination to the Lord.”

According to the Metropolitan Sourozhsky Anthony, the body is the visible part of the soul, therefore any external change- This is primarily a sign of internal, spiritual changes occurring in a person. The main signs of a Christian are modesty, meekness and humility. A tattoo, according to one modern author, is an escape from modesty, an attempt to present oneself more elegantly and, perhaps, with the aim of somehow seducing others. Based on this, we can confidently conclude: even the most seemingly harmless tattoos can cause irreparable spiritual harm to a person.

– Is it possible to listen? prayer rule on headphones on the way to work or using a disc in the car?

– Prayer is, first of all, a conversation with God. And therefore, the assertion that you can pray while listening to an audio recording seems very doubtful.

Unfortunately, modern man, having simplified his life so much with the help of certain technologies, is ready to devote less and less time to God and communication with Him. That’s why we try to pray with audio recordings, listening to evening and morning prayers in the car or on the way home. But if you think about it: how carefully can we listen to such recordings? How focused can we pray to them?

The Holy Fathers always said: it is better to sincerely say a few words to God than to say long prayers without thinking about Him. The Lord does not need our words, but our heart. And He sees its contents: the desire for one’s Creator and Savior, or an attempt to brush aside Him, hiding behind a half-hour audio recording.

– What should an Orthodox Christian never do?

– An Orthodox Christian must first of all be afraid of sinning, but not out of fear of God’s punishment. The Monk Abba Dorotheos says: the fear of God is not at all the fear of God as some kind of avenger of sins; the fear of God is the fear of offending the love of God revealed in Christ. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian should try to control himself, suppressing even the very thoughts of committing a sin, because with our sins, according to the word of the holy Apostle Paul, we again crucify our Lord Jesus Christ. By sins we destroy everything that God has done for our own salvation. And this is exactly what we should fear and avoid in our lives.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova