You are a baptized person. God bless. But if you are baptized, this does not mean that you are guaranteed a place in heaven. This view is not Orthodox, it is heretical. After all, it is also important how you live, whether you go to church, what thoughts lead you away from the Church...
But it’s the thoughts that take away.
It only seems like these are your thoughts, because they are in your head. But that's not true. We say: “A thought came to me.” That's it - the idea came! But where? There are thoughts from God and there are thoughts from the evil one. Both those and others come into our heads, and we say: “I thought.”
Here is a set of the most common thoughts that block our path to God and to church.
“But I’m visiting the temple...”
This is what people who come to church from time to time say, justifying themselves: to bless Easter cakes, to stock up on Epiphany water. Stand at the christening. See the deceased off. Maybe sometimes light a candle, on some special occasions. And they sincerely believe that they go to church.
But the Church itself does not think so.
The Lord gave us a commandment: Work for six days, do all your work, and dedicate the seventh day to God.
The seventh day is Sunday.
The Resurrection of Christ is the basis of our faith. Only thanks to the fact that the Savior suffered for us on the Cross and rose again, we, baptized people, have hope of salvation.
Do you know, brother, that there is a rule of the Holy Fathers, according to which a person who has not been to church services for three Sundays in a row can be excommunicated from the Church? After all, he excommunicates himself from the Church.
It's clear. If you always have something to do on Sundays besides church, it means that the main objective your life is not yet in the Church, but somewhere in the world with its goals and values, sometimes alien to the work of your salvation.
All living things grow gradually and constantly. And our soul lives not sometimes, but constantly. She needs constant nutrition and cleansing. It is nourished by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which is given to us primarily in the Orthodox church. Then we live spiritually and grow.
We go to work without thinking: should we go? not to go? Just like a working day, we wake up to the alarm clock and rush to the time. If we went there several times a year, would we really be able to say that we were going to work? And what would we earn? But this is all mainly for the body. But a person is, first of all, his soul.
Or, if students only visited school occasionally, what would they learn?
The Church is both work and teaching. And, like any work, like any teaching, it requires time, diligence, and perseverance. Then it will make sense.
“I have God in my soul.”
Therefore, it is not necessary to go to church. He supposedly is like that in his soul.
But this is not true.
If only there really was God in our souls! Then we would strive to where everything speaks about God, where His name is glorified, where His images are located, where His special presence, His grace. Then we would try to live as God commands. And this is His will - for us to go to temple.
The Church teaches us that the devil is especially afraid sign of the cross, Epiphany water and the Body and Blood of Christ, which we partake of in church.
Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, confessor of the Russian Land, said:
- He who receives communion will be saved in every place. And whoever doesn’t receive communion – I don’t remember.
Every baptized person needs to regularly begin the sacraments of confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. After all, we wash regularly - we cleanse our body. We need to cleanse our soul no less regularly. That’s what the church is called: a spiritual bath.
"I haven't matured yet"
“Look! - says the devil. - Grow as long as possible. Just don’t do anything to mature.” Do not read the Gospel, the “Law of God,” or the works of the Holy Fathers. Don’t go to church, don’t ask the priests about anything, although they were appointed by God to help the people in their spiritual life.
With this technique, the enemy especially likes to block people on the path to baptism and wedding. “I haven’t come to that point yet.”
To come, you have to go. Well, then go.
Where to go?
Of course, to the temple.
“I don’t go to church because it has become just a fashion”
Not long ago, a young woman, a lawyer by profession, said:
– I don’t want to be baptized, because it’s such a fashion.
- Why are you wearing tight trousers? Hasn't it become fashionable in Lately? – I had to ask her. – Do you consider what people have been doing in Rus' for more than a thousand years to be something fleeting and changeable?
You are a lawyer, your profession is built on logic. And so you see, it ceases to act in spiritual matters. Why? Because in life goes on a fierce spiritual struggle for every soul, for the thoughts of every person. And you need to make an effort in order to break free from this captivity of thoughts and come to God.
It would be simply wonderful if it were fashionable to believe in God, work honestly, respect elders, defend the Motherland, maintain family loyalty... Even better - if this fashion did not change from season to season. What's wrong with this fashion?
“A lot of people started going to church for show: politicians stand with candles in their hands, bandits, I don’t want to be like them.”
That's right, don't be like that. Be like so many other people who always went to church modestly, even risking their position in Soviet time, confessed, took communion... Be like the commanders Suvorov and Kutuzov, Pushkin and Dostoevsky, academicians Pavlov and Vinogradov, the holy noble princes Alexander Nevsky and Daniil of Moscow, Venerable Sergius and Seraphim, millions of Orthodox Russian people - after all, they went to church. Be like many of our contemporaries who today sincerely pray to God, pouring tears invisible to the world(as Gogol, who went to church, wrote) for our suffering Fatherland and the dying people without God, without prayer.
“We were not raised in the faith. Now it’s too late to change your worldview.”
No, it's not too late. It will still have to be changed: when the soul leaves the body, and we will see for sure that everything that is said in the Bible is true. That there is another world, a world of angels and demons, in which we need only one thing: what the Holy Church has generously offered us all the years of our life here. In this life you can still change everything and save your soul. In the future there will be only eternal repentance. But then it will really be too late.
The first to enter heaven was the prudent thief, who, just before his death, suffering on the cross for his crimes, repented, confessed to the Lord - and received forgiveness and eternal salvation from Him.
This means that here, on this earth, no matter how we lived before, it is never too late to repent for our entire past life and turn to the Lord.
“I don’t know how to behave in church. What if I get a bad reception?”
It's okay, it won't last long. Be patient. Smile. Work on yourself (the benefits have already begun!) Say humbly: “Sorry, I don’t know anything here yet. But I want to find out. Tell me, please...” Even the strictest grandmothers from such humility will most likely tremble, soften - and torture them with maternal care. Just don’t rush to trust them with everything, although it may seem easier to you (easy is not always good). For all spiritual questions, contact Orthodox priest. And very soon you will find out the main thing.
Gain spiritual experience: a favorite demonic trick is to make mountains out of molehills. Someone said one word to you (and perhaps he himself already regretted it) - and you are already ready to deprive yourself of a permanent, irreplaceable good that gives great joy and benefit in this life - and in the future, eternal life . Is this comparable?
“I’m not that much of a believer”
Well then better place You won’t find anything better than a church. Because this is where faith is strengthened most of all. We are all on a journey.
You don’t need to adjust your life to your lack of faith, but strengthen your faith.
“Whoever you mess with, that’s how you’ll gain,” says the people.
If you follow truth, with truth, with beauty, with purity, you will become smarter and kinder, you will become cleaner and happier.
Pray, ask with the Gospel prayer: I believe, Lord, help my unbelief(Mark 9:24).
The Lord will help, the Lord will give.
And to a believer, everything is possible. This is also a gospel truth.
“Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself”
Exactly! Don’t make mistakes yourself, work hard: pray, fast, go to church, do good deeds for Christ’s sake... A Christian who trusts in God has a lot to do. And above all – with yourself. With sinful thoughts, feelings, with your fierce passions - diseases of the soul: pride, laziness, lack of faith, anger, love of money, despondency, fornication, gluttony... Just turn around!
And, of course, do your own business as usual- having crossed himself and prayed.
If the Lord bless your efforts, everything will go smoothly, you will succeed in everything, and everything will be beneficial. And without God, you can scroll in one place all day, and look back in the evening: where has the day gone? Unclear.
What if it's a year?
What if life?
You can save minutes, but don’t wonder where decades go.
When you go to church, you do not waste time, but save it.
“What should we do in church?”
Every Orthodox Christian has a lot to do in the church.
Entering the temple (preferably before the service begins), cross yourself, bow to the Lord, the Mother of God, and all the saints. Place candles: for health - in front of the icons and for repose - on the eve, in front of the Cross of the Savior. Submit notes with the names of baptized Orthodox Christians - about health, about repose.
Choose a place in the temple. Try to understand where and to whom you came, who listens to you, who sees you, including all your thoughts.
From the very beginning of the service we hear the call: Let us pray to the Lord in peace. That is, inner peace, silence of the soul. Try to calm your thoughts and feelings. You came to speak with Love Itself, with God. Not long ago, the deceased elder Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov said:
– How happy you are that you are believers... Talk tenderly to the Lord when you stand in prayer.
Try not to talk to anyone - listen, think about what they read and sing. Combine your prayer with the words and chants of the service, pouring it into the common request of those praying - with all our soul and with all our thoughts, as the Holy Church calls us.
You can pray in your own words - about the most important, the most secret. Everyone has such heartfelt requests.
What do we talk about with God?
First of all, we thank God.
That's why we go to church in the first place.
As for illnesses and all sorts of troubles that also occur in life, this is not from God, it is from our sinfulness and from the devil.
If it were not for the Lord, there would be immeasurably more grief. The world would drown in it.
The Lord tries to turn all evil into our good. And we can help Him in this if we do not grumble, get angry, look for those to blame, or become despondent, but rather humble ourselves, repent of our sins, endure, strengthen ourselves in goodness and thank God.
No good comes “for granted.” This is all - victory over evil in main battle which is life.
“Glory to God for everything,” said the great universal teacher and saint John Chrysostom at the end of his life, amid sorrows.
Our second request to God is for the forgiveness of sins.
We are all sinners. And only the Lord can forgive us our sins and cleanse our souls.
The third request is for God’s help.
All our issues are resolved primarily in the church: state, family, medical, pedagogical, financial, military...
Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov taught his soldiers: “Pray to God - victory comes from Him!”
He didn't have a single defeat.
We go to church and ask for God’s help not only for ourselves. Just like we live and do everything not only for ourselves, and not only on our own. We pray in church with everyone together for the peace of the whole world. About our God-protected country, about its authorities and army. About your city or village, and those living in them by faith. About the abundance of the fruits of the earth. About those floating in the sea, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives. About all previously deceased Orthodox Christians.
“I’m such a sinner, where else should I go to church?”
Imagine a person who says: “I’m so dirty, where else should I go to the bathhouse?”
Where else would you go?
That's all you need to do is go to church, precious sinners! If you have sinned a lot, it’s time to cleanse yourself, wash yourself, gain strength to fight sin, and learn how to do it. The Church is a school for fighting sin. And there is nothing worse than sin. From him all the troubles, all the tears. Sin is worse than death. None of us can avoid death, but God forbid we die with unrepentant sins. It will be really hard later. While there is an opportunity, before it’s too late, we must run to church and not delay a single day.
This is where another trick lies in wait.
"I have no time. I am busy"
If you translate these words into honest language, you get: “I believe that I have more important things to do.”
But that's not true. We have no more important matter than the salvation of the soul.
To be even more honest, we will have to admit that, unfortunately, we prefer not only activities, but even the absence of them, to going to church.
Don't we spend hours and days watching TV, the Internet, reading newspapers, telephone conversations? We don’t give up on this because we don’t have time for it. And this may not bring any benefit.
How many daily activities we have that are not only useless, but even harmful: we judge, discuss other people, shake the bosses’ bones, which doesn’t make them any better, and doesn’t make us any better. Moreover, we become spiritually poorer: we accumulate sins for ourselves, making God’s Judgment more severe towards us. After all, the Lord said: Judge not, lest ye be judged(Matthew 7:2).
And there is an activity that always changes both life and ourselves for the better - prayer.
“I don’t understand what they say in the church”
For example, a first-grader came to school, sat, listened to what they were saying in class, and said: “I don’t understand!” - I collected my backpack and went home: “I’d rather stay as a preschooler.”
In the first grade, we did not understand much from the ten-year curriculum. But we went to school. Every day we got up with an alarm clock. We overcame our laziness. (Here’s something else that masquerades under all these compelling supposed “reasons”).
Study English language we don’t quit by saying, “Too much.” unclear words».
It's the same here. Start going to church - it will become clearer every time.
But a lot is already clear. Lord have mercy- It's clear. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit- It's clear. Holy Mother of God, save us- It's clear. In prayer Our Father… all clear. But these are the main prayers. If you listen closely, much more will become clear, more and more.
The language of worship - Church Slavonic - is a special language. It is the easiest language to speak with God. This is our great treasure. It is completely untranslatable and irreplaceable in the Russian language.
Worship is perceived not only by the mind. Worship is grace. This is a special beauty. Worship is addressed to the whole soul of man. It is for the eye, and for the ear, and for the sense of smell. All this together feeds the human soul, and the soul changes, purifies, elevates, although the mind does not understand what is happening to it.
No one leaves the temple the same as they entered it.
Buy the Gospel and read it at home. In modern Russian, in modern Russian font. All this is available today, thank God.
One young man once told his priest that he could not go to church until he understood what was happening there.
Father asked him:
– Do you understand how food is digested in your stomach?
“No,” the young man admitted frankly.
“Well, then, until you understand, don’t eat,” the priest advised him.
Most baptized people in Russia have no idea about public worship and do not go to church on Sunday service. But can a person who considers himself Orthodox live outside of church services and not partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ?
Let's try to answer this question. Glory to the Lord, Russia today is slowly but steadily returning to the Orthodox faith, our churches are opening one after another, and holidays they are filled with people. But why come to church on Sunday for the liturgy and participate in it?
This is the second significant question that must be answered.
How many people do we have who understand the meaning of weekly participation in the liturgy? - So far very little! And everyone usually names some own reason, explaining why he was not at the service on Sunday.
Participating in the liturgy means living as one family, and this is not just the Christian duty of a person who considers himself Orthodox, but a necessary need of his soul. Because when you love people, then you strive for unity with them. This unity with God and brothers and sisters in faith takes place in the temple. Sometimes you can hear the following request: “Father, we want to baptize the child individually,” that is, separately from other Christians... (!) - apparently because the rest are not perceived as brothers and sisters.
In a normal relationship, husband and wife live together, love each other, bear hardships together family life not because they are obliged to do this, but because they love each other and cannot do otherwise. Agree, it is not enough to be called a husband and only sometimes take care of your family, fulfilling certain obligations. This is absurd. But the same thing happens with Christian duties. It is not enough to say: “I am Orthodox,” or: “Lord Jesus, I love You,” you must confirm your words with deeds. But, at the same time, I love God not because I am obliged to love Him, but because only in Him do I find the meaning of existence, only with Him can I be truly happy! It is not enough to say: “Mom, I love you,” you must actually show your love. The Lord says: If you love Me, keep My commandments (Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 15), that is, in fact confirm your love for Me.
Let's think about the reasons why people don't participate in worship.
"I don't believe in God"
Such people call themselves atheists. The word "atheism" translated from Greek language means "denial of God." That is, atheism is the belief that there is no God. An atheist does not go to church precisely because he denies God. Often such people were baptized in childhood, but their godparents, unfortunately, did not explain to them what the essence of Christianity is. Or they themselves didn’t understand this well, because often parents ask just close relatives or acquaintances to become godparents of their children, without thinking about how deeply they believe and whether they can help their godchildren gain faith.
It is curious that in the soul of an atheist there often lives a hidden consciousness that the Creator of heaven and earth exists, but only believing in Him is “bad.” Once upon a time Soviet school the teacher began to convince the children that there is no God.
“Children,” she said, “there is no God!”
Well, thank God!
Indeed, why deny the One Who does not exist? And why persecute, send to camps, repress, shoot those who have Orthodox worldview and preaches love for people? It turns out that the Christian Church with its truth prevents people from sinning quietly and living according to their passions. This means that she will always be persecuted by a world that lies in evil. Millions of people have been tortured to death simply for believing that God exists.
Sometimes you can hear such arguments from atheists. There is no God because no one has seen Him. Or, you cannot believe in God, science has proven that He does not exist. Gagarin was in space and did not see God there. And in general, man descended from a monkey, and the world arose by chance. It’s hard to argue about logical statements. The doctor performed an operation on the brain, but did not find the mind there and concluded: “If the mind is not visible, then it does not exist!” And the theory, i.e. Darwin's hypothesis school curriculum, in general, sounds like a scientifically proven fact. And people are ready to believe in the theory and prove its truth, despite all its inconsistency. The child takes any theorem or subject studied at school on faith, because he trusts the teacher. Although he personally has never seen, for example, either microbes or radio waves, he firmly believes in the teacher. Trusts. I remember professor of theology A.I. Osipov told a story about how a boy returned from school and announced to his parents that there was no God, and the world happened by accident. Dad painted on the asphalt early in the morning geometric figures. When the child woke up and asked dad about the figures, dad said that they appeared by themselves. The meticulous son did not let up and assured that someone had drawn it. And dad convinced me that it happened by chance, just like the earth, the sun, and the water. After all, if the explosion of the universe is an accident, then why can’t some figures appear by themselves? It was obvious to the child that there was an author of the drawings, but he could not prove this in any way, because he did not see how it was done. We did not see how the world was created, but we claim that it happened by chance! No proof, but firm faith and " iron logic" And even today, in the 21st century, there are some people who claim that everything happened by itself, there is no reason - there is chaos. One gets the feeling that such people have intelligence, but no reason.
The wise King David, who lived 1,500 years BC, called atheism madness: The fool said in his heart: There is no God (Psalm 13, verse 1). How can one not agree with the hero of the work “Heart of a Dog”, Professor Preobrazhensky, who said that devastation begins in the minds? And then we wonder why we have a low birth rate, why there are so many drug addicts, so many broken families, why such loose morals, so many different crimes, murders? But because “if there is no God, then everything is permitted!” This was stated by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky shortly before atheism in Russia began to destroy social foundations with crushing force. In fact, why follow any rules of morality and morality? Live for yourself, take everything from life, don’t think about your soul, life is short anyway. This is what is being imposed on schoolchildren, students, and everyone today Russian society. Is this what Christ taught and is this what the Church preaches? The Church says: be merciful, compassionate, chaste, faithful, kind, honest... But we cannot talk about this in educational institutions today, under any circumstances, otherwise we will suddenly violate the rights of those who do not want to live as the Orthodox Church calls.
The Church may be separated from the state, but it is not separated from man. Russia has always been a spiritually strong power thanks to ORTHODOXY, this is confirmed by the entire history of Russia. It is enough to recall Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus', Alexander Nevsky, Dimitri Donskoy, Sergius of Radonezh, Admiral Ushakov, who defended our Motherland, and many other Orthodox Christians, leaders and ordinary citizens. And if we want to live again in a spiritually strong state and build it not on the misfortunes of our compatriots, then it’s time to think about why we are restoring and building churches. To again destroy or turn these spiritual centers into sports grounds, factories or warehouses?
Of course, faith can be preserved in a person’s soul even when the temple is destroyed and desecrated. And the question arises: why are temples needed that have stood in Rus' for centuries? Why is the human soul not satisfied with its own “home” faith, what does it find in the House of God? Despite persecution and wars, people always gathered in churches for public prayer, where they received grace from God through the Sacraments of the Church, becoming spiritually strengthened, enriched and healed; received support in weaknesses and sorrows, peace, love and hope for eternal life. And today, most people do not participate in public worship, because their family did not explain to them that the temple is a meeting place for Christians with God and with each other, a holy place, and if a people has nothing sacred left, then it self-destructs. What if a child grows up in an atheistic or dysfunctional family or has no family at all? What should he do, how can he learn that taking part in the liturgy, confessing and receiving communion is a great benefit for the soul and body?!
Man is not just a material body. He is animated, and there is a spirit in him, that is, a moral principle. And if we nourish the body, but not the spirit, then the spiritual and moral core is destroyed.
Today, the media - by promoting a vicious lifestyle and lack of value guidelines - creates a personality incapable of serious family relations. As a product offered - as a norm - we are offered promiscuous sexual relations, the cult of profit by any means, scandals and intrigues.
Why can’t we talk more about goodness, fidelity, friendship, love, chastity, and the purity of human relationships? Oh yes, we will violate the rights of those who choose evil. And then we wonder: what is happening to us and how to stop promiscuity and violation of moral principles? And when the Orthodox Church tries to help the state stop the process of decomposition of society, it is told: “The Church is separated from the state” and, hiding behind the law, they continue to commit lawlessness.
We wonder what happens to our children without offering them a moral alternative. Like, the child will grow up and choose for himself. Excuse me, but which one will he choose from? From what he sees on TV? After all, limit “communication with blue screen“It’s not always possible if the child is left to his own devices. (Our mothers are forced to work, since, according to statistics, half of the families in the country are single-parent, and they have no time to raise their children.) It is one thing to give birth to a child, and quite another to raise him. Those who shy away from raising children usually say this: when they grow up, they will choose. And children spend most of their time on the street, where drunkenness, foul language, drug addiction, and adults’ indifference to hooligan pranks: smoking, theft, rudeness, bullying of weak, “special” children, etc., flourish.
Dear ones, maybe it’s time to think and turn to fundamental human values, the sources of our faith, spirituality, morality, because only this should become an alternative to the flow of mud pouring on our children?
Superstitions, fear, illiteracy, rumors, stereotypes, indecision, disappointment...
For many, the concepts included in the title of this part become significant reasons that give rise to doubts about the truth of the Orthodox faith. And indeed, if some baptized people who call themselves Orthodox believe that sins can be transmitted from another person’s candle, that one can “get infected” with sin, like the flu, then really, why go to church? How many people will put a candle next to your candle? And many people stubbornly believe that the relatives of the deceased should not carry the coffin, otherwise the relative will thereby hasten his own death. And there are countless such examples! Because of such superstitions and rumors, fear is born. We must cry for such “Christians” who do not know what the essence of Christianity is. And who will explain, who will help? It seems like you need to go to church, but how if you don’t know anything - you don’t know where to stand, what to do? It’s somehow inconvenient to ask, everyone is busy. And it occurs in people psychological barrier, despite the fact that literature is very accessible today. You come for help, advice, or simply out of curiosity to the followers of the teachings of love, and in response, at best, they will look at you angrily. Just look at some “Orthodox” grandmothers who “with love” receive people who have crossed the threshold of the church. And sometimes priests will say this... So sometimes it’s easier to find the answer in a book. In addition, not all parishioners and clergy are theologically educated. By the way, in almost all churches in our time you can receive initial theological education through catechesis classes (translated from Greek as “catechesis” - oral instruction in the faith). There are also materials instructing in the faith on the Internet. For example, at www.azbyka.ru
Very often you hear an indignant murmur: look at the cars these fat, greedy and rude priests drive around! What about business in churches? How much do these same candles cost them, and how much are the books and icons in the church shops! Baptism - so many rubles, wedding - so much...
Others argue less materialistically. For them, “spiritual” reasons are more important, which do not allow them to enter the temple. "Why do children die?" “Where was your God when I was sick?”
The list of questions can be continued. Let's try to answer in order.
Grandmothers must be pitied and forgiven; they are often wrong. After all, many grandmothers were raised in an atheistic, godless country; these are former pioneers, Komsomol members, communists, and trade union activists who came to God. Not wanting to know the essence of Christianity, they love to lecture everyone, forgetting that the best remark is own example. We need to condescend to their weakness. Forgive as the Lord forgave - without any conditions. As for greed and rudeness, which perhaps someone observed in churches, this is everyone’s personal sin, and everyone has their own. But the doctor's rudeness or medical personnel is not a reason not to get treatment for an illness. The dishonesty of a policeman is not a reason to label all people in uniform. It’s not angels who go to Church, but people like them weak people, subject to passions, who, struggling with sins, overcoming temptations, sometimes become like Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker, Xenia the Blessed and Seraphim of Sarov.
We must also condescend to the weakness of people who have received the grace of the priesthood from God. They also lived and were raised in our country. The desire to have a car in itself is not bad, but when it develops into a passion for having the most expensive car, then this is already a sin. By the way, if a priest drives an expensive foreign car, this does not mean that he dreamed of it or bought it with his salary. Another thing is that it is very expensive car you could sell it, buy it cheaper, and spend the difference for the benefit of society. But everyone - and the priest too - makes his own choice. And having bought a cheap car, he may later say more than once: “You shouldn’t be chasing cheapness, priest.”
The church has always existed due to voluntary donations. And if the priest was given a car, then godly man will be happy for him and will not envy or condemn him. And whoever envyes and wants to condemn will always find a reason. We must not forget how many responsibilities a priest has, how many different places he must go in a day, how many people he must visit. Without a car, most often this is simply impossible to do, which is what church benefactors understand when making such gifts.
As for the completeness of other ministers of the Church, it is important to know its reason. And if it is difficult to talk about the beauty of fullness, then it is necessary to talk about its harm. But if a person who is inclined to be overweight eats incorrectly or, even worse, his metabolism is disturbed, then no matter how much he runs and fasts, the weight will be excessive.
In one of his conversations, church missionary Deacon Andrei Kuraev told how in his youth, as a seminarian, he visited the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and immediately saw very full monk. “This is Orthodoxy!” - he thought. And the monk, looking at the young man, grinned: “That’s it!” And in my youth I silently condemned one fat monk. And the Lord rewarded me with the same!” We do not know the real reason fullness of clergy, and therefore we will not take on the role of judges. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven (Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verse 37).
So, are we Orthodox in name only or in reality?
Many people, being nominally baptized, go to church mainly not to participate in the Sacraments, but to light a candle. Let's give an example.
A woman enters the temple, crosses herself widely three times and says:
I don’t go to church often, but I need to pray for my son so that he passes the exam. Who should I pray to here?
They answer her:
What God?! Which icon should I light a candle for?!
It’s easier to pay off than to understand the essence Orthodox faith. So a person came, prayed and left, but one must listen, delve into the Word of God as it sounds in church, live according to it, correct oneself, fight bad habits and addictions. Of course, it is easier to give in to vice than to eradicate it through fasting and prayer. Let's give another example.
One healthy man boasts before the priest:
I'm so strong that I can bend rebar!
Okay, says the priest, let's start with a cigarette...
And some say this: “I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t steal, I have no sins.” There may not be any great sins. But a little dirt on a snow-white shirt is enough reason to recognize it as not entirely clean. On the other hand, if you sit in a dark room wearing the same shirt, it won’t seem so dirty. And only thanks to the light can you see a soiled shirt or a once pure soul blackened by sinful dirt.
Well, the man decided to fulfill the commandment of the New Testament and began to take communion regularly, began to listen to what was being read and sung in church - and then he realized that he did not understand anything. And he says: if they translated the service from Church Slavonic into Russian, then everything would be clear. Paradox: children learn at school foreign languages, but listen to your native Church Slavonic speech... It turns out, “What is your name?” clearer than the words “Let us pray for the authorities, the army and the people.”
It must be said that those who go to church every Sunday, willy-nilly, begin to remember what they hear. And if he makes a little effort, he begins to understand the text. So all this talk is just another far-fetched reason not to go to services. True, sometimes they sing and read in such a way that nothing can be heard or understood. Here the problem lies with us, church and clergymen: some have difficulties with diction, others have a quiet voice, others have both, but even if microphones are installed in every church, the Church Slavonic text will not become any clearer.
Why? Yes, because without reading the Holy Scriptures, it is difficult to understand the meaning of worship. It’s easy to swallow the fantastic fairy tale about Harry Potter, which is 4 times thicker than the Bible, and you have time, but reading the Book of Books is no time, it’s unclear, and it’s not interesting. Although you can take a children's Bible, where everything is clear. And when before baptism you ask the godparents (godparents) what their responsibilities are towards their godchildren, you don’t hear the answer that the godparent takes upon himself the responsibility not only to pray for the child, but also undertakes to bring him to church, explain to him the meaning of the Orthodox faith, when he grows up, and most importantly, teach him to live like a Christian.
Now about the so-called “business”. On the one hand, how can grace be bought with money? It is clear that the grace of the Holy Spirit cannot be assessed in monetary terms! On the other hand, maintaining a temple requires considerable expenses.
Unfortunately, not all baptized people know that in pre-revolutionary Russia every dick is big Orthodox family He gave a tenth of his income to the temple. To “feed” employees, choirs, clergy, for publishing, educational activities, for the creation of houses of mercy, institutions for permanent and temporary residence of children, for shelters for the blind, deaf and dumb, for repairs, construction, etc. And today we still need funds for the reconstruction of destroyed churches, the maintenance of seminaries, Sunday schools, gymnasiums, for organizing holidays and gifts for orphans, lighting, taxes, etc. This contribution is called the church tithe. Then the inscription on the mug is clear: “Donations for needs.” Donations are voluntary - everyone gives as much as they want and can. But setting price tags is, I hope, temporary. It is caused, rather, by the fact that not all people entering the temple understand that the maintenance of the temple and its employees is measured by the monetary unit established in society.
Suppose you don’t have enough money for a candle, but you really want to light it and pray. What to do? - First of all, there is no money, don’t light a candle. Just pray. The Lord will hear prayer even without a candle. God does not need candles, He says: Here I am, standing at the door and knocking: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation of John the Theologian, chapter 3, 20 poem). There is a desire to thank God - thank, to ask for something - ask, to donate - donate. The main thing in a sacrifice is your desire and action. And if someone extinguished your candle ahead of time, this does not mean at all that God did not accept your sacrifice. Or if you wrote a note about health or repose, and the clergyman did not read it out loud, this does not mean that your personal prayer is in vain. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God (Psalm of David, 50, verse 19). Secondly, every church has the opportunity to donate to a “common candle.” Thirdly, the meaning of Orthodoxy is not in candles or simply in prayers, but in union with Christ, the Son of God, in the Sacrament of Communion. Everyone prays: Muslims, Jews, and sectarians, but only in Orthodoxy is it possible not only to communicate with God (to pray), but to be with Him in complete unity, to receive communion. To commune with Him, that is, to become a part of Him and accept Him within oneself. Thus, through communion with God in Jesus Christ, a person becomes like Him, receiving from Him love, peace, joy, long-suffering, meekness, mercy... In no religion does the Creator voluntarily accept torment and give His life for His creation. Our God Jesus Christ showed His love for us not in word, but in deed. At the same time, some say: “It doesn’t matter who you believe in, there is only one God.” Judge for yourself. For us, Christ is God, for Muslims Christ is just a prophet, not God at all, and for Jews it’s even worse - a false prophet! Here's the difference...
In the 20th century, century mass repression and executions, the atheists seized churches, killed Christians, many of whom the Church later canonized. History tends to repeat itself, and it is very scary to think that newly built churches could again be destroyed by our uneducated children and grandchildren. Well, as a last resort, converted into something “more useful”. Just as before the revolution the Church was perceived simply as a place for performing a ritual and people often went to church only to baptize and get married, so today the external performance of the ritual is, unfortunately, the most important thing for many. Believing in God or believing in a ritual (ex opera operate - that is, by virtue of an action performed) are two different things.
According to Priest Andrei Lobashinsky, there are three groups among those who call themselves Orthodox:
– active parishioners who have a certain degree of church knowledge, a church position expressed in behavior and spiritual life. This group is small. It is greatest in capitals and large cities, but on the periphery this group is small...
- parishioners who have very little church knowledge, but have faith. Due to their church illiteracy and spiritual bad manners, this group is the most spiritually vulnerable, because tends to participate in various marginal movements. It is among such parishioners that various false prophets conduct their “activities”, promoting church schisms and divisions.
- the largest group that can be called ritualists rather than believers. Their faith has no positive content either in the spiritual, or in the canonical, or in the dogmatic sense. All sorts of superstitions flourish there; people, considering themselves churchgoers, deceive themselves.
They will say: okay, it’s understandable with people, they are not perfect, but what about God? Why is He so cruel, why, for example, does He allow the death of innocent children?
This question still haunts those who have not read the answer in Holy Scripture.
Scripture, and indeed our daily life, tells us that yes, indeed, we live in cruel world. And if in this evil world the complete dominion belonged to God, then it would truly be fair to accuse Him of cruelty. But this is not the case at all! And in this world it is not God who reigns, but “sin reigns” with all the “fruits” of its domination: all kinds of disasters, illnesses and death. That’s why we say the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father” every day. And in it we pray: “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in heaven and on earth.” Yes, in heaven the Name of God is hallowed, the will of God is fulfilled, there is the Kingdom of God. But here, in this temporary world, we do not see this: the Name of God is desecrated, the will of God is not carried out and sin reigns, the father of which is Satan himself. And so God came to this sinful and evil world to save it and all its inhabitants. The Apostle Paul, seeing all the hopeless evil of the world in which death reigns, first exclaims in despair: “Wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from this death? - and immediately offers joyful thanks to God: “I thank my God for Jesus Christ our Lord!” He does not blame, does not complain, but thanks God. In Jesus Christ, the Son of God, it was revealed to people holy name God, in Him, the Risen One, the Kingdom of God has come to us, in Him the will of God was fulfilled eternal life all of us. In Jesus Christ our requests in the Lord's Prayer have been fulfilled. And all that remains for us is to unite by faith with Christ in Baptism, Communion and throughout our entire life according to the Holy Spirit. This is our faith. This is the essence of Christianity. No, God doesn't kill! God saves!
Relatives, not believing in life after death, cry, and here Dr. Raymond Moody is unlikely to help with evidence from his book “Life after Life.”
God gave man not only eternal life, but also freedom, which can be used in different ways. When people give birth to children, they condemn them to death. And only thanks to God we have the opportunity to be resurrected! It is not God who makes the decision to kill, but man. Therefore, the Lord, without violating free will, allows death, knowing that after temporary life eternal life begins happy life. Or eternal death - who chooses what.
It is stupid to blame God for your mistakes. A child was hit by a car. Who is to blame: God or man who does not comply with the speed limit? But for an unbeliever this is the end, but for a child this is the beginning, birth into eternal life, perhaps saving him from some irreparable troubles on earth. The Lord will transform our illnesses and inevitable death into eternal life.
There is a very kind modern parable. A little funny, but essentially very wise.
Two twin embryos in the womb argue about whether there is life after birth. An unbelieving baby asks a believer: “Do you believe in life after childbirth”?
Believing child: “Yes, of course. I'm sure there is life after childbirth. We are here to become strong enough and ready for what awaits us next.”
Unbeliever: “This is nonsense! There can be no life after childbirth! Can you imagine what that kind of life would look like?”
Believer: “I don’t know for sure, but I believe that there will be more light, and that perhaps we will walk and eat with our own mouths.”
Unbeliever: “With your mouth?”
Believer: “Yes, I am sure it is possible. Everything will just be a little different. You can imagine it."
Unbeliever: “But no one has ever returned from there! Life simply ends with childbirth. And in general, life is one big suffering in the dark.”
Believer: “No, that’s not true! I don’t know exactly what our life will look like after giving birth, but in any case, we will see mom and she will take care of us.”
Unbeliever: “Mom? Do you believe in mom? And where is she located?
Believer: “She is everywhere around us, we abide in her and thanks to her we move and live, without her we simply cannot exist.”
Unbeliever: “Complete nonsense! No one has ever seen any mother, and therefore it is obvious that she simply does not exist.”
Believer: “You know, when everything around is quiet, you can hear and feel how she strokes our world. I firmly believe that our real life will begin only after childbirth. And you?"
Let's do correct conclusion from this parable: is it possible to be in your mother’s womb and not believe in her existence? - Can. But just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If the sun, which is behind the clouds, is not visible, this does not mean that it does not exist. If you are told that there is life after death, that Christ lived among people and is God, then what are the reasons not to trust? Either I trust my parents and teachers, or I don’t. Yes, both parents and teachers can make mistakes or tell lies, but then we must question what once lived: Plato, Josephus, Eusebius of Caesarea or Alexander the Great. That is, either I believe that they lived before us, I trust my parents and teachers, or I don’t believe. Either I believe that Christ lived among people and is God, as stated in the Bible (John 5:39; 8:58; 10:30, Rom. 9:5 and other places of Holy Scripture), or I don’t believe.
But not believing in life after childbirth is the same as not believing in eternal life after death. The physicist and philosopher B. Pascal said well about this: “If I believe in life after death, and this turns out to be true, I lose nothing, and if I don’t believe, then I lose everything.” But our faith should not be just in case - what if it’s true? It should become confidence - as a result, the fruit of trust in God. Otherwise, Christianity becomes not a selfless feat of love, but a calculated path that supposedly leads to heaven. Like, I, Lord, give you a candle, and You forgive me my sins or give me health! Or it happens like this: I pray and pray, I feel bad, but God doesn’t hear me... There is also a modern parable about this.
One day, a man, dying, saw his whole life in the form of footprints imprinted in the sand. And next to his footprints are someone else’s footprints. And on those days when it was especially difficult, traces of only one person were visible. Then, in bewilderment, he turns to the Lord and says: “How is it, Lord, in those days when it was especially difficult for me, You left me!” And God answered: “My son, in those days I took you in my arms.”
A person needs to decide: either I love God, in whose name I was baptized, and accordingly live according to His commandments, or I just say that I love Him, but live according to my own principles. Choice and determination are required. But determination is precisely what is lacking. And here a lot of other reasons are revealed that prevent a person from going to Church.
"God is in my soul"
God is in my soul - and that’s enough, adherents of this idea believe. Why then did the Lord Jesus Christ innocently suffer, die on the Cross, suffer, and shed Blood? Why did the Lord make a deal with man? New Testament(alliance, agreement)? What is this commandment of the New Testament? Every covenant, that is, “agreement,” was sealed with blood. So is the New Testament, that is New Union, The contract with God was concluded by the shedding of the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. And if I have God in my soul, then why the temple, the priests, the Sacraments? And Christ Himself died in vain if there are no people willing to do His will. And the will of God is this: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day... He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him (Gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 54– 56). And we have this commandment from Him, that loving God He also loved his brother (1 John, chapter 4, verse 21).
Of course, the feeling of the presence of God in the soul is inherent in every person at birth. But not all people open their hearts to Him. Some, polluting themselves with sins, do not strive to wash themselves with repentance. The word “repentance” (Greek - “metanoia”) does not simply mean recognition of one’s sin, it presupposes an inevitable change in the way of thinking and acting. Repentance is not a statement of the fact that I am a sinful person, but a specific action leading to a change in lifestyle. If we hesitate, then we become more and more rooted in sin and it is difficult for us to overcome it, just as it is difficult to pull out a tree that has a deep root, just as it is difficult to quit smoking when addiction appears. In the same way, a person who loves sin becomes a slave of his flesh, and not a slave of God. But God always wants to dwell in us - as in a temple, that is, not only in the soul, but also in our heart, mind, body. In order for us to be temples of His Holy Spirit, we must fulfill His commandments. The greatest commandment is the commandment of love. How to learn forgiveness, mercy, compassion, selflessness? Is it possible to achieve this through your own efforts? This is God's gift! One child reasoned like this: what a great fellow I am, that I was born into the world with blond hair and blue eyes! And his parents ask him: “Sunny, is this your merit?” Only the One who gave us life through our parents is able to give love. To become a part of God, Who is Love, you must be involved in Him, you must PARTICIPATE of His Body and Blood, which He shed for all of us.
Communion is not a Cahors and a piece of bun, as some people think. At the liturgy, we receive from the Chalice under the guise of bread and wine - the Lord Himself! How does the Holy Spirit descend on ordinary gifts, bread and wine, through the prayer of the Church, and they become the Body and Blood of our Savior? - Just as inexplicably, as through the prayer of the Orthodox, led by the bishop, every year, on the eve of Orthodox Easter, coming off holy fire on the Holy Sepulcher, a fire that does not even burn for the first 10–15 minutes. Modern “Thomas” only needs to turn on the TV on Easter day. Orthodox calendar and see the live broadcast from Jerusalem in person.
Although this is not a reason to believe, since faith is not receiving evidence, it is trust, confidence. Faith is a gift (Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 8), a gift.
But some say: “I believe, but I feel bad in your church...” How will it be good if, since childhood, neither your parents nor your godparents have made sure that you feel calm, pleasant, and blessed in church?
So it is better to have God not only in the soul, but also in the mind and heart. As it is said in the prayer before Communion: “Lord, go into my heart, into all my parts, into the womb of my heart, and the thorns of all my sins have fallen...”
"No time"
"I believe in God, but I don't have time." Usually this reason is cited by people who realize that they need to participate in the liturgy every Sunday, but this has not yet become the most important thing in their lives. A person who argues in this way emphasizes that today he wears christian name, but is not yet ready to live according to God’s commandments (for example, to fulfill the fourth commandment, which says that a person must work for six days and devote the seventh to God). And, probably, such a person does not yet understand what the Church is, why it is needed and why everyone gathers together? For many, the church is a place where they can satisfy their spiritual needs, and not a place of gathering of believers (Greek - “ekklesia”). “It’s the old people who have nothing to do, so they gather there,” or: “I can’t change my position in life, have I been wrong for so many years?” And sometimes you hear the following arguments: “no, you need to pray, fast, humble yourself, dress appropriately, when I’m old, then I’ll walk.” You can sometimes hear similar excuses when a person rarely goes to church. Will you live to old age, will you have time, and where does such confidence come from? Meanwhile, it was no coincidence that Saint Cyprian of Carthage uttered the words that became a proverb: “To whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a Father!”
One priest, who was tired of hearing the reasons why people rarely go to Church, wrote the following.
Ten reasons why I rarely wash my face:
– I was not taught to wash myself as a child.
– As a child, I was forced to wash my face.
– I wash my face only on major holidays.
- None of my friends wash their faces.
“I don’t want soap manufacturers to make money from me.”
“Old people have nothing to do, so they wash themselves regularly.”
“It’s fashionable to wash with soap, but I don’t want to wash because of fashion.”
– I’m not going to take a bath, but if something happens in life...
– I’ll start washing my face regularly when I get old.
– Those who wash themselves are hypocrites, because they think that they are cleaner than others.
Indeed, it also happens that a person goes to church, outwardly performs all the rituals, but his look, deeds and words betray what is hidden under the mask of piety. And, looking at such an “Orthodox” person, people come to the conclusion: it is better not to go to church, but to live according to conscience, than to observe all church canons and rules, pharisaically nodding at the shortcomings of one’s neighbor. And it’s even better to be a kind, honest, sincere Christian.
How can you believe in God and not believe what He said in the Holy Scriptures? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 8). For many, unfortunately, Christ is not here and now, but somewhere out there, or maybe He didn’t exist at all? Maybe everything we see: the sky, the sun, the seas - appeared by chance? Hardly. Almost everyone understands: there must be some Higher intelligence, who created everything?! Can a blind person compose text by simply pouring ink on paper? No matter how much you pour, no text will come out. No, we need someone with intelligence.
But a person does not have time to think, read, listen, and time appears only when something happens in life - “Until thunder strikes, a man will not cross himself!” Why wait for thunder? It becomes obvious that the desiring person is looking for opportunities, and not the desiring person is looking for reasons. The bells still ring people to churches, and the Lord awaits the free expression of the will of his children.
Spiritual crisis of faith
Suppose a person has gone through all these painful stages spiritual development, but due to the ensuing crisis of faith he found himself again outside the fence of the Church. There was grace, peace, silence, joy, and suddenly everything disappeared somewhere. For this reason he does not go to temple. But it happens like this: a person goes to church, confesses, takes communion, but nothing happens, the sins are the same, the problems are the same. And he leaves... without understanding that the Lord is long-suffering, knowing the weakness of our nature. But if you understand once and for all the following: God loves me so much and, in spite of everything, is waiting to meet me and is ready to be born a thousand times in order to suffer and die for me again, then all despondency will dissipate in an instant. Of course, if we do not believe that everything ends with death. That’s when you need to take everything from life, grab it, tear it, conquer it. And if a person died in the prime of life or at a very young age, it becomes obvious that there cannot be such injustice in life. A person is not conceived in order to spend his entire life in the womb, and is not born in order to die, but in order to live in harmony with himself, with God, and after death to be resurrected and live forever!
The choice is yours
Afterword
Saint John the Climacus was asked how to determine whether a person is approaching God or moving away from Him. To this he replied: “A sure sign of error is evasion from church services" Through participation in Divine services, Orthodox Christians enter into mysterious communion with God and receive from Him grace-filled strength for righteous life. But the path of a Christian is always crowned with suffering, and only with Christ this path is joy!
1. Explanatory Bible. Lopukhin A.P.
2. A most soul-helping book about the constant communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, St. Macarius of Corinth)
3. Catechetical conversations with those being baptized. Archimandrite Boris Kholchev
Surprisingly, many people wonder why they want to cry in church. Some people do not attach any importance to this because they consider this phenomenon to be completely normal. However, many are worried and believe that such a desire may be associated with any negative events that are occurring or will occur. For some people, this phenomenon is a reason to seriously think about their lives. The answer to the question “why do you want to cry in church” will definitely surprise you!
Should you pay attention to the desire to cry in church?
To the question of why in the church you can find a huge number of answers, but it cannot be said that any of them is correct. Therefore, each person must understand for himself whether it is worth paying attention to the fact that he has a desire to shed tears, and also find out why this happens.
It must be said that most people believe that this phenomenon should not be paid attention to, since often a person programs himself for some thoughts and actions, so this desire depends only on the person’s own thoughts and his attitude to what is happening.
The reason for wanting to cry in church is a strong belief in God
It is worth saying that one of the most common reasons why you want to cry in church is a strong Most people who experience sincerely believe in God, and that is why they have such strong emotions. They cannot resist the words of the sermon and the church choir. Such people are very sensitive, so they simply cannot contain their emotions.
This phenomenon cannot be called any “bad” or “wrong”, since a person cannot be to blame for his sensitivity and sincerity. This is not to say that the desire to cry in church is strange, since everyone experiences going to this place differently. For some, this is a tradition that must be followed, and for others, it is a place where you can be alone with yourself and God.
Curses, evil eyes and damage as reasons for the desire to cry in church
The answers to the question of why you want to cry when you enter church can be completely different from person to person. different people. It is worth saying that a lot depends on a person’s faith. If a person believes that this desire is caused by the good and kind emotions that he experienced while in church, then most likely it is so. However, there are many people who, when faced with this desire, are looking for some kind of catch. Perhaps not in vain, because there is another reason why when you come to church, you want to cry. To believe or not to believe in its veracity is up to you to decide.
There is one common and well-known assumption why, when entering church, you want to cry.
Many people believe that a person who feels the urge to shed tears has been jinxed or cursed. This is explained by the fact that it is in the temple of God that a person feels that something is wrong with him. For some believers, this becomes a reason to confess and start going to church more often. Perhaps this version is true, but this cannot be confirmed. There are people who do not believe in damage, curses and the evil eye at all, so they believe that this is not the reason why they want to cry in church.
The imperfection of the real world as a reason for the desire to cry in the temple of God
However, if you think that none of the above versions is the reason that caused this desire in you, there is another assumption that may help you figure out why you want to cry after church.
Some priests say that one may want to shed tears because of a feeling of imperfection real world, in which we live. When a person is in church, he communicates with God, he has the opportunity to be with himself and take a mental break from the bustle of the world. That is why tears may well up in his eyes, because the believer understands that the world outside of God’s house is not so calm, kind and sincere. A person may cry because he imagines how good it would be if the kingdom of God came.
How do priests explain the desire to cry in church?
A person who has encountered this phenomenon is interested in knowing why one feels like crying in church. The priest's answer is the most important for them. In their opinion, it is the priest who can give the correct answer and advise how to get rid of this desire.
Priests say that the desire to cry in church is caused by the Devil. He allegedly specifically brings this state down on the believer so that he no longer goes to church and turns away from God. In such situations, priests advise not to succumb to these feelings and bad condition, since only after going through all the trials will a believer become closer to God.
What to do if you want to cry in church?
The correct answer cannot be imposed on anyone, because each person lives by his own principles and decides for himself whether to believe what others say or not. Therefore, it is impossible to find one correct answer to the question: “Why do you want to cry in church?” Father's answer may seem incorrect to some. This is because some people do not believe that the Devil can have a negative influence on people.
It is possible that someone will not find a single “correct” answer to the question “why do you cry in church,” and this is not at all surprising. Religion and faith in God is something intimate and hidden for everyone. Someone is very sensitive to it, and such a phenomenon as the desire to cry in a temple can cause a lot of worries and negative emotions in him.
Is turning to priests, fortune tellers, psychics the solution?
If you are really worried about this and think that this phenomenon is not normal, then it is best to seek advice from a priest. Perhaps he can clarify the situation and give valuable advice. It is possible that you will be able to get rid of the desire to cry in church, or you will simply stop attaching importance to it. In any case, you must act according to your heart!
It is worth saying that many people crying in church assume that they have been damaged, jinxed, etc. In this regard, they have a desire to turn to fortune tellers, psychics, etc. However, if you are a believer, then This is not recommended. The Church does not accept fortune telling, etc. But every person has the right to make his own choice and act as he sees fit. Therefore, if you think that appealing to people with the gift of clairvoyance is the only way out, follow your heart.
Good afternoon
I used to often go to church services, but now I stopped. I understand with my mind what is needed, but my soul resists.
Please advise what to do?
Best regards, Svetlana V.
Hello Svetlana, I wish you joy!
I understand you very much. And that's why. What happened to you, leaving the temple, unwillingness to pray..., in fact, to a greater or lesser extent happens to every person who comes to God. I would even say that it is very good that something like this happened to you. Why? Yes, because it could have been even worse. I'll try to explain.
Spiritual life, like physical life, has its own certain laws, and ignorance of these laws also does not free a person from responsibility, dooming him to certain suffering.
The first law of spiritual life, which we need to know in order to overcome certain difficulties, says that a person who turns to God goes through certain periods. Here is how Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov, a student of St. Silouan of Athos, describes them: “This is how one almost invariably repeating phenomenon is observed in the order of our spiritual life; not in detail, but in principle, namely: when turning to God, a person receives grace, which accompanies him, enlightens him, teaching him many secrets of life hidden in God. Then inevitably grace will depart from him, at least in its “tangible” power, and God will wait for a response to the gift He has poured out. This test of fidelity has a double meaning: one - necessary for us - to demonstrate our freedom and our reason; to educate and bring to perfection, if possible, the gift of freedom for our self-determination in the sphere of eternity. The other is to give our Heavenly Father the opportunity to transfer everything that He has (cf. Luke 15:31) to us for eternal use, because every gift from above is certainly mastered by us in suffering. After we have demonstrated unwavering faithfulness, God comes again and dwells forever in a person who has become capable of containing the Fire of the Father’s love (cf. John 14:23; Luke 16:10-12).
So, although there are no general recipes for life in God, there are some basic principles that we must have in our consciousness so that we make our path with reason - so that we do not become a victim of ignorance of the ways of salvation" (Arch. Sophrony Sakharov " See God as He is."
As you see, Svetlana, even saints went through suffering similar to yours. This is the law of spiritual life; every believer has a moment when the grace of God is taken away from him. The Holy Fathers also call this period as abandonment by God. Our Savior Jesus Christ Himself inexplicably went through similar trials during His suffering on the cross: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Either, Or! Lama Savahvani? That is: My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Matt. 27:46). That is, even Christ in His own way human nature experienced abandonment by God the Father. Just as with our Savior, without His suffering on the cross, His glorious resurrection would not have occurred, so with us, without spiritual suffering, our healing would not have occurred.
Why do we need this suffering? Why do we sometimes lose God, although we seem to want to believe in Him?
To answer these questions, we must understand the following law of spiritual life, which formulated Venerable Seraphim Sarovsky: the purpose of Christian life is to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. The essence of Christianity is not in the empty fulfillment of external religious attributes, but in the internal transformation of man, in his moral improvement in love for God and neighbor. Very often we fall into such a temptation that we fulfill several external rules (light a candle in the temple, read a prayer...), and we already think of ourselves as great righteous people and, accordingly, expect rewards from God and the fulfillment of all our desires. But they don’t exist and they don’t exist, and we begin to get offended. The main thing that we must understand here is that the meaning of the Christian faith is not in external sacrifices, as in paganism, but in the internal transformation of man; in acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit through external actions. It is only the grace of God that brings peace, joy, love, consolation and other gifts into a person’s life. And only after spiritual enrichment does the physical world around us begin to transform; Only after the healing of our soul by the grace of God will material well-being come.
“The reason for Christ’s imperfection is your (acquaintance),” Fr. writes in one letter. Ambrose of Optina, considers the Lord’s promise of reward for fulfilling His commandments. But this reward is not any kind of payment; for example, a man dug a hole and received a ruble. No. With the Lord, the very fulfillment of the commandments serves as a reward for a person, because it is in accordance with his conscience; from which peace is established in a person’s soul with God, with his neighbors and with himself. That is why such a person is always calm. This is his reward here, which will go with him into eternity.”
One of the most common mistakes of people who are still inexperienced in spiritual life is that all attention is paid only to external fulfillment (how many prayers are read, how many bows are given, to whom and how many candles are lit, etc.), but at the same time the internal the spiritual component, whether these works bring spiritual benefit. As a result, the following results: a person tries and works, but there is no result; there is emptiness in the soul, as it was, and remains. It's like eating food that doesn't fill you up. And if at the first stage of spiritual life the Lord Himself still helps us, freely giving His grace, then when the second comes, a spiritual crisis occurs, the meaning of faith and all fulfillment of external rules is lost. At this moment a person breaks down and stops praying, fasting, and going to Church. What for? Why do something that doesn't bring any benefit?..
It seems to me that approximately the same thing happened to you, Svetlana. Prayers and visits to Church did not bring you what you wanted, they did not bring you spiritual consolation, and accordingly a negative reaction to such actions was deposited in the subconscious, but the soul still asks for what can only satisfy its needs - the grace of God.
And very good at in this case that you have stopped praying. Because you acted at least simply honestly towards both yourself and God. The worst thing would happen if you tried to deceive yourself: well, okay, my prayers are of no use, I will still pray, simply because it is necessary. And who needs it? Neither the soul nor God needs such heartless prayers. This is how people turn into Pharisees: external rituals are fanatically performed, but inside there is emptiness.
What to do now? How to pray when you don’t feel like praying?
First of all, you need to realize that you have simply lost your way. Faith in God is the path we must follow. The end of the road is the Kingdom of God, the place of our eternal bliss. When a traveler does not have a good guide, it is very easy to stray from the right path and get lost. But if you get lost, you must try to get back onto the road and continue on your way. Of course, when we see that our road does not lead to our cherished goal, then there is no desire to continue our path. And this is reasonable, because if we follow it anyway, we will get even more lost, we will find ourselves even further from our goal.
To get on the right path, you need to realize the essence of Christianity, which is love, namely: spiritual improvement in love for God and neighbor. “Now I know from the experience of my life: He longs for our perfection. Allowing us to have a difficult battle with the enemy and with ourselves in our fall, He wants to see us as winners. If we do not retreat from Him even in our most complete humiliation from our enemies, then He will certainly come. It is He who wins, not us. But the victory will be attributed to us, because we suffered” (Archim. Sophrony Sakharov “Seeing God as He is”).
We must return to the beginning of the path and begin our spiritual advancement again, only this time in the right way. We must start with prayer. It is through prayer that our love for God is first manifested. Prayer without love leads to disappointment, prayer with love fills the soul with grace. There is no need to look for in prayer as in magic wand fulfillment of our desires, this is not what makes us happy. After all, the fulfillment of some of our desires gives rise to the next, and this will continue until death stops this leapfrog.
“The reward of love is in love itself” (S. Fudel “The Path of the Fathers”). Happiness is when you can participate in the life of another, be it God or your neighbor, when you can show them your love. Not only prayer, but also all other religious rituals in our Orthodox Church are an expression of love: through fasting we prove our love for God, that He is dearer to us than sausage, sour cream and everything else, through lighting candles - the burning of our hearts in love for Him, etc. Through love for God we become like Him and unite with Nim, because God Himself is Love. He is the Source of Love. We do not ask for different things in our prayers material goods, because God, as Love, knows better than ourselves what we need, and gives us everything we need. We only need to be with Him in a spiritual connection of love.
Try to think not about how many and what prayers to read, but about the fact that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will enter our heart and fill it with Himself. And the Church of God is not Aladdin’s fairy-tale lamp or a self-assembled tablecloth, but a school of love. Without this school, we will constantly get lost, get confused, our whole life will consist of continuous mistakes and failures. I won’t say that in the Church you will immediately receive everything you need, everything will depend on your determination and prudence, because love is an art, or, as St. Ignatius Brianchaninov said, “the art of arts.” It is best if you have your own confessor in the Church, a priest experienced in spiritual life, who will tell you how to develop spiritually correctly.
You cannot answer all the questions of spiritual life, I tried, as best I could, to tell you where to start.
If you sincerely seek God, and not just satisfaction through religion for your everyday problems, then He will definitely help you and give you everything you need.
God bless you, priest Peter Mashkovtsev.
), where a certain person admits that he used to go to church, but now he hardly goes, and the last impetus for this was the rise in price of the service in the form of forty-one.
Twice, from 150 to 300 rubles. for one name, apparently. The man didn’t have enough 20 rubles, and the woman behind the church shop refused to meet him halfway: “What am I going to add from my own money? Go and talk to the rector.”
After this, the man had some insight. From which, however, not all conclusions were drawn correctly.
Looking once again at the rector’s solid jeep in the church courtyard, he thought about it and decided: let them all go to hell! Why can’t I pray to God myself, without intermediaries? Or are we not all children of God?.. He himself asks at the end: show me where I am wrong?
I'll try to show you why.
However, this is not his fault, but rather a misfortune, and a misfortune for many of our compatriots. Those who think that priests are the very “mediators” between them and God, and this heretical thought is actually taken for granted by many. Why does it count? It’s also not their fault - they gave a reason for it church hierarchy for hundreds of years, positioning himself accordingly in relation to ordinary parishioners. From this follows another request regarding clergy: among the common people, and not only among them, the idea has taken root that priests have a “different prayer” by virtue of the ordination given to them, they serve at the throne in the altar and that means “closer to God,” and God “hears them better.” And if he reads the note with the names in the altar, it will have some special effect in spiritual world on those who are recorded in it. Hence, by the way, the desire of various Orthodox relatives to baptize babies from non-believing families only because they can then “give a note” for them. It doesn’t matter how these notes are then read, by whom they are read, and whether they are read at all - the main thing is to get a dose of “sedative” for yourself.
Another problem is that such a consumerist approach is associated with the absence in many parish churches of the Church, essentially as a meeting of people united in common prayer “with one mouth and one heart.” After all, this is only talked about in good books and in liturgical prayers, and our everyday reality carries the burden of a multi-component past - both the newest individualist (however, not the newest), and the Soviet atheist, and the synodal “paralytic”, and the medieval clerical. If there were real communication with each other in that church, where everyone comes and where everyone would be glad to see each other, when after the Eucharist, for example, they gathered in ancient times for an agape meal, or simply united during non-liturgical times at various prayer times groups, then many of the “custom-made requirements” of parish life would be simply unimportant. In fact, would it be worse to personally ask to pray in a group where everyone knows you about some problem you yourself or your relatives have, without any bribe, than handing in a note behind a church bench in the church where you are most likely to no one knows and no one will know everything?..
And as long as there is such consumer-magical demand among the people, there will certainly be a corresponding supply. This is the law of life in this fallen world. When will people stop endlessly running around church shops, handing out “simple”, “custom-made” notes, or the same magpies, and will simply begin to pray themselves and ask others whom they know in the church environment to pray, remembering the words of Christ about the two or three gathered in His name and those who agreed to ask for something, then something will begin to change in a favorable direction, leaving much less opportunity for commercialization and related manipulations. When people understand that all of them, who have received the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” after baptism, are the “royal priesthood,” they will not need any “intermediaries,” for “ one God, one mediator between God and people, the Man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all"(1 Tim. 2:5-6).
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