Orthodox advice. How not to make a mistake in choosing a life path? Councils of Orthodox priests. Shares faith with others

In this article you will find advice from the Optina Elders for Christians living in the world. For convenience, we have structured them point by point.

• Try to pay more attention to yourself, and not to sort out the deeds, actions and appeals of others to you, but if you do not see love in them, then this is because you yourself do not have love.
• Where there is humility, there is simplicity, and this branch of God does not test the judgments of God.
• God does not despise prayers, but sometimes he does not fulfill their desires solely in order to arrange everything better according to His Divine intention. What would happen if God - the All-Knowing - completely fulfilled our desires? I think, although I do not claim, that all earthlings perished.
• Those who live without regard for themselves will never receive a visit from grace.
• When you do not have peace, know that you do not have humility in yourself. This the Lord revealed in the following words, which at the same time show where to seek peace. He said: Learn from Me, for he is meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).

• If you do some kind of pardon to anyone, you will be pardoned for that.
• If you suffer with someone who is suffering (this seems to be a small thing), you will be counted as a martyr.
• If you forgive the offender, and for this not only all your sins will be forgiven, but you become the daughter of the Heavenly Father.
• If you pray from your heart for salvation, even if it is not enough, you will be saved.
• If you reproach yourself, accuse and condemn yourself before God for the sins felt by your conscience, and for that you will be justified.
• If you confess your sins before God, for this you will receive forgiveness and recompense.
• If you grieve over your sins, or if you are touched, or you shed a tear, or sigh, your sigh will not be hidden from Him: “For it is not hidden from Him,” says St. Simeon, - a teardrop, below the drop is a certain part. And St. Chrysostom says: "If you complain about sins, then He will accept the guilt of your salvation."
• Believe yourself every day: what have you sown at the expense of the future century, wheat or thorns? Having tested yourself, dispose yourself to correct the best the next day and spend your whole life in this way. If the present day was badly spent, so that you didn’t offer a decent prayer to God, didn’t break your heart even once, didn’t humble yourself in thought, didn’t do alms or alms to anyone, didn’t forgive the guilty, didn’t endure insults, on the contrary, didn’t refrain from anger, did not refrain from words, food, drink, or immersed his mind in impure thoughts, having considered all this according to conscience, judge yourself and rely on the next day to be more attentive to good and more careful to evil.

• To your question, what is happy life whether in splendor, glory and wealth, or in quiet, peaceful, family life, I will say that I agree with the latter, and I will add: life, passed with an unreproachable conscience and with humility, brings peace. peace and true happiness. And wealth, honor, fame and high dignity are often the cause of many sins, and this happiness is unreliable.
• People for the most part desire and seek prosperity in this life, but they try to avoid sorrows. And it seems that this is very good and pleasant, but the everlasting prosperity and happiness harms a person. He falls into various passions and sins and angers the Lord, and those who go through a sorrowful life draw closer to the Lord and more conveniently receive salvation, therefore the Lord called the joyful life a broad path: the wide gate and the broad way lead into destruction, and many are those who walk in it.(Matt. 7, 13), but called the mournful life: the narrow way and the strait gate lead into the eternal life, and they are few who find it(Matthew 7:14). And so, out of His love for us, the Lord, foreseeing the possible benefit to those who are worthy of it, leads many from the broad path, and sets them on the narrow and sorrowful path, so that through the patience of illnesses and sorrows arrange their salvation and give eternal life.
• ... You want not only to be good and have nothing bad, but also to see yourself as such. Desire is commendable, and to see one's good qualities is already food for self-love. Yes, even if we did all the behavior - everyone should consider themselves non-key slaves, and we, even being faulty in everything, do not think of ourselves as such, and therefore we are embarrassed, instead of resigning ourselves. That is why God does not give us strength for fulfillment, so that we do not ascend, but humble ourselves and acquire a pledge of humility. And when it is with us, then the virtues will be strong with us, and it will not allow us to ascend.
• We, the foolish ones, thinking to arrange our condition, grieve, fuss, deprive ourselves of peace, fulfill the abandonment of the duty of faith behind the vanity, in order to leave the children a good estate. But do we know whether it will serve them well? Do we not see children left with wealth, but wealth is not to help a stupid son - and it only served them as an excuse for bad morality. It is necessary to take care to leave children a good example of their lives and educate them in the fear of God and in His commandments, this is their main wealth. When will we look for Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then the cue here and everything we need will be added(Matthew 6:33). You say: you can't do it; today the world requires not this, but something else! Fine; but did you bear children for the light only, and not for the life to come? Comfort yourself with the word of God: if the world hates you, tell me that I hated you before(John 15, 18), and carnal wisdom is enmity against God: it does not obey the law of God, for it can(Rom. 8:7). Do not wish to be your children from glorious world, but to be good people, obedient children, and when God arranges - good spouses, tender parents, caring for those under their control, loving to everyone and condescending to enemies.
• …You have a desire to draw yourself closer to God and receive salvation. This is the whole duty of every Christian, but this is accomplished through the fulfillment of the commandments of God, which all consist in love for God and neighbor and extend to the love of enemies. Read the Gospel, there you will find the path, truth and life, preserve the Orthodox faith and the statutes of the Holy Church, learn from the writings of church pastors and teachers and think about your life according to their teachings. But the rules of prayer alone cannot be of any use to us... I advise you to try as much as possible to pay your attention to deeds of love for your neighbors: in relation to your mother, wife and children, take care of their upbringing in the Orthodox faith and good morals towards people subordinate to you and towards all near. St. Apostle Paul, counting different types virtues and deeds of self-sacrifice, says: “if I do this and this, love is not imam, there is no benefit for me.”

• Many painters depict Christ on icons, but few catch the resemblance. Thus, Christians are animated images of Christ, and whoever is meek, humble in heart and obedient among them is most like Christ.
• Murmuring against God must be avoided and feared like death, for the Lord is God. by His great mercy. He patiently endures all our sins, but His mercy cannot endure our grumbling.
• Do not impose any vows and rules on yourself without the approval of your spiritual father, with whose advice one bow will bring you more benefit than a thousand self-made bows.
• The Pharisee prayed and fasted more than ours, but without humility all his work was nothing, and therefore be jealous of the most publican humility, which is usually born from obedience, and dominates you.
• In every grief: in illness, and in poverty, and in cramped quarters, and in bewilderment, and in all troubles - it is better to think less and talk to yourself, and more often with a prayer, albeit a short one, turn to Christ God and His Most Pure Mother through which the spirit of bitter despondency will also flee, and the heart will be filled with hope in God and joy.
• Meekness and humility of heart are such virtues, without which it is impossible not only to explore the Kingdom of Heaven, but neither to be happy on earth, nor to feel peace of mind in oneself.
• Let us learn to mentally reproach and condemn ourselves for everything, and not others, for the more humble, the more profitable; God loves the humble and pours out His grace on them.
• No matter what grief befalls you, no matter what trouble happens to you, you say: “I will endure this for Jesus Christ!”. Just say it and you'll feel better. For the name of Jesus Christ is powerful. With him, all troubles subside, demons disappear. Your annoyance subsides, and your cowardice will calm down when you repeat His sweetest name. Lord, let me see my sins; Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness.

• Don't be ashamed to expose your scabs spiritual guide and be ready to accept from him for your sins and shame, so that through him you will avoid eternal shame.
• The Church is for us the earthly heaven, where God Himself is invisibly present and overseeing those who are coming, therefore, in the church one should stand decorously, with great reverence. Let us love the Church and be zealous towards her; she is our joy and consolation in sorrows and joys.
• To encourage the mourners, the elder often said: If the Lord is after us, who is after us?(Rom. 8:31).
• Every deed must begin with an invocation of the name of God to help.
• The elder often spoke about guarding one's conscience, about carefully observing one's thoughts, actions, and words, and about repentance for them.
• He taught the infirmities and shortcomings of his subordinates to carry complacently. “Make comments,” the elder instructed, “not giving food to your own pride, wondering if you yourself could bear what you demand from another.”
• If you feel that anger has seized you. keep silent and don't say anything until then unceasing prayer and your heart will not be quieted by self-reproach.
• It is more beneficial for the soul to recognize itself as guilty in everything and the last of all, than to resort to self-justification, which comes from pride, and God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
• Often the elder quoted the saying of the apostle: “True love is not irritated, does not think evil, never falls away.”

• If we leave our desires and understandings and strive to fulfill the desires and understandings of God, then in every place and in every condition we will be saved. And if we stick to our desires and understandings, then no place, no state will help us. Eve even in Paradise transgressed the commandment of God, but Judas the ill-fated life with the Savior Himself did not bring any benefit. Everywhere patience and compulsion to a pious life is needed, as we read in the Holy Gospel.
• ... It will be in vain to accuse that those who live with us and those around us hinder and impede our salvation or spiritual perfection ... our spiritual and spiritual unsatisfactoriness comes from ourselves, from our lack of art and from an incorrectly formed opinion, which we do not want to part with. And it is this that brings on us both confusion, and doubt, and various bewilderment; and all this torments and burdens us, and leads us into a desolate state. It would be good if we could understand a simple patristic word: if we humble ourselves, then we will find peace in every place, without going around with our minds many other places where the same thing can happen to us, if not worse.
• The main means to salvation is the enduring of various tribulations, which are suitable for whom, according to what is said in the “Acts of the Apostles”: “Through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven”…
• Those who want to be saved must remember and not forget the apostolic commandment: “bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the Law of Christ.” There are many other commandments, but not a single one has such an addition, that is, “thus fulfill the Law of Christ.” This commandment is of great importance, and we must take care of its fulfillment before others.
• …Many wish for a good spiritual life in the simplest form, but not many and rare actually fulfill their good wish - namely, those who firmly hold on to words Holy Scripture that “with many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” and, calling on God’s help, they try to meekly endure the sorrows and illnesses that befall them, and various inconveniences, always keeping in mind the words of the Lord Himself: “if you wish to enter into the stomach, keep the commandments.”
• And the main commandments of the Lord: “Do not judge, and they will not judge you; do not condemn, lest you condemn; let go and it will be released to you.” In addition, those who wish to be saved should always keep in mind the words of St. Peter of Damascus, that creation takes place between fear and hope.
• The cause of our salvation requires in every place, wherever a person lives, the fulfillment of the commandments of God and obedience to the will of God. This only acquires the peace of the soul, and nothing else, as it is said in the psalms: "Peace to many who love Your law, and there is no temptation for them." And you are still looking for inner peace and peace of mind from external circumstances. Everything seems to you that you live in the wrong place, that you have settled with the wrong people, that you yourself did not order it that way and that others seemed to act in the wrong way. The Holy Scripture says: “His dominion is in every place,” that is, God’s, and that the salvation of one Christian soul is dearer to God than all the things of the whole world.
• The Lord is ready to help a person in acquiring humility, as in all good things, but it is necessary that the person himself take care of himself. Said by St. Fathers: "give blood and receive spirit." This means - work hard until the shedding of blood and you will receive a spiritual gift. And you seek and ask for spiritual gifts, but it is a pity for you to shed blood, that is, you want everything, so that no one touches you, does not disturb you. Yes, with a calm life, is it possible to acquire humility? After all, humility consists in when a person sees himself as the worst of all, not only people, but also dumb animals and even the spirits of evil themselves. And so, when people disturb you, you see that you do not tolerate this and are angry with people, then you will inevitably consider yourself bad ... If at the same time you regret your badness and reproach yourself for the malfunction, and sincerely repent of this before God and the spiritual father, then you are already on the path of humility ... And if no one touched you, and you would remain at peace, how could you be aware of your thinness? How could you see your vices?.. If they try to humiliate you, it means they want to humble you; and you yourself ask God for humility. Why then mourn for people?
• To the question: “How to listen to yourself, where to start?”, the following answer followed: “You must first write down: how you go to church, how you stand, how you look, how proud you are, how conceited, how angry and so on.”
• Whoever has a bad heart should not despair, because with God's help a man can fix his heart. You just need to carefully monitor yourself and not miss the opportunity to be useful to your neighbor, often open up to the elder and do all possible alms. This, of course, cannot be done suddenly, but the Lord endures for a long time. He only ends the life of a person when he sees him ready for the transition to eternity, or when he sees no hope for his correction.
• Teaching that even unimportant circumstances should not be neglected in the spiritual life, the elder sometimes said: “Moscow burned down from a penny candle.”
• Regarding the condemnation and remarking of other people's sins and shortcomings, the priest said: “You need to pay attention to your inner life so as not to notice what is happening around you. Then you won't judge."
• Pointing out that a person has nothing to be proud of, the elder added: “And what is a person really to be proud of here? Ragged, plucked, asks for alms: have mercy, have mercy! And whether mercy will be given, who knows.”
• When pride strikes, say to yourself: "The eccentric walks."
• The priest was asked: “Such and such does not die for a long time, she always imagines cats and so on. Why is that?" Answer: “Every, even a small sin, must be written down, as you remember, and then repent. That’s why some don’t die for a long time, which delays some unrepentant sin, but as soon as they repent, they are relieved ... By all means, you need to write down sins, as you remember, otherwise we postpone: sometimes the sin is small, then it’s embarrassing to say or later I’ll say, but we come to repent and there’s nothing say".
• Three rings cling to each other: hatred from anger, anger from pride.
• "Why do people sin?" - the elder sometimes asked a question and answered it himself: “Or because they don’t know what to do and what to avoid; or, if they know, they forget; if they do not forget, then they are lazy, discouraged ... These are the three giants - despondency or laziness, oblivion and ignorance - from which the whole human race is bound by insoluble bonds. And then negligence follows with all the host of evil passions. That is why we pray to the Queen of Heaven: “My Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos, with Thy holy and all-powerful prayers, forgive me, Thy humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, carelessness and all the filthy, crafty and blasphemous thoughts.”
• Don't be like a pesky fly that sometimes flies around uselessly, and sometimes bites, and bothers both; but be like the wise bee that diligently began its work in the spring and finished honeycombs by autumn, which are as good as correctly set notes. One is sweet and the other is pleasant.
• When they wrote to the elder that it was hard in the world, he replied: “That is why it (the earth) is called the vale of weeping; but some people are crying, while others are jumping, but the last will not be good.”
• To the question: “What does it mean to live according to one’s heart?”, the priest answered: “Do not interfere in other people’s affairs and see everything good in others.”
• Batiushka said: “We must live on earth as a wheel turns, with only one point touching the earth, and with the rest it constantly strives upwards; and we, as soon as we lie down on the ground, cannot get up.”
• To the question: “How to live?”, the priest answered: “To live is not to grieve, not to condemn anyone, not to annoy anyone, and all my respect.”
• We must live without hypocrisy and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be right, otherwise it will turn out badly.
• One must force oneself, though against one's will, to do some good to one's enemies; and most importantly - do not take revenge on them and be careful not to somehow offend them with a look of contempt and humiliation.
• So that people do not remain careless and do not place their hopes on outside prayer help, the elder repeated the usual folk saying: “God help me, and the peasant himself does not lie down.” And he added: “Remember, the twelve apostles asked the Savior for a Canaanite wife, but He did not hear them; but she herself began to ask, begged.
• Batiushka taught that salvation has three degrees. Said by St. John Chrysostom:

a) do not sin
b) having sinned. repent,
c) whoever repents badly, endure the tribulations that find him.

• Somehow they started talking about sorrows, and one of them says: “Better illness than sorrow.” The father replied: “No. in sorrow you will pray to God and they will depart, but you will not fight off the disease with a stick.
• When the blues come, do not forget to reproach yourself: remember how much you are guilty before the Lord and before yourself, and realize that you are not worthy of anything better, and you will immediately feel relieved. It is said: "many sorrows for the righteous", and "many wounds for sinners". Such is our life here - all sorrows and sorrows; and it is through them that the Kingdom of Heaven is attained. When you are restless, repeat more often: "Seek peace and marry and."
• After communion, one must ask the Lord to keep the gift worthy and that the Lord give help not to return back, that is, the former sins.
• When the priest was asked: “Why, after communion, do you sometimes feel consolation, and sometimes coldness?”, He answered: “He who seeks consolation from communion, and who considers himself unworthy, grace remains with him.”
• Humility consists in yielding to others and considering yourself the worst of all. It will be much quieter.
• “It’s always better to give in,” the priest said, “if you insist fairly, it’s the same as a ruble of banknotes, and if you give in, a ruble in silver.”
• To the question “How to acquire the fear of God?”, the priest answered: “You must always have God before you. I will take out the foreknowledge of the Lord before me.”
• When you are annoyed, never ask: "why" and "why". This is not found anywhere in Scripture. It says on the contrary: “They will hit you on right cheek turn the left one too," and this is what it means: if they beat you for the truth, then do not grumble and turn the left, that is, remember your wrong deeds and you will see that you are worthy of punishment. At the same time, the father added: “Be patient with the Lord, and listen to me.”
• “Father! teach me patience." one sister said. “Learn,” the elder replied, “and start with patience when you find and encounter troubles.” “I can’t understand how one can not be indignant at insults and injustices.” The answer of the elder: "Be fair yourself and do not offend anyone."
• Batiushka used to say: “Moses endured, Elisha endured, Elijah endured, I will also endure.”
• The elder often cited the proverb: “If you run away from the wolf, you will attack the bear.” There is only one thing left - to be patient and wait, paying attention to yourself and not judging others, and praying to the Lord and the Queen of Heaven, that he will arrange useful things for you, as they please.

WITH advice of the Monk Anatoly (Zertsalov)

• It is evident that you are trying and wishing to be saved, but you do not know how, you do not understand the spiritual life. Here the whole secret is to endure what God sends. And you will not see how you enter paradise.
• Consider yourself the worst of all, and you will be the best of all.
• ... Your patience should not be reckless, that is, joyless, but patience with reason - that the Lord sees in all your deeds, in your very soul, as we see in the face of a loved one ... He sees and tests: what will you be like in sorrows? If you endure, you will be His beloved. And if you do not endure and complain, but repent, you will still be His beloved.
• Any prayer to God is profitable. And what exactly - we do not know about it. He is the One righteous Judge, and we can recognize lies as truth. Pray and believe.
• ... I'm telling you a secret, I'm telling you the best way to find humility. This is what: every pain that pricks a proud heart, endure. And wait day and night for mercy from the All-Merciful Savior. Whoever waits so, will certainly receive it.
• Learn to be meek and silent, and you will be loved by all. And open feelings are the same as open gates: both a dog and a cat run there... and they shit.
• We are obliged to love everyone, but to be loved, we dare not demand.

• Sorrow is our path, we will go until we reach the fatherland of eternity assigned to us, but only grief that we care little about eternity and do not tolerate even a small reproach in a word. We ourselves increase our sorrows when we begin to grumble.
• Whoever conquered the passions and acquired spiritual reason, without external formation, has access to everyone's heart.
• An imposed rule is always difficult, and doing with humility is even more difficult.
• What is acquired with labor is useful.
• If you see the error of your neighbor, which: you would like to correct, if it violates your peace of mind and irritates you, then you also sin and, therefore, you will not correct the error with error - it is corrected with meekness.
• The human conscience is like an alarm clock. If the alarm clock rang, and knowing that you need to go to obedience, you get up right away, then you will always hear it later, and if you don’t immediately get up for several days in a row, saying: “I’ll lie down a little more,” then in the end you wake up from his ringing you will not.
• What is easy for the body is not good for the soul, and what is good for the soul is hard for the body.
• You ask: “How to do to consider yourself as nothing?” Thoughts of arrogance come, and it is impossible that they do not come. But one must oppose them with thoughts of humility. As you do, remembering your sins and various shortcomings. So continue to act and always remember that our entire earthly life should be spent in the fight against evil. In addition to considering your shortcomings, you can also humbly philosophize: “I don’t have anything good ... My body is not mine, it was created by God in the mother’s womb. My soul was given to me by the Lord. Therefore, all spiritual and bodily abilities are gifts of God. And my property is only my innumerable sins, with which I daily angered and anger the Merciful Lord. Why then should I be conceited and proud? Nothing.” And with such reflections, prayerfully ask for mercy from the Lord. In all sinful encroachments, there is only one cure - sincere repentance and humility.
• There are many who weep, but not about what is needed, many who mourn, but not about sins, there are many who are humble, as it were, but not truly. The example of the Lord Jesus Christ shows us with what meekness and patience we must endure human errors.

• There are different paths to salvation. The Lord saves some in the monastery, others in the world. Saint Nicholas of Myra went into the wilderness to labor there in fasting and prayer, but the Lord commanded him to go into the world. “This is not a field where you will bear fruit for Me,” said the Savior. Saints Taisia, Mary of Egypt, Eudoxia also did not live in monasteries. You can be saved everywhere, just don't leave the Savior. Cling to the robe of Christ and Christ will not leave you.
• A sure sign of the mortification of the soul is the avoidance of church services. A person who grows cold towards God, first of all, begins to avoid going to church, at first he tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops attending the temple of God.
• Those who seek Christ find Him, according to the true gospel word: “Knock and it will be opened to you, seek and you will find”, “There are many abodes in the house of My Father”.
• And note that here the Lord speaks not only of the heavenly, but also of the earthly abodes, and not only of the internal, but also of the external.
• The Lord puts each soul in such a position, surrounds it with such an environment that is most conducive to its success. This is the outer abode, but the peace and joy fills the soul - the inner abode, which the Lord prepares for those who love and seek Him.
• Don't read godless books, stay faithful to Christ. If asked about faith, answer boldly. “Do you seem to frequent the church?” “Yes, because I find satisfaction in it.” - “Do you want to become a saint?” - "Everyone wants this, but it does not depend on us, but on the Lord." This way you will repel the enemy.
• It is impossible to learn to fulfill the commandments of God without labor, and this labor is three-part - prayer, fasting and sobriety.
• I have to hear complaints that we are now going through difficult times, that now complete freedom has been given to all heretical and godless teachings, that the Church is being attacked by enemies from all sides and it becomes terrible for her that these muddy waves of unbelief and heresies will overcome her. I always answer: “Don't worry! Don't be afraid for the Church! She will not perish: the gates of hell will not overcome her until the Last Judgment. Do not be afraid for her, but you must be afraid for yourself, and it is true that our time is very difficult. From what? Yes, because now it is especially easy to fall away from Christ, and then - death.
• Something gloomy, terrible is coming into the world ... A person remains, as it were, defenseless, so this evil force, and he does not realize what he is doing ... Even suicide is suggested ... Why is this happening? Because they do not take up arms - they do not carry the name of Jesus and the sign of the cross.
• Life is bliss... Life will become bliss for us when we learn to fulfill the commandments of Christ and love Christ. Then it will be joyful to live, joyfully endure the sorrows that find, and ahead of us the Sun of Truth, the Lord, will shine with indescribable light ... All the Gospel commandments begin with the words: Blessed - blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers ... From this it follows, as a truth, that the fulfillment of the commandments brings people the highest happiness.
• All our life is great mystery God's. All the circumstances of life, no matter how insignificant they may seem, are of great importance. Meaning real life we will fully understand in the next century. How cautiously one should treat it, and we leaf through our life like a book - sheet by sheet, not realizing what is written there. There is no chance in life, everything is created by the will of the Creator.
• In order to become like God, one must fulfill His holy commandments, and if we examine it, it turns out that we have not truly fulfilled any of them. Let's go through them all, and it turns out that we barely touched that commandment, maybe we just started to fulfill the other one, but, for example, we did not start the commandment about love for enemies. What is left for us sinners to do? How to be saved? The only way is through humility. “Lord, in everything I am a sinner, I have nothing good, I only hope for Your boundless mercy.” We are bankrupt before the Lord, but for humility He will not reject us. Indeed, it is better, having sins, to consider yourself great sinners, than, having some good deeds, to be puffed up by them, considering yourself righteous. The Gospel depicts two such examples in the person of the Pharisee and the publican.
• We are living in a terrible time. People who confess Jesus Christ and visit the temple of God are subjected to ridicule and condemnation. These ridicule will turn into open persecution, and do not think that this will happen in a thousand years, no, it will soon come. I won't live to see it, and some of you will see it. And torture and torment will begin again, but it is good for those who remain faithful to Christ God.

• God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble, and the grace of God is everything ... There you and greatest wisdom. Here you humble yourself and say to yourself: “Although I am a grain of earth, the Lord cares about me, and may the will of God be done to me.” Now, if you say this not only with your mind, but also with your heart, and really boldly, as befits a true Christian, rely on the Lord, with the firm intention of meekly obeying the will of God, whatever it may be, then the clouds will disperse before you, and the sun will come out and will illuminate and warm you, and you will know true joy from the Lord, and everything will seem clear and transparent to you, and you will stop suffering, and it will become easy on your soul.
• Here you are asking the fastest way to humility. Of course, first of all, one should recognize oneself as a weakest worm, unable to do anything good without the gift of the Holy Spirit from our Lord Jesus Christ, given by the prayer of ours and our neighbors and by His mercy ...
• They say the temple is boring. Boring because they do not understand the service! Need to study! Boring because they don't care about him. Here he seems not his own, but a stranger. At least they brought flowers or greenery for decoration, they would take part in the chores of decorating the temple - it would not be boring.
• Live simply, according to your conscience, always remember what the Lord sees, and pay no attention to the rest!

Prophecy about the fate of Russia

There will be a storm, and the Russian ship will be broken. Yes, it will be, but after all, people are saved on chips and debris. Not all, not all will perish... God will not leave those who trust in Him. We must pray, we must all repent and pray fervently... And there will be (after the storm) calm... there will be a great miracle of God, yes. And all the chips and fragments, by the will of God and His power, will gather and unite, and the ship will be recreated in its beauty and will go on its course, intended by God. So it will be, a miracle revealed to all.

• The position of Job is a law for every person. While rich, noble, in prosperity. God doesn't respond. When a person is in a dungeon, rejected by everyone, then God appears and Himself talks with a person, and a person only listens and cries out: “Lord, have mercy!”. Only the measure of humiliation is different.
• Most importantly, beware of judging loved ones. Whenever condemnation comes to mind, immediately turn with attention: “Lord, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”
• He spoke about the high gradualness of the spiritual path, about the fact that “coercion is needed for everything. Now, if dinner is served, and you want to eat and you smell a delicious smell, after all, the spoon itself will not bring you food. You need to force yourself to get up, come up, take a spoon and then eat. And no deed is done all at once - waiting and patience are required everywhere.”
• Life is given to a person so that it serves him, not he, that is, a person should not become a slave to his circumstances, should not sacrifice his inner to the outer. In serving life, a person loses proportion, works without prudence and comes to a very sad bewilderment; he does not know why he lives. This is a very harmful bewilderment and often happens: a person, like a horse, is lucky and lucky, and suddenly such ... spontaneous punctuation finds on him.
• He asks which way to go to God. Walk the path of humility! The humble bearing of the difficult circumstances of life, the humble patience of the diseases sent by the Lord; the humble hope that you will not be abandoned by the Lord, the Quick Helper and loving Heavenly Father; humble prayer for help from above, for driving away despondency and a sense of hopelessness, with which the enemy of salvation tries to lead to despair, disastrous for a person, depriving him of grace and removing God's mercy from him.
• The meaning of the Christian life, according to the words of the holy Apostle Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians: "... glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's." So, having inscribed these holy words in the souls and hearts, one should take care that the disposition and actions in life serve the glory of God and the edification of others.

• Let the prayer rule be better small, but performed constantly and carefully ...
• Let us take as an example a saint suitable to our position, and let us rely on his example. All the saints suffered because they followed the path of the Savior who suffered: he was persecuted, reviled, slandered and crucified. And all who follow Him inevitably suffer. "In the world you will mourn." And all who wish to live piously will be persecuted. “If you begin to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.” In order to endure suffering more easily, one must have strong faith, ardent love for the Lord, not be attached to anything earthly, completely surrender to the will of God.
• The blasphemers must be looked upon as sick, from whom we demand that they do not cough or spit...
• If it is not possible to fulfill the vow of obedience, there is no one to obey, one must be ready to do everything according to the will of God. There are two kinds of obedience: external and internal.
• With external obedience, complete obedience is required, the execution of every deed without reasoning. Inner obedience refers to the inner, spiritual life and requires guidance spiritual father. But the advice of a spiritual father should be verified by the Holy Scriptures... True obedience, which brings great benefit to the soul, is when for obedience you do what is not in accordance with your desire, in defiance of yourself. Then the Lord Himself takes you into His arms...
• The Lord created doctors and medicine. Treatment cannot be denied.
• With weakness of strength and fatigue, you can sit in church: “Son, give Mi your heart". “It is better to think about God while sitting than standing on your feet,” said St. Philaret of Moscow.
• You don't have to give in to your feelings. We must force ourselves to treat kindly even with those who do not like us.
• You should not believe in omens. There are no clues. The Lord controls us by His Providence, and I do not depend on any bird or day or anything else. Whoever believes in prejudices, his soul is heavy, and whoever considers himself dependent on the Providence of God, on the contrary, his soul is joyful.
• The "Jesus Prayer" will replace the sign of the cross, if for some reason it will not be possible to lay it.
• Without the urgent need for holidays can't work. The holiday should be treasured and honored. This day should be dedicated to God: to be in the temple, pray at home and read the Holy Scriptures and the works of St. fathers, do good deeds.
• We must love every person, seeing in him the image of God, despite his vices. You can't keep people away from you with coldness.
• What is better: rarely or often to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ? - hard to say. Zacchaeus gladly accepted into his house the dear Guest - the Lord, and did well. And the centurion, out of humility, realizing his lack of dignity, did not dare to accept, and also did well. Their actions, although opposite, are the same in motivation. And they appeared before the Lord equally worthy. The point is to worthily prepare yourself for the great Sacrament.
• When asked Reverend Seraphim, why at present there are no such ascetics as there were before, he answered: “Because there is no determination to go through great feats, but the grace is the same; Christ is the same forever.”
• Persecution and oppression are good for us, for they strengthen faith.
• We must consider everything bad, as well as the passions that fight us, not our own, but from the enemy - the devil. It is very important. Only then can passion be conquered when you do not consider it your own ...
• If you want to get rid of sadness, do not attach your heart to anything or anyone. Sadness comes from attachment to visible things.
• There has never been, is not and never will be a carefree place on earth. A carefree place can only be in the heart when the Lord is in it.
• In sorrows and temptations the Lord helps us. He does not free us from them, but gives us the strength to endure them easily, not even noticing them.
• Silence prepares the soul for prayer. Silence, how it has a beneficial effect on the soul!
• We Orthodox should not support heresy. Even if we had to suffer, we would not betray Orthodoxy.
• Human truth should not be pursued. Seek only the truth of God.
• The spiritual father, like a pillar, only points the way, but you have to go yourself. If the spiritual father will point, and his disciple himself will not move, then he will not go anywhere, but will rot near this pillar.
• When the priest, blessing, says the prayer: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” then a mystery is performed: the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the person being blessed. And when a person utters a renunciation of God even with his lips, grace departs from him, all his concepts change, he becomes completely different.
• Before you ask the Lord for forgiveness, you must forgive yourself ... So it is said in the "Lord's Prayer".
• Silence is good for the soul. When we talk, then it's hard to hold back. from idle talk and condemnation. But there is bad silence, this is when someone gets angry and therefore is silent.
• Always remember the law of spiritual life: if you are embarrassed by some shortcoming of another person and condemn him, later on you will suffer the same fate, and you will suffer from the same shortcoming.
• Do not attach your heart to the vanity of the world. Especially during prayer, leave all thoughts about worldly things. After prayer, home or church, in order to maintain a prayerful tender mood, silence is necessary. Sometimes even a simple, insignificant word can break and frighten away tenderness from our soul.
• Self-justification closes spiritual eyes, and then a person sees something other than what it really is.
• If you say something bad about a brother or sister, even if it is true, then you will inflict an incurable wound on your soul. It is possible to convey about the errors of another only if in your heart the only intention is the benefit of the soul of the sinner.
• Patience is uninterrupted complacency.
• Your salvation and your destruction is in your neighbor. Your salvation depends on how you treat your neighbor. Do not forget to see the image of God in your neighbor.
• Every deed, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, do it carefully, as before the face of God. Remember that the Lord sees everything.

About the right choice life path not only those who are just starting independent steps along the road of life, but also those who have already traveled a very significant segment of it, are thinking. Someone realized that he was going the wrong way, someone was beckoned by side paths, showing other opportunities for realizing their talents ... What to do? How to determine which path is right for you? How to understand what God's providence is for you? What should be done to open the road of life in a clear perspective? And who can help if you're at a crossroads? Pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church give their advice

THE LORD REVEALS HIS WILL TO THOSE WHO LIVE BY HIS WILL

Not a single person is born just like that, as a result of a combination of some random circumstances. Each of us is called to be by the will of God.. We can say that even before the existence of the world, before the existence of this entire universe each of us was already present in God's plan. And therefore there was a divine plan for each of us. And, of course, the Lord wants us to fulfill this plan in our lives, so that each of us, as far as possible, lives a full life, a happy life. AND implemented everything those talents that the Lord has given us.

Hence, we just have to trust Him and ask Him to show us the way. Of course one can say: “Here, I pray to God, I ask Him to open this path for me, but I do not receive an answer. Why?" There is always an answer to this question, and the answer is very simple, which, nevertheless, is very difficult to understand. When a person strives to fulfill the will of God in everything in which it is obvious, the Lord reveals His will to him in those situations when it seems to be hidden. If a person does not fulfill the obvious will of God, then it is all the more hidden from him at certain moments when we especially need to know it. And the answer, indeed, turns out to be very clear: if you strive to do the will of God every day in your daily life, then the Lord will surely reveal it to you when you especially need to know it, including showing you your way.

And one more thing: when we ask God for something, we often hide the following thought in ourselves: “Here, Lord, I ask for this and that, but I really want it to be like this”. I ask the Lord to reveal His will to me, but at the same time I have a clear idea of ​​what I myself want. And you have to give it up offer oneself to God as if completely naked from all desires and talk: "Lord, as You please, so be it." And at the same time, to understand that in fact what God pleases, we may not like at all, and that we give God the freedom to do with us what He wants, and this can be both difficult and unpleasant for us, and even painful, and painful.

But there is another thing to remember: if we understand all this and ask for it, The Lord not only reveals His will to us, but also helps us to fulfill it, and He Himself builds our whole life.. AND the path to this lies through trust- something that is so difficult and so necessary.

CHOOSE A PATH, YOU NEED TO HAVE AND THE DECISION TO FOLLOW IT

When choosing your good path, you must, first of all, take into account the determination of your will to stay on this path irreversibly! You need to pray for this so that the clarity of what the heart inclines to appears in the heart. This can be seen both from the past successful experiences of encounters with this ministry, and from the heartfelt inspiration when you study the possible prospects for your gradual ascent to perfection in it.

A PROFESSION MAY NOT MATCH WITH A VOCATION, BUT GIVE THE MEANS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION

I have no answer to this question, other than the general considerations that

profession should not be contrary to the commandments(killer, porn actor, etc. have nothing to do with what we can choose from). That is, before making a positive choice, it would be good to immediately cut off everything that is improper;

a profession may not coincide with a vocation, being a means for the realization of the latter. For example, a person can earn money as a businessman, but invest his soul in the creation of a gallery, which later became known as the Tretyakovskaya;

chance is a pseudonym for Providence, and if you have an unplanned opportunity to gain some skills, learn a language, take part in some good deed (not to the detriment of other deeds), better try. Because from these seemingly random options, a tree of life can grow that is very different from what we have designed for ourselves;

in some cases, our profession is given to us so that we step over it and move on. How this happens is told by Tolkien's deathbed and very small narration “Niggle's brush sheet”, or “Melkin's work sheet” - depending on the translation into Russian.

IT IS NECESSARY TO CONSULT WITH THE Confessor CORRECTLY

If we are talking about doubts about whether an existing profession has been chosen correctly, then remember what people say: “They don’t look for good from good”. You have a job, you are satisfied with it, well, thank God. As the saying goes: "Best the enemy of the good". You have - and have and thank God.

If you are at the beginning of your journey, finished school, college, choose your path in life, then, of course, this is the most important and most difficult problem, but for a church person, it is resolved in some ways easier, because you can consult with a confessor. Of course you have to consult with parents. And pray, seek. The confessor also needs to be offered options, and not like this: “Tell me, father, what should I do?” - “What do you want to do, what is your soul for?” - “No, you tell me, father!” So, perhaps, you can apply if this is really a spirit-bearing elder, to whom the Lord reveals His will. But are there such elders now? Somehow the Lord hides them from us, or maybe we just don’t know these wonderful people, because the world is held together by the prayers of the righteous, and the righteous will never become scarce with the Lord. Another thing is how to find an old man ...

Well, if you yourself cannot lean towards something definite yet, then think, pray, consult, look for options, and if there are several options, choose the best one, the one that attracts you the most. Let's say there is more interesting work, but in another place they pay more. You must understand what is more important to you. And although, perhaps, an interesting job attracts you, you have a family, you have to support it, earnings are important, even at a “boring” job, what can you do ... Or, on the contrary, you see that the work is so interesting, you are so you burn with it, and there is a chance that after some time you will succeed and you will have material well-being... There are a lot of pros and cons, they need to be weighed and, of course, discussed with people who love you, know you, pray for you and help you. Then you will find the right solution.

A PERSON SHOULD DO WHAT HE LIKE

I am deeply convinced that a man should do what he likes. Earth life too short to spend it on uninteresting activities for us, unless, of course, you are the head of a large family and simply need to be able to feed it. But in this case, you can look for something to your liking.

People come to the conclusion that they need to do what they want when they find out that they have ... a fatal (or terrible) diagnosis. I had to deal with this many times. Only a person who has been told that he has, for example, oncology, suddenly says to himself: stop! Why am I selling sausage, if all my life I dreamed of taking up photography?! or all my life I wanted to sing, so why not learn now?!

And these people are doing what they love. And often they recover or receive support in illness, because the activity that they like is a huge potential and resource, thanks to which the whole human being is restored and feels better. And I think that it seems that a person in such circumstances intuitively feels what he needs to survive.

It is, of course, easier for a Christian than for an unbeliever to make the right choice..

And that's why.

First: we understand that there is eternity, therefore, the acquisition, earning cannot be an end in itself for us. Already one understanding of this is an incentive to do what you want, and not something more profitable.

Second: a Christian knows (from the Holy Scriptures) that God has measured out his talents and gifts to each of us. And everyone can serve the Church in their own way. The apostle Paul said this beautifully:

“The gifts are different, but the Spirit is the same; and the ministries are different, but the Lord is one and the same; and the actions are different, but God is one and the same, working everything in everyone. But everyone is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit. To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; faith to another, by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; miracles to another, prophecy to another, discernment of spirits to another, different languages, a different interpretation of tongues. All this is done by the same Spirit, dividing to each one individually, as He pleases.(1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Just think: each of us has his own gifts, and this is from God! How amazing that we can realize the precious potential that God gave us, and all this is for the benefit of the Body of Christ - the Church and for our salvation!

Therefore, it is necessary listen to yourself and try to decide what you want to do, what your soul lies in. And try yourself. Even if you don’t guess right the first time, I don’t see anything wrong with that.

CHOOSE YOUR LIFE PATH, LOOK INTO YOUR HEART

Perhaps, choosing a path in life is one of the most difficult and painful. Even in the lower grades of the school, they are given to write an essay on the topic: "Who am I going to be?" But the soul, as a rule, rushes from one to another for many years. For example, for a long time I wanted to become an investigator, to solve crimes, but in the end I became a priest, and now, in a sense, crimes also have to be solved, or rather, people themselves reveal their sins at confession, and my task is not to imprison those who have fallen into spiritual crimes, but, on the contrary, to help them gain true freedom of heart.

The most important thing that I personally would advise is choose a profession not on the principle of “how much they pay”, but on the principle of “how much it inspires and pleases”. If you look for a job just for the sake of earning money, you will never be satisfied. In our spoiled soul there is no clear criterion of security. Experience shows that no matter how much a person strives to earn, he still wants more. In fact richer is the one who is less attached to money than others who are least dependent on their accumulation.

Work should be fun and enjoyable.. Therefore, I will offer the most elementary advice: think about what you, in fact, would like to do? So try to master it.

The choice of a profession should be approached in the same way as the choice of a life partner.. In order not to be mistaken, it is important to feel the kinship in your heart, that this is yours, corresponding to yours. inner world that is dear to your heart. Then you can avoid unnecessary mistakes in advance.

There is such a thing as calling. The Lord put some gifts into the soul of every person. After all, someone is called to become a surgeon, and someone is a teacher, someone is a military man, and someone is a chorister on the kliros of a parish church. We can recognize a vocation as a special inner call that tells us what to strive for and what to look for, and is accompanied by a special creative inspiration. This is a new understanding of life, when landmarks appear and you are trying to achieve a goal that has suddenly arisen for you. This is an inner voice that needs to be heard, and this requires sensitivity to what is happening inside.

Here it is important to look inside your own heart listen to his inner call. And let the choice of the life path correspond to the search of the heart, then this choice will not oppress, but nourish and strengthen the soul.

Sometimes a person is still lost and does not know what step to take. At least, we can pray that the Lord will enlighten, enlighten and has directed our lives for good. The Savior said:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you"(Matthew 7:7).

The main thing is not to sit idly by. Who seeks nothing will find nothing and whoever seeks will certainly find. The Lord hears the prayers of seeking people and always helps them.

A MAN DOES NOT KNOW GOD'S WILL IF IT DOES NOT ACT

One thing can be said the person does not know A is the will of God if, firstly, he does not seek with all his heart the fulfillment of God's will, and secondly, if he doesn't act. Mistakes are not terrible. These are mistakes, not conscious sins. Because when a person really seeks the fulfillment of the will of God and acts, the Lord finds an opportunity to reveal to a person what he is right about and what he is wrong about, what needs to grow and be affirmed, and what to leave. Moreover, perhaps there is no other way. And when a person looks for an experienced confessor to ask him God's will about himself, this is good, of course, and right, but even here much depends on the faith of the person himself, on the intensity of his prayer. Because if a person is serious and prays with faith, the Lord will surely reveal His will to him, and if he remains in carelessness and relaxation, then no elder, even a truly spirit-bearing one, will help him.

Life is a creative process, and the Lord wants us to live full, creative lives., using all his strength to avoid sin and to do consciously the commandments of God. Now, if there is such an attitude, then no matter what we do, the Lord will certainly help us find our place in life, go on our own path.

THE MAIN THING IS TO STAY A CHRISTIAN

Standing at a crossroads, you need first of all, to establish yourself in the decision that you will go along the chosen path as a Christian. First of all, you will be a Christian, secondly - a doctor, or a lawyer, or an athlete.. You need to carefully weigh and evaluate: can you withstand this prioritization? Will sports, or business, or something else swallow up your Christian beliefs? Will you not be forced in the framework of your professional activities to act contrary to the commandments, as do, say, doctors who perform abortions.

The main thing - after consulting, thinking, praying, make a decision on your own.

And there is also a lot of evidence when people went to a radical change in their lifestyle when they realized that something was going wrong. And they did it! Was a businessman - became an artist. Was a builder - became a livestock breeder. Was a livestock breeder - became a priest! Who doesn't make mistakes? That's right: the one who does nothing.

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One elder said: "There are many good and pious priests, but one out of a thousand can correctly lead a person's spiritual life - this is a special gift of God."

The author of the advice and instructions collected here is Father Valentin (Mordasov). He devoted all his free time from worship to his flock. As to an inexhaustible source, suffering people, seeking spiritual enlightenment or simply life advice, were drawn to him.

1. Does our salvation depend on external circumstances?

Our salvation does not depend on anything external: what matters is not whether someone is noble or not noble, rich or poor, but whether he is virtuous, whether he believes, whether he cares about spiritual success and whether he loves God (St. Clement of Alexandria).

2. How to live in order to be saved?

Every deed of piety and Christian love: reading holy books, good thoughts, useful conversations, holy obedience, thanksgiving in temptations and sorrows, forgiveness of offenses - bear the seal of prayer and are fragrant before God. Still, one must force oneself, test oneself in everything and block the paths of effeminacy, then hard work and piety will turn into a habit (Elder John of the Trinity).

3. What are the greatest gifts of God?

Repentance and Communion are the greatest of all the gifts of God. In part, the sacred books (St. Barsanuphius the Great) can also be attributed here.

4. What should a spiritual person beware of?

The ascetic of virtue must in every possible way withdraw from the thoughts that please his mind and heart. Satan is very inventive in evil deeds: when he cannot distract people who are known for piety from their precious life and behavior and incline to what he pleases, then he tries to strike them in another way. He praises them as people who have reached perfection, then glorifies them as saints, blesses them as having already become friends of God and having reached the edge of every virtue. And thus, having generated in them the passion of pride, excites them in enmity against God and, finally, uproots them, like a certain plant. Therefore, as I said, we must move away from thoughts that please us in the mind and heart (St. Cyril of Alexandria).

5. What is the most important thing for a Christian?

The most important thing is to learn the true faith (St. Ambrose of Milan).

6. How to get a righteous mindset?

The beginning of a righteous mindset is listening to and reading the Word of God and the [creations] of the Holy Fathers (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

7. What do we need to know?

The will of God and what deeds are virtues and what are sins, we must all know. And whoever does not do this, he sins before God. And it turns out that whoever keeps himself in darkness and illiteracy sins twice: both because he does not know the will of God, and because he does not use means to recognize it and deliberately "keeps himself in darkness" (St. Theophan the Recluse).

8. How can you strengthen yourself in the Church?

Guidance of the spiritual father, constant communication with him; frequent recourse to the sacraments, careful preparation for them, attendance at divine services, prayer at home, daily reading of the Gospel, reading books of religious content, observance of holidays and fasts church year friendship and fellowship with believers and church people.

9. Does God always send people to me?

No, sometimes not God, but the devil sends them to us.

10. How to learn the spiritual life?

Living in solitude, I will test the Divine Scriptures, according to the commandment of the Lord, and their interpretation, as well as the apostolic traditions, lives and teachings of the holy fathers, and I listen to them; and what, according to my understanding, is for the pleasing of God and the benefit of the soul, I copy for myself and study: in this is my life and breath. I advise you to do the same. I give this advice for the good of the soul, offering what I consider useful for myself (St. Neil Sorsky).

In order for the reading of the Scriptures to be useful, one must: firstly, before reading, call on the grace of the Holy Spirit to help oneself; secondly, read slowly, repeating several times what is incomprehensible to you; third, don't bother to read a lot; fourthly, beware of reading a variety of books.

12. Is it possible to learn the spiritual life without studying in a spiritual school?

Although the ascetic Jerome did not study in theological schools, he educated himself by spiritual reading and conversations with spiritual elders and experienced religious people.

13. What religions are recognized as false?

All religions that exist in the world, except for the true one Orthodox, are false and do not save a person. False religion is a mockery of people. After death, it will immediately be revealed how solid is that on which one has based his hope ... What a terrifying and tearing state of the one who sees then that he was deceived (St. Theophan the Recluse) will be.

14. Why is it important to surround yourself with edification at home and wherever you go?

Because every object in the world and every impression from an object evokes in a person certain thoughts, feelings and desires, this or that activity that is consistent with these impressions. That is why it is necessary to surround yourself in such a way that everything edifies you. Even if something does not produce evil thoughts and feelings, it distracts from the main thing - the salvation of the soul and striving for God ... For example, before the Christian's room edified everyone. Sheets of paper of various sizes were nailed to the walls with prayers and sayings from the Holy Scriptures; many icons, a picture of the Last Judgment, photographs of elders, confessors, hermits, ascetics, monasteries and temples.

15. How to be guided in the spiritual life in our time?

For the last times, the later holy fathers already more often offer guidance from the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the fathers, not rejecting the very cautious advice with modern fathers and brethren, while carefully maintaining in thoughts and feelings the spirit of humility and repentance. This is a work given by God to our time; and we are obliged to reverently use the gift of God given to us for salvation (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

16. When are external labors useless?

There is no use in all external labors if through them we fail to achieve inner goodness.

Do not neglect the psalms, because they drive away evil spirits from the soul and infuse the Holy Spirit into it.

18. How should a Christian's life be governed?

The life of a Christian must be governed by conscience and reason, that is, by reasoning with the advice of experienced people. The devil succeeds there, where people trust their own mind, their reasoning, and they do not ask the confessor for advice.

19. How should fasting days be spent?

During fasting, one should deviate from worldly fuss in order to think about one's sins, cry before God and prepare a sincere confession that cleanses us from sins. The days of fasting should be dedicated to fasting, visiting the temple of God, reading the Word of God and works of mercy: visiting the sick, the sorrowful and the poor in order to help them.

20. What does God require of man?

From all Scripture, I see that God’s demand from a person is concentrated in the following: that he humble himself before his neighbors in everything, that he cut off his sinful desires, that he constantly beg God for mercy and that He give him a helping hand (St. Simeon the New Theologian).

21. What does it mean to "withdraw from the world"?

To withdraw from the world means to leave morals, customs, rules, habits, requirements that are completely opposite to the Spirit of Christ.

22. How to find out if you are addicted to a thing?

Sometimes a person has a sinful addiction to a thing, for example: he admires it, gets angry with others, starts an argument, and when he loses it, he mourns for it.

23. For what reason are there sometimes blasphemous thoughts against God, Mother of God, holy icons, Holy Mysteries?

Let us stop judging and condemning our neighbor - and we will not be afraid of blasphemous thoughts. No one should think that he is guilty of blasphemous thoughts if he does not want them and does not agree with them, and should attribute them to demons. Try not to pay any attention to them (St. John of the Ladder).

24. By what deeds is God's favor obtained?

There are five works by which God's favor is won. The first is pure prayer, the second is the reading of the Psalms, the third is the reading of the Divine Scriptures, the fourth is remembrance with contrition of one's sins, of death and the Last Judgment, fifth - needlework (monk Evagrius).

25. What is the use of the Jesus Prayer?

The prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,” constantly performed in the heart, dries up fornication, tames rage, drives away anger, takes away sadness, removes insolence, destroys despondency, drives away laziness, enlightens the mind, gives rise to tenderness, brings tears.

26. For what reason should one leave one's place of residence?

The elders said: The ancient fathers did not quickly move from their place of residence; if they moved, then for the following three reasons: firstly, if someone was angry with them in vain, and they could not reconcile him to themselves with all the use of reconciliation; secondly, if they were glorified by many; thirdly, if any of them had the misfortune to fall into fornication. For these three reasons, they left their place of residence.

More parents need to honor priests. "Do you know," asks St. John Chrysostom, "who is the priest?" And he answers: "The angel of the Lord." And therefore, shepherds, he says, should be honored more than parents, for they are the servants of Christ on earth, and whoever honors them honors Christ.

28. What are the sins against the Holy Spirit?

First, excessive hope in the mercy of God; secondly, despair in one's own salvation; thirdly, a clear opposition to the approved truth and a rejection of the Orthodox faith; fourthly, envy regarding those spiritual benefits that neighbors receive from God; fifthly, staying in sins and stagnating in malice; sixth, carelessness about repentance until the end of this life.

29. Who should not be friends with?

Do not make friendship and do not have an alliance with enemies Church of Christ, with heretics, with schismatics, with those who do not observe the fasts of the saints. One should run from those people who are not afraid and do not revere God (St. Seraphim of Sarov).

30. What strengthens faith?

Listen to the Word of God, sermons and teachings, read the Word of God, [creations] of the holy fathers and elder books, seek and ask questions, talk and communicate with believers who are rich in faith; pray, cry out to God for faith, live by faith, confess more often and partake of the Holy Mysteries (St. Theophan the Recluse).

31. How to treat your neighbor?

Always imagine your neighbor in your place, and yourself in the place of your neighbor.

32. What is important in the spiritual life?

Try all your life to have a spiritual father, reveal to him every sin and thought, use his advice and instructions. "Salvation," says the Wise One, "is in a lot of advice, and a man without advice is his own enemy."

33. What is most pleasing to God?

Nothing pleases God so much as suffering or bodily deprivations for His sake; and nothing attracts His philanthropy more than tears.

34. How to deal with passions?

A Christian should try to do things that are contrary to passion, such as: passion compels one to contradict, and you force yourself to be silent; passion compels you to overeat, but you do not allow yourself to eat up, etc.

35. What should be the saving thought?

If a person does not affirm in his thought that he has been dead and buried for three years already, he cannot correct his virtues.

36. How to look at the celebration of holidays?

The Lord says in the Bible: "My soul hates your holidays," that is, when Religious holidays they celebrate in drunkenness, in festivities, in overeating, etc. In general, on holidays (not celebrated spiritually) that is squandered. what is collected in the days of labor.

37. How to avoid temptations?

1. Not to look at what people are doing, no matter what they are, but to listen and heed what the Word of God teaches.

2. Imitate the life of the Savior and His saints.

3. Hearing and eyes turn away from indecent things, because through them, as through doors, all evil enters the heart.

4. Keep more to your house (who has no temptations) and solitude.

38. How to teach a child the fear of God?

1. To teach the child to bow to the ground before the Holy Cross and icons, to kiss them.

2. Bring (or bring) a child to the temple of God more often.

3. With his hand, put candles in front of the images, give remembrance, give alms, put a coin in a mug.

4. Frequently partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

5. Give prosphora and holy water before meals.

6. Teach prayers.

7. Bring under the blessing of the priest.

8. To accustom to home singing and reading.

9. In the presence of a child, have pious conversations about God and the salvation of the soul.

10. Teach him to share treats, even his piece of bread, with brothers, sisters and strangers.

39. How to skillfully punish children?

Children should not be subjected to reprimands or punishments in anger with the use of harsh words, so that such methods do not lead children to the idea that they suffer punishment only because their parents are in a restless spirit.

40. How can children be taught divinity?

Children should be taught the Gospel with affection, in the form of stories, sowing the Word of God in their hearts.

41. What drives away the Spirit of God?

Know that the Spirit of God is not driven away by anything more than empty talk.

42. What is important in writing?

What is the use of our labors - fasting, reading the Holy Scriptures, etc. - if we have not learned to humble ourselves, forgive insults, love enemies, pray for offenders?!

43. How to use time for the salvation of the soul?

Time is a precious gift of God, for which an account will be required at the Last Judgment. The saving use of time is when a person spends time, first, in prayer, in conversation with God; secondly, in reading the Word of God; thirdly, in visiting the temple of God; fourthly, in pious conversations; fifthly, in reflections on the life of Jesus Christ, on death, on the Last Judgment, on eternal torment and eternal bliss; sixthly, in doing good deeds and in labors. Soul-destroying pastime - in empty conversations and activities, in games (cards, checkers, chess, lotto) and other amusements, in drunkenness, in reading empty books, in gluttony, partying and sinful pleasures, especially in spectacles.

44. How to deal with sinful thoughts?

Against all sinful thoughts, the most powerful weapon is prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer. However, there are other methods of struggle. Against thoughts of vanity and conceit - remember the decomposition of your body; against pride - to recall that pride alone eats up all good deeds; against rancor - pray for the enemy; against condemnation - to reproach oneself with pride, remembering one's sins, to pray that the Lord would correct the one who fell into sin and have mercy; against blasphemous thoughts - do not pay attention to blasphemy and attribute it to demons, confess (in general) in confession, read a prayer to the one against whom the blasphemy is against; against vain thoughts - to read the Holy Scriptures and meditate on God and the divine; against prodigal thoughts - to remember the Last Judgment, eternal torment.

45. Which elders, spiritual fathers should I ask for advice?

It is a great saving thing to ask the elders for advice, but at the same time, Saint Anthony the Great advised to make sure of the elder's right thinking and experience, and then already trust his word and unquestioningly accept his advice. The sign by which this can be recognized is the agreement of his word with the Word of God, interpreted by the holy fathers.

46. ​​What does it mean to "be spiritually negligent"?

Archbishop Arseniy replies to this: “It means praying lazily, being inattentive to your heart, not crying about sins, not resisting bad thoughts and feelings.”

47. What is attention, cheerfulness and sobriety?

Who is enclosed in the heart is collected, and who is collected is in the heart. Around the consciousness in the heart should be gathered with all the forces: by the mind, and by the will, and by the feeling. The gathering of the mind in the heart is attention, the gathering of the will is encouragement, the gathering of feelings is sobriety. Attention, vigilance, sobriety are the three inner activities by which self-assembly is accomplished and inward-staying acts. Whoever has them, and, moreover, everything, is inside [himself] (St. Theophan the Recluse). Composure makes it possible to see thoughts, desires, passions, feelings in the heart.

It is good to listen and read the divine, it is better to have mutual conversation, and even better is the word of the most experienced. More fruitful is the Word of God, and behind it are the writings of the fathers and the lives of the saints. The lives of the saints are better for beginners; paternal writings - for the average; The Word of God is for the perfect. Before reading, abolish the soul from everything; turn prayerfully to God. Follow the reading with attention and put it in the heart. What has not reached the heart, stay on it until it comes. You must read very slowly. To stop reading when the soul does not want to feed on reading already - it means that it is full. If any place strikes the soul, stand on it and read no further. The best time for the Word of God is in the morning; the lives of the saints - after dinner; Holy Fathers - shortly before going to bed. There are such texts of Holy Scripture that warm the spirit, act on the heart and cause emotion and tears. Therefore, such places should be written out and stored in case of need, to excite the spirit.

49. Which is higher: spending money on a temple or enduring theft?

It is equally good to spend your money on decorating churches and suffer a loss, thanks (for everything) to the Provider of salvation - God.

50. What tears are saving?

Some tears from grief, from resentment - these are not useful, but that I am lazy, offended, do not have real love for God - these tears are useful, and we must pray for them, so that the Lord would give.

51. What two vices are especially harmful to the soul?

All vices are evil and harmful to the soul, but more fierce and destructive is self-justification and love of disputes; therefore, the devil compels to contradict in self-justification, for he knows that if they endure and are not justified, then they will be justified by God (archim. Feofan Novoezersky).

52. What is best for peace of mind?

Having experienced a lot in life, I did not find anything better for the peace and tranquility of my soul, as a moderate meal, staying in one place and diligent study of the Word of God (hierochem. Stefan).

53. What pleases God?

God is pleased by affectionate treatment of people, calming the angry, intercession of the offended, turning away the eyes from bad objects, resisting bad thoughts, forcing oneself to prayer (archim. Feofan Novoezersky).

54. What are these "gravediggers of youth"?

Seven grave-diggers of youth: disbelief in God, drunkenness, debauchery, anger, disrespect for parents, bad fellowship and idleness (idleness).

55. When is prayer considered a sin?

There is no greater sin than to pray to God without fear, attention and reverence; pray with the tongue, and with the mind talk with the demons (St. Theophan the Recluse).

56. How to increase love for Christ?

What strengthens and intensifies our love for Christ most of all is the heartfelt reflection on the sufferings of Christ. For this it is good every day in the morning to choose one of the sufferings of Christ, meditating in detail and more often remembering it during the day. From this we will always receive the gift of patience, meekness and love for Christ.

57. What do worldly people want from us?

People who live in the spirit of the corrupted age and are unbelievers strive to have us surrender to their will instead of the will of God, and they want to distract us from the Kingdom of God.

58. How to deal with extraneous thoughts?

During prayer and spiritual reasoning, beware of receiving any extraneous thoughts; with a prohibition, speak your thoughts: "In the name of God, I forbid you!" - and the thought will certainly listen. With the Jesus Prayer and the Sign of the Cross, all the power of the enemy will be conveniently driven away (Archim. Feofan Novoezersky).

59. What are the obstacles in prayer?

There are many obstacles in prayer: sleep, despondency, heaviness of the body, whirling thoughts, impatience, relaxation, the rebellion of demons.

60. Often advised to eat more. How to deal with such advice?

Do not listen to the advice of self-pleasing people who have made themselves slaves of the womb and carnal passions. In general, be afraid of evil advice more than enemies (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

61. Explain the operation of Adam's nature.

The Christian must resist Adam's sinful nature. St. Ephraim the Syrian in his teaching says: “I don’t want to learn, but I’m glad to teach; I don’t want to obey, but I love to subordinate myself; I don’t want to work, but I want to bother others; I don’t want to show honor, but I want to be honored; I endure, but I love to reproach; I do not want to be humiliated, but I love to humiliate. I am wise to give advice, and not to carry them out myself; what I should do, I say, and what I should not say - If a brother sins, I rebuke him with pleasure, but if I sin myself, I do not gladly accept the rebuke.

62. Why is it necessary to avoid association with worldly people?

It is not necessary to deal with those who neglect the fear of God, because they say nothing useful, they do nothing for the Lord, they do not talk about virtue, or reverence, or purity. Their speech is a net of death; their advice is the abyss of hell; their community is spiritual ruin (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

63. How should people be greeted?

Let us not expect to be greeted first, and only after that to return the greeting. This is a sign of an arrogant and reckless mind. On the contrary, the former will always greet both friend and foe.

64. What should one mainly pay attention to during asceticism?

Stop your attention least of all on external feats (for example: fasting, prostrations, lying on hard, etc.). Although they are necessary, they are the essence of help. A building is built in the midst of them, but they are not a building.

Building in the heart. Pay your attention to the deeds of the heart (that is, so as not to be irritated, not offended, not to condemn, forgive, reject bad thoughts and sinful desires, etc.).

65. What if there is no leader?

N. tells the truth that there are no real leaders today. However, one should not remain with one Scripture and the lessons of the fathers. A question is needed! Elder Paisios decided this: two or three like-minded people will form an alliance, and they will question each other, leading a life in mutual obedience, with the fear of God and prayer (St. Theophan the Recluse).

66. What kind of charity is there?

A Christian can provide alms and help not only financially, but also with his knowledge, work, advice and others (St. Theophan the Recluse).

67. What is the best way to ask elders: one or many?

You should never ask different leaders about the same matter and not ask again the same one, because the very first answer comes from the Lord, and the second - from the reasoning of a man in an old man ... Everyone who asks takes on himself the sign of humility, and by this he imitates Christ .

68. What is God-thinking?

Theological thinking is in thought the holding of some truth: incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, omnipresence and others - without any direction of thought (St. Theophan the Recluse).

69. Which leaders should be asked?

Saint Peter of Damascus says about himself: "I have received much harm from inexperienced advisers." Therefore, it is very good to ask about everything, but experienced ones; but the inexperienced are dangerous, because they have no reason.

70. How to represent God? In heaven, in yourself or something else?

No way. Acquire the skill to stand in the conviction that God is everywhere and, therefore, in you, and sees all your secrets; and in this conviction hold yourself reverently before the invisible God, without any of His imagination. But pray that God Himself would teach you this (St. Theophan the Recluse).

71. What is the main sacrifice to God?

The main sacrifice to God is the broken spirit. A contrite and humble heart God will not despise.

72. What do you need to know about conversations?

Conversations require great fear: in what spirit and direction do you have to speak, at what time and what exactly, and for what purpose ... He who loves to speak must remember all this, but the silent one has already done and fulfilled (St. Demetrius of Rostov).

73. What is piety?

By piety one must understand strict Orthodoxy, combined with a strict life according to the commandments of God.

74. What sins are considered mortal?

Mortal sins are heresy, schism, blasphemy, apostasy, witchcraft, despair, suicide, fornication, drunkenness, sacrilege, homicide, robbery, theft, and any cruel inhuman offense. The mortal sin of the Orthodox, not healed by proper repentance, subjects the sinner to eternal torment (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

75. What should and should not be done on Sunday?

Saint Cosmas taught Christians: on Sundays, do not trade, do not go to the market, do not do work, and do not go for berries, mushrooms, hunt, fish, but go to church and listen to the holy service and the Word of God.

76. How should Holy Scripture be interpreted?

Do not dare to interpret the Gospel and other books of Holy Scripture yourself. The Holy Spirit interpreted it through the holy fathers... And there is the Word of God, the word of salvation for the bold interpreters of it, the will into death, a double-edged sword with which they will stab themselves into eternal perdition (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

77. What is the most strong remedy against sin?

Not a single feat casts out sin so easily, with such convenience and strength, as daily confession to an elder (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

78. What must be preserved in order to keep from sin?

Mind - from thin, evil and empty thoughts; eyes - from worldly delights. Heart - from evil desires and exaltation. Rumor - from vain and ridiculous conversations, and most - from slanderous neighbors. The tongue is from condemnation and grumbling. Stomach - from voluptuousness and from excessive drinking of wine. All of myself - from idleness.

79. Should one be frank with everyone?

It is impossible to be completely frank in front of everyone and in everything, it is impossible to tell everyone about everything, something else must be kept silent, hidden.

80. What is generosity?

Generosity is when, in the midst of misfortunes that have befallen us, we are not embarrassed, we do not lose heart, we endure them without despondency, grumbling, with devotion to the will of God.

81. What excites passions?

Worldly poetry, music and singing excite only passions (Bp. Peter).

82. How to acquire kindness?

If a person does not notice the vices of his neighbor, then with the help of God, good-heartedness is born in him, which God pleases (Abba Dorotheos).

83. What is "self-deepening" (removal into oneself)?

Self-deepening is the main virtue necessary in order not to be entertained by the influence of the world, to block its ability to arouse passions - this is renunciation of the world (St. Isaac the Syrian).

84. What is important in work?

When you work, then look at the spirit with which the work is done (with murmuring or anger, discontent, idle talk, with bad thoughts or with prayer and contemplation, etc.).

85. What prayer does the evil spirit not like?

The devil, seeing how someone succeeds in perfection in the commandments of Christ through mental work, uses all his efforts to destroy all books about the Jesus Prayer and through useless people to interrupt the practice of mental work (St. Theophan the Recluse).

86. How to behave with neighbors?

Greet with pleasantness, answer with a bright face, be favorable to everyone, accessible, do not indulge in self-praise, do not force others to talk about you, do not accept indecent words, hide your advantages as much as possible, but blame yourself for sins and do not expect rebuke from others. Do not be heavy in reprimands, do not rebuke quickly, and not with a passionate movement, do not condemn for unimportant things, as if you yourself are a strict righteous man. Make as much effort not to be glorified by people as others try to be glorified (St. Basil the Great).

87. What blessedness awaits in the future life of pious people?

If someone embraces in a word and combines into one all the happiness of people from the time of their existence, then he will find that this is not equal to even the smallest part of the blessings of the future life (St. Basil the Great).

88. How to serve the soul of another?

Serve not the body, but also the soul of another: enlighten, give advice, point out a good book, comfort, support (St. Theophan the Recluse).

89. What is the main thing for a Christian?

It is concern for the salvation of others. A Christian contributes to salvation by praying for salvation, building up salvation: both in word, and in sight, and in deeds, so as not to tempt, instruct, admonish, strengthen, especially by spreading the Divine Scriptures (St. Theophan the Recluse).

90. What are the disadvantages of a Christian marrying an unbeliever?

The ancient teacher Tertullian, counting the disadvantages of the marriage of a Christian person with a pagan, said: "Where is the memory of God? Where is the invocation of Christ? Where is the nourishment of faith by reading Scripture? Where is the intoxication of the spirit? Where is the glorification of God?"

91. What should not be in the house?

It is of great help to the ascetic to have nothing in the room that evokes ungodly thoughts and feelings, for then he is out of the danger of double warfare: internal and external (St. Nilus of Sinai).

92. In case of need, is it possible to shorten one's prayer rule?

In case of great need, you can shorten your rule, namely: to serve your neighbor for the sake of God (Elder Nazarius of Valaam).

93. What is more important: pleasing God or teaching at school, institute?

Our main business is pleasing God, and scientificity is an adjunctive quality, an accident, suitable only for the time of real life. And therefore it should not take all the attention and absorb all the care. There is nothing more poisonous and disastrous for the spirit of Christian life than this scientific approach and exclusive concern for it (St. Theophan the Recluse).

94. Why are we not afraid of future torments?

That is why we are not afraid of the eternal hellish torment, because we do not think about it, do not deepen our minds into its essence, do not try to achieve this with labor, although we often hear and read about eternal torment.

95. How do we steal time from ourselves?

Do not steal from yourself the time given to you for the salvation of the soul. We steal time by doing nothing, idle talk, curiosity, idle daydreaming, many sleeps. Think how much good we would do if we didn't waste our time.

96. What is the unity of a spiritual father with his child?

Everything that happens between the elder and his spiritual children must be a secret, equal to confession, otherwise the enemy will upset their spiritual unity in the Lord.

97. What is "peace"?

The word "world" signifies a people hostile to everything divine and religious; hence the word "world", "worldly" means everything sinful, instilled in us by the enemy of salvation: sins, vices, passions.

98. Official business - vain or not?

The works of service are not vanity - these are the works of God. Just do them always for God, and not for anything else. Equally, in family life, you have a duty ... To fulfill it is not vanity. Only do such deeds with the consciousness that you are fulfilling the will of God. Vanity - deeds to satisfy passions, as well as unnecessary and useless (St. Theophan the Recluse).

99. How does a meeting affect a person?

Even a short rapprochement with another person leaves an imprint, that is, you will either benefit or harm your soul.

100. What brings us closer to God?

We are brought closer to God by sorrow, hardship, sickness, labors, if we endure them reasonably. Do not grumble against them and do not be afraid of them.

The Christian life, which is able to win mercy before God and receive His protection from death and injury, is very simple, does not require material costs, and in general they are well known to many. Faith and piety is what is needed. It is so simple and so difficult to do for someone .... Alas, there are often cases when warriors recovering in a war zone indulge in immeasurable drunkenness, or even fornication, motivating all this: "perhaps soon death and you need to" enjoy "life". Is it really necessary to be mad?

Before going to the "hot spot", sincerely repent and confess your sins (do not leave with unconfessed sins!), after which be sure to take Communion. Already on the spot, find fellow believers, and all together ask the command to invite you more often to the priest’s unit for confession and Communion.

Get a blessing from the priest, and then from your parents, for the service. The meaning and power of the blessing is great. Through parental and priestly blessing in a secret and incomprehensible way God's grace the warrior receives both admonition, and protection, and the strength to survive.

Order a magpie in the temple for your health, if the period of a military trip or service is more than forty days, tell your relatives to order another magpie in the next. In this case, the Orthodox Church itself will pray for you, and the power of church prayer in intercession before God is several times stronger than any private prayer of a layman.

A warrior must have pectoral cross consecrated in the temple. This is our main shrine. You can take small pocket icons with you, or small folding icons, in front of which you will pray if possible. As often as possible, with a prayer, make the sign of the cross on yourself before the start of combat duty or a campaign, and especially before a battle and during it at dangerous moments. Do this without gloves and mittens, correctly, decently and unhurriedly, otherwise you will only please demons with this desecrated sign of the cross.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem wrote about the power and significance of the sign of the cross: “Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified One, with boldness let us depict with our hands the sign of the cross on our foreheads and on everything: on the bread that we eat, on the cups from which we drink; let us depict it at the entrances, when going out, when we go to bed, and when we get up, when we are on the road and rest. He is a great protection given to the poor as a gift and to the weak without difficulty. For this is the grace of God, a sign for the faithful and a fear for evil spirits. "

A warrior must pray without ceasing, and for this there are many prayers officially recommended by the Church, and there are even prayer books for Orthodox soldiers. Still, it is better to ask the priest for advice about a proper and feasible prayer rule for you. However, if you have not received such advice, it is recommended to read the well-known psalm "Alive in the help of the Most High ..." more often, constantly repeat brief Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me", turn to the Most Holy Theotokos " Holy Mother of God save and save, "etc. After the battle, thank God in prayer for preservation. Eat food with prayer, this may help to avoid intestinal infections and poisoning. The history of Orthodoxy describes cases when poisons from the sign of the cross and prayer lost their deadly strength.

When you successfully hit the enemy, do not shout, like an opposing thief: "Glory to God!", say: "Lord, have mercy on me ...", remembering that YOU ARE FORCED TO KILL even fierce bastards, and therefore there is no reason to rejoice in this before God. "Do not rejoice in the death of a man, even if he is the most hostile to you: remember that we will all die," says Holy Scripture (Sir. 8:8). And definitely do not swear, profanity is not justified by God by any circumstances!

Take with you on the road a bottle of Holy water and a few prosphora, antidor or even artos, which must be immediately divided into small pieces and dried. Eat holy water and consecrated bread regularly with the appropriate prayer (available in the prayer book) and especially on the eve of dangerous events.

For savings and treatment (if they still hurt), you can take with you the consecrated oil left after the unction (unction) or oil from the lamps burning in front of the revered or even miraculous icons available in temples in your area. To do this, you need to ask permission from the rector of the temple and you will be poured a little oil for such a matter without hindrance. Oil or lamp oil from icons will be anointed with prayer on the forehead and chest before dangerous events, and in case of injury, the place of injury. Thanks to this, the recovery of the believing warrior will be accelerated and will take place without complications.

A warrior can get very significant protection from death and injury thanks to the efforts of his parents, wife or girlfriend, close friends. How? Firstly, loved ones themselves should constantly pray to God for his mercy and protection. Secondly, regularly, to the extent of material possibilities, order church prayers for the health of a warrior. Thirdly, do alms more often, while donating money or something else, say to yourself "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, have mercy on Your servant (the name of the soldier), save and save, deliver from all evil."

But what if the warrior is a formal Orthodox, who does not observe church canons? In this case, the only intercessors before God for his salvation will be his believing relatives, beloved girl and friends. Do not despair of loved ones, seeing off to the service. Many cases are known when, through the fervent and constant prayer of a mother, wife or friend, the Lord had mercy on a person, giving admonition and salvation. So pray, and the stronger your faith is, the greater the chance that the person will return alive! I will only note that the priests do not officially pray for those who are not baptized in the church, but the laity can freely do this in their private prayer.

More thoughts on war

"It happened in the 7th century in Byzantium, during the reign of Caesar Nicephorus. At that time, there was a war with the pagan tribes inhabiting modern Bulgaria. A certain warrior Nikolai was drafted into the army and went to the gathering place of his regiment. The journey lasted several days. In the first night he stopped to rest - in the tavern of a small town. At midnight he was awakened by a knock on the door - it was the daughter of the owner of the tavern. When she received a young stranger, carnal attraction awakened in her. Entering his room, she without a shadow of embarrassment told him the purpose of her visit.Nikolai was brought up in a pious Orthodox family and his conscience did not allow him to succumb to the shameful temptation. He strongly asked her to leave. She didn't give up. Then, raising his voice, he explained to her that he was going to war. How can he blacken his soul and body with such an action? In a few days he may die: what answer will he give to God for such an act? Having said this, he crossed himself and ran out of the tavern. Finding another place to sleep, he fell asleep and had a dream. A plain opened up to him, on which the battle between the Greeks and the Bulgarians was in full swing. At first, the Greeks took up, but the Bulgarians withstood the onslaught, and then won. When Nicholas took a closer look at the fallen Greeks, his gaze stopped at some empty place, where there was not enough word for someone. A mysterious voice explained to him that this place was intended for his day, but thanks to his resistance to temptation, the Lord God extended his life. Otherwise, he would have perished, defiled by sin, having no hope of saving his soul. Everything that was seen in the dream soon came true. So Nicholas, having withstood the temptation, saved his life, and saved his soul from eternal condemnation.

Why do they survive in a monstrous meat grinder? Why is it that someone is captured, and then nevertheless returns alive, and someone in captivity dies brutally tortured? Why does someone come out unharmed from a dense environment and make their way to their unit? Why does a soldier who fell from a great height into an abyss remain alive, and the bandits did not mock his unconscious body, did not shoot at him, but only took off their boots? After that, he woke up, returned barefoot to the unit, while he also destroyed the enemy base ... Why do people survive where it would seem that it is impossible to survive? What power saves them?

There are thousands and thousands of testimonies from the time of the Great Patriotic War, when, by God's will, people were saved from death in an incredible and miraculous way: saints appeared to them and warned them from danger, during explosions nearby mines and shells, people were thrown aside by an unknown force and remained alive, etc. .P.

In the history of the army and navy, there were three commanders who have never been defeated on the battlefield - these are Generalissimo Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich, Rear Admiral Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich and General Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich. At the same time, each of the listed commanders was a deeply religious person, distinguished by piety, and did not start or end a single battle without prayer. Reliance on the religious and moral feelings of the Russian soldier was an integral part of the training and education that these commanders put at the head of their system of training soldiers. So A.V. Suvorov spent about 200 battles and battles in his entire life and did not lose a single one. Surprisingly, he won most of the battles when the enemy was in 2-3 times superiority, while for one killed Russian soldier there were 8-10 defeated opponents, and in the Italian campaign this ratio reached a simply fantastic value of 1:75 (! ). In the battle of Rymnik, Yusuf Pasha's army outnumbered the Russian-Austrian troops by 5 times: 100 thousand Turks against 25 thousand coalition soldiers, while the Turks lost about 17 thousand killed and a large number of wounded, while A.V. Suvorov lost 45 (!) people killed and 133 wounded from his troops (ratio 1:20). Then, in the fall of 1789, having united the forces of the Russian troops (a total of 7 thousand people!) With the Austrian ones (18 thousand people - in fact, A.V. Suvorov commanded foreign troops who did not know his hand), using intelligence, suddenly attacked the Turks (100 thousand . man!), Standing in three groups between the rivers Rymna and Rymnik (History of Russia with early XVII century to the end of the 19th century. Ed. A.N. Sakharov. - M.6 AST, 1996)

On the ships of F.F. Ushakov, a monastic order was established, the ships bore the names of saints and Christian holidays as the sailors loved their own father. Before the battle, the admiral admonished his sailors: "When going into battle, read Psalm 26, Psalm 50 and Psalm 90," and added, "and neither a bullet nor a saber will take you." In 1949, his grave was opened - the body and uniform were incorrupt, and now the admiral is a saint officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. So the Lord noted the great merits of Ushakov to the Fatherland! In the battle of Temra Island, the Turkish fleet outnumbered the Russian squadron by 1.5 times, while the enemy was defeated and lost about 1,500 killed and about 600-700 wounded, and Russian sailors lost only 20 people!

Legendary General M.D. Skobelev (he was also called the "white general" because he always dressed in a white uniform) participated in 70 battles in his short 38 years of his life and never lost.

Truly, the words are true here: "If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and do them ... and you drive out your enemies, they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will drive out a hundred, and a hundred of you will drive out darkness and fall your enemies are before you by the sword" (Lev. 26:3-8).

It is bitter, knowing this historical evidence, to hear the words that the Soviet people won the Great Patriotic war thanks to I. Stalin and the godless communist party, rather in spite of, and at the same time losing almost 4 times more than fascist Germany. Many historians, not without reason, associate the turning point in the course of the war in 1943 with the fact that the persecution of Orthodox Church. A well-known fact - Marshal G.K. Zhukov always carried with him the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.

These examples are given in order to emphasize the importance of the religiousness and piety of the commanders. General M.D. Skobelev liked to say: "The horse is prepared for battle in advance, but victory is from God!"

A born preacher who went through the school of smart work, a brotherly-loving shepherd, stubbornly seeking the diligence of his children, Fr. Ephraim has in his arsenal all the variety of Orthodox spirituality, his sermons and instructions permeated with warm care are replete with references to the Holy Scriptures, examples from the biography of ancient ascetics Orthodox faith, vivid judgments of the Fathers of the Church.

My dear children,

With all my heart I wish that the Grace of God will grant us salvation!

Winter brings snow, it covers the green grass, but it does not dry under the snow, but remains until spring. In the spring, the snow melts and the grass begins to turn green again. The same thing happens in the spiritual life. The winter of temptations and worldly cares comes and cools jealousy. Any gathering together for the purpose of planting the Word of God — which is what we, His insignificant servants, are doing by His grace — enlivens spiritual growth, that is, zeal for the achievement for the sake of salvation, for the sake of acquiring the Kingdom of God.

A seed is sown, and as the soil that receives it, such will be the plant, such will be the fruit. So the Word of God - depending on how our heart perceives it - such It will bear the fruit of Grace, leading into eternal life.

To be saved, you must submit your life to a certain order. After all, where there is order, there is peace, and where there is peace, there is God; but where there is confusion, there is confusion, and where there is confusion, there is the devil. In order for there to be order in life, it is necessary to follow the instructions of the spiritual father. Every sinful person who has been honored with the great blessing of free healing in the Sacrament of Penance must follow the instructions and advice of the confessor, if he is dear to him. mental health.

Just as a doctor examines a patient, makes a diagnosis, and on the basis of this diagnosis prescribes treatment, just as the patient, in order to be cured, must carefully take all medicines and follow the doctor’s recommendations exactly, and how the slightest deviation from the treatment regimen endangers the whole recovery - so, when a spiritual doctor prescribes spiritual therapy, the believer is obliged to follow his advice and follow the rules given to him. What are these rules? Prayer, prostration, reading of the New Testament and the entire Holy Scripture ( New Testament- this is the new Grace of Christ, all the Grace of the Holy Trinity, and the Old One is Her shadow). Then there is fasting and attention to thoughts. Thoughts should not be accepted, but immediately cut off at their very birth, because if they are neglected, they will produce many thorns, which are often very sharp, hit a person to the point of blood and often cause cancer.

By the grace of God we get up in the morning, some earlier, some later. The first thing we need to do, according to our Christian duty and obligation, out of spiritual necessity for the sake of salvation, is to kneel, raise our hands to God and pray. How beautiful church prayers! What words, they give life: " Rising from sleep, we fall down to Ty, Blessed, and cry out to the angelic song of Ty, Stronger» ! Waking up and falling into the goodness of Christ, you need, firstly, to thank Him for the night that passed safely.

Sleep is an image of death. We sleep and do not know where we are at this time, we do not feel time, and we rise again, we return to conscious life. Thanking God from the bottom of our hearts for deigning us to see the light of day again, let us ask Him to forgive our sins.

Let us also pray for our enemies, for those who slander us, who condemn us, persecute us, harm us. This is the first thing we must do, because if we do not forgive them, then God will not forgive us either.

Real love a neighbor is revealed when a person from the bottom of his heart - and not just because it is necessary, for God commands so - prays for enemies, forgives them and loves, because, in fact, our enemies are our benefactors. Whoever tempts us, who condemns us, who creates all sorts of unpleasant situations, is, on the one hand, an instrument of the devil, and on the other, Jesus. The Holy Fathers say that enemies are red-hot iron with which the Lord burns out our selfishness and pride, heals us. A person acts out of malice, but we graft a wild olive into a good one and get a fruit useful for life. That is why the actions of our enemies are so beneficial to us!

Those who praise us - if, of course, they do it out of love - are themselves worthy of praise, because they have the love of Christ in themselves. However, Christ says: “If you love those who love you, what grace have you? The same is done by sinners and tax collectors... I tell you - love your enemies, those who do evil to you, who persecute you, build for you coves. After all, God, our Heavenly Father, illuminates with the sun and irrigates with rain the unrighteous and the righteous, the evil and the good. He is the same for everyone: He gives His blessings to those of the children who love Him with all their souls, and to those who blaspheme and remain in ungodliness - to all without exception, so that sinners do not appear at the Judgment unanswered. So we, praying for these people, on the one hand, justify ourselves before God, and, on the other hand, we contribute to their enlightenment. After all, perhaps these people do not even think about God, do not pray, do not even make the sign of the cross! Who will help them? So they absolutely need our prayer. Let us pray to God for their forgiveness and sanctification, and at the same time help them to come to repentance themselves. This is a great thing!

Do you want revenge on your enemy? The holy fathers say that you need to pray for him, and your prayer will force God to intervene. God will act according to His righteousness, and you will be justified for your love.

Let the wives pray for their husbands and children, and the husbands for their wives and children, and the children for their parents. Thus, mutually helping each other with prayers, we will move towards spiritual growth.

Let's pray in the morning, make obeisances (as determined by the confessor), and if health allows, then add more to them.

What is a bow? This is worship of God. We worship God, but our enemy the devil does not do this, he does not bow his head or knees. He does not worship God. Those who worship God are enemies of the devil, and, therefore, people of God. Therefore, bows are of great importance. Even one additional bow is already the work of asceticism, for which there will be a reward from God. Those few prostrations that we do are slowly accumulating with God in Heaven, and when we go to Gornyaya, we will find them there in large numbers. And this will help us to give a good answer in the terrible hour of Judgment.

So, we pray in the morning for a long time, because prayer gives us light, and this light shines throughout the day, and then we each go about our own business: some to work, some to school, some to travel. But even then we need not leave the memory of God, because for morning prayer we receive from God Grace, strength, blessing; An angel stands at our right hand, and we set to work. And wherever we are, we will not leave the remembrance of God.

What does remembrance of God mean? This is the prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!» With the remembrance of forgiveness, which we ask for whenever we remember God, the Lord will grace us to return home in peace.

At work, we will be careful: a lot of people work nearby and say all sorts of things. They sometimes say very bad words, because they are in a passionate state and do not think about anything, only about temporary, vain, earthly pleasures. If a praying person is attentive, he will not follow them; he takes pity on such people and prays that God will enlighten them, that they will free themselves from such a suffocating spiritual state, come out into clean and free air. And in the evening before going to sleep, we will again kneel and bring our prayers to God. And in the middle of the day or in the evening we will open the New Testament and read at least one chapter from there. After all, Saint Chrysostom says that from the house where the Gospel is, the devil flees.

Days, years, centuries pass like a shadow and we are all approaching our end. The life of any person is a book, and every day of life is one of its pages. Every book has an end, and so does human life. On the pages of this book there is both good and bad, both light and dark deeds of a person are recorded. And when life ends, then this book will be opened before God, and on the basis of what is written in it, a person will give an answer.

Let us pray according to our strength so that at the end of this life we ​​will not have great grave sins, and if they remained, they were small and not heavy. Of course, then the prayers of the Church at the Liturgy, memorial services, alms, prayers of loved ones, so that for the smallest sins will be of great help to us - after all, who is without sin! to receive forgiveness from God. The greatest danger to salvation is mortal sins, and there are a lot of such sins.

However, if we lead a mindful life, we are free from such sins. So a person prone to illness, if he often visits a doctor and follows his recommendations, then he maintains his health. But if he neglects visits, he will harm his health. Therefore, often visiting a spiritual doctor, we keep the health of our soul, which is more valuable than the whole world. After all, the whole world is not worth one immortal soul! The world passes, but the soul never dies.

One church troparion speaks of sobriety. It is read every day at Midnight Office, especially in monasteries: Behold, the Bridegroom is coming at midnight and blessed is the servant, he will be found vigilantly, he is not worthy of the pack, he will be found ...“Blessed, it says, is the man whom the Bridegroom, when he comes, finds awake, unworthy is the one whom he finds despondent and careless.

A person is kept in sobriety by being awake. Who avoids injury? The one who is awake, sober, who is attentive, who looks after himself and the road, therefore he falls less often. Who gets injured? One who is inattentive on the way, and therefore falls easily. And often the reason for this is negligence. Negligence in the performance of our duties leads to dangerous consequences. Carelessness brings forth that which zeal has for a time moved away from us. One of the ascetics says that prayers, rosaries, bows, fasts, etc. are needed not by God, but by us, because if all this is not there, then evil enters the soul. If a person does not take the medicines prescribed by his doctor, then he again opens access to the disease, but in a more severe form. Not caring about the performance of spiritual duties, we open access to our lives to demons, allow them to hurt us, inflict wounds and plunge us into danger. Therefore, we definitely need zeal for salvation: it is impossible not to rejoice, because we do not know whether we will be alive tomorrow. We have no power over even the smallest second of time. Everything is unstable, impermanent: our life, the life of our parents, children, relatives, health, finances - everything that we have, it's all unreliable, and everything can be lost at any moment.

One thing is not subject to any doubt - the coming death. She follows us around. Not a single person on earth can pass that bridge over which we will cross to the opposite shore, to another life. We need to think hard about this. We seriously care about many things: about health, about money, about children, about parents and about many other things. We worry and worry. But much less do we care about the inevitable—death. But death will lead us directly to God!

The Lord says: I died from the Father, and came into the world: and again I leave the world, and go to the Father» . The human soul will follow the same path. It is known that in man the soul and body are united into one hypostasis. The soul, created by God through the Son and the Holy Spirit, after death will temporarily separate from the body and go to God. After the Second Coming, the body will be resurrected, the soul will unite with it, and the whole person will appear before the Terrible Throne of Christ for Judgment.

Let us fight with all the strength of our souls in the heavenly light of the Gospel for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will fight so that in that terrible hour our<духовное>condition was the best it could be. We do not know by experience what death is; whoever knows can attest to how serious this all is. All of us will pass through this narrow gate and cross that heavy bridge, and we will feel the seriousness of the matter. Therefore, we need purification: our soul needs to acquire virtues, the characteristic signs of sonship, kinship Heavenly Father. Otherwise, if they are not there, then the soul will be imprinted with the signs of the devil. As far as possible, let us purify ourselves, put our thoughts in order, which are the reason for our falling away from the Grace of God.

The Lord said that one careless thought of impure desire makes us guilty. Many people have lost the Kingdom of Heaven because of their thoughts. The Lord, knowing our weakness, shed light and balm of healing on the very root of evil. And the root of evil is the five senses that nourish the mind and heart. The eyes feed the imagination, and so the devil induces the eyes of the soul to be directed to what he himself presents to them. Through this he makes the heart of man so impure that Christ cannot come and dwell in it.

The Lord said in the Beatitudes: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God» . This means that an impure heart cannot see Christ. The Lord is not manifested in something sensual, He is manifested in His love, joy, silence, peace, "surpassing every mind." People think that the mind consists in the absence of thoughts. Such a state can also be called peace. But the Holy Fathers, when they speak of the spiritual world, mean the betrothal of the Heavenly Kingdom. A Christian who has tasted this Divine world becomes, as it were, beside himself. This peace is a foretaste, to the extent of human strength, of the Kingdom of Heaven, since, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, both the body and the soul of a person enjoy peace in the Kingdom of God.

With great heartache, I urge you to fight! Do not allow what you have now received to be scattered by the wind, do not lose it, keep it deep in your heart, put it into practice in order to benefit and taste the beauty of the Kingdom of God. When you gain spiritual health, the measure of your joy and gratitude to God will have no limits. Finally, once again I want to ask you to keep within yourself the little that the Grace of God has said here: to keep the benefit that you received for yourself in the sacred Sacrament of Penance, to fight to increase it for yourself and pass it on to others. So that when God deigns us to come together again, you will be in the best<духовном>condition. The seed we have sown is bad and poor, because we ourselves are worse and more unimportant than this seed. We wish you to increase what you have received and ask you to pray that the Grace of the Holy Spirit preserves us, the wretched souls and bodies, and honors us with salvation to the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.