(Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
Translated from Russian to English via Google Translate by Russian Bear.
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Orthodox Herald
The foundation of salvation
"...words by which you and all your house shall be saved" Bible, New Testament: Acts, Chapter 10: verse 6
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Wake up man from the vanity of this world, you are in danger!
It is so determined by God that man is born, and after a certain time dies. "ye that know not what shall happen tomorrow: for what is your life? a vapour appearing for a little while, and then vanishing away." (Bible: Epistle of James chapter 4:14 verse). Immersed in the mundane hustle and bustle of the world (in any form), not every person thinks about what will be on the other side of life. The truth is that a man, having once died, passes into another spiritual world and spiritually continues to live, leaving this temporary earthly world with nothing to gain except his conscience - good or bad deeds. It is from his deeds that his subsequent fate is decided, where he will stay forever, with God in the Kingdom of Heaven or without Him in hell, according to his sins. The works of righteousness and sin form the soul of man throughout his life. This is what the soul takes with it to the Last Judgement of God, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgement," (Bible: Hebrews 9:27). For everything, how a man lives his life will be answered to God. Therefore, a person should first of all think about saving himself, only after that he will be able to help his relatives and friends in the matter of salvation, "Save yourself and thousands will be saved around you", so said Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Being immersed in the vanity of this world, a person forgets the spiritual side of life, completely carelessly thinking about salvation and the meaning of life on Earth, not thinking about the main, the ultimate goal of existence, to which man is destined by the Creator. Ignorance of spiritual laws does not exempt one from responsibility. "Do not be deceived: God is not scolded. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap: he that soweth to his flesh from the flesh shall reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit from the spirit shall reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8. "What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world, but harms his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul, Matthew 16:26" Man does not live on earth to make himself comfortable, but to pass the spiritual examination of self-improvement in goodness, love, virtues and to live forever in bliss with the Lord. "The smelter is for silver, and the crucible for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts." (Proverbs 17:3).
Holy Scripture Bible, reveals to us the history of the entire universe, its Genesis, how evil penetrated into man. evil gave birth to sin, behind every sin is a spirit of evil demon. Light angels who went to the side of the slanderer and man-killer Devil, became fallen malicious devils and demons, each sin and sinful addiction patronised by his demon, behind the demons is the prince of this world Devil, man-killer and torturer, aka Satan, the root of all evil, aka the former light angel, Lucifer, overthrown into the underworld by God for pride and desire to become like the Almighty. Satan slyly seduced the first people created by God, Adam and Eve, perturbed the universe and sinful evil was born on the Earth, which began to torment all mankind. "For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of evil under heaven." (Ephesians 6:12). It was sin that separated man from the Creator. Thus, the devil has gained power over sinners. According to spiritual laws, in order to destroy the kingdom of darkness and the power of separation of man from the Creator, God the Father gave His beloved Son Jesus Christ to be tortured and crucified on the cross, His divine innocent blood was shed to redeem from the power of sin for each person personally: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Gospel of John 3:16" For according to spiritual laws the sinner belongs to the devil and the righteous to God, according to the free will of man with whom he shall abide. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "As witnesses before you I call heaven and earth today: life and death have I offered you, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you and your offspring may live," (Deuteronomy 30:19). God loves the sinner but does not love the sin. "Love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love has not known God, because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). The Lord Jesus Christ has created a "ship of salvation" for all those who accept His saving sacrifice, this ship is the true One Holy Soborna Apostolic Orthodox Church "and I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18), in which are all the instruments of salvation, these instruments are the sacraments of the Church, which are described below.
For more than 2000 years the Orthodox Church has undergone schisms, heresies sent by the devil to confuse people with different false religions and wrong understanding of God and His honour, but all in vain, the gates of hell cannot overcome it. The Church has reached us in its true form, for the Lord, through the holy fathers, has protected and preserved it and will preserve it until the end of the age.
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What do I do to save myself?
"The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." Proverbs 1:7. Believe and realise that there is a God! "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he die, yet shall he live." Gospel of John 11:25, to rethink your whole life, to understand what sin is, to realise your weakness and sinfulness, for this is where all the problems of life, including disease, come from... "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" Gospel of Matthew 15:19, in order to be cleansed from sin and to commit no more, a decisive change of thought, life and hatred of sin - repentance - is necessary. "A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humble heart Thou wilt not despise, O God. Psalms 50:19", "Therefore, stand girding up your loins with the truth and putting on the armour of righteousness," Ephesians 6:14 It is important to start churches, try to go regularly to the Orthodox church for services every week and be a partner in the holy sacraments, in time you will begin to understand what happens in the temple at church services. You can always approach the priest and ask questions. You can find literature for churching as "The basics of Orthodoxy", and for a better understanding and research in the sin itself "Help to the penitent", absolutely free to find on the Internet or buy in the temple, if there are close acquaintances believers, you can ask to help to become on the path of formation. Start communicating with God, addressing Him with prayer, with your own words from your heart. Also buy an Orthodox prayer book, which will help in this communication, it is a prayer charter of a Christian, like a military soldier, which should try to fulfil, which includes different prayers, including morning prayer and evening prayer, you can discuss it with a spiritual father, who will tell you how to make the right spiritual prayer food for the soul for each day to be able to. If time is short and it is difficult, there is a prayer rule of Seraphim of Sarov for laymen. Know the prayers "Our Father" by heart, the "Creed"..... "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy room, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6" It is very important to understand that a Christian's faith must be matched by good righteous works with keeping the commandments "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. Epistle of James 2:26." Formal prayer is not godly. Prayer is a spiritual labour. God does not help the lazy. "...Unclean demons are in the habit of abiding with those and disturbing those more, who relax themselves with laziness and do not care about prayer..." Rev. Nilus of Sinai. "...Do not listen to the devil when he whispers to you: give to me now, and to God you will give tomorrow. No, no, but spend all the hours of your life in a way that is favourable to God, keeping in mind that after this hour you will not be given another, and that for every minute of this hour you will have to give the most detailed account. Remember that there is no price for the time you have in your hands, and that if you waste it, the hour will come when you will seek it and not find it. Consider lost the day in which, although you did good deeds, you did not overcome your worst inclinations and desires."-Venerable Nicodemus the Saint.
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The 1st saving Sacrament in the life of a person, a once-for-all sacrament - Baptism.
A person who wants to become on the path of salvation and a Christian must be baptised in an Orthodox church if he is not baptised. "Do you not know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we are united to Him by the likeness of His death, we must also be united by the likeness of the resurrection, knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be abolished, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who died was freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him" (Rom. 6:3-8).
Baptism is a person's decision to become a partaker of salvation "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Gospel of John 3:5." When a person comes to be baptised, he thereby asks God to adopt him. Man has free will, and can refuse this kinship. Therefore, Baptism is the Sacrament of adoption, administered according to the person's choice. After this sacrament, a person is born again and takes a new name, can enter into all the sacraments and rites of the Church, receiving from Christ all the gracious gifts necessary for salvation. Baptism washes away not only the original sin, but also all the sins committed by man up to that moment. From that moment the Holy Spirit dwells in man. "Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19" During the rest of his life, a person must remain in continuous connection with God, observing the commandments and fasts prescribed by the Church (... let us take away from the flesh its pleasures, but let us increase the strength of the soul, so that, with the help of fasting, having gained victory over the passions, we may be crowned with the crowns of abstinence. Basil the Great, Discourse on Fasting, 2nd), participating in the divine service sacraments, to watch themselves and their actions, to be vigilant not to sin, to keep their inner temple in purity, in which the Spirit of God dwells. But because of the weakness of man, man falls and sins, staining "his white garment", and polluting defiles his inner temple, purified by the sacrament of baptism. For this purpose the Lord has provided for the sacrament of Confession and Communion, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. The Gospel of John chapter 3: verse 16.
Baptism is a great Sacrament, but without our faith it has no effect. But faith, as we know, without works is dead (James 2:20). And the works of faith are living the Gospel, prayer, good deeds. The Gospel says that when the demon comes out of a person, he wanders through the deserted places and, not finding a shelter, returns and sees his house (that is, the human soul) washed out, empty and brings seven other demons. And the last is more bitter than the first. St John Chrysostom applies these words to the Sacrament of Baptism. When baptism is done, but no spiritual work is not conducted, then the spiritual emptiness is filled with spirits of evil. If a person after baptism does not lead a spiritual life or parents, having baptised a child, are not engaged in his spiritual education (do not teach prayers, do not take to the temple), the soul is filled with another spirituality. Now, when sects and occultism are spreading, it is especially dangerous. But there is another danger: the influence of evil on the soul of a child through the media, the Internet and communication with vicious people is enormous. If a person does not receive a proper Christian upbringing, if his soul is not cared for, it will become spiritually sick. Evil is clingy. Christian education is an inoculation against the evil that reigns in the world. Without faith in God it is impossible to protect children from temptation. All hope is in the family.
When we receive baptism, we renounce the devil and all his works, which are sin. For our defence against the devil we are given a great weapon: baptism and the Cross of the Lord. On it is written: "Save and Preserve". It should not be taken off. If we take off the cross, we deprive ourselves of protection and defence. A person who wears the cross, prays and receives the Sacraments should not be afraid of the devil. If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8, 31).
At baptism a Christian is given a Guardian Angel, who protects and guards him from all danger, including from the power of demons. This angel also helps a person in all works of salvation, encouraging him to good thoughts and deeds, and after death accompanies the soul through the air to God.
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Confirmation/Christimation is the 2 nd saving sacrament (performed once in a person’s life)
The Sacrament of Chrismation complements the Sacrament of Baptism and is administered immediately after it, as if united with it. In the third century St Cyprian of Carthage wrote: "Baptism and Chrismation are two separate acts of baptism, though united by the closest inner bond so that they form one whole, inseparable in respect to their administration.
In the Sacrament of Anointing, the Holy Spirit descends upon the newly baptised person, imparting gracious gifts. The Sacrament of Anointing, like all other Sacraments, has its foundation in the Holy Scriptures and dates back to Apostolic times. At the time of the Holy Apostles, every person who was baptised received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the bishop's hands. Later on, the practice of anointing with holy ointment - a special fragrant substance consecrated by the Primate, i.e. the chief bishop of the Church - was established. In the Russian Orthodox Church, holy ointment is brewed in Moscow, in the Small Cathedral of the Don Monastery, during Holy Week. This is a very difficult, lengthy process (it takes several days). The Gospel is read, and new components are added to the myrrh - in total it contains about forty substances. The ointment is consecrated on Holy Thursday.
During the Sacrament of Anointing, the priest anoints the newly baptised person with a cross-shaped anointing of the main parts of the body responsible for actions, feelings and abilities: forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, chest, arms and legs, with the words: "Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The Holy Spirit descends upon the Christian and sanctifies his spiritual and bodily nature - the members of the body and the senses. The person becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. St Simeon of Thessalonica says: "Anointing places the first seal and restores the image of God, damaged in us through disobedience. Likewise, it revives in us the grace which God has blown into the human soul. Anointing contains the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the treasury of His fragrance, the sign and seal of Christ." We receive both baptism and anointing in order to restore in us the original image of God, which has been corrupted by sin.
Faith in God, entrance into the Church, rebirth in the Sacraments - all this changes a person. His perceptions and feelings are transformed, and it is for this purpose that the parts of the body are anointed with holy peace. A person without faith, not enlightened by holy baptism, can be called a spiritual invalid. Disabled people are also called handicapped, and indeed the spiritual capabilities of such a person are very small. On the contrary, a Christian, having been reborn in baptism, having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in anointing, leading a spiritual life, begins to see, hear and feel what is closed to others. His spiritual senses become sharpened and his abilities increase. It can be compared to a person who looks into the distance with the naked eye and sees distant objects very vaguely, vaguely, and is unable to see something at all. But then he takes binoculars in his hands, puts them to his eyes, and a completely different picture opens up to him.
Another meaning of anointing is the consecration of our whole spiritual and bodily being, our whole life to God. Baptism and anointing sanctify us, and sanctification is consecration. To sanctify means to make sacred. Baptism of infants in our Church is usually performed on the fortieth day, just as the Christ Child was brought into the Temple in Jerusalem. This was done by tradition, for forty-day-old infants - the firstborn male children - in Israel were brought into the temple to be dedicated to God. And we, through the anointing of their members and senses, dedicate them to the service of God. Henceforth they should not serve sinful pleasures, but the salvation of our souls. However, as St Cyprian of Carthage pointed out, there is no impediment to baptising an infant earlier than the fortieth day.
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CONFESSION - 3rd saving sacrament (performed throughout life)
The Sacrament of Penance (Confession). "And all the country of the Jews and Jerusalemites went out to him, and they were all baptised by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Gospel of Mark 1:5" The Sacrament of Penance may be called the second Baptism. As a rule, it precedes the Sacrament of Communion with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it prepares the soul of the penitent for participation in this Great Meal. The need for the Sacrament of Penance is due to the fact that a person who became a Christian in the Sacrament of Baptism, which washed away all his sins, continues to sin because of the weakness of human nature. Every sin alienates a person from God. The heavier the sin and the more they are, the more distant from God. Man cannot overcome this gap by his own strength. "I am the vine, and you are the branches; whoever abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" John 15:5 Man cannot get rid of his sinful addictions and passions on his own. Only with the Lord everything is possible. If it were not for the Sacrament of Repentance and Communion, a person would not be able to be saved, would not be able to keep the union with Christ, which was found in the Sacrament of Baptism. To begin the Sacrament of Confession, a Christian must come to the church for a divine service, or if there is no such opportunity due to health, invite a priest to the house, and when the sacrament is administered, confess all his sins to the priest. At Confession the believer confesses his sins in the presence of the priest and receives forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Through Confession the purity of the soul that was lost because of sins is restored. By this sacrament the state received in Baptism is restored. Confession is the bath that washes the soul from sins. "If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 It is important to understand that a person is not confessing to a priest but to God Himself, the priest is the witness of repentance and the Lord's helper, also the priest has a God-given holy office - the authority to absolve from sins. "To whom you forgive sins, to him they shall be forgiven; on whom you remit, on him they shall remain." Gospel of John 20:23. Whatever a person says in confession to the priest will remain in the sacrament. The priest will not condemn you, no matter what shameful deeds you commit. False shame is instilled by the evil one, so that a person does not confess anything and sins are not forgiven. You cannot confess some sins to one priest and other sins to another priest so that it would not be so shameful, you cannot do that, with such thoughts a person commits the sin of hypocrisy and lies, God knows the heart better than man himself.
Repentance is not a formal enumeration of sins, but a heartfelt brokenness and hatred of sin, a firm intention to reform one's life. And a sure hope in the mercy of Christ. One should not conceal anything deliberately, for the Lord knows the heart of man and what is in his mind. When repenting, one should not be justified by the circumstances of life and should not name the accomplices or those who willingly or unwillingly provoked the sin. A person is in any case responsible for his iniquities committed by his weakness or ignorance. The sins confessed and absolved by the priest earlier, if the conscience does not rebuke, should not be repeated at Confession, because after Repentance they become "as if they had not been". But if they have been repeated since the previous Confession, it is necessary to repent again. It is necessary to confess those sins that were forgotten earlier, if now they are suddenly remembered. If a person was baptised in infancy, has not gone to the temple for many years and has not received the sacraments, he should make a general confession, not to forget, it is possible to write down sins on paper, for the whole lived life since childhood (7 years old), what will be remembered. Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; examine yourselves. Or do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you are not what you ought to be. 2 Corinthians 13:5. Important!!! A Christian must forgive all his offenders and must not harbour a grudge in his heart!!! "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Matthew 6:14." "Leave your gift there before the altar, and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and bring your gift Matthew 5:24." We should not judge a sinner, condemning whom we judge ourselves: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Mt 7:1). All the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church, for all people who commit sin, their hearts ached with the desire to help, they sympathised with the sinner, because they could not see a spiritually perishing sick person deprived of salvation, this is the manifestation of God's love.
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COMMUNION - 4th saving sacrament (performed throughout life)
After Confession, the priest admits the Christian to the Sacrament of Communion, a sacrament in which, under the guise of bread and wine, the Orthodox Christian tastes (communicates) the very Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and eternal life, and through this sacrament he is mysteriously united with Him, becoming a partaker of eternal life. The comprehension of this sacrament surpasses human understanding. This sacrament is called the Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving." The sacrament of Communion was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself at the Last Supper with the Apostles on the eve of His suffering. He took bread into His pure hands, blessed it, broke it and shared it with His disciples, saying, "Receive, eat: this is My Body" (Matthew 26:26). Then He took the cup of wine, blessed it, and, giving it to His disciples, said: "Drink of it all of you, for this is My blood of the New Testament, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28). Then to the Apostles, and in their person and to all believers, the Saviour gave the commandment to administer this sacrament until the end of the world in remembrance of His sufferings, death and Resurrection for the union of believers with Him. He said: "This you do in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).
The Lord Himself says about the obligation of Communion for all who believe in Him: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:53-56). He who does not receive Holy Communion deprives himself of the source of life - Christ, puts himself outside of Him. A person who seeks union with God in his life can hope to be with Him in eternity. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the body of the Lord. Wherefore many of you are weak and sick, and many die. The First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (11:29-30) It is necessary to receive Holy Communion with preparation: analysing all your life, your deeds, looking for sinful diseases in them and brokenness about them, confessing all your sins without concealing anything, without making excuses, without hypocrisy, having a serious understanding of union with the Lord Jesus Christ through the sacraments. It is necessary to prepare for the sacraments with prayer and fasting, brokenness, and after communion with prayerful thanksgiving to the Lord for the salvation granted. Otherwise unworthy communion can be imputed to the condemnation of the communicant. God knows the heart of man and it is impossible to conceal anything. "...He that planteth the ear, shall he not hear? Or he that maketh the eye, shall he not behold?" Psalm 93 verse 9. "...for the Lord tests all hearts and knows all movements of the thoughts. 1 Chronicles 28:9.
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Unction - the 5 th saving sacrament (performed throughout life)
The Sacrament of Soborion (or Holy Baptism) is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church, in which the grace of God is invoked upon a person to heal from bodily and mental ailments. In this Sacrament two divine gifts are sent to people. The first gift is bodily healing and the second gift is the remission of forgotten sins. The sacrament was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who gave the Apostles the power to heal every disease and infirmity. The Gospel tells how the apostles, going through the villages and preaching repentance, cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mk.6:13). Its existence in the ancient Church is evidenced by the Sobornaya Epistle of St. James the Apostle: If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14). The same Epistle also speaks about the forgiveness of sins: And the prayer of faith shall heal him that is sick, and the Lord shall restore him; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (James 5:15).
The Holy Fathers write about the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Soborion: "The power of the Sacrament of Holy Unction is that it forgives especially sins forgotten (forgotten) by human weakness, and upon the forgiveness of sins, bodily health is also given, if it is God's will for this", the Monk Ambrosius of Optina. The grace of God, poured out in this sacrament, has the power to completely heal from illness, or to give relief and strength for its complacent bearing. But most importantly - it heals the soul, cleanses forgotten and committed in ignorance of sins, protects a person from demonic obsessions, gives blessing and strength that a person used them for good deeds. Often the cause of our troubles and illnesses can be some forgotten, unrepented sin, which led to ailments. No matter how carefully we try to remember and write down our sins, it may happen that a significant part of them will not be said in confession, some will be forgotten, and some will be simply not realised and not noticed, due to spiritual blindness. In this case, the Church comes to the aid of the penitent with the Sacrament of Oil Consecration. Thus, in the Sacrament of Consecration we are forgiven the sins that were not told in confession due to ignorance or forgetfulness. Since sickness is a consequence of our sinful condition, the release from sin often leads to the healing of the body.
But it should be known that the Sacrament of Consecration does not replace the Sacrament of Penance. At the Soborion not absolutely all sins are forgiven, but only sins committed out of ignorance and forgotten because of human weakness. It is the forgotten sins that are forgiven, not the intentionally hidden sins. In order to receive this sacrament worthily, one must first confess one's sins as fully as possible.
There is a wonderful tradition when a believing Christian participates in three sacraments in a row: Confession, Soborion and Communion. A person must confess everything that he or she has sinned in the Sacrament of Penance, but if he or she cannot remember something, it will be erased by the grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the Sacrament of Communion a person receives the greatest treasure - he is united with Christ to eternal life.
But let the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all fullness, and let your spirit and soul and body be preserved without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul's 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23 If a person is seriously ill and cannot come to the temple, let his relatives or he himself call a priest at home to administer the holy sacraments. Every temple has a service telephone number, which is recognised in the church shop. All the sacraments of the church are given freely to the Christian "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8 But if there is an opportunity to give a donation to a priest, it is very important to help, to the best of your ability "...for the labourer is worthy of food" Matthew chapter 10: verse 10. Priests also have to feed their families and live on something. The Church exists on donations - so God commanded in the Bible.
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WEDDING - 6th sacrament
The marriage of Orthodox Christians must be blessed by God, sanctified by the Church, and we receive this blessing in the Sacrament of Matrimony. Orthodox marriage has great significance, it is fulfilled in the image of the union of Christ and the Church. As Apostle Paul writes: The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church, and He is the Saviour of the body. And further: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her (Eph 5:25). In the sacrament of wedding the grace of God is given to those who are getting married in order that they build their marital union in unanimity and love, to be one soul and body, as well as for the birth and Christian upbringing of children. But the most important thing to remember is that marriage is not a magical act that binds forever and helps them no matter how they behave. Unfortunately, many people understand sacraments and rites in this way. They say that it is necessary to do something like this, to perform some ritual, and everything will be fine. No, without our labour, faith and prayer no Sacrament will be of any use. God gives us grace, help, and we should open our hearts and accept it with faith, to become co-labourers with God in the field of our family life. And then the wedding can give us a lot, we will receive its graceful gifts in full. Therefore, we should pray to God, ask for His help and embody in our family the main commandment of love to our neighbour. The husband, just as Christ loves and cares for the church, should love his wife, and the wife should honour and obey her husband, just as the church honours and loves Christ. A Christian should go to the sacrament of marriage with the thought that he enters into marriage once for life and will share all joys and difficulties together with his God-given half. Only with this thought can one endure all the trials and storms of life.
The wedding party is reminded of the fact that we are married for eternity by the rings, a symbol of infinity, without beginning and without end, which are worn at the betrothal of the couple. The same meaning is given to the threefold going around the analogue during the wedding, also a sign of eternal life. The priest puts the wreaths on the couple before leading them round the lectern.
What are these crowns? Metropolitan Anthony Surozhsky writes: "In ancient times, every time there was a holiday - the most ordinary family, or city, or state holiday - people wore crowns of flowers. In ancient Russia, on the day of their wedding, the bride and groom were called Prince and Princess - why? Because in ancient society, while a person was not married, he was a member of his family and was subject in everything to the senior in the family - whether it was his father or grandfather. Only when a man married, he became the master of his life. The ancient state consisted of a union of sovereign, i.e. independent, families. They were free to choose their fate. All issues were solved in agreement, in mutual understanding, but each family had its own voice and rights.
It was as if a new kingdom was being crowned. By entering into marriage, creating a family, spouses create not only their own little "state", but, most importantly, their own small church, which is part of the united Universal Orthodox Church. In this Church people, just as in the Church Universal, gathered to serve God, to go to Him together and to be saved together. As has already been said, the husband is the head in this small Church, the image of Christ the Saviour Himself - the Head of the great Church. The spouse and children are the helpers of the head of the family-church in all family labours and affairs.
The crowns are laid as a sign of victory: the bride and groom were not defeated before marriage by celibacy and kept their virginity. Those who have lost their chastity and purity before marriage, strictly speaking, are not worthy of crowns. That is why the second brides were either not given crowns at all, or they were put not on their heads, but on the right shoulder (the Stoglav Council ruling).
Crowns have another meaning. They are also crowns of martyrdom, with which the Lord crowns His faithful servants who have endured all the sufferings and trials. Marriage is not only family joys, it is a joint burden, sometimes very difficult, a cross borne by the spouses, trials and storms that fall to their share. Sometimes it is no easier to be saved in a marriage than in a monastery. This daily "bearing of each other's burdens", the uncomplaining bearing of life's cross is called bloodless martyrdom.
After the bride and groom are crowned, the priest prays to God: "O Lord our God, crown me (them) with glory and honour. These words are the sacramental formula during the wedding. The priest pronounces them three times. The words crown with glory and honour are taken from the Psalms (Ps 8:5-6). The Psalmist says that man is crowned with glory at creation, because he received the image and likeness of God. He is also crowned with honour because God gave him authority over all other creatures. According to St John Chrysostom, in the wedding we can see a gracious restoration of that majesty over the creatures with which Adam and Eve were endowed at the time when God spoke the marriage blessing to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and possess it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every animal that creeps upon the earth (Gen 1:28).
During the Sacrament of Matrimony, the spouses drink from a common cup. The cup is served three times, first to the husband and then to the wife. The cup symbolises that in marriage all joys and trials should be shared equally, equally.
There is a pious tradition for newlyweds to confess and receive Holy Communion at the liturgy on the day of the wedding. This custom is connected with the fact that in ancient times the blessing of a married couple took place at the liturgy. Certain elements of the liturgy are still present in the wedding ceremony: the singing of the Lord's Prayer, the common cup from which the couple drink.... Confession and Communion before the wedding are of great importance: a new family is born, the newlyweds have a new stage of life, and it is necessary to start it renewed, cleansed in the Sacraments from sinful filth. If it is impossible to receive Holy Communion on the day of the wedding, it should be done the day before.
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Apostolic Succession (PRIESTHOOD) - 7th Sacrament
The Holy Apostles, the Saviour's closest disciples, chosen by Himself, received from the Lord the grace to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, Confession (absolution from sins), the Eucharist, and others. The apostles, under instruction from God (for He appointed some to be apostles, others prophets, others evangelists, others shepherds and teachers (Eph 4:11), through the laying on of hands (ordination) began to ordain people to the sacred degrees: bishop, presbyter (priest) and deacon. The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, the bishop whom he had appointed for the Church of Crete: "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might complete what was unfinished, and set presbyters in all the cities, as I commanded you (Titus 1:5). It follows that bishops, as successors of the Apostles, received from them the authority not only to administer the Sacraments, but also to ordain to sacred degrees. In the Orthodox Church the succession of episcopal consecrations and ordinations goes on uninterruptedly from the Apostles themselves.
Deacons, assistants to priests and bishops, are the third degree of the priesthood and are also ordained by bishops. In the primitive Church, in apostolic times, the first seven deacons were chosen, they were set before the Apostles, and these, having prayed, laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6).
The sacrament of priesthood gives grace for the administration of the Church's sacraments, acts and services. It has another name - chiarotony, which means ordination in Greek. Both in the time of the apostles and nowadays, ordination to the sacred degrees takes place when the bishop lays his hands on the candidate and reads special prayers over him.
There are three sacred degrees: bishop, presbyter, and deacon. The bishop is the senior clergyman, has the authority to ordain priests and deacons, and to administer all other Sacraments.
A presbyter, priest may administer all the Sacraments, except ordination. The deacon serves, assists in all the Sacraments, sacred actions and services, but only together with the bishop or priest.
The sacrament of ordination takes place at the Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated by the episcopal ministry. A bishop, according to the Apostolic Rule, is ordained by at least two other bishops. Ordination to the episcopate is usually celebrated solemnly, by the whole council of the episcopate. The presbyteral and diaconal degrees are ordained by one bishop. The diaconate is ordained at the liturgy after the consecration of the Holy Gifts. This shows that the deacon himself has no right to administer the Sacraments.
A priest is ordained after the great entrance of the liturgy, so that he can then participate in the consecration of the Holy Gifts. Bishops are ordained at the beginning of the liturgy, after the entrance with the Gospel, and this shows that the bishop himself can ordain to different degrees of priesthood.
The clergy are not only performers of the holy sacraments and church services. They are shepherds, instructors for the people of God, and have the grace and authority to teach and preach the word of God.
Churching and spiritual development
All of the above is only the basis of the foundation for man's salvation. As he becomes a churchgoer and knows God, he will learn new basics of spiritual knowledge. A Christian should read and meditate on the Holy Scriptures - the Bible, which consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is recommended that one begin his enlightenment with the New Testament, which includes the 4 Gospels (Good News), the Acts of the Apostles, their letters, and the Revelation of John. To learn how to properly honour the saints "In memory everlasting shall be the righteous" Psalm 111:6 and the Holy Mother of God, for they are intercessors and helpers before God for all mankind. The holy fathers of the Orthodox Church have left us many books: examples of the lives of the saints, instructions and prophecies, which strengthen and instruct the Christian living in God. "Remember your instructors who preached the word of God to you, and looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith" Hebrews 13:7. To know all 7 sacraments of the Church, what church candles are for, how services, liturgies, requiems, prayer services are held and what happens at them, why and what kind of prayer notes are given in churches, why they pray for the living and the dead, how to pray correctly, what a prosphora, antidor, artos, proskomidia, holy water are, why you need Orthodox calendars with fasts and holidays, what icons are for, who are monks, priests, why consecrate flats, things, why read the lives of the saints and their instructions, what are the prophecies of the saints, holy relics, what are thanksgiving prayers to God, all this is only to learn and much more.... In the Orthodox Church everything is true. Man should be interested and cognise, for this purpose he is given brains and head to think and reflect. "Test everything, hold fast to good things. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 21."
To help the penitent (information in brief)
After the death of the body, the soul comes out of its temple and ascends to the Kingdom of Heaven to God to reunite. demonic entities, deprived of the Kingdom of God and condemned to perdition, in their envy want to deprive this joyful promise and the man himself, in every way to prevent this ascension reunion. To have rights over the soul, evil spirits rebuke the conscience of the soul of man, its own committed sins for the entire life lived, for 20 tax collectors, looking for a kindred evil in it. "For whosoever is overcome by whom is a slave. 2 Peter 2:19" And only the man who repents and lives righteously before God passes through them painlessly. "...Watch therefore at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all these future calamities, and to stand before the Son of Man." Lk.21,36. However, the briefly listed tax collectors can help a person to examine in himself certain sins, which were not noticed in himself before, in order to repent of them.
According to the legend "The Public Acts of Blessed Theodora" taken from the life of the Church father St Basil the Great, there are 20 Public Acts awaiting a person. Varieties of life cases of sin is very multifaceted, written under the 20 tax collectorates sins, only a few, as an example, often encountered in the life of man, to help introspection in themselves, some sins must be confessed in detail, conscience to each will prompt:
1. Public speaking: I repent of idle talk (meaningless conversations without any benefit for the soul), verbosity, idle talk (anecdotes, listening to vulgar jokes and telling them myself, laughing at it), profanity, insulting relatives and neighbours, gossiping and believing rumours, laughing at the sins of neighbours and their mistakes, discussing them behind their backs, immodest laughter....
2. The Publican of Lies: Sincere confession and concealment of sins, calling on God's name in vain in vanity and not in prayer, swearing (swearing is not allowed, it is a sin), broken vows and oaths to God, false testimonies, promises to relatives, neighbours and not fulfilling them, saying bad things about a person behind his back, making others swear, saying one thing in the eyes of a person and another thing behind the eyes, flattering, believing plots, not confessing one's sins, promising to do a deed and not doing it, lying to relatives and neighbours, hypocrisy, lying in any form, flattery, unscrupulousness....
3. The public calamity of condemnation and slander: Condemning one's neighbour or mocking him for his sins and mistakes, unglorifying one's neighbours, mocking their faults and sins, gossiping, false rumours, condemning in one's thoughts and behind one's back, judging who lives well and who lives badly, remembering someone badly discussing...
4. Gluttony: Overeating, gluttony, gluttony, satiety, binge eating, binge eating, drunkenness, not keeping fasts, eating animal blood (haematogen, blood sausages), eating without prayer, eating foods deliberately, knowing they are harmful to health (chips, breadcrumbs, GMOs).
5. The taxation of idleness and laziness: workers who took pay and did not work, negligence to church services, laziness to read spiritual books and works of salvation of the soul, laziness to pray, any waste of time, addiction to TV, computer, games and entertainment, pampering in bed, sleeping a lot, laziness for good deeds, poorly performed work....
6. Theft: non-payment of fares, taking without asking, borrowing and not giving, stealing something or....
7. The publicanship of covetousness and avarice: Greed for money and excessive frugality, not borrowing when asked, not giving alms to the needy and helping....
8. The tax collector's office of licentiousness (unrighteous gains): Usury, bribery, marking up the price of goods (speculation), fraud, gambling for money, not paying workers for work, extortion, exploiting other people's labour...
9. Publicanship of unrighteousness: Unrighteous judges, out of self-interest justifying the guilty and condemning the innocent, unfair payment to labourers, shoddy goods passed off as quality goods.
10. Public Envy: envied a good arrangement in a person's life, envied colleagues at work because of salary, envied (la) neighbour because of a girl (guy), thought badly of a person, did not rejoice at success of a neighbour, had in his heart a desire for revenge or death, evil to a person, gloated....
11. The taxation of pride: Arrogance (thinking oneself better than others), thinking oneself good, contempt for one's neighbours, treating a person with contempt, looking at a person with humiliation and disdain, insolence, impudence, love of glory and praise, lacking humility, lacking love for one's neighbour and sympathy, showing one's superiority and wit over a person, humiliating a person in public, disobeying one's parents....
12. The taxation of anger and rage: At trifles shouted in anger and insulted relatives and neighbours, quickly came to irritation, rage, cursing people, wishing death to a neighbour, desire for revenge, temper, in anger did not keep silent and did not move away from the person who aroused anger....
13. The taxation of evil remembrance: Eating malice towards people, vindictiveness and repaying evil for evil, not forgiving and having no love for those who offended, not wishing his enemies salvation...
14. Murder: killing a person, abortion, participation in fights, pushing, slapping a neighbour, wishing death to a person by thoughts with words (in this publican, the spirits of evil torture those,
who in his heart harbours evil against his neighbour and repays evil for evil), bestiality (killing animals)
15. The public domain of sorcery, charm, calling demons: Spiritualistic sessions to communicate with spirits, appeals to sorcerers and magicians, fortune-tellers, healers and practising magic (white, black), calling demons, going to psychics, fortune-telling, resorting to hypnosis and coding (Mesing's hypnosis, Kashpirovsky, Djuna, a phenomenon of demonic power), interest and attraction to UFOs, desire to contact them (UFOs are demonic phenomena), on the instructions of a healer went to the temple and listened to his advice.
16. Fornication: Prodigal dreams, thoughts and pleasure with them, looking at a girl (man) with lust, watching fornication films, photos (adult films), looking at the beauty of sex, dressing frankly and seductively, using provocative cosmetics, using contraception to satisfy lust, reading obscene books, films on TV, etc. (Fornication is one of the strongest weapons of the devil for the destruction of the human soul, all these sins should be told to the priest in detail, in order to purify the soul and try to guard with the help of God from these sins that bring a man down to hell. The intimate relationship between a man and a woman should be only in church and civil marriage, and these relationships are created only for the birth of new life and continuation of the species, but not as for the incitement of lust and pleasures of the flesh in earthly life).
17. The taxation of adultery: Adultery, defiling one's bed with fornication, violence
18. The taxation of Sodom's sins: Incest, sexual immorality, sexual immorality, cattle mutilation, same-sex marriages and relationships, other unnatural sins and debauchery....
19. Public heresies: Apostasy from the Orthodox faith, blasphemy, blasphemy against the faith, sinned by indifference to the faith: I kept silent when they blasphemed at me, participated in common prayer with non-believers together, approved of ecumenism - the unification of religions....
20. The taxation of unmercifulness and hard-heartedness: Denying alms, not forgiving offenders, teasing and mocking people who are weak, sick or in sins, watching violent films with interest and immoral acts, neglecting a person in his old age, neglecting people for their shortcomings, looking at others with contempt, disdain to care for people, did not show feelings of condolence, sympathy, compassion, did not help when asked for help, coldly turned away from the person asking for help, was displeased when my peace was disturbed, did not give way to the elderly, was rude to people, was indifferent to my neighbours, etc.д. ...
A detailed analysis of the concept of sin, can help build such Orthodox books that can be found in churches, such as Ignatius Bryanchaninov's "In Assistance to Penitents", John Krestyankin's "The Experience of Constructing Confession".
"if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
1 John's Epistle, Chapter 1: verse 8.
We go to the hospital to see a doctor to treat our physical body, but we should also go to the church and priests to treat mental illnesses. The list of ordeals above is just a sample of mental illnesses, a person should analyse his soul and having found mental illnesses, treat them with the help of the Lord and His Holy Church. It is good to learn to analyse every day lived, to strive for sanctification of oneself. God is the main doctor of both mental and bodily diseases, and the healing of the soul leads to the healing of the body.
Commandments of love
The greatest commandments in the law: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; and the second like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: on these two commandments the whole law and the prophets stand fast." Matthew 22:37, "Therefore in everything, as you would have men do to you, so do you also to them; for in this are the law and the prophets." Gospel of Matthew 7:12
Prayer for the deceased
The worst thing for a person is to die without God, without confession and communion, His holy sacraments. Therefore, by praying for the deceased, God gives hope to a person to save a soul close and dear to him, to do good deeds for him in his memory, to bring food as alms on the offering table in the temple, thus interceding for the prisoner's release. The more righteous is the life of the praying Christian, the more powerful is the prayer before God. "Pray one for another...much can the increased prayer of a righteous man do" James 5:16.
"Whoever prays for the dead, intercedes for his own life and salvation," says St John Chrysostom. Prayer for the repose of the departed, along with almsgiving and good deeds done in memory of our dear loved ones, can completely change not only their fate: sinful souls will be taken out of the darkness of torment to the land of peace and joy, but also we, who pray for them, will be honoured with the mercy of God. "Prayers are not in vain, nor almsgiving in vain: all these things the Holy Spirit has instituted, desiring that we should benefit one another, for the beneficence of the living in remembrance of the departed saves both. If the deceased is sinful, we can help him with our loving care, and from the place of darkness and sorrow we can transfer him to the bright world of boundless happiness, and if the deceased is righteous, he himself, being before the Throne of God, will answer our love with a fervent prayer for our soul, which is still in earthly life" John Chrysostom. Prayer for the salvation of the souls of deceased relatives and friends, almsgiving and good deeds done in their memory are the sacred duty of every member of the Orthodox Church. Love for God and neighbour, which, according to the words of Apostle Paul, never ceases (1 Corinthians 13:8), cannot end when our loved ones and relatives pass into the afterlife. The soul of every person wants not only to get to God in the Kingdom of Heaven, but also to see his relatives and close people there, and it will be bitter for the one who will not see them there, so one should not lose time now, so as not to regret and not to lament later about the wasted earthly time. If a person during his life did not go to the temple and did not work on his soul, died without confession and communion, without baptism, such souls can be saved from unrepentant sins and eternal hell only if someone will pray and beg for them here on Earth. For baptised believers in God, the Church and their relatives pray, for the unbaptised the Church does not pray, but calls for prayer in the cells, see "Prayer Book for the Deceased". Just as we need food, so the soul needs daily prayer, and even more so the departed need our prayer. "...Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap: he that soweth to his flesh from the flesh shall reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit from the spirit shall reap eternal life" Galatians 6:7-8. The Greek holy monk Paisios the Svyatorets (years of life 1924-1994), who lived in Greece on the Holy Mountain Athos said: 1. The prayers of the living for the deceased and the services performed for their repose are the last opportunity to receive help, which God gives to the deceased - until the Second Coming. After the Final Judgement, there will be no more opportunity for them to receive help. 2. Just as, when we visit prisoners, we bring them refreshments and the like and thereby alleviate their suffering, so we alleviate the suffering of the departed by the prayers and alms we offer for the repose of their souls. 3. We who live on earth have time to repent, while the unfortunate departed can no longer improve their situation on their own, but are waiting for help from us. We are therefore obliged to help them by our prayer. 4. God wants to help the departed because He is pained for them, but He does not do so because He has nobility. He does not want to give the devil the right to say, "How do You save this sinner, since he has not laboured at all?" However, when we pray for the deceased, we give God the "right" to intervene.
5. Our prayers for the deceased bring God into greater "propitiation" than for the living. That is why our Church has established the consecration of requiem koliv, requiem services, and funeral services. The requiem services are the best advocate for the souls of the departed. 6. Even just putting a candle for the soul of the deceased is already a great benefit. 7. Funeral services have such power that they can even bring the soul out of hell. (excerpts taken from the book of St Paisios Svyatogorets "Words" Volume IV "Family Life").
Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
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Orthodox Christian books
By clicking on the link, you will find books on different topics: Apologetics, Comparison of religions, Holy Bible, Icon, Lives of the Saints, Orthodox Faith, Patristics, Prayers, Quizzes in English,Worship, Contemporary Non-Orthodox Biblical Studies, Dictionaries, Textbooks, Other languages, Audiobooks
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Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
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Orthodox bells of Russia
Bell ringing is one of the essential accessories of Christian church worship. It is used:
1) to call Christians to worship and to announce the time of its beginning;
2) to announce to those not present in the church the moment of the most important prayers and sacred rites during the liturgy and other services;
3) to express the festive celebration and spiritual joy of Christians, on the greatest holidays - in addition to the service.
Each holiday has its own bell melody
A Soviet scientist has proven that the sounds of church bells heal, and even viruses die under the influence of this sound: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...-the-afterlife (Read the article)
Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
Orthodox spiritual chants and prayers
Choir of the Sretensky Monastery "Cherubic Hymn"
Hymn to the Holy Mother of God, “Agni Parthene” performed by the sisters of St. Elisabeth Monastery
Litany of Supplication. Brotherhood Choir of Pochayiv Lavra
Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
The Bible is confirmed by historical facts, if you look at the archaeological facts, you will see that Noah's Ark was found on Mount Ararat in Turkey, Egyptian chariots were found in the Red Sea when Moses led the Jews out of Egyptian captivity, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were found. These are facts that can no longer be refuted. Whoever seeks the truth finds it. There are a lot of archaeological artifacts.
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Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
Repentance is the tearing down of the wall that separates us from God. It is like the removal of a force field that prevents us from entering His Kingdom. It begins with the recognition of our own fallen nature and continues as we reconnect with our Creator. Each year during Great Lent, the church holds before us an enduring example of repentance and a reflection of the radical change that can occur in a human being with the life of St. Mary of Egypt.
Islam. Orthodox View - priest Daniel Sysoev
Islam. Orthodox View - priest Daniel Sysoev
The book represents a critical analysis of Islamic doctrine as well as analysis of theological and mystic aspects of life and work of Muhammad, Islam founder in the framework of traditional orthodox comparative theology. The author reveals basic notions of Islam and demonstrates salvific differences of Christian religion. The book is intended for a wide range of readers.
Audiobook:
Book: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/world/islam-orthodox-view/
Hieromartyr Fr. Daniel Sysoev. In this as of until now untranslated video, Fr. Daniel speaks on "What is Allah?" - The ways in which Allah can and can not be conceived, as well as Muhammad's supposed revelations by this entity.
Re: (Orthodoxy) Salvation of the soul. The meaning of life.
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Parable of the Venerable Paisius the Holy Mountaineer.
Do not tempt God's fate.
One ascetic, seeing the injustice that exists in the world, prayed to God and asked Him to reveal to him the reason why pious and righteous people fall into trouble and suffer unjustly, while the unrighteous and sinful become rich and live peacefully. When the ascetic prayed for the revelation of this secret, he heard a voice that said: - Do not test what your mind and the power of your knowledge do not reach. But since you asked to know, go down into the world and sit in one place, and pay attention to what you see, and you will understand from this experience a small part of God's judgments. Hearing this, the elder went down into the world and came to a meadow through which a road passed.
Not far from there was a spring and an old tree, in the hollow of which the elder hid well. Soon a rich man rode up on a horse. He stopped at a spring to drink some water and rest. When he had finished drinking, he took a purse with a hundred ducats out of his pocket and counted them. When he had finished counting, he wanted to put them back, but he did not notice, and the purse fell into the grass.
Soon another passerby came to the spring, found the purse with ducats, took it and ran across the fields.
A little time passed, and another passerby appeared. Being tired, he stopped at the spring, got some water, took some bread from his kerchief and began to eat.
While the poor man was eating, a rich horseman appeared and, his face changed with anger, attacked him. The poor man, having no idea about ducats, swore that he had not seen such a thing. But the other, being strong, began to whip and beat him until he killed him. Having searched all the poor man's clothes, he found nothing and left saddened.
The old man saw everything from the hollow and was amazed. He regretted and wept over the unjust murder, prayed to the Lord and said:
- Lord, what does this Thy will mean? Tell me, I beg Thee, how does Thy goodness tolerate unrighteousness? One lost ducats, another found them, and another was killed unjustly.
While the elder was praying with tears, the Angel of the Lord came down and said to him:
- Do not be sad, elder, and do not think out of vexation that this supposedly happened without the will of God. But of what happens, some happen by permission, others for punishment (education), and others by household planning.
So listen. The one who lost the ducats is a neighbor of the one who found them. The latter had a garden worth a hundred ducats. The rich man, since he was a great acquisitive, forced him to give him the garden for fifty ducats. The poor man, not knowing what to do, asked God for vengeance. Therefore God arranged for him to be repaid doubly.
Another poor man, tired, who had found nothing and was killed unjustly, once committed murder himself. However, he sincerely repented and spent the rest of his life in a Christian and God-pleasing manner. He continually asked God to forgive him for the murder and said: "My God, such a death as I have committed, grant me the same!" Of course, the Lord forgave him from the moment he showed repentance. So, having heard him, He allowed him to die violently - as he asked Him - and took him to Himself, even giving him a shining crown for his love of piety!
Finally, another, a covetous man, who had lost his ducats and committed murder, was punished for his covetousness and love of money. God allowed him to fall into the sin of murder so that his soul would become ill and come to repentance. For this reason, he now leaves the world and becomes a monk.
So, where, in what case, do you see that God was unjust, or cruel, or merciless? Therefore, in the future, do not test the fate of God, for He creates them for unrighteousness. Know also that many other things happen in the world by the will of God, for a reason that people do not know.
JUSTICE IS NOT IN GIVING EQUALITY TO EVERYONE, BUT IN RENDERING TO EVERYONE WHAT IS DUE.
Saint Basil the Great
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Parable: Which sin is more terrible - murder, fornication or drunkenness?
In Egypt there lived a hermit monk. And after many years of fighting with him, the demon promised that he would no longer oppress him with any temptations, if only he would commit one of the three sins. He proposed the following three sins: murder, fornication and drunkenness.
"Commit," he said, "any one of them: either kill a man, or fornicate, or get drunk once - and then you will remain in peace, and after that I will no longer tempt you with any temptations.
The hermit thought to himself: "To kill a man is terrible, for this is in itself a great evil, and deserves the death penalty both by God's judgment and by civil law. To commit fornication, shame, to destroy the purity of the body preserved until then - it is a pity, and it is vile to defile oneself for one who has not yet known this filth. To get drunk once, it seems, is a small sin, for a person is quickly sobered by sleep. So, I will go and get drunk, so that the demon will no longer oppress me, and I will live peacefully in the desert."
And so, taking his handicraft, he went to the city and, having sold it, entered a tavern and got drunk. By Satan's influence, it happened that he was talking with a certain shameless and adulterous woman. Being deceived, he fell with her. While he was committing sin with her, the husband of that woman came and, finding him sinning with his wife, began to beat him, and he, having recovered, began to fight with that husband and, having overcome him, killed him.
Thus, that hermit committed all three sins: fornication and murder, beginning with drunkenness. The sins that he feared and abhorred when sober, he boldly committed when drunk, and through this he ruined his many years of labor. Only later, through true repentance, could he find them again, for by the mercy of God, the former merits that he had ruined by his fall are returned to a truly repentant person.
The Works of Saint Demetrius of Rostov
