Athos elder on how to manage the tongue. Teaching on curbing the tongue Whoever curbs his tongue is a perfect man
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Let's think about this promise of the Savior - maybe the bliss of adoption by God is available to us? Who are the peacekeepers, and how can we, ordinary people, serve the so-called cause of peace? Is it possible for everyone? Or is it the business of politicians and all sorts of prominent people? Peace... Peace between tribes and countries. Peace between neighbors. Peace and unity in common work. Family world. And as the basis of all peace is peace in the soul of each of us. It is from this personal world, our peaceful spirit that any world begins.
Do not let passions disturb or cloud our minds, try to put a boundary to your irritation and anger even in the most extreme situations. Not to indulge the spirits of malice that lead us to disagreement and quarrels - such is the duty of each of us. And the overall world depends on how we fulfill it. With the fact that peace is the greatest good, hardly anyone will disagree. “Of all that people seek to enjoy in life, is there anything sweeter than a peaceful life? Everything that you call pleasant in life is pleasant only when connected with the world. Let there be everything that is valued in life - wealth, wife, children, home, relatives, friends - let there be beautiful gardens, places for cheerful feasts and all the inventions of pleasures ... - let all this be, but there will be no peace that is useful therein? .. So, the world is not only pleasant in itself for those who enjoy the world, but also delights all the blessings of life,” writes St. Gregory of Nyssa.
“Advice and love,” we wish the newlyweds, meaning family peace by this. “Do not buy a property, but buy a neighbor,” advises a folk saying, because peaceful good-neighborly relations are more than all kinds of conveniences and benefits. Popular experience tells us that even a grain of peace is extraordinarily valuable, and this experience is reflected in the proverb: "A bad peace is better than a good quarrel."
“Let us pray to the Lord in peace…” - this is how the great or, as it is also called, peaceful litany in the church service begins. Let us pray to the Lord in a peaceful spirit. Any prayer, any appeal to the Lord, must be pronounced in a peaceful state. “For the peace from above… Let us pray to the Lord…” - the deacon or the priest calls upon the believers to pray for the peace that passes over us from above, for the gift of a pacifying spirit. “For the peace of the whole world…” - we hear and pray. So, the world is a blessing, we value it, love it, desire it and pray for it. So what exactly can we do for world peace? Where should we direct our will in order to acquire the spiritual world?
We are all different. Our natural properties and acquired skills are different. One is angry and the other is not angry. Someone is vindictive, while others do not remember resentment. Someone is embarrassed by envy, while another is indifferent not only to someone else's, but also own life. We are all different. But if we are attentive to ourselves, recognize, see our shortcomings, our sins, try to get rid of them with the help of the Lord, which He gives us in the Sacraments of confession and communion, then passions will become less embarrassing, revolting our spirit, and we will be able to find a spirit of peace. . “Acquire a peaceful spirit and thousands will be saved around you,” says St. Seraphim of Sarov. Not only will we die our spirit, struggling with sins, but we will also have a saving, pacifying effect on the world around us.
“But I am not angry, not pugnacious, not vindictive,” another servant of God will say, “how can my peacekeeping manifest itself?” Yes, weak, peaceful women. Unarmed. There is even an old saying: “What is the sword for Marfa, whom should she flog?”. Unarmed. True, not really. Simple, familiar, everyday situations. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, two neighbors, co-workers. How often do we hear, we witness domestic, neighborly or official squabbles, not even quarrels, but the usual gossip, gossip, mutual slander, and wounds? “If anyone among you thinks that he is pious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, his piety is empty,” teaches the Apostle (James 1:26). And he graciously admonishes: “Do not curse one another, brethren” (James 4:11).
Backbiting... Many sometimes do not even notice this sin behind them. They said and forgot, not noticing and not attaching importance to the fact that someone was offended, upset, humiliated, inflicted a spiritual wound. "Ah, evil tongues are worse than a gun" - these words of Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov became a proverb. Here are the "unarmed".
I do not want to say that gossip, slander, gossip are characteristic only of the weaker sex. No, sometimes both the courageous and the strong are not averse to incline their ears to bad news, and even to participate in slander. “For every nature of animals and birds, reptiles and marine animals is tamed and tamed by human nature, and no one can tame the tongue: this is an irresistible evil; it is full of deadly poison. With it we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God,” says the Apostle (James 3:7-9). He calls slander a deadly poison. And it is truly deadly. How many destinies, how many authorities and even lives were ruined by gossip, slander. Gossip is the cause of the death of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Evil speech led to the untimely death of another Russian poet, Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. Gossip was the basis of the public condemnation of the French Queen Marie Antoinette and led her to the guillotine. Gossip and slander contributed to the fall of the authority of the Tsarist power in Russia as well. Directed gossip constantly poisoned the life of the last imperial couple, and especially Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the most pious Christian, wife and mother of five children, a sincere patriot. It can be said that it was the gossip that created public opinion that was the initial instrument of the revolution, the bitter fruits of which we are reaping to this day. During the years of mass repression, gossip received the status of denunciation. Gossip killed, imprisoned, sent to camps. She really became "more terrible than a gun."
But all these great people and tragic events of history seem to have nothing to do with us. We're not going to kill anyone. Is it so? Sometimes a few words can upset a wedding, destroy family peace, deprive someone of the trust of a boss, disrupt a trade deal or some business. And how much grief we bring with our slander!
This "deadly poison" can lead to illness, and then to the death of a person. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). Only hatred, envy, the desire to rise above someone make us pass on other people's news, slander, and dishonor our neighbor. But is it possible that by saying something discrediting about another person, can we ourselves become or at least look better from this? “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and evil person out of the evil treasure of his heart he brings forth evil, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks” (Lk. 6:45)—these words of the Savior convict the slanderer. Evil words defile us, deprive us of glory, honor: “... and what comes out of the mouth - comes out of the heart - this defiles a person, because from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person" (Matthew 15, 18 - 20), - we read in the Gospel. “I tell you that for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37), the Savior warns us. And St. Ephraim the Syrian explains: “A bad review of another is an idle word.”
These verbal, almost incorporeal sins are considered by us to be light, unimportant, in fact, they are not so harmless and can lead us to death no worse than “great villains”. “Slander is the death of the soul,” the Church Fathers teach. Under the countless grains of sand of these petty daily gossips, reproaches, slanders, the soul becomes dead. The conscience, deafened by our slanders and gossip, becomes incapable of hearing the voice of God. In addition, “for what sins, bodily or spiritual, we condemn our neighbor, we ourselves fall into those, and it doesn’t happen otherwise” (St. John of the Ladder). That is why it is so important to keep your ears and lips from bad speech. “The Lord keeps your soul until now, as long as you keep your tongue,” St. Anthony the Great teaches and continues: “Do not bend your ears to hear evil about your neighbor, be a friend of people and gain life.”
Of course, it is not easy to bridle one's tongue. Here is the familiarity of sin, so to speak, the habit and generally accepted discussion of other people's affairs, and the impossibility of avoiding the company of slanderers. It is no coincidence that the Apostle said: “Whoever does not sin in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle even the whole body” (James 3, 2). But if the sin of slander is hateful to us, if we follow the prophet David to pray to the Lord: “Lord, put guard over my mouth” (Ps. 140.3), then the Most Merciful Lord will surely give us His help. Yes, the world largely depends on our language. There was such a case in the life of Macarius the Great. One day Saint Macarius was walking with his disciple. The student, somewhat ahead of the teacher, saw a pagan priest coming towards him, who was carrying a large stump of wood. The student exclaimed: "Where are you taking the log, to the demon." The priest, angry, beat the monk severely and continued on his way. After walking a little, he met Macarius. The saint of God greeted the priest: "Hello, hard worker, hello!" The priest was surprised: “What did you find good in me that you greet me?” To which Macarius replied: “I greet you because I see you working and carefully hurrying somewhere.” The priest was moved by these words and asked Macarius to take him to his monastery and baptize him. Later, the former priest took the veil as a monk. On this occasion, blessed Macarius said: “A proud and evil word directs good people to evil, but a humble and good word turns evil people to good.”
And as an illustration to these words of the great Egyptian ascetic, let me remind you of an incident from the history of our Fatherland. In 1385, St. Sergius of Radonezh went to Ryazan in order to reconcile the "ferocious" Ryazan prince Oleg with the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow. Here is what the chronicler writes about this: “The Monk Abbot Sergius, the wonderful old man, with quiet and meek words and speeches and sympathetic verbs, by the grace given to him from the Holy Spirit, talked with him (with Prince Oleg of Ryazan) about the benefits of the soul, and about peace, and about love, the great prince Oleg shift your ferocity to meekness and be comforted and tame, and they were touched by a great (very) soul, ashamed of such a holy husband and took with Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich eternal peace and love to generation and generation.
And so it is for us to speak with “quiet and meek words and speeches and well-wishing verbs” with those near and far. Holy Scripture also calls for this: “Let all irritation, and rage, and anger, and outcry, and slander, with all malice, be put away from you” (Eph. 4:31). We must not weave a verbal ambush to our neighbor with gossip, so that it does not become an ambush from our salvation. Nor should we condemn others, so as not to take on the burden of other people's sins. Not to face us and angry denunciations and reproaches. We will not offend, humiliate and in every possible way upset our neighbors. And then it is easy for us to fulfill the apostolic commandment: "... be at peace with all people" (Rom. 12, 18). Amen.
foul language
In today's conversation, we will touch upon such a sad phenomenon as foul language. It is sad and unpleasant in itself, like any sin, but it is especially sad that, due to its commonness and prevalence, it is as if not considered a sin by many. The word... A sound that lives for a fraction of a second and disappears in space. Where is he? Go look for those sound waves. The word ... Almost intangible concept. Maybe there is nothing to talk about? But the apostle Paul warns: "...those who speak wickedly...they shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:10). The Word is a gift from God, something that likens a person to the Creator. We call the Savior Himself the Divine Word. With one creative word, the Lord created our beautiful world, the universe, the cosmos. Cosmos is Greek for beauty. The Word of the Creator brought Beauty to life. And with a word, we, the beloved creation of God, are trying to offend this beauty, to desecrate it. The Church has always warned its children against this sin. “Let no rotten word come out of your mouth, but only good…” (Eph. 4:29) - teaches the Apostle.
“And fornication and all uncleanness ... should not even be named among you ...” (Eph. 5, 3) - he insists. But they are named. And not only a fornicator and a lecher, or a person irritated by wine and a quarrel, utters unclean words, but also a completely prosperous, decent one. Often women's and children's lips are defiled by rotten words.
There is a tropical plant, a slipway, its flowers are the very perfection of form and color. But incredible! From the pale-orange glowing petals comes the smell of rotting, decaying meat. When I encounter obscene abuse, I always remember the greenhouse, the delicate wax petals and the terrible stench above them. It is no coincidence that the Apostle called these words "rotten." The holy fathers say that prodigal sins stink. Foul language in its subject matter refers to fornication. And stinks.
Apparently, not everyone understands what a misfortune for society and for each of us lies in bad swearing. The mystical roots of this phenomenon go back to distant pagan antiquity. People of the pre-Christian era, in order to protect their lives from the evil attacks of the demonic world, came into contact with him. This contact could be twofold. The demon was either appeased by praising him and offering sacrifices to him, or he was frightened. So, they frightened the demon precisely with bad abuse, a demonstration of their indecency. This can be observed at the beginning of the fight. When opponents, making a fierce grimace, shout to each other about their cruelty, about their angry insanity, about their readiness to commit this or that heinous act. That is, they give themselves more badness than they really are. For fear or out of fear. But they called the demon with the same words, demonstrating their obsession, their readiness to unite with him.
Thus, the so-called mat was the language of communication with demonic forces. And so he remained. It is no coincidence that in philology this phenomenon is called infernal vocabulary. Infernal means hellish, from the underworld.
But the forces of evil are exclusively evil forces. Nothing good can be expected from them. The only goal of demons is to destroy a person, to take possession of his soul. A demon can only take possession of a human sinner. And if a person himself testifies to his filthiness, he himself passes judgment on himself and gives himself into the hands of the devil. “... From your words you will be justified, and from your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:37), the Savior warns.
In medical practice, such a phenomenon is known: with paralysis, with a complete loss of speech, when a person cannot pronounce either “yes” or “no”, he can, nevertheless, completely freely pronounce whole expressions consisting of unprintable abuse. The phenomenon is strange, but not isolated, and it speaks volumes. It turns out that the so-called swearing goes through completely different nerve chains than the rest of speech. Is it not the devil, using the sinful skill of a person, that renders him such a “good deed”, demonstrating his power over a partially dead body? And what will happen after death? The power of the demon will be complete and final.
The foul-mouthed not only gives his soul to the power of demons, he also affects the state of the soul of the people around him. Slandering hardens him, he spares neither the modesty of women, nor children's purity.
But any information transforms, changes consciousness. How can bad abuse transform consciousness? Once heard the word lives in us until the end of life. All my life. Anesthesiologists say that under anesthesia, when a person's will weakens, it happens that people who have never uttered bad words in their lives will say something from the previously heard abuse. Destroying youthful modesty and arousing impure desires, foul language paves the way to debauchery. Chastity and purity cannot live with bad words. Children, not content with abstract sounds, will certainly strive to find out the meaning of what they hear. Corruption of "these little ones" lies on the conscience of the foul language. “…Woe to that person through whom temptation comes” (Matt. 18:7), says the Savior.
There is no peace in the family of foul language. Swearing excites and irritates a person. But the greatest misfortune in such a family is the fate of the children. Children, hearing dirty speech, themselves are taught to use foul language. The mental development of such children is markedly retarded. The earlier the child's attention turns to the sexual sphere, the more so in such a base and primitive display, the slower will be his spiritual and mental development. In a home where parents keep chastity of speech, children develop a strong aversion to foul language. This disgust is a reliable defense against dealing with bad companies.
Those parents who do not hesitate in expressions should remember that foul language, destroying the child's sense of shame, is a bridge to further crimes. Let them not look for the guilty in the event of an accident with a son or daughter - they themselves planned it. About those who serve as a temptation for children, the Savior said: “And whoever tempts one of these little ones ... it would be better for him if they hung a millstone around his neck and drowned him in the depths of the sea” (Matt. 18, 6). V Soviet time a type of democrat boss appeared, demonstrating his closeness to the people precisely by using strong words. Even the expression appeared: "to say strong, in Russian." It would be nice to know that most of these words are by no means of Russian origin. Russian people have always been distinguished by their chastity. This chastity and modesty were reflected in the national dress and in the national way of life, which surprised foreigners with its severity and purity of morals. Under the pious tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, foul language was punished by corporal punishment: disguised officials walked around the markets and squares, seized scolders and immediately, on the spot, for example to others, punished them with rods.
Today, it is surprising that many educated people have begun to allow themselves to swear in such a “subtle, intelligent” way, perhaps wanting to show their breadth of views. It would be nice to narrow it down, as Dostoevsky wrote. In Russia, an educated person has always been treated with respect. An educated person was called a personal honorary citizen. University education was equated to an officer's rank and gave the rights of personal nobility. Knowledge was respected. Looking at an educated person, ordinary people seemed to say to themselves: “In our darkness we can fall into many sins and mistakes, but he knows where the light is, he is a literate person.”
The ancient demonic cults of the East, from which these words came to us, used them in ritual actions that accompanied human sacrifices. And just as demons were called in this way before, so today the person who pronounces them calls a demon on his head. I would like to end the conversation with the words of the Apostle Paul: “... I do not want you to be in communion with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot be participants in the table of the Lord and in the table of demons. Shall we dare to irritate the Lord? Are we stronger than Him? (1 Cor. 10:20-22). Amen.
condemnation
Our heart is a source of kind, friendly and reasonable speeches, but slander, slander and condemnation come from it. “A good man brings forth good things from a good treasure, and an evil man brings forth evil things from an evil treasure” (Matt. 12:35), says the Savior. So the speech of a person indicates his spiritual and moral state. We all remember the words: “Judge not, lest you be judged,” but the sin of judging is so “light”, habitual and ubiquitous, that we do not notice it at all.
We call gossip only what they say about us and our loved ones. And what we ourselves tell about a neighbor, colleague or friend is not gossip, it is “truth”. Exclude from the conversation talking about someone else's life, life, actions - it seems that there will be nothing to talk about. But for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer on the Day of Judgment. Advising to move away from obscene idle talk, the apostle Paul writes: “... you are inexcusable, every person who judges another, for by the same judgment that you judge another, you condemn yourself, because, judging another, you do the same” (Rom. 2, 1).
Someone may object that, they say, we condemn only what we ourselves do not do, what is not characteristic of us, but, on the contrary, is disgusting. No, by condemnation we just give out, show our properties. There is a moral law familiar and used by criminologists, educators and professional psychologists. The ancients formulated it like this: like sees like. In one of the "Pateriks" there is a parable: three people whom the night found on the road saw a passerby. Each in his own way determined the reason that made him leave his house at such a late time. “This man went out to steal at night,” thought one. “He is going on a secret date with a prostitute,” decided another. “This pious man got up so early that he could be in time for matins in the neighboring city, there is a big holiday there today,” thought a third. How visible here are the love of money of the first, and the lustful thoughts of the second, and the piety of the third.
In the same way, we reveal ourselves by judging our neighbor. Employment in some companies is preceded by a conversation with a psychologist. The psychologist finds out the opinion of the applicant about former boss, about neighbors, about the attending physician, mother-in-law, and, according to him about others, draws a conclusion about himself. Thus, by condemning, we are actually condemning ourselves. “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37), says the Savior. However, if God's Judgment is a distant and vague future for someone, then even the shame of revealing one's unseemly qualities in front of others will block judgmental lips. We do not always succeed in seeing the event correctly, and even more so in correctly interpreting it.
The Monk Vitaly, living in Alexandria, was hired to work during the day, and spent the night in the homes of fallen women. The whole city condemned him, calling him a lecher. Meanwhile, he came to these houses in order to give the women the money they earned for food, keeping them from sin (“Prologue”, April 22).
Sometimes the reason for suspicion and condemnation can be one appearance person. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk was ill with dropsy, the swelling made him excessively full. Many believed that Vladyka was intemperate in food and reproached him for overeating. The Saint endured these reproaches and ridicule meekly and with patience.
One doctor was subjected to gossip and ridicule for his red nose. The nose turned red and swollen for no apparent reason. The employees were sure that the colleague simply began to look into the bottle often. To all the excuses and lamentations of the unfortunate man, they only smiled knowingly. After some time, it turned out that the culprit for everything was a small subcutaneous tick. The disease is so rare that even the doctors themselves hardly believed in it. After the cure, the people around decided that the comrade had simply “tied up” them.
When forming our opinion about a person or his act, we are not able to take into account all the factors that influenced the formation of this person, all the reasons that prompted him to commit this or that act. The Lord alone is omniscient. People are born with different inclinations, different temperaments, brought up in different families, live in different environments. All this has an impact on the formation of personality and on its manifestation in deeds. If a child in his family heard constant swearing, witnessed unbridled drinking, family quarrels, if no one told him: do not steal, do not swear, do not offend the weak, then with age he will need a lot of strength to overcome bad habits born by a bad example of adults. By feeling he will seek moral rules in his personal life. But his reward will also be great, because the Lord sees his efforts, unlike us sinners, who judge only by the external actions of a person.
And if a child was born in a prosperous, pious family, well-groomed, taught to distinguish between good and bad, but at the same time he loves torturing a neighbor's cat or climbing into someone else's garden for apples? Here, too, personal efforts are manifested, but they are already directed in the other direction - from good to bad. We see only "cute pranks." St. John Chrysostom cites a wonderful example. Two twin girls ended up in a slave market. One of them was bought by a nun and brought up in diligence and piety. The harlot bought another and made her first a witness, and then an accomplice of her dissolute life. Is it possible that after the death of these sisters the Lord will not take into account all the circumstances of their fate? And we? Could we take everything into account? For us it is impossible. Therefore, let us not even try to pronounce our judgment on others. We all see how a person commits a sin, but we do not see the efforts, the inner work that he expends in order not to commit a sin. And in the end, it is this effort, this work to overcome sin, that is important for the Lord. For a person who does not smoke, it is not difficult not to smoke, and he does not want to. And for a smoker quitting smoking, it's hard work. The result is the same, but the reward will be different.
One abbot was approached with the question: “Who is the most pious in your monastery?” The abbot replied: “Cook. Having by nature a quick-tempered, fiery disposition, this cook constantly restrains himself. And therefore outwardly it does not differ from other monks. Living in society, we cannot but see and hear about someone's misdeeds and even crimes. But we are confronted with other people's sins not in order to condemn the sinner.
In the “Ancient Patericon” we read: Abba Agathon, when he saw some deed and thought prompted him to condemn, said to himself: “Agathon! Don't do it yourself!" And his mind calmed down.
Another reverend, seeing a sinning brother, always wept. "What are you crying about?" they asked him. "About myself. Today he has sinned, and tomorrow I will,” was the answer.
It is impossible for a person to be completely protected from sin, and each of us has enough to do in our spiritual garden. If we often look into the neighbor's garden, then our own sins-weeds will completely drown out the tender sprouts of virtues in our area. Those who have a habit of judging, voluntarily take on the work of a demon. At the Last Judgment, when the Angel tells about the good deeds of a person, the demon will read a list of evil deeds. There will be untruth in this list, but there will also be real, committed sins. It would not be desirable then to act as a witness for the prosecution as an adherent of the devil.
One day, one of the brethren of a monastery spoke badly to the shepherd about his neighbor. The abbot immediately ordered him to be expelled, saying: “I will not allow a visible and invisible devil to be in the monastery.”
Why do we place so much emphasis on the sin of judgment? Because this sin is peculiar to all of us, habitual, imperceptible. Because, like fine river sand, it fills our soul, and it, like the fabulous Alyonushka, is already unable to rise from the bottom of the pool, unable to move, to stand up for a good deed. Meanwhile, every grain of sand will turn into a spark of God's wrath on the Day of Judgment.
A special and grave sin is the sin of condemning the authorities and the clergy. “Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities; for there is no power except from God,” says the Apostle Paul (Rom. 13:1). The attitude towards the Church is determined by the attitude towards the clergy, towards the life of the Church. The condemnation of a priest or bishop is the condemnation of a priest of God, through whose hands the Lord in the Sacraments gives us saving grace. Such a condemnation is an encroachment on the church hierarchy. Our Church is built not on the principle of democracy, but on the example of the Kingdom of Heaven. A kingdom in which the Archangels do not condemn the actions of the Cherubim, and the Seraphim do not discuss the will of God, but carry it out.
At ordination, the priest takes an oath to be in obedience to the bishop, and if he breaks it, then he is an oath-breaker and as a result is deprived of his dignity, is cast out of him, just as disobedient angels were once cast out from heaven. By condemning a priest, we encroach on the Church itself, and therefore on the Lord. Because "to whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father."
The condemnation of the clergy, distrust of the Church, instilled by Her enemies in our society at the end of the 19th century, led to the sad events of the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century, when the Lord deprived the rebellious children of both the clergy and churches. Churches were closed, priests were taken away, and the children of those who, considering themselves completely Orthodox, vilified and scolded their spiritual fathers, grew up without a cross, without God, without faith. And the tortured, shot Russian clergy joined the host of martyrs, and, perhaps, through their prayers we now have churches, and the opportunity to openly confess our Christianity, and theological schools. And if the sad experience of the past does not block our condemning lips, then history will repeat itself. Yes, it does repeat itself. How many schisms and discords have been brought about by the habit of condemnation and disobedience! It's time to come to your senses. It is certainly more difficult for a non-church person to protect himself from condemnation of the clergy, since this law is, as it were, higher than the moral law, it is already at the level of the spiritual law. But a church person who is trying to fulfill church regulations must protect himself from this misfortune, from condemnation and disobedience to the priest. Just as a priest is defrocked for disobedience to a bishop, so, according to the rules of the Holy Fathers, a layman is excommunicated from the Church for disobedience to a priest until repentance or for a certain period. However, he who condemns the clergy excommunicates himself from church grace. But there are especially restless people among believers. They are in constant search of blessed priests. Thus they divide the priesthood into those who are blessed and those who are not, those who are strongly blessed and those who are weakly blessed. And since the degree of grace cannot be measured with an instrument, such restless people go from parish to parish, from monastery to monastery, and do not find a place for themselves where it would be better for them to save themselves. They will cling to some regular blessed church or at the blessed father, they will be like for a while and, you see, they are again looking for a new one. And they are unaware that it is not the desire for salvation, but the sin of condemnation that drives them from place to place. When we judge someone, we rarely keep our judgment in our hearts. More often we confide it to someone, justifying ourselves with the justice of judgments. We know from Holy Scripture that even a person of high morality and authority did not dare to slander a priest. The Apostle Paul, who denounced Ananias before the Sanhedrin, having learned who was in front of him, said: “... I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; For it is written: Do not speak evil of the leader of your people” (Acts 23:5).
When our Lord Jesus Christ was going to the place of His crucifixion, then, exhausted under the weight of the Cross, he stopped and could not continue his journey. Then the Cross of the Lord was taken by Simon from Kyrenia, it was he who helped the Lord to carry His Cross.
Today, the Orthodox clergy have taken upon themselves the heavy cross of the revival of Orthodoxy. I would like the children of the Church to be, like Simon of Cyrene, helpers on this difficult path. Right now, the canonical relationship between the priest and the flock is so important, uniting and strengthening the parish, the diocese, and the entire Church.
The last Sunday before is called Forgiveness Sunday. Those who were in the church that day heard the gospel words about forgiveness: “... if you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you sins yours” (Matthew 6:14-15).
We all have sins, and these sins are the same for everyone - violations of the ten commandments. Maybe only in a different form, either by deed, or by word, or by thought. Each of us has something to punish. That is why it is so important to forgive, not judge. Moreover, our judgment is not caused by the misconduct of our neighbor, but simply by dislike for him. “Not good for good, but good for good,” says the proverb. And “love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not boast, does not pride itself, does not behave violently, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil ... covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything” (1 Cor. 13, 4-5, 7). Beloved disciple of Christ, the Apostle John the Theologian, called the Apostle of Love, the only one of the disciples who lived to a ripe old age and died a natural death, in last years to all questions about life and salvation, he repeated: “Children, love one another.” With these words, I want to end our conversation: "Love one another." Amen.
One of the most difficult tests that a person faces is to control his tongue. Sins are also committed with the tongue - this is slander, gossip, lies, hurtful words… Probably, everyone knows when, in a fit of anger or anger, we say and shout out the first thing that comes to mind, and then we bitterly regret it. Can this be avoided somehow? How not to be a victim of your words? How to protect yourself from this?
Think before you say something. As difficult as it may seem, especially when emotions take over. The surest way to protect yourself from the dire consequences of your words is to think before you speak. We are used to talking without thinking that words have lost at least some value, and fly out of us right and left without much significance.
Imagine that for every thoughtless and spoken word you will have to be punished. Just for yourself, imagine that it will hurt you if you say something hurtful to another person, it will make you think before you speak.
2. Ask for forgiveness
No matter how difficult it may seem, if you have brought pain with your words to another person, just ask for forgiveness. Even if this person hurt you, offended you, or, in your opinion, deserved it, do not be the one who returns evil for evil. There is nothing good in this. Our religion calls for restraint, humility and patience in all situations. In addition, the very asking for forgiveness will force you to show restraint in advance next time, so as not to ask for forgiveness later.
3. Surround yourself good people
If you notice that your environment makes you prone to gossip and discuss others, change it. Surround yourself with good people who see only the good in people and teach you that. Good friends bring up only the best features in us and force us to leave bad habits.
4. Make a reminder
Gossip, lies - all these are sins committed by the tongue and are forbidden in Islam. This is stated in the Qur'an and in the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Study this topic in the hadiths, the Qur'an, make a reminder for yourself, study the punishment that follows the commission of this kind of sins. Just visualize these punishments for yourself and make these sins something very scary for yourself. Remember the angels who every second record your every deed and word ...
5. Reward yourself
Every time you can restrain yourself or keep silent, when you could say something offensive and bad, encourage yourself with some kind of gift, praise yourself for what you did the right way!
Everyone must have heard the expression My tongue is my enemy. And it is true. Sometimes we happen to say things that we later bitterly regret. We get angry at our own language and think about how to curb it. In the series "My Tongue..." we will talk about how to stop fighting with your own language, how to turn it into your best friend, how to find mutual language with different people regardless of gender and temperament.
"A word spoken from the heart goes straight to the heart."
Lesson 1. How to make friends with your own language.
Today we will deal with the nature of language. Let's start with Chekhov's Chameleon. The circumstances are quite curious - a certain dog bit the artisan on the finger (he poked her with a burning cigar in the nose), and they do not change, the situational coloring of the circumstances changes (the dog can be either incomprehensibly someone's or a general's). Well, what about the poor police warden Ochumelov?
Hm! .. Good ... - says Ochumelov sternly, coughing and moving his eyebrows. - Well... Whose dog? I won't leave it like this. I'll show you how to let the dogs loose! It's time to pay attention to such gentlemen who do not want to obey the regulations! As soon as I fine him, the bastard, he will learn from me what a dog and other stray cattle mean! I'll show him Kuz'kin's mother! .. Eldyrin, - the warden turns to the policeman, - find out whose dog it is, and draw up a protocol! And the dog must be killed. Don't hesitate! She must be mad... Whose dog is this, I ask?
This, it seems, is General Zhigalov! - says someone from the crowd.
General Zhigalov? Hm!.. Take off, Eldyrin, my coat... Horror, how hot it is! It must be before the rain... There's only one thing I don't understand: how could she bite you? - Ochumelov addresses Khryukin. - Something she will get to the finger? She is small, and you are so healthy! You must have cracked your finger with a nail, and then the idea came to your head to rip it off. You are... famous people! I know you, damn!
My tongue is my enemy! Right, oh, how right was Martin Luther when he said, "To know what fruit is on a tree, you have to shake it." In moments of upheaval, language is a particularly clear barometer. Stop stop stop!!! From this place in more detail ... What is the barometer, what are we talking about?
OK. Let's go in order.
So, the principle of the language. It is described in the best and most detailed way in the Epistle of the Apostle James. I won't give the full biblical text - anyone can open the Bible and read it (James 3:1-12). But I advise you to pay close attention to the eighth verse: "But no man can tame the tongue: it is an uncontrollable evil." Blimey! Yes, this is great news! Since this occupation is impossible (Jacob speaks about it twice), therefore, it is worth stopping doing a useless thing, because the repetition of the same actions with the hope of a different result is a sign of insanity. Take a deep breath and feel good - no need to fight the tongue! Due to inappropriate action.
James gives examples of horses and ships as illustrations, but we will not analyze these examples, because most have little idea of \u200b\u200bthe management of ships and horses. Therefore, we will transfer everything to more modern rails. KAMAZ! Great example! Modern Jacob would say this: "KAMAZ is a very heavy car, it is impossible to stop or try to hold it. But KAMAZ is not independent! Its behavior on the roads depends on the driver. If the driver is normal, sober and respectable - everything is fine, KAMAZ is not for anyone will not cause harm, but if a drunken maniac is driving ... Everyone hove!".
Gold words! And why does no one read them literally, as well as other words of the same James: "Does sweet and bitter water flow from the same fountain?"
Let's take a look at the sources. First, what is a source. As a geologist, I would say that this is a natural outlet for groundwater to the earth's surface. Those., what is under pressure inside is poured out as soon as it finds a suitable hole. Or a suitable occasion.
In other words, trying to curb the tongue - we are, as it were, trying to plug a hole in earth's crust. Meaning? What is under pressure inside will find another reason to come out. Therefore, it makes sense to pay attention to what is under pressure. Sweet or bitter water?
The question thus rests on replacing the internal content or state as you see fit. What about language? And the language is not the enemy, it is just the voice of what is inside.
It's simple - do not fight with the language, it's better to take care of your brains, your worldview, your relationship with God, finally.
After all, words are secondary to thoughts. And the man himself is what his thoughts are. And all our failures and misfortunes are nothing more than a signal that we are in disharmony with the outside world, and the reason for this is negative or just useless thoughts wandering in our minds. And if we want to change our lives for the better, then we must first change our thinking. By changing our thinking, we will change ourselves, and as a result, the world around us.
What do we have to do? Listen to wise people:
- Apostle Paul "Finally, my brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is glorious, consider these things"
- Moses "Beware that your lawless thought does not enter your heart"
- Yogis Beware of intemperance in thought. Follow your thoughts strictly. Rejecting all evil in thoughts, strive with pure thought to perfection.
- I do not know who, but very correctly confirmed: Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they go into . Watch your habits, they shape your character. Watch your character, for it determines your destiny"
- Marcus Aurelius "Our life is what our thoughts make it"
How can this be put into practice?
The greatest need lies with us to manage our tongue properly and bridle it. The engine of language is the heart; the fuller the heart is, the tongue is poured out. But, conversely, the feeling of the heart poured out through the tongue strengthens and takes root in the heart. Therefore, language is one of the most important factors in the formation of our character.
Good feelings are silent. Outpourings through words seek more egoistic feelings in order to express what flatters our self-love and what can show us, as we imagine, with better side. Verbosity in large cases comes from a kind of proud self-conceit, according to which, imagining that we are too knowledgeable and that our opinion on the subject of speech is the most satisfactory, we are irresistibly compelled to speak out and, by abundant speech with repeated repetitions, imprint the same opinion in the hearts of others, being imposed by such in the way they are uninvited teachers and dreaming of having sometimes as students such persons who understand the matter much better than the teacher.
What has been said, however, applies to such cases when the objects of speech are more or less worthy of attention. For the most part, verbosity is unequivocal with empty talk; and in such a case there are no words to fully describe the evils resulting from this bad habit. In general, verbosity opens the doors of the soul, through which the warmth of the heart of reverence immediately comes out, all the more so does idle talk.
Verbosity diverts attention from itself, and the usual passionate sympathies and desires begin to creep into the heart, thus not being served, and sometimes with such success that when the empty talk ends, not only consent, but also a decision to passionate deeds will appear in the heart.
Wasteland is a door to condemnation and slander, a carrier of false news and opinions, a sower of dissension and strife. It suppresses the taste for intellectual labors and almost always serves as a cover for the lack of sound knowledge. After verbosity, when the child of complacency has passed, there always remains a certain feeling of melancholy and laziness.
Does this not testify to the fact that the soul then reluctantly realizes that it has been robbed?
The Apostle James, wishing to show how difficult it is for a talkative person to refrain from anything unprofitable, sinful and harmful, said that keeping the tongue within the proper boundaries is the property of only perfect men: “If anyone does not sin in the word, this man is perfect, he is able to bridle the whole body” (Jacob. 3, 2).
The tongue, as soon as it begins to speak for its own pleasure, then runs in speech like an unbridled horse, and blurts out not only good and proper, but also bad and harmful. Therefore, this apostle calls him "an irresistible evil, full of deadly poison" ( Jacob. 3, 8). According to him, Solomon also said in ancient times: “From verbosity you cannot escape sin” (Prov. 10, 19). And let's say with Ecclesiastes that in general, whoever talks a lot, he exposes his madness, for usually only "madman multiplies words" (Eccl. 10, 14).
Do not spread yourself in long conversations with someone who does not listen to you with a good heart, lest, having bored him, you do not make yourself abominable to him, as it is written: "multiplying the words will be vile" (Sir. 20, 8). Beware of speaking harshly and high-tonedly, for both are extremely hateful and make you suspect that you are very vain and think too much of yourself.
Never talk about yourself, about your affairs or about your relatives, except when necessary, but at the same time speak as briefly and quickly as possible. When you see that others talk too much about themselves, force yourself not to imitate them, although their words seem humble and self-reproachful.
As for your neighbor and his deeds, do not refuse to speak, but always speak briefly even where and when it would be required for his good.
When talking, remember and try to fulfill the commandment of St. Falassia, which says: “Of the five kinds of objects of speech in conversation with others, use three with prudence and fearlessness; use the fourth infrequently, and completely refuse the fifth ”(“ Philokalia, hundred 1st, ch. 69).
One of the writers of the first three understands this: yes, no, by itself or of course; by the fourth he means the doubtful, and by the fifth the completely unknown. That is, whatever you know is true, that it is true or false, and that it is self-evident, speak about it with determination as true or as false, or as obvious; about what is doubtful, it is better not to say anything, and when there is a need, speak as about doubtful, without prejudging; Don't talk about things you don't know.
Another someone says: we have five techniques or turns of speech: vocative, when we call someone; interrogative when asking; desirable or pleading, when we wish or ask; definitive, when we express a decisive opinion about what; commanding, when we command authoritatively and authoritatively.
Of these five, always use the first three freely, the fourth - as little as possible, and do not touch the fifth at all.
Speak about God with all affection, especially about His love and goodness, but with fear, thinking how not to err in this too, saying that it is not blasphemous about the Divine and confusing the simple hearts of those who hear. Therefore, love more to listen to the conversations of others about this, putting their words into the inner storage of your heart.
When they talk about something else, then let only the sound of the voice touch your hearing, and not the thought to the mind, which let it stand unshakably striving towards God. Even when it is necessary to listen to someone speaking about something in order to understand what is the matter and give a proper answer, and then, between the speech heard and spoken, cast your mind’s eye to Heaven, where your God is, thinking, moreover, of His greatness and that He does not take His eye off you and looks at you either favorably or not, according to what happens in the thoughts of your heart, in your speeches, movements and deeds.
When you need to speak, think well beforehand about what comes into your heart to say before it passes into your tongue, and you will find that much of this is such that it is much better for it not to come out of your mouth. But at the same time, know that even from what seems good to you to say, it is much better for someone else to remain buried in a coffin of silence. Sometimes you yourself will find out about this immediately after the end of the conversation.
Silence is a great power in our invisible battle and a sure hope for victory. Silence is very kind to those who do not rely on themselves, but rely on God alone. It is the guardian of sacred prayer and a wondrous helper in the exercise of virtues, and at the same time a sign of spiritual wisdom. St. Isaac says that “keeping the tongue not only makes the mind rise to God, but also in obvious deeds done by the body, secretly delivers great power to their accomplishment. It also enlightens in secret deeds, if only one observes silence with knowledge” (“The Philokalia” in Russian translation, sl. 31, p. 208). In another place, he praises him in this way: “When you put all the deeds of this hermit life on one side, and silence on the other, then you will find that it outweighs on the scales. There is much good advice for us; but when someone comes close to silence, it will be superfluous for him to keep them ”(“ The Philokalia ”in Russian. Lane, sl. 41, p. 251).
Elsewhere he calls silence "the sacrament of the age to come"; words, he says, “are the instrument of this world” (ibid., f. 42, p. 263). Saint Barsanuphius puts it above theologizing, saying: “If you almost theologize, then know that silence is more worthy of admiration and glory” (ibid., Rep. 36). Therefore, although it happens that “the other is silent, because he does not have what to tell; different... because waiting for a convenient time for his word "( Sir. 20.6), otherwise for some other reason, “glory for the sake of human or zeal for this virtue of silence, or because he holds a conversation with God hidden in his heart, from whom the attention of his mind does not want to depart” (St. Isaac, f. 76, p. 546), but in general it can be said that whoever is silent shows himself prudent and wise ( Sir. 19, 28, 20:5).
In order to get used to silence, I will show you one of the most direct and simple means: take up this work - and the work itself will both teach you how to do it and help you in this. In order to maintain zeal for such work, think more often about the harmful consequences of indiscriminate talkativeness and the saving consequences of prudent silence. When you reach the point of tasting the saving fruits of silence, then no more lessons will be required for you in this regard.
Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer
"Invisible Swearing"
32. Dear father Vasily! What is your relationship with Archpriest John Lesnichenko, cleric of the Comrat diocese of the ROC MP (Sergeenko Vladimir)
Dear Vladimir!
As a priest, I cannot have any relationship with John Lisnichenko, because his actions are in conflict with the laws of the state and the dogmas of the Church.
\The fact is that Lisnichenko, as well as his colleagues, priests Ioann Kristev and Dean Petr Kelesh, have participated in the sale of the building and the destruction of the property of the Sunday School in the village of Kongaz, which are the property of the parishioners of the Kongaz Church. The money they received from the sale of the building disappeared without a trace. Such actions are qualified as theft of someone else's property on an especially large scale and are punishable by courts, both secular (imprisoned) and ecclesiastical (defrocked).
Consequently, Lisnichenko, Kristev and Kelesh were defrocked by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I, as a priest, cannot have any priestly relations with them.
In dogmatic terms, their violations are even more serious, because. they committed the sins of sacrilege and encroached on the property consecrated to God. They acted like vandals destroying everything parish institutions, which were built for their children by almost all Christians from. Kongaz since 1990 to 2004 Thus, these people, driven by the spirit of gain and enrichment, interfere with the churching of our children and youth.
In view of the fact that the parish institutions of the Church of the village of Kongaz were built by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the blessing of Bishop Vincent (Morari), as well as with the participation and financial support of Bishop Dorimedont (Chekan), now deceased, therefore, the actions of Lisnichenko, Kristev and Kelesh conflict also with the decisions of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and the aforementioned bishops, which even more reliably confirms the fact that they are deprived of priesthood.
Answered 09/24/2015
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31. My husband is constantly lying. On this basis, we have scandals. He repeatedly asked for forgiveness ... but he did not stop lying. I don’t have the strength, I’m already thinking about a divorce. What to do? (Elena)
Dear Elena!
Judging by the question, your husband has a spiritual illness associated with the violation of the 9th commandment.
The fact that you can't wean him from bad habit, says that you are trying to solve the problem in a worldly way. This is your mistake, because. there are so many mundane reasons for pathological lies that even psychologists cannot fully understand them.
The way to solve the problem lies through the churching of your husband. Therefore, try to really church him. If you succeed, then he will begin to repent and work to correct his behavior. If he lies while visiting the temple, then he did not have a true churching. Tell your confessor about this.
If your husband refuses to attend the temple, then there is another option. You yourself repent of the fact that you made a mistake in choosing a husband. Start asking God to correct him, also submit notes in the temple about his admonition.
If this does not help, then humble yourself and accept him as he is.
Answered on 07/28/2015
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30. The Trinity Church in the village of Kongaz is very prosperous ... do you think it's good? (Vadim Nikolaevich)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
Dear Vadim Nikolaevich!
We see the prosperity of temples not only in Kongaz, but also in other villages of Gagauzia. In itself, this may not be bad, however, whether it will be justified by God, I do not know.
In my opinion, today money should not be spent on the external splendor of churches, but on the creation of institutions for the churching of children and youth. A Christian who neglects the churching of his child commits the sin of sacrificing to Satan, because raises a child not for God, but for the devil.
The situation that we see today in the Holy Trinity Church with. Congaz, cannot please, because. Church institutions that functioned in Congaz before the church coup in 2004 are now liquidated, their property stolen and sold. Therefore, the external brilliance of this temple cannot please.
Answered 05/22/2015
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29. Dear Father Vasily. What is your relationship with the Trinity Church in the village of Kongaz? (The question was asked by Vadim Nikolaevich).
Dear Vadim Nikolaevich,
My relationship with the Trinity Church in the village of Kongaz is the most direct.
Firstly, I was baptized in it (in 1951). Secondly, this temple was built by my ancestors (1883);Thirdly, many of my relatives, both blood and spiritual, found (and still find) consolation in it;Fourth, since 1989 I am currently a minister of this temple.
In 1990 I was given the obedience of organizing the work of parish institutions of a catechistic and guardian nature. In 1994, after my consecration, I was appointed to serve as a priest, and since 2000. pastor of this temple.
In 2004 bans were imposed on me (due to the slander of the dean), but they have no effect, because. go beyond church doctrine.Therefore, by God's determination, I continue to be a servant of the Congaz Holy Trinity Church, despite the fact that I am in another church in the village of Kongaz - Intercession.
Personally, I would like to get away from the Congaz church conflict, especially since I am already a pensioner, but this cannot be done until the canonical, dogmatic and legal knots associated with this conflict are untied.
Answered 05/19/2015
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28. Recently I read the novel "The Alchemist" by the writer Paulo Coelho. I would like to hear how you see it (I'm interested in the moment about the "path"). (Peter, Kiev)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
Dear Peter!
The novel "The Alchemist" by P. Coelho is built on the idea of "superpowers" of man. Its essence is that supposedly there are some hidden forces inside a person. By revealing them, he would be able to solve all the problems of his life without the help of God.
The idea is not new, and does not belong to Coelho. Its true author is the serpent from the Bible: "... And the serpent said to the woman: ... on the day that you eat them (forbidden fruits ), your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods..." (Gen., Ch.3, Art. 4,5). Having believed the snake, our ancestors, having tasted the forbidden fruits, tried to "become like the gods..." What came of this, we know from the lives of Adam and Eve.
We also see the idea of "superpowers" in the works of Hitler, Nietzsche, Maigret, Hubbard, and others. Onlythe ways of their disclosure are different for everyone: for the snake - "Eating forbidden fruits"; Maigret - "The fusion of man with nature" (the movement of the Anastasievites); Hitler - "The development of the race of geniuses by observing the purity of Aryan blood"; Nietzsche - "Destruction in man of the creature, in order to create from him a creator (superman)", etc.
Let's get back to your question. The moment "The Path" from the novel "The Alchemist", which interests you, is a variant of the disclosure of "superpowers" developed by P. Coelho. In the novel, Coelho wraps this idea in 3 shells: 1st - sweet, attractive parable; 2nd - esoteric; 3rd - magic.
P. Coelho reveals the essence of "Paths" by describing the adventures of a young man Santiago, who had a dream that he would find treasures near the Egyptian pyramids. He goes to a fortune teller to interpret this dream for him. Then he meets a strange stranger who advises Santiago to go and gives him two pebbles. And throughout this story, the suggestion is being made: “everyone has his own path” and “everyone should follow his own paths ...”, etc.
Revealing this idea, Coelho turns a person into an idol. He wants man to become a god himself, to be able to rule the world, to know all its secrets, to perform miracles. He believes that "Every person on earth, no matter what he does, plays a major role in the history of the world."
Similar ideas of St. the fathers referred to spiritual illnesses called "temptations". They are extremely common in the world and extremely dangerous, because in essence they are the main "dogma" of anti-Christianity.
Answered 02/28/2015
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27. Please tell me, is it possible to re-marry if the first marriage did not take place and the spouses broke up, and what is the right thing to do, and what is needed for this? (Svetlana)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
A second wedding is allowed, but spiritually it is painful. Therefore, for right decision question, you need to contact the priest with whom you want to re-marry.
The priest must investigate the circumstances to identify and remove canonical obstacles to your second marriage. After that, he will give you recommendations on how you should proceed further in order to create a normal family.
Answered 02/13/2015
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26. Please tell me, is marriage with an unloved person a sin? (Konstantin)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
Dear Konstantin!
Marriage to an unloved person cannot in itself be a sin. The fact is that love is an acquired feeling. Therefore, spouses, even if they do not have love for each other, can find this love, and without much difficulty. They just have to want it.The absence of such a desire among spouses is a real sin, which should be guarded against, because. it can lead to conflicts and the destruction of the family.
It should be said that the mass culture of the current century instills in people (through television and the Internet) distorted ideas about love. The essence of these distortions is that instead of love, base instincts (sexual desires) are instilled in a person, which in fact have nothing to do with love. Such a lie is a real tragedy, fraught with grave consequences for all mankind!
Answered: 04/30/2014 .
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25. In "Deuteronomy" it is said not to make idols, not to depict God. Nevertheless, we see how God is painted, praying to icons, kissing the relics of saints, like idols. Is this a sin and similar to paganism? (Vitaly U.)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
Dear Vitaly!
The Second Commandment forbids making images and worshiping objects in which people put a false spiritual meaning. These include pagan gods (Apollo, Venus, Prometheus, Zeus, etc.); items of witchcraft, superstition, quackery, divination, amulets, talismans, attributes of feng shui, horoscope, pagan beliefs, etc.
Modernpeople canput a false spiritual meaning also in television programs, films, spectacles, computer games, virtual entertainment, etc. Such sins are extremely widespread. This is what the 2nd Commandment says.
As for church objects, the prohibition of the 2nd commandment does not apply to them, because. they have a sacred meaning (a true spiritual meaning is embedded in them). These include books with sacred texts, icons, relics, temples, etc. In the Old Testament, they included tablets, unleavened bread, the Ark of the Covenant, images of Cherubim in the Tabernacle of Moses and in the Temple of Solomon, etc.
To make it easier to understand these issues, we will give the following examples: is it possible to compare the image of Christ crucified with the image of Apollo? Or the image of the Mother of God with the Child in her hands with the image of the Venus de Milo? Of course, it is impossible, because. that would be the greatest blasphemy!
It must be said that not only the Orthodox depict God and the Saints. Let's open the books and magazines of Baptists, Adventists, Jehovists and other Christian denominations (almost all!): there are a lot of images of Christ, prophets, apostles, martyrs and other saints.
Moses, for example, depicted the Cherubim in the Tabernacle (which is above in Heaven), and Solomon depicted them in the Temple. Can they then also be considered idolaters? Of course not, because images and objects that contain true spiritual meaning are an integral part of true religion.
A logical question arises: Why, in this case, Christians of some denominations attributeOrthodox violations of the 2nd Commandment? The answer is simple: because these denominations reject church history. Therefore, they themselves are mistaken, and others are misled.
Answered 04/30/2014
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24. How to treat the opinion of people who claim that religion is the management of humanity? (Alexander)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
Dear Alexander!
From the standpoint of the modern, distorted understanding of the meaning of the word "religion" these people are right. Such a "religion" is indeed an effective tool for managing people. The mechanism of this control is based on the principle that a person's behavior is formed through his spirit (the spirit creates its own forms). Therefore, by forming the spirit of a person according to a pre-planned scenario, it is possible to control his behavior. This method of managing people is widely used in the world. People, believing a lie, follow the lie and become slaves of the lie. Thus, they lose their true freedom, which brings them innumerable troubles and problems.
The reason for such a sad phenomenon is the totalreligious ignorance.
Answered 11/23/2013
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23. Father, what should you do when you are wildly thirsty before Communion?! (I drink dehydrating drugs). What to do, tell me! (Alexander L., Moscow)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli
On your question, it is better for you to consult with the priests from whom you receive communion. This is the best solution for your issue.
Answered 11/18/2013
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22. How and why did the Church of the village of Kongaz buy the building of the House of Culture? (Nikolai B., s. Kongaz)
Answered by Archpriest Vasily Ikizli.
The church of the village of Kongaz did not buy the building of the Palace of Culture. The building was bought by parishioners in 2003. and donated it to the Church. Explain how and why this was done?
In 1990 With the blessing of Bishop Vikenty, the first groups of the Sunday School were opened in our parish. For their normal work and there was a need for a special building.
At first, we decided to build the Sunday School building ourselves. We bought land and bought building materials. However, there were envious people who coveted this land. VIn 1997, in order to steal it, they organized a riot in our parish, under the noise of which the land was stolen.
In 1999 there was an opportunity to purchase a finished building at the expense of the property shares of collective farmers, parishioners of the Church. At that time, the collective farm was disbanded and its property began to be distributed among the collective farmers. The people who stole the land intervened again, and the building was given not to us, but to others.
In view of the fact that without having their own building, it is very difficult to conduct Sunday school classes, the parishioners decided to buy the building of the Palace of Culture and transfer it to the Church: the building of the Palace of Culture was put up for auction in 1999. by decision of the Comrat Court.
For complete clarity of this, at first glance, an unusual process, we explain its background.
1). In 1968. at The churches took away part of the yard, on which the collective farm built the House of Culture (20 meters from the altar) and the Cinema (40 meters from the narthex).
2).In 1995 the collective farm took money from the bank (6.5 million lei) and registered the building of the House of Culture as an object of collateral.
3).In 1999 the building was disbanded, both buildings were put up for sale. The cinema was bought by a private owner. There was no buyer at the recreation center, so he was transferred to the bank as an object of collateral.
4).
In 2001. we agreed with the bank, and began to use the building of the Palace of Culture for the needs of the Church (until the buyer appeared). At that time m Mass events in DC except for the Church were not held by anyone.
5).In 2003 the sale price of the DC was reduced. The parishioners found money in debt, bought it and donated it to the Church.
At the time of the purchase of the recreation center in the Church of the village of Kongaz, more than 20 institutions for children and youth were operating. With the acquisition of the building, we solved the issue of their compact placement.
Answered 08/15/2013
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21. Why are you throwing mud at the Church where you were ordained? (Pavel, Kongaz)
Archpriest Vasily Ikizli answers.
Dear Pavel!
The tone of your questions generates counter questions to yourself. Try to answer them to yourself, only according to your conscience.
1.Where did you see, hear, or read materials in which we sling mud at the Church? Could you show us one of these materials, or name a witness who would confirm this?
2. Did you yourself guess that the second parish of the Church in Kongaz is wrong, illegal, or did someone tell you about it?
Archpriest Vasily Ikizli answers.
Dear Petr Kirillovich!
Based on the details of the question, I can guess who exactly you are talking about. I am well acquainted with the woman and with the priest to whom you ascribe such grave sins.
I am very touched by your zeal for the purity of church life. However, I testify that the relationship between the characters in your question is absolutely pure, as it should be in the relationship of a spiritual father with a spiritual daughter. Therefore, I conclude that your anxiety is false, not from God.
Archpriest Vasily Ikizli answers.
According to the Bible, a person is saved only through Christ ("I am the door: whoever enters by me will be saved, and will go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10, 9). However, there is no direct evidence that only those who recognize Christ will be saved, and those who did not recognize Him will certainly all perish. What is the fate of people who have not been baptized, we cannot know. Most likely, this is a sacrament known only to God.
Also, we cannot unequivocally answer the questions about who is closer to God: a baptized bandit, or an unbaptized, well-behaved person?
Answered 03/11/2013 Not you and me, but only God's Court can determine who is more right: people who did not agree with the atheistic authorities, or people who agreed to coexist peacefully with him. Moreover, they not only agreed, but even served this government: they worked for it, praised its leaders, accepted its rules and culture...
I would not advise you to make hasty conclusions about ROCOR and about the events that were taking place at that time.
Answered 02/18/2013
Our reader Allinas answers
"The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, consisting of dioceses, spiritual missions and churches located outside of Russia, is an inseparable part of the Russian Orthodox Church, temporarily existing on an autonomous basis." There have never been any dogmatic differences in the doctrine and practice of ROCOR, which is connected with the fact that its leadership has always seen it as its primary task to preserve the Orthodox doctrine and practice unchanged and pure. In view of such a conservative line, ROCOR has always harshly condemned everything that it considered as deviations from the purity of Orthodoxy, such as Sophianism, "Sergianism", ecumenism. Always treated with hostility to "Latinism" (Catholicism). therefore, before throwing such accusations ... "cowards who fled the country." I would have read history first, then I would have learned that part of the Russian clergy and monasticism were expelled from the country after the 1917 revolution ..
Answered 02/23/2013
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