Saints of god
Today, the younger generation is lurking many temptations and spiritual dangers unknown a few decades ago. The flow of information carries with it both useful and destructive. In this regard, it is necessary to take special care to instill in children a desire to learn, learn and revive our traditions, and honor their elders. Everyone who is involved in the training and education of the younger generation should work on this.
Therefore, in these September days in the temples they remind us that studying is a great work and they call with diligence and perseverance to master and improve knowledge with the help of God. And parents and teachers - so that they would not humiliate and insult even the most negligent child, but with great patience and self-denial they helped all the children with their studies.
With our requests, we often appeal to those saints who patronize in a certain area of human life. Among the saints of God there are those who are addressed in the days of the teaching.
For a long time, the patrons of schoolchildren and students are the holy Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, the holy martyress Tatiana and, of course, our intercessor and patroness of the Most Holy Theotokos.
BELIEF SERGIUS RADONEZHSKY - THE VISITOR IN THE GETTING STUDY
One of these holy saints of God is. It is to this saint that pupils often resort.
From the life of the monk it is known that in childhood he was given a teaching with great difficulty. After the hot prayer of the youth Bartholomew (the monastic name of the monk) "about the gift of book understanding", God sent him an angel in the form of an old man-monk, who in response to the prayers of the youth Bartholomew offered his prayers to God and, blessing the boy, promised him academic success.
When meeting with the parents of Bartholomew, the monk prophetically predicted: “Your son will be great before God and men. He will be the chosen abode of the Holy Spirit. " Since then, the future saint read and understood the contents of the books without difficulty. This episode in the life of Sergius serves as the basis for the special prayers to him of many generations of students and students.
However, there is no definite algorithm for how St. Sergius or any other saint should pray for academic success, any prayer that addresses the saint from a pure heart will be heard. Who knows the tropari and prayers that were created by hymnographers to appeal to the saints of God, can use them, who do not know these special prayers, can speak in their own words.
IMAGE OF GOD'S MOTHER “ADDING THE MIND” - ABOUT DEFINING
He has the grace of giving wisdom, intelligence and good knowledge, helping to educate children, healing weakness of the mind and damaging the mind.
The history of this icon is complex and amazing. According to the legend, in the XVII century, difficult for the Russian Orthodox Church, it was written by one icon painter, who during the schism could not comprehend for himself the meaning of reform and determine which liturgical books are true - old or new. He suffered for so long in this choice that he was afraid of losing his mind and began to fervently pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for admonition. Whether in a dream or in a waking vision, he received an answer to his prayer — a promise to heal him, if he gives a vow to write an icon of the Queen of Heaven in the image in which She appears to him. The icon painter fulfilled his vow and portrayed what he saw in the iconographic type of the “mind increase” image.
There is also evidence that its prototype was the Loretan (or Loretskaya) statue of Our Lady, carved from cedar, according to legend, also the Apostle Luke, and kept in a small house in the Italian city of Loreto. This holy house used to stand in Nazareth and was associated with the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos: in her she was born and lived in her youth.
And when in the XIII century the Turks began to seize the eastern lands, Christians took the shrine to Europe, and Bishop Loreto had a vision of the Queen of Heaven, who said to him: “My son, My humble abode in Nazareth, where I was born and spent my youth, arrives on your shores ". And then both the holy house and the cedar statue were brought to Loreto: miraculously, it was the iconographic prototype of the Orthodox icon "The addition of the mind."
HOLY RIGHTEOUS JOHN KRONSTADTSKY - PRAYER BELIEF OF THE BRIEF BOY
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt was born on October 19, 1829. The weak child quickly got stronger and became a healthy boy. When it came time to study, the parents collected the last money and identified the boy Vanya to the Arkhangelsk Parish School.
The doctrine was given to him tight: he poorly understood and remembered. This circumstance extremely upset and confused the good boy, as he was aware of how difficult his teaching was for his parents.
He was tormented by the thought of his own home, of poverty there, and it seems that at that time he learned with special pain to feel someone else’s need, to hurt about someone else’s poverty and misery; most of all he dreamed that when he grew up, he would bring his father and mother out of need and help everyone.
Van developed painful sensitivity to suffering. School wisdom was for him even more difficult than the initial teaching. Affectionate help from his mother was not around him, the teachers cared little about helping students. School business went badly. He worked whole days and still did not have time.
Therefore, driven by a fiery faith in God, he once went to bed, especially fervently prayed to God, asking the Lord to enlighten his mind to the understanding of the teaching. The prayer of faith of a meek and humble boy was heard, and the Lord poured out abundantly on him the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
TATIANA'S TREATMENT MASTER - STUDENT'S VANIAN
For more than one hundred years, this saint has been considered in Russia the patroness of all students and teachers, education and enlightenment. We don’t really know so much about the holy martyr Tatiana: the virgin lived in Rome in the 3rd century, was a deaconess - an ancient church order that signified merciful or, as we would say, social service to others. She confessed herself a Christian and, having endured suffering, accepted a martyr's crown.
Prayer
Oh holy martyr Tatiano, The bride Sladchayshago Groom your Christ lamb of the Lamb of the Divine dove chastity stradanmi, like a clothes royal blankets, to the face of the heavenly soprichtennaya, rejoicing now in the glory of the eternal, from the days of youthful God promised holy servant of the Church, chastity soblyudshaya and above all good Lord loved! We pray to you and we ask you: heed our heartfelt petition and do not reject our prayers. Grant purity of body and soul, inhale love for Divine truths, on the path of the virtuous lead us, beg the angelic guard from God for us, our wounds and body ulcers heal, grant patience in evil suffering, heal your youth, protect you, protect your youth, sacrifice old age, and sin your ulcers, heal your youth, protect you, protect your old age and suffer from sin, suffer from sin, redden your ulcers, pain and wickedness, old age painless in the hour of death pomosti. Remember our sorrows and bestow delight. Visit us, who are in the prison of sin, instruct us to repentance soon, kindle the flame of prayer, do not forsake us, orphans, but praise your suffering, send praise to the Lord of forces, always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODY - FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE MIND
It makes no sense to retell here the lives of these illustrious saints, we only note that the eternally glorious and memorable works of saints in the compilation of Slavic script, in the conduct of the Slavic language during worship, in translating sacred books into their native Slavic language laid the foundation for spiritual and civil greatness of Slavs, their moral and civic identity.
By the translation of sacred books and divine service into their native Slavic language they initiated our eternal salvation, and in this respect saints Cyril and Methodius are not only our teachers and apostles, but also fathers: they revived us spiritually as well, by teaching us to learn the One True God.
Therefore, these saints also receive prayers. about teaching help.
But this does not mean that this is the whole list of saints to which you can resort with a prayer for a prosperous study.
Mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ to all students and pupils!
Prayer of the student for every day before teaching
O Lord, bestow upon us the grace of your Holy Spirit, giving meaning and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, listening to the teachings we are taught, we have increased to You, our Creator, in glory, our parent for consolation, the Church and the fatherland for the benefit.
Prayer from the prayer on the eve of the beginning of the school year
O Lord God and our Creator, in His image we who have embellished your people, have taught Your law to Your elect, so that those who listen to him are astonished; He opened the hearts, minds, and mouths of your servants (names) to Solomon and all who sought her who taught the secrets of wisdom to the children of wisdom, and to benefit from the teaching of His Holy Church, for the benefit of Your Holy Church. and the understanding of your good and perfect will. Deliver them from all wiles of the enemy, keep them in the faith of Christ and purity during their whole life, be strong in mind and fulfillment of your commandments, and so those who are taught will glorify your most holy name and be heirs of your kingdom, for you are God strong in mercy and blessings of strength, and all fame, honor, and worship befits you, to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.
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The Christian church honors the memory of its saints, who became famous for their feats of virtuous living.
Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He honored them to be intercessors before Him in deliverance from our sorrows and our bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.
The saints in their earthly lives turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God to honor them even after death with their gift to help people in different situations of life.
Saints invisibly participate in our conversation with God. As before, they were the petitioners of the mercy of God, and they still stand before God, they hear the prayer of people living on Earth, and they strengthen it many times over.
It must be remembered: for prayer to be heard, to pray to the holy saints of God follows with faith in the power of their intercession before God, words coming from the heart.
In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Assistant, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God will rather hear us sinners, our prayers.
We pray to the Mother of God because She is closest to God and at the same time is also close to us. For the sake of Her motherly love and Her prayers, God forgives us a lot and helps us in many ways. The Mother of God is the Great and Merciful Intercessor for all of us, for the whole Christian race.
Angels are disembodied and immortal spirits, gifted with intelligence, will and power. They are sinless, always doing the will of God. When God sends them to people, then they are visible, taking on a bodily appearance. The word "angel" means "messenger." There are nine angelic ranks - Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Strength, Power, Beginning, Archangels, Angels.
At Christian baptism, the Guardian Angel gives every Christian a blessing who invisibly protects a person from harm and misfortune in all his earthly life, warns against sins, protects death at the terrible hour, and does not leave him after death.
We call holy people saints of God, because they, living on earth, pleased God with their righteous life and now, in heaven with God, they pray for God to us, helping us who live on earth.
Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, reverend, disgraceful, blessed, righteous, confessors.
Prophets are saints who, according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, foretold the future, mainly about the Savior. They lived until the Savior came to earth.
Apostles are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ. After the Holy Spirit descended on them, they preached the Christian faith in all countries. There were at first twelve, and then seventy more.
Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called First-level, since they more than others worked to preach the faith of Christ.
The four apostles — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John the Theologian, who wrote the Gospel — are called Evangelists.
The saints, who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different places, are called Equal-to-the-Apostles. For example: the pious kings Constantine and Helen; Blessed Prince of Russia Vladimir; Saint Nina, enlightener of Georgia; Mary Magdalene; first martyr Thecla and others.
Martyrs, that is, Christians, who for their faith in Jesus Christ have received cruel torture and even death.
If, after suffering their sufferings, they later died peacefully, they are called confessors.
Confessors, to whom the torturers wrote blasphemous words on their faces, are called inscribed.
The first ones who suffered for the faith of Christ were the archdeacon Stephen and St. Thecla, and therefore they are called the first martyrs.
Those who died for the holy faith after especially heavy (great) sufferings, which not all martyrs were subjected to, are called great martyrs, for example: the holy great martyr George (the Victorious), the holy martyrs Varvara, Catherine and others.
The saints are bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous life, such as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow, and others.
Saints who have suffered torment for Christ are called holy martyrs.
Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are called Ecumenical teachers, that is, teachers of the whole Christian Church.
The monks are righteous people who moved away from worldly life in society and pleased God, dwelling in virginity (that is, not marrying), fasting and praying, living in deserts and monasteries. For example: Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Rev. Anastasia and others.
The saints who suffered for Christ are called martyrs.
The righteous spent a righteous, God-pleasing life, lived, like us, in the world, as family people. For example: the holy righteous Joachim and Anna and others.
The first righteous on earth, the forefathers (patriarchs) of the human race, are called forefathers. For example: Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others.
Disenfranchised people healed gratis, that is, without any payment, without demanding remuneration for their work, healed the diseases, both bodily and mental. For example: Cosmas and Damien, Cyrus and John, martyr and healer Panteleimon and others.
The holy fool of Christ for the sake of - a man who, for the sake of Christ, appears to the world to be strange on the outside, but in reality is filled with true wisdom. Such people are also called blissful.
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It must be remembered: when you pray to some saint in your particular need, when you turn to him for help, the prayer for us will be holy, and the help of his prayer will be received from God.
Rejecting the help of the saints, you break the bond with God.
Holy people, or saints of God. So we call them because they, living on earth, pleased God with their righteous life. And now, being in heaven with God, they pray for us to Him, helping us who live on earth.
Where in the Holy Scripture is there a command to remember the saints of God?
The Apostle Paul says: Remember your teachers who preached to you the word of God.(Heb. 13: 7)
The Apostle himself recalls all the Old Testament righteous (Heb. 11 ch.); also the wise Jesus, the son of Sirach, recalls in detail their life and high virtues (Sirach. 44-49 Ch.)
Is there an indication in the Scripture that it is necessary to glorify the saints of God?
There is. In the Old Testament the Lord said: I will honor those who praise me(1 Sam. 2:30) King and Prophet David exclaimed: let the saints triumph in glory, rejoice in their beds (Psalm 149: 5).
Is it permissible in the New Testament to glorify pious people?
Christ the Savior himself, in prayer to God the Father, said of the Apostles: the glory that you (Father) gave me, I gave them(John 17:22). In another place the Lord says: whoever serves me, the Father will honor him(John 12:26). If the Heavenly Father honors the saints, how can we not honor them!
Why in Orthodoxy there are church holidays not only in honor of the Lord, but also in memory of the saints?
We celebrate their memory, as God commands: "The memory of the righteous will be blessed." (Prov. 10: 7). We honor them with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual chants (Eph. 5:19), elevating honor to the God of saints. In their honor, we build temples and sacred images, for each saint is a living monument to the great work of the Atonement, another fruit of the Cross Sacrifice. And just as the Old Testament patriarchs erected monuments in the places of theophany, we also glorify the living temples of God — the saints, whose compatriots we have become (Eph. 2:19). Thus manifests the unity of the earthly and heavenly Church. According to the word of the Apostle Paul, “Is one member famous, all the members are happy with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Were the Christians really honored of God?
In the church of Christ, saints of God are honored from the days of the apostles. The apostle James says: we appease those who suffered(James 5:11)
The holy apostles, still living on earth, were honored by Christians: The hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were performed and ... from outsiders no one dared to stick to them,and the people glorified them (Acts 5: 12,13).
What historical evidence do we have that the saints have always been honored?
This is evident from the fact that in the catacombs in Rome preserved the images of the holy apostles and the righteous. If they did not honor them, then Christians would not have depicted them in their temples and places of prayer.
Why do we ask the saints of God to pray for us?
Because the prayer of the righteous is more effective than the prayer of many sinners.
The apostle James says: much may strengthened prayer of the righteous . Elijah was a man like us, and he prayed for prayer that there would be no rain: and there would be no rain upon the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again: and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.(James 5: 16-18) This is how effective the prayer of the righteous is!
So the apostle Peter agrees with the psalmist David: the eyes of the Lord are to the righteous, and His ears to their prayer(1 Peter 3:12; cf. Psalm 33:16). The Lord himself repeatedly recognized the power of the prayer of the righteous. When the Lord was angry with Abimelech for Sarah, the wife of Abraham, he said to Abimelech: he (Abraham) is a prophet and will pray for you and you will live ... And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech(Gen. 20: 7, 17).
Again: when the friends of the long-suffering Job insulted the Lord with their speeches, God said to them: go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourself the sacrifice; and My servant Job will pray for you, for only his face I will receive, so as not to reject you for saying not so faithfully about Me as My servant Job(Job 42: 8)
Can the Lord give a person His mercy for the sake of someone else or at the intercession of someone else?
Can. And it is often stated in the Bible that people in their prayers asked the Lord for mercy for the sake of others. Moses prayed to God for the Jewish people: o Lord, your wrath is not kindled on your people ...Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel ...After this prayer the Lord abolished the evilof which he said that he would bring him to his people (Exod. 32: 11, 13, 14). The Lord also said to Solomon that he did not punish him. for David, his father (1 Kings 11:12). Finally, as conveyed in the book of Daniel the prophet, through prayer and intercession from the angel who stood up for the Jews, they were given mercy from the Lord (Daniel 10: 8-14).
Can the saints of God after their death know the earthly life of people?
Human life to the saints of God, who moved to heaven, is more known than when they lived on earth.
About Abraham said Savior: Abraham, your father, was glad to see my day; andsaw and rejoiced (John 8: 56). Similarly, the dead prophet Samuel knew everything that was done in the kingdom of Israel after his death, and predicted to Saul what would happen the next day (1 Kings 28: 14-19).
Are there historical testimonies that Christians have asked for the prayers of saints?
On the coffins of the first Christian martyrs buried in Rome in the catacombs in the first centuries, inscriptions were made that have survived to this day. On the monuments you can find such appeals to the deceased: Pray for us, that we may be saved; pray for the only child left by you; Atticus, your soul is in bliss, pray for your loved ones; pray for us in your prayers, because we know that you are in Christ!
Ranks (faces) of saints
The Spirit of God, by His will, gave the Church many different types of holiness (1 Cor. 12: 4–11). Therefore, the saints are called in different ways - according to what gift of God was received by them. it prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, reverend, righteous, unmercenaries, and the blessed.
The first righteous on earth, the forefathers (patriarchs) of the human race, are called forefathers as for example: Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others.
The prophets - These are the saints of God, most of them living before the Birth of Christ, who by the power of the Spirit of the Lord foretold the future, denounced the untruth, and proclaimed the appearance of Christ.
Apostles (the messengers) are the closest disciples of Christ the Savior, to whom He has commanded to preach the good news of salvation and the power to create churches throughout the world. Christ chose to himself the twelve closest apostles and seventy others, and after the Resurrection He called another Apostle Paul.
The apostles Peter and Paul are called superior , because they did more than others to preach. Those apostles who wrote the Gospel - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - are called Evangelists .
Those saints who are glorified as missionaries who have turned many to Christ are called equal to the Apostles . This, for example, Mary Magdalene, Prince Vladimir, Emperor Constantine, Nicholas of Japan.
Martyrs (Witnesses of God) are the saints who suffered for their faithfulness to Christ the Savior and His teachings before death, and thus testified to the victory of God over death. Those who fought for the name of Christ, but passed away in peace, are called confessors .
The first victims for the Lord were Saints Stephen and Thekla, therefore they are called first martyrs. Those martyrs who have kept faith in extraordinary suffering are called great martyrs (St. George the Victorious, St. Barbara, St. Catherine and others).
Saints - Bishops who pleased the Creator with righteous life and zealous care for the flock (for example, Nicholas the Wonderworker). The three saints of the 4th century, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are also called universe teachers because their teaching is exemplary to the World Church. Those bishops who died for Christ are called martyrs .
Rev. (those who have attained extreme God-likeness) are righteous Christians who pleased God in the monastic way. They kept their bodies and souls pure and conquered passions, having left the people. The monks executed for Christ are martyr .
Unmercenary - these are the righteous who treated illnesses for free and healed illnesses by the power of the Lord.
The righteous - These are the saints who pleased God, living in the world, being family people.
Blissful and Christ for the holy fools Those saints are called who, desiring to get rid of vanity and pride, for God's sake pretended to be insane. Fools took upon themselves such a feat in order to humble themselves and, at the same time, influence people more strongly, since people are indifferent to ordinary simple sermon. These saints in an allegorical symbolic form denounced evil in the world, both in words and actions. They have shown by deed that the word of the Lord is madness for the world (1 Cor. 1:18 - 2:16). God often gave them the gift of prophecy. (In Russia, the most revered holy fools are St. Basil, Ksenia of Petersburg and Matron of Moscow.)
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References:
God's law. Comp. prot. Seraphim Slobodskoy.
Varzhansky N. Good Confession. Orthodox anti-sectarian catechism.
Priest Daniel Sysoev. Lectures on the law of God. Introduction to Orthodox Christianity.
The Spirit of God voluntarily gave in the Church many different types of holiness (1 Cor 12,4–11). Therefore, the saints are called in different ways - according to what gift of God was received by them. it prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, reverend, righteous, unmercenaries, and the blessed.
The prophets - These are the saints of God, most of them living before the Birth of Christ, who by the power of the Spirit of the Lord foretold the future, denounced the untruth, and proclaimed the appearance of Christ.
Apostles (the messengers) are the closest disciples of Christ the Savior, to whom He has commanded to preach the good news of salvation and the power to create churches throughout the world. Christ chose to himself the twelve closest apostles and seventy others, and after the Resurrection He called another Apostle Paul.
The apostles Peter and Paul are called superior , because they did more than others to preach. Those apostles who wrote the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - are called Evangelists .
Those saints who are glorified as missionaries who have turned many to Christ are called equal to the Apostles . This, for example, Mary Magdalene, Prince Vladimir, Emperor Constantine, Nicholas of Japan.
Martyrs (Witnesses of God) are the saints who suffered for their faithfulness to Christ the Savior and His teachings before death, and thus testified to the victory of God over death. Those who fought for the name of Christ, but passed away in peace, are called confessors .
The first victims for the Lord were Sts. Stefan and Thekla, because they are called first martyrs. Those martyrs who have kept faith in extraordinary suffering are called great martyrs (St. George the Victorious, St. Barbara, St. Catherine and others).
Saints - Bishops who pleased the Creator with righteous life and zealous care for the flock (for example, Nicholas the Wonderworker). The three saints of the 4th century, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are also called universe teachers because their teaching is exemplary to the World Church. Those bishops who died for Christ are called martyrs .
Rev. (those who have attained extreme God-likeness) are righteous Christians who pleased God in the monastic way. They kept their bodies and souls pure and conquered passions, having left the people. The monks executed for Christ are martyr .
Unmercenary - these are the righteous who treated illnesses for free and healed illnesses by the power of the Lord.
The righteous - These are the saints who pleased God, living in the world, being family people.
Blissfuland Christ for the holy fools Those saints are called who, desiring to get rid of vanity and pride, for God's sake pretended to be insane. They showed by their deeds that the word of the Lord is insanity for the world (1 Cor. 1: 18–2, 16). God often gave them the gift of prophecy. (In Russia, the most revered holy fools are St. Basil, Ksenia of Petersburg and Matron of Moscow.)
We venerate the saints as friends of Christ, as children and heirs of God. As John of Damascus wrote: “I call them gods (Ex.7.1), kings and gentlemen not by nature, but because they reigned and dominated passions and preserved intact the likeness of the image of God according to which they were created (for The name of the king is also called), and also because they, by their own (free) disposition, joined with God, accepted Him into the dwelling of (their) heart, and by joining Him, they became, by grace, that He Himself is by nature. Consequently, how not to honor those who received the name of servants, friends and sons of God? For the honor bestowed upon the hardest of co-workers points to the disposition towards the General Ruler ”(Exact statement of the Orthodox faith. Book 4. Ch. 15 (88)).
We ask the saints for an intercession before God, just as Job's friends asked for his prayers (Job 42: 7–8, also see Gen. 20,17; Num.16,44–48; Ex.8.8–13) so the saints support with their strong intercession our weak and weak prayer. After all, being in Heaven, they do not forget to intercede for us. We celebrate their memory, as God commands: "The memory of the righteous will be blessed." (Prov. 10,7). We honor them with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual chants (Eph. 5:19), elevating honor to the God of saints. In the days of their memory, we glorify them with heartbreak, grace to the needy, participation in the sacred Liturgy. In honor of them, we build temples and sacred images, for each saint is a living monument to the great work of the Atonement, another fruit of the Cross Sacrifice. And just as the Old Testament patriarchs erected monuments in the places of theophany, we also glorify the living temples of God — the saints, whose compatriots we have become (Eph. 2: 19). Thus manifests the unity of the earthly and heavenly Church. According to the word of the Apostle Paul, “Is one member famous, all the members are happy with it” (1 Cor. 12,26).
RELICS OF SAINTS
But our love is not limited to honoring the memory of the saints and their images. No, we pay the proper honor and their bodies as true temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6,19; 3,16). The power of God rests upon them even after death, revealing the truth of the future general Resurrection. Because these bodies are called holy relics .
God creates many miracles through them - heals the sick, casts out demons, exudes fragrant oil ( miro ). Even in antiquity, the bones of the prophet Elisha were resurrected by a dead man (4 Kings 13,21). If God has wrought water to the Jews even out of stone (Exod. 17: 6), especially after the Lord’s life-giving death, grace appears in the relics of the saints. After all, she even healed the clothes of Christ (Mk.5, 28-29) and the apostles (Acts 19.21).
From the Incorruptible Body of Jesus (Acts 2, 31), the bodies of the saints involved in the power of His Resurrection are often given the gift of imperishability, so that, instead of decay, they are preserved incorruptible and filled with fragrance. For example, the power of the Venerable. Alexander Svirsky after half a millennium retained all the properties of a living body - softness, gentleness, the miraculous myrrh pours out of it. In the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra hundreds of saints show that this particular body, purified by exploits, will be glorified on the Last Day.
Therefore, we give the relics the same veneration that was given to the Temple and the saints. We kiss them, we light candles and lamps in front of them, we burn incense, we worship them (see Ps. 5,8; Dan. 2,46). In accordance with the ancient tradition, the particles of the relics of the martyrs are placed under the altar (throne) of the temple - as a reminder of the souls of those killed for the name of God, under the heavenly altar (Rev.6, 11–11).
LAMPS AND CANDLES
As we already said above, fulfilling the dogmatic definition of the VII Ecumenical Council, during prayer and simply as a sign of our reverence for the Creator, Christians kindle before the icons and the relics candles and lamps. This custom is based on the words of Scripture: “And they led the sons of Israel to bring unto you pure flesh out of olives, for illumination, so that the lamp might burn at all times; in the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the ark of the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall kindle it, from evening to morning, before the LORD. ” (Exo. 27.20–21).
The prototype of this lamp is in Heaven, where the seven-lamp (Rev.4.5), the symbol of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, shines in front of God the Father, and this custom based on celestial realities was also accepted by the Apostolic Church. So in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles narrates about the night Liturgy, which was served in the Troas by the apostle Paul; The liturgy was served in the upper room, in which there were many lamps (Acts 20,8).
He, like all sacred traditions, has a deep meaning. The lamps, which are set on fire in front of the icons and held in their hands during the liturgy, symbolize the “lightning, which we, the pure and virgin souls, will step out to meet the Groom Christ, having clear lamps of faith” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Word 40).
They remind us of our sacrifice to the Creator and demand that we burn with spirit at prayer. When we buy a wax candle in the temple, we donate to the welfare of the house of God. Burning a candle and a lamp in the house, we are honoring those who are depicted in the icons. Yes, and our prayer will become more pure and deep. After all, if we, addressing the Creator, offer a sacrifice to him along with a prayer, then she will help us have less fun before the eternal effulgence of the Trinity.
Yes, and the very substances that we sacrifice, remind us of God. Olive oil is an ancient symbol of God's mercy and His healing power. After all, since ancient times, it has been used to mitigate irritation and heal wounds (cf. Lk.10, 34). On the other hand, he is a sign of our good deeds, as the parable of the ten virgins tells us (Matthew 25: 1–13).
The candle in front of the image exudes the aroma of honey and honeycombs, with the sweetness and incense of which the Scripture compares the words of the Law of God (Ps.17,11; Ps.118,109). It consists of three elements, the totality of which gives a description of the spiritual life of the Christian. Wax is a sign of good deeds, wick is a sign of the Orthodox faith, and fire is of grace through the Sacraments. As Simeon of The Theuns wrote, “Wax, as the purest substance, means our purity and sincerity of our offering. Wax, as a substance on which you can stamp the seal of objects, means the seal and the sign of the Cross, which is entrusted to us in Baptism and Confirmation. Wax, as a substance soft and comfortable, means our obedience and willingness to repent of sinful life. Wax collected from fragrant flowers means the grace of the Holy Spirit. A wax made up of many flowers means an offering made by all Christians. Wax, as a substance burned, means our burning (with the Divine Flame). And finally, the wax in which the fire burns, and this light, constantly burning, means the union and strength of our mutual love and peace ”(Book of the Church. Ch. 134).
Resurrection of Ladon
In order to help our prayers, the Church also established the custom of burning incense. Moses, the God-seer, received from God the command to burn sacred incense before the ark of the Covenant every evening and morning (Ex.30: 7–8, 34–38). This rite is still observed in our temples.
Incense incense itself is not an empty formality. Incense is a symbol of the prayers of the righteous (Rev.5, 8). It’s not for nothing that we sing the following evening
- Let my prayer be directed like incense before Your face, the raising of my hands is like an evening sacrifice (Ps. 140.2).
Even in Heaven, Angels bring incense to God in golden censes with the prayers of the saints (Rev.8,3). Therefore, those who reject this godly custom, resist the word of God.
But not only the symbol of prayer is incense incense. He reminds us of the immaterial fragrance of the heavenly gardens prepared for the saved. How beautifully the blessed soul says in the Song of Songs: “As long as the day breathes coolness and the shadows run away, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense” (Song 4,6).
This heavenly fragrance itself, in turn, is the result of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Once upon a time Serafim Sarovsky showed to Motovilov the glory of God-communion, which is available to Christians still on earth, and besides the ineffable radiance and the unspeakable warmth, Motovilov felt a fragrance, not compared with anything else. The way and real way to connect with this heavenly scent is incense smoking. Not without reason, the priest, blessing the censer, says: "We bring the incense to You, Christ our God, in the smell of spiritual fragrance, which, having received your altar in the super-heavenly, in exchange for the grace of the Holy Spirit."
Indeed, according to the correct remark, Fr. Pavel Florensky, clouds of incense smoke ascend to supercosmic spheres and return filled with another force. It is not by chance that, even in the Old Testament, incense mattered as an instrument for protecting man from deadly forces. When the Jews revolted against Moses and God sent a pestilence against them, then Aaron took the censer with incense and ordered between Moses and the dead, and the pestilence stopped (Num.16,41-50). Therefore, incense is now used to protect against the devil and his servants. No wonder many wicked people who do not want to part with their evil deeds cannot bear the smell of incense.
But here it is worth noting that not any incense incense is pleasing to God. It happens that people cuss in front of idols. For example, smoking sticks are lit in front of the idols of the Buddha or photographs of various "gurus". This action is disgusting to the Lord and deprives a person of the title of Christian. The ancient martyrs were going to die, just not to commit such an act of apostasy. So sv. Babel was dragged to the altar and wanted to be forced to throw a few pieces of incense before the idol, and for this they held his hand over the fire. But he endured until his arm burned through. He did this because he knew that this burnt grain did not just dissolve in the atmosphere, but would descend into the nether regions and return, filled with the black power of Satan.
How to censer at home? You need to buy incense in the temple - there is a special prayer of consecration above it. Then, during prayer or just when some insurance starts in the house, we put a piece of incense on the burning coal in a hand censer in front of the icons or just on the lamp, cross it with the sign of the cross in the name of the Holy Trinity and begin to pray. If the presence of the forces of evil is felt in the house, then when censing the prayer to the Honorable Cross “May God rise” will be read.
THE WORDS
others in the saints of our father John
Archbishop of Shanghai and San FranciscoV VII application THE SAINTS
Archbishop John
Glorification of the holy saints of God
Holiness is not just righteousness, for which the righteous are rewarded with the enjoyment of bliss in the Kingdom of God, but such a height of righteousness that people are so filled with the grace of God that it flows from them to those who communicate with them. Great is their bliss, which comes from seeing the glory of God. Being full of love for people, originating from the love of God, they are responsive to human needs and their prayers and are intercessors and representatives for them before God.
Such were, first of all, the Old Testament righteous, released from hell by Christ and brought into paradise, and the “greatest of those born of wives” John the Baptist. Those were then the apostles and their immediate successors. None of the Christians doubted their holiness and after their death, for the most part martyr, they immediately began to honor and call them in prayers. During a high spiritual upsurge in the first centuries of persecution against Christians, martyrs also appeared like that. The martyr's death itself was the door to the higher Abodes, and Christians immediately began to call them, as holy saints of God. Miracles and signs confirmed this faith of Christians and were proof of their holiness. Also later, great devotees began to be honored. No one ruled to honor the saints Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Nicholas the Wonderworker and many others like them, but the East and the West equally honor them, only those who do not believe in holiness can deny their holiness. The ranks of the saints of God grew without ceasing, in all the places where there were Christians, their new devotees appeared. However, the general life of Christians began to decline, spiritual burning began to fade, there was no longer that clear feeling that there is Divine truth. Therefore, the general consciousness of believers could not always determine who the real righteous and saint of God is. In some places, dubious personalities appeared who were fascinated by part of the flock with imaginary exploits. Therefore, the church authorities began to follow the veneration of the saints, taking care to protect their flocks from superstition. They began to explore the lives of devotees who were revered by believers, and to test legends about their miracles. By the time of the baptism of Russia, it had already been established that the recognition of the new saint was being accomplished by church authority. The ruling of the ecclesiastical authority, of course, extended to the area under its jurisdiction, however, other places usually acknowledged perfect glorification anywhere, even if they did not enter into their monthlong words. After all, the church authorities only testified to holiness. The saints of the righteous became not a decision of the earthly church authority, but the mercy and grace of God. The church authority only approved the praise in the church and the prayer calling of the new saint.
What kind of power that should and could have done was not precisely defined, at least the episcopal power.
There were glorifications accomplished by the highest Church authority of the whole local church, the names of the newly glorified were then introduced into the church monthlines of the whole church, others were glorified in one place or another and their veneration was gradually spread to other places. Usually the glorification was performed in the area where the ascetic lived or suffered. But it happened otherwise. Thus, Georgi, who was injured in Sofia (Sredetz, Bulgaria) from the Turks in 1515, from the city of Kratov (Serbia), was already glorified in Novgorod in 14 years. Despite the fact that his fellow citizens also revered him as a new martyr, and even the church service was compiled as his spiritual father, they did not dare to manifest it openly, fearing the Turks, and therefore in Novgorod, which was in commercial relations with those places, by order of the Archbishop was the service was composed and the memory of the martyr George New was revered, from where it spread throughout Russia. When Serbia and Bulgaria were freed from the slavery of the Turks, they began to use the service compiled in Russia, and compiled originally in Sofia is still the property of the library. The last two centuries, when Russia lived in glory and prosperity, the glorification of new saints were usually performed very solemnly by a decree of the Highest Authority, sometimes (but not always) occurring all over Russia, and especially in the area where miraculous relics were found. However, this does not change the general order in the Church, and if the Russian people under the yoke of godless authority cannot openly praise and call upon God-glorified saint of God, the duty of the part of the Russian Church, free from the oppression of the atheists, is popularly to honor and call upon the Miracle-Worker, like St. Nicholas, who is honored today in the whole, and to pray to St. John to correct our lives and to end the calamities that befell our Fatherland through the prophecy.
May the Lord grant that the desired day will come when from the Carpathians to the Pacific Ocean it will thunder:
We magnify thee, the righteous Father John, and honor your holy memory, you will pray for us the Christ of our God!
Word in the week of All Saints in the land of Russia shone
Today is the feast of All Saints in the land of Russia who are resplendent - all the saints who have been raised by the Russian Church, the Russian land. Now is the celebration of the spiritual sky over Russia. That sky stretches widely, ranging from holy Prince Vladimir and the blessed Princess Olga. They were like the roots of all the saints in the land of Russia who shone forth. The great host, the great tree of holiness has grown. True, even before Grand Duke Vladimir, there were saints, righteous, who shone where the land is now Russian. Those parts that now make up the borders of Russia even before they became part of the Russian land were beamed with the holy saints of God.
Chersonesus is praised by seven bishops in the first times who visited that region, Cyril and Methodius also preached there afterwards. In Chersonesos, Grand Prince Vladimir was baptized and, together with the relics of the ancient holy martyr Clement of Rome, he brought the Orthodox Faith to Kiev, marked the beginning of the growth of the Russian Church there. Now we celebrate all those saints of God - Rev. Anthony and Theodosius and many other miracle-workers of Pechersk, all reverend in the Russian land who shone, those saints who asserted Orthodoxy, Christianized the Russian land, who asserted among the people faith and piety, those saints who pretended to be insane, but in reality they were wise, and with their seemingly ridiculous acts they themselves humbled their pride, taught the children to bow down before holiness and follow the Gospel. We glorify many saints of God, who have shone in different places in the Russian land; those martyrs who patiently endured the sufferings he had received and, finally, those martyrs who had shone in small rank in antiquity, but now they watered all their bits of Russian land with their blood. The earth was sanctified by their blood, the air was sanctified by the ascent of their souls. The sky over Russia was consecrated by the face of the holy saints of God who shine above it. Countless them.
There is a wonderful book recently written - "Holy Russia". The cross of Russian holiness is described there in detail. From this book you can learn how holiness rooted and grew in Russia, how from some saints others spiritually descended, how they were connected to each other and everything represents a truly golden chain of holiness of the Russian land. We celebrate them all now, which cannot be even listed. We see marvelous saints who strengthened the idea of Russian by their pastoral work. We see how the Russian land was famous not only for the feats of kings, boyars, warriors, but also how its units were spiritually linked with age by this holiness. That is why Russia was called Holy Russia - not because there were no sins, there was no lawlessness, - no, always where there are people, there have been and will be sins and lawlessness.
With the fall of our ancestors, evil entered the mip, but all evil never seemed ideal and even tolerable to the Russian land. It was evil, but after that they repented. Even the robbers repented; those who ended life on the chopping block, and most of them remembered before the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, bowed to the people, asking for forgiveness in the crimes with which they were tempted and asked to pray for the rest of their souls. So it was in antiquity, so it was in Russian history, and the Russian land still preserves that holiness. And we praise all the saints who, with their exploits throughout life to the Russian land, set an example of that holiness. Here is the Grand Duke Vladimir and the Blessed Princess Olga - the story of the princes who shone like God's saints. Why are they holy? Because although they had always had power in their hands, they had great wealth in their hands, they were not captivated by wealth, they were not enslaved by them. That wealth and that power served either to do good, or to allow other people to live by the commandments of God. But other saints of God went to caves, retired to dense forests, deserts, but there they were made magnets, which spiritually attracted those who sought to strengthen their souls. And those reverend who left and tried to be unknown, their unknown became known and people rushed towards them. They shine to us from time immemorial in our times. The Lord glorified their deeds, glorified their relics with holy wonders, and today they are preachers for the glory of God. Reverend Sergius - for how many years he lived alone in a dense forest, where there was no one but animals. To this day of sv. The Trinity-Sergius Lavra attracts believers from all corners not only of Russia, but also from all corners and limits of the universe. And she is not famous for anything else, as the feat of St. Sergius and the saints who were saved by his teachings. And now it is, as it were, the heart of the Russian Land, together with our first city of Moscow, Moscow, which not only shines with wealth and ancient buildings, but with the sanctity of those saints who labored there and whose relics rested there.
We glorify all those who in different parts of the Russian Land claimed Christianity, preached to those who did not yet know Christianity. Russia united everyone in the only shelter, not so much by the unity of the border, as by the spiritual call to the holiness of the saints in the land of Russia that shone forth. Many names became part of the Russian people. And although the basis of the Russian people is the Slavic people, there are many different names in it, but no one was considered a stranger as soon as they accepted the Orthodox Christian faith. Orthodox faith saved Russia. The Orthodox faith has sanctified it. The Orthodox faith strengthened it. And in the difficult times of the Tatar yoke, how did the Russian people save themselves? Only by believing in God and then, in those difficult times, the temples were built the most, the most monasteries were founded. And in those difficult times, the Russian people always especially called God and then spiritually resurrected Russia.
Long before our calamities and outside of Russia there were saints who belonged to the Russian people, who shone and shone in other places in Russia. Here in Greece, one of the glorious saints of God who? - John of Russia, who was a prisoner in the time of Peter the Great, lived at that time among the Turks and was so firm in the Christian faith that Muslims bowed down before him, seeing the righteous life. They tried to convert him to Islam, but he remained firm - they didn’t insist anymore and were only surprised to see the righteous life of the Russian man, who among them is first as a slave and at the same time spiritually reigns over them. And when the Greeks had to leave Asia Minor, they brought his relics to the church on the island of Evbeia, near Athens. And now it is a place where the Greek, and now Russian, refugees and pilgrims flock to.
Outside of Russia, Paisius Velichkovsky, not yet glorified (Rev. Paisii Velichkovsky was the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, was locally glorified in Svyato-Ilyinsky monastery on Mount Athos, and then together with the Rev. Optinsky in 1990 - ed.), But became spiritual the father of many righteous men who have been spiritual leaders in Russia lately. We celebrate them all together. How varied are their lives! Some princes, other commoners. Some occupy a high position, others wander through the streets, half-dressed - and at the same time the kings listen to their voice! Ivan the Terrible, in front of whom everyone trembled, starting from members of his family and who exiled Metropolitan Philip, the holy husband who exposed him, obeyed half-blessed St. Basil. Once stood the Ivan the Terrible in the temple and coming out of it sees St. Basil. He says: "Basil, I did not notice you, did not see here." “And I saw you, the king, not here in the temple, but as you walk along the Sparrow Hills!” And King John was embarrassed: “Yes,” he says, “during mass, I was thinking about how to build a palace on the Sparrow Hills.” He defeated Novgorod. He approached Pskov, and another holy fool, Blessed Nikolai, offers him meat. “I will not eat meat now. Today is the heels, ”says Ivan the Terrible. “But you do worse, you drink human blood,” replies Blessed Nikolai, “rather get out of here. If you still slow down, then there is nothing for you to run from here. ” And Ivan the Terrible, in the words of the Blessed One, left the court. The words of the Blessed were already fulfilled; Immediately lost favorite royal horse. He quickly leaves Pskov without inflicting any reprisals there. So holiness won everywhere.
Already in the days not far from us, Tsar Nicholas I arrives in Kiev. There he, sitting on a goal, is greeted by Blessed Theophilus, who is also still not renowned as the holy man of the Russian land. The tsar, the autocratic ruler, before whom Europe trembles, listens to his voice, tells him differently. Until recently, the righteous of the Russian land. Many of them are glorified, known to all mipy, many of them are hitherto unknown and will brighten, if it pleases God, then when the time comes for this. Saint Hermogenes, for example, after his heroic deed, for three hundred years, slept the unholished. God is so happy that we look at different examples, not only glorify the present day, and then, after leaving the temple, we would take on other matters and forget about them. No, it is necessary for the saints to be our great leaders, so that we always have them before our eyes.
Already here abroad, today we have the righteous, although not yet glorified, but from whom people received marvelous signs. Here, for example, Bishop Jonah Manchu. One feels the approach of the end of his earthly life. He calls the priest and begins to read the waste himself, and at that hour, when his spirit departs to heaven, the boy who lies in that sick-city with his feet, who for a long time could not walk, runs and shouts: "Mom, mom has appeared to me now St. Jonah says: my legs are no longer needed. Here are your legs. ” The boy who was lying motionless on the bed is now running! At that time, a rumor was heard that Vladyka Jonah had died at that very hour.
In France, a few years ago, when transferring a cemetery, when they dug up one grave, the workers suddenly jumped in horror. There the Orthodox priest lay in full vestments and it turned out that this priest had lain there for more than sixteen years. He died of cancer, when a person usually decomposes alive, but he lay intact and incorruptible, and now his body has been moved under Paris. The saints of God shine in our time. And how many of them in our unhappy exhausted Motherland! How many martyrs are there! How many martyrs are there! To carry them numbers. How many in various places are our exiled saints who have died, which are similar in their living to those saints who were persecuted during iconoclasm and other heresies. Both Peter of Krutitsky, and Kirill of Kazan and many others who died somewhere in the unknown, which relics can never be found, but shine like a brighter light in front of our spiritual eyes in Russian heaven. All of them, the holy saints of God, glorified and non-glorified, pray for us, show us an example.
I repeat that there were always sins and lawlessness in Russia. They were from the earliest times as sin filled the earth in general, from the hour when our ancestors sinned in Paradise. But sin should not remain sin, and if someone repents, then from the criminal to the saints is done. As Mary of Egypt was sinful, the others were robbers, and then they became reverend. Let us now pray that the Lord may send their spirit into our hearts. So that we abroad, following their example, remember that it is not in vain that we bear the name of the sons of Russia. What is not in vain the Lord gave us the gift to have his roots, gave one to grow in his homeland, and the other to be born of Russian parents. Because if some country boasts something, then the Russian land boasts of holiness. "Beautiful France," they say. Different countries have different names attached - what kind of people surprised. But the Russian land is even more called "Holy Rus". Only to one other earth is this name applied — to the Holy Land, in which our Lord shone. None of the other countries, none of the other nations do not accept this title. Why? Because the most important thing for us, the most precious thing, the greatest thing is holiness. This is the ideal, this is the limit of the aspirations of the Russian people. We forget to turn to the spiritual sky, but I hope we have not forgotten forever. As companions, walking through the desert at night, look at the sky and find their way by the stars, we must look at our Russian sky so that the Lord will show us the way and lead us to peace and unity here abroad, so that the Lord will change the hearts of the Russian people in abroad, and then defeated by spiritual onslaught, the external chains of space will fall. And Russia will rise in all its glory and majesty.
The blessing of the Lord is upon you.
Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to Apostles
“Go ahead, teach all the languages that baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28, 19), commanded Christ to the disciples, appearing to them after His Resurrection from the dead. In fulfilling that commandment of the Lord, the apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, dispersed to different countries, everywhere preaching about Christ, His life, teaching, and resurrection.
Almost all then known countries visited the apostles. In the extreme West preached: of sv. the apostle Simon the Canaanite, also called the Zeallot (zealot) in Britain, and James Zavedeev, the brother of John the Divine, in Spain.
In Rome, the holy apostles Peter and Paul implanted the faith, there completing their apostolic feat by martyrdom; and before that the apostle Peter preached in Judea and in Antioch the Great, and St. Paul went around, preaching the Christ, the whole of Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece.
In Asia Minor and the adjacent islands, the beloved disciple of Christ of St.. John the Theologian, who wrote his Gospel and Revelation there, suffered the same day. Apostle Philip, who had previously bypassed Ethiopia and Arabia.
The holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called visited the countries of the future Russia, visited the North Caucasus, sailed across the Dnieper, hoisted the Cross on the Kiev mountains and reached Novgorod, and then preached in the Balkans, installed the first bishop of Byzantium and ended his life in Greece.
The evangelists Matthew and Mark enlightened African countries, some of them bypassed and up. Simon Zilot, who completed his apostolic works in the North Caucasus, near Sukhum.
Mesopotamia was preached by the Apostle Thaddeus, in Armenia Bartholomew, who also visited Northern India.
And Great India, after the sermon in Greece, was bypassed by Thomas, who had reached the remote eastern limits, had been in China.
Thus “the whole world went forth broadcasting them, and into the ends of their universe verbs” and “from the east to the sun,” the Name of the Lord boasted.
In the centuries that followed, new nationalities emerged, young strong tribes replaced the ancient peoples that had disappeared in the area of history.
Being still in their infancy and living the life of primitive peoples, they could not immediately perceive all the achievements of their predecessors and feed on the fruits they had already returned. Many treasures of the ancient Mipa were destroyed, the value of which was incomprehensible to almost savages.
But among those treasures there was one priceless bead that could only be hidden for a while in the ground. That was the Faith of Christ, that spiritual food with which man lives. The abundant fruits of high theology, which grew from the apostolic preaching, were inaccessible and indigestible for the degree of spiritual development on which the babies stood.
For them, the apostolic sermon was needed again, it was necessary to sow the seeds of the Gospel again.
Such sowers and apostles for the Slavic tribes and peoples were Methodist and Cyril brothers, who continued the work of the Christ Apostles.
In the 9th century, the Slavs occupied huge spaces of Eastern and Middle Europe, approaching Constantinople and Thessalon almost in the South, and in the West even occupying the present northern Italy and a significant part of Germany. But dwelling on the land through which St. Andrew Pervozvanny, they could not use the fruits of his preaching, forming a completely new population for those countries, speaking their language and living their customs and beliefs. The Christian Faith was alien to their consciousness, although their heart was a good Niva for the seed of Christ's teaching. The workers were needed, and the Lord called and sent them, as there were once twelve, and then seventy apostles. As, choosing the twelve apostles, Christ was the first to halt two twins - brothers Simon and Andrew, James and John, the brothers Matthew-Levi and James Alpheus were among the twelve as well, and the two apostles of Slavs became Methodius and Constantine, in the schema Cyril.
Being the sons of a noble grandee of Solun, from childhood they became acquainted with the Slavs, their language, customs and beliefs.
Having received an excellent education, Methodius was placed as a governor in one of the regions inhabited by Slavs, and Constantine devoted himself entirely to science and, was educated in Constantinople with Tsar Michael III, became a librarian at the church of Sts. Sofia, where the best works from all fields of science were concentrated.
All that was despised and abandoned by the brothers for the cause of Christ. Methodius left his high position and mip, took monastic vows, also accepted monasticism and the priesthood as Constantine, and both brothers were ready to serve where indicated by the finger of God. Their knowledge and the talents received from God were soon needed to preach the faith of Christ in different countries. At first they were sent to the Saracens, who had taken possession of Syria at that time and who lived near the Euphrates River. They were ardent followers of Mahomet and extolled his teaching over the Christian. However, in many debates of Sts. Constantine and Methodius refuted all their arguments and showed the insignificance of the Mohammedan faith, so that being defeated by the word, the Saracen teachers wanted to poison Sts. brothers, but could not do that.
After their return to Constantinople, they soon had to go to Tauric Chersonesos, where Sevastopol is now, and then the khozars, who professed the Jewish faith, lived. There they found the relics of the martyr Clement, Pope of Rome, a disciple of St. the Apostle Peter, exiled to Chersonesos for forced labor, and then drowned in the sea for the preaching of Christianity. Having continued the work begun by him, the holy brothers not only preached the Word of God in that city, the future font of the Enlightener of Russia of sv. Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, but they also visited the neighboring northern countries inhabited by Khozars. They argued with the Judaizers, and they clearly and irrefutably showed the superiority of the New Testament over the Old Testament, and that the Old Testament was only a prelude to the New. After defeating the Judaizers, as well as the Mohammedans, as well as the pagans living there and baptizing many khozars, Methodius and Constantine returned to Constantinople, taking with them part of the relics of St. Clement.
After a short time, they were to undergo a third apostolic feat, forever shone upon them with unfading glory. The embassy came from the Slavic Moravian Prince Rostislav with a request to send preachers of the Faith of Christ, speaking their language. Slavic tribes began to get acquainted with Christianity at that time, but the Greek and Latin languages were incomprehensible to them.
Now, before the brothers, a wide door opened for the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, for numerous Slavic tribes were still in paganism and complete ignorance. They did not even have their own written language, and, despite many good spiritual qualities, they were a terror for the Christian nations, being able to destroy everything that stood in their way. The preachers sent to them needed to be reborn to introduce them into the bosom of the Church of Christ and the family of Christian nations.
That is what the holy brothers did. Aware of the responsibility and difficulty of the divine work they were beginning, they prepared for it with a forty-day fast. Then, after a fervent prayer, Konstantin composed the Slavic alphabet, taking the Greek alphabet as a basis in 24 letters and adding 14 letters from other alphabets, as there were more sounds in the Slavic language than in the Greek. Immediately afterwards, with the help of Methodius and his disciples — Clement, Naum, Gorazd, Savva, Angelier, and others — he began to translate the Holy Scripture into Slavic, starting with the Gospel of John. May 11 for the first time was written in Slavonic "Be the Word Be, and the Word Be to God, and God the Word." From that day the recorded Slavic speech flowed and the mental enlightenment of the Slavs, Slavic writing and education began.
Having translated the main passages from the Holy Scriptures and some liturgical books, the brothers went to Moravia and, with a sermon in their native Slavic language, drew many to the Orthodox Christian faith.
Slandered by the enemies in their preaching false doctrines, they had to go to Rome to justify, where they carried part of the relics of St. Clement, where Constantine ached and died, taking schema with the name of Cyril and bequeathed to his brother to continue their work.
St. Methodius, consecrated archbishop of Moravia, returned to Moravia and established a church there, and after his death, his disciples, arriving in Bulgaria and Serbia, spread Orthodoxy there. Since then began the rebirth of the Slavic peoples.
After 100 years, Russia was baptized, taking advantage of the writings of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
Grand Prince Vladimir was baptized in the very Chersonese or Korsun in which they preached, and from there he brought to Kiev from the relics of St.. Clement, Pope of Rome, for approval of faith in the newly educated Mother of the Russian Grad and the whole country. However, the Slavic liturgical books were brought, translated by Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
The priests who arrived from the South Slavic countries could immediately perform the divine service in their native Russian people, the Slavic language, and explain in an understandable dialect of the truth of the Faith, especially since the difference between the individual Slavic dialects was very small.
At the same time, schools were opened, where children taught the Slavic diploma and were trained as priests, so that soon Russia, like other Slavic peoples, had, had pastors from among themselves. That was of great importance for the affirmation of the Orthodox Faith in Russia, as before in Bulgaria. And then in Serbia.
Works of Sts. Cyril and Methodius helped the Slavic soul to understand and assimilate the Teaching of Christ, likened it to Orthodoxy and laid the foundation for the mental development of the Slavic peoples. All the good that the Slavs had afterwards is in one way or another connected with the inner and vital upheaval in them that was accomplished by Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Self-consciousness, originality and the very existence of the Slavs survived thanks to them, and they are the spiritual fathers and ancestors of Slavism. The Orthodox faith they preached revived Slavism and made Russia the guardian of Orthodoxy. From it came the preachers, who, imitating Sts. Cyril and Methodius bore the light of Christ to other tribes, translating the holy books into their languages and sometimes composing the alphabet for them, as for Zyryan from Stefan Perm.
Their successors carried the light of Orthodoxy to the Far East, where they continued the work begun by St. Apostle Thomas.
Therefore verily Sts. Cyril and Methodius are the apostles of all the peoples of Eastern Europe and the great limits of Asia!
Shanghai 1948
Saints Cyril and Methodius
What a joyful cry of gratitude will break out of the mouths of people who were sitting in a dark cave and were deprived of light from birth, when someone, dissolving their gloomy dwelling, pours the life-giving rays of the sun into it and then brings them to freedom!
We should feel the same feeling of gratitude regarding the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius.
“To the Slav tribes who are sitting in the country and the mortal paganism of paganism, they brought light by the truth of the Faith of Christ.
Not knowing about the kingdom of heaven, they announced it and pointed the way into it.
They made the servants of the false pagan gods the servants of the True God!
They taught people to love goodness and truth, living in wickedness and crude manners, showed them the superiority of virtue, "cleansed their senses" and made them pious and moral.
Those who were under the power of sin and vices were freed from the devil’s networks, revived with holy Baptism, and taught a new life for the glory of God.
At the same time, for the ignorant and half-savage Slavs, they compiled the alphabet, bestowed a certificate and, having learned to use writing, laid the foundation for their mental enlightenment.
With Saints Cyril and Methodius, the advancement of Slavs in all areas of life begins. The former semi-predatory tribes become great nations and create strong states, imbued with the spirit of Christianity.
So, wherever we look, wherever the light shines on the Slavs and good is created, we see traces of the works of Sts. Methodius and Cyril.
Let's look at the spiritual sky - there is a large host of holy saints of God, who labored in Slavic countries. That is the fruit of the seeds sown by the holy brothers.
Let's take a look at the earth - we will see the glorious Slavic powers, the history of the Slavic peoples full of exploits, the achievements of the Slavs in the field of science and the arts. For that, we must be grateful to our holy First-Teachers.
Therefore, on the day of their memory, our duty is to glorify them and exclaim to them with gratitude: "Glory to you, holy brothers, Slavs enlighteners!"
Shanghai 1941
Relaxed, Samaritan and Blind
Before finishing today's service, I want to draw your attention to three evangelical events recalled on Sundays between the Week of Myrrh-Bearers and Ascension. In one, the Gospel is read about the healing of the relaxed by Christ, the other about the conversation with the Samaritan woman, and the third about giving the sight to the blind one. Three were honored to talk with Christ and accept His gift: one - healing from a long-term illness, the other - resolving issues that she herself could not resolve, the third - bodily vision. But their further fate is different.
The historical monuments are silent about the formerly relaxed, but a legend that can be believed tells us that he was the one who later, being a bishop's servant, struck Christ on a piece of land during the interrogation of the high priest. It is known about the Samaritan woman that she believed in Christ and after many years, during the persecution of Nero, she suffered with her sisters and sons. The Church continues to commemorate her - the martyrs of Pothini. And about the healed blind one, the Gospel itself narrates that, as soon as he confessed Christ, he was immediately banished by the Pharisees. So relaxed, after healing from a temporary disease, inherited eternal death; The Samaritan Photinia, having been honored to talk with Christ, for a long time then lived in peace and honor among her fellow citizens, only after many years with her blood testified to her faith, and the former blind man immediately after receiving the blessing suffered persecution for faithfulness to her benefactor. But he also has a great reward: Christ Himself is looking for him and, having found, opens to him also his spiritual eyes, urges him to follow the path leading to the higher kingdom.
Remember these three examples. Having received some gift from God, be it spiritual or earthly, we will use it with benefit, to inherit eternal salvation. Let us remember that, without using it with dignity, we will depart from God and lose eternal life. We will follow the teachings of Christ, and if we have to suffer for this, Christ Himself will come to support and strengthen us as He came to strengthen and enlighten the blind-born He healed, persecuted by unfaithful compatriots. Amen.
Bitol 1928
St. Seraphim of Sarov
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
“They will sing Easter in the middle of summer,” it was once said in Sarov. It has been 70 years since the death of the person by whom these words were spoken, and on July 19, 1903, all of Russia was announced with songs of praise glorifying God and His saint. Indeed, all of Russia exulted then, as on the day of Holy Pascha, even more.
Then came the terrible days for Russia, but the memory of Reverend Seraphim did not die and did not weaken. Also, Russian people flow to it, glorify it both in the tormented homeland, and in all ends of the Mipa, where they are scattered. Other peoples are beginning to get acquainted with the life of St. Seraphim; his life story is translated into different languages, evoking not only admiration, but also the desire of many to apply in their lives the lessons given to us by the life of St. Seraphim. So, despite all the changes taking place in the mipe, the memory of St. Seraphim not only does not fade, but remains a lamp, shining brighter and brighter to humanity.
It was similar in the days of his earthly life. Cities collapsed, kingdoms were restored, with 12 nations went to Russia, and then Napoleon left it in disgrace, Moscow burned and rose again from the ashes, organized an uprising and the Decembrists were judged, and these events didn’t touch Reverend Seraphim. He was all busy attaining "one for the need," working on "his spiritual growth." “Selfish, self-contained,” “an ignoramus who is not interested in anything other than what personally concerns him” - so many thinkers would say about him who do not want to see even the slightest benefit in the exploits of self-improvement. But the monk Seraphim is dying. It would seem that absolutely now the image of this old man, who stubbornly escaped from mipa, must disappear from human memory. But the whole pilgrimage to his coffin begins, in all parts of Russia, those who resort to him receive help, comfort and edification, and his veneration begins to spread among other nations.
What is the power of Reverend Seraphim? What is his feat? He sought to fulfill the commandment of Christ: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, there is”; He worked hard to restore the primordial image of man, later spoiled by sin. Reverend Seraphim achieved his goal: he overcame sin and became a reverend, and became a true likeness of God. We cannot see the invisible God. But the Lord gives us to see Himself in His likeness, in His saints. And one of such similarities was the Rev. Seraphim. In it we see the restored human nature, freed from slavery to sin. He is the incarnate personification of the eternal victory over the transitory, holiness over sin, good over evil. St. Seraphim calls upon his example to follow the path indicated by Christ. He calls to fight against sin and its shortcomings, being a beacon and lamp for all who seek salvation. St. Seraphim calls for the search for the highest good, the spiritual fruit, about which the Apostle Paul said: "The spiritual fruit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, temperance." But for this you need "crucified flesh with passion and lust."
The road to the heavenly kingdom is difficult, for sin has taken possession of human nature and has spoiled it. Each of us has personal sins. There are public sins in which all the people are sinful. So all the Russian people are sinful in that they left the pious life and customs of their ancestors, began to take and look for something alien to him, non-Orthodox, that he believed in slanders spread about the Anointed of God, and allowed him to tear down the crown first, and then destroy his pious with the whole family The Tsar, who first fell to the celebrated relics of St. Seraphim. Rev. Seraphim calls everyone to repentance and to the correction of life, both personal and social. Though this way is difficult, but the saint of God will help them go. Rev. Seraphim is a lighthouse and lamp on the way; he is also an assistant.
By the prayers of Your saint, our father Seraphim, Lord, grant repentance and victory over sin to us, sinners, and bring us into Your heavenly kingdom. Amen.
Serbia 1928
Saints Euphemia and Olga
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Usually hearing church hymns, in which the saints of God, remembered by the Church, are glorified, we hear the male names. But today, the memory of two saints of God, or rather of saints, is celebrated - both holy names, glorified today, are women's.
The Holy Great Martyr Euthymius and the Holy Blessed Princess Olga — both received another name: St. Euphemia is called “everybody”, and sv. Olga still contemporaries was called "the wisest of wives."
Saint Euphemia was tortured during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian, and her death and suffering are remembered on September 16th. And today, its memory is celebrated on the occasion of a miracle, which was during the IV-th Ecumenical Council. The Fourth Ecumenical Council had to decide who was right, whether those who believe that Christ was God and man, a God-man, or those who claim that God had completely absorbed humanity in Christ, so that even His sufferings were only apparent.
When the representatives of the Orthodox, led by Sts. Anatoly Tsaregradsky and Juvenal of Jerusalem, many arguments from the Holy Scriptures and Tradition proved that Christ is the God-man, then, wanting to receive another special God's Guide, where the correct faith, wrote two confessions of faith - Orthodox and Monophysite. Both of them were placed in a shrine with the relics of St. Euphemia, who were in the temple where the meetings of the IV Ecumenical Council were held. Cancer was imprisoned, the temple was locked, so that no one could penetrate it, and when three days later the church was unlocked and the cancer was opened, the Orthodox confession lay on the chest of St. Euphemia, and Monophysite under her feet, and she seemed to trample him. After such a clear indication of God, it was finally established that we now confess that Christ is the God-man, and the Monophysite faith was condemned. St. Euphemia then received the name "the limit of Sts. Fathers "," Statement of the Orthodox Faith. "
It took several hundred years after this miracle. Christianity was adopted by the Russian Grand Duchess Olga, who received the name Elena at baptism. She wanted to baptize all of Russia, many followed her example, but she did not succeed in completely fulfilling her desire, and even her son, severe Svyatoslav, remained a pagan. But her grandson, Vladimir, decided to change his faith. When he began to incline towards Orthodoxy, he convened his own boyars and the governor for a final decision. After many arguments cited in favor of the adoption of Orthodoxy from Constantinople, the boyars said: "If this faith were not good, the wisest of wives Olga would not have accepted it." This argument was so convincing that the question of acceptance of faith was resolved. The fact that Olga could not do in life, she did after death. Her memory, as a saint, began to be glorified throughout Russia on the day of her death on July 11, along with St. Evfimia, to which the relics were transferred from Chalcedon Constantinople.
Centuries passed. Inovertsy took Constantinople, and Moscow surrendered to the capital of Orthodoxy. As if to commemorate this, according to God's favor, to Moscow under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, who was born, by the way, just today, the unsuitable chiton of Christ was transferred. Once the Second Rome - Constantinople - had, as a defense, the most precious shrines - the robe and the belt of the Mother of God. It is known that the first Russian Christian princes, Askold and Dir, were baptized after they had experienced a miracle during their march on Constantinople: when the veil of Our Lady was lowered by the patriarch, a terrible storm arose that swept the Russian ships and cast ashore Russian governors and warriors were baptized, struck by this miracle. But in Moscow, it was not the vestment of the Mother of God that was transferred, but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, His unstitched coat.
The third Rome led all Orthodox nations, began to liberate the Orthodox East from the Gentiles, and it seemed that the perfect end of their power was near. But at the critical moment Russia itself fell under the most terrible slavery of communism. In the enslaved Second Rome (Constantinople), if they do not dare to organize processions of the cross and generally express openly signs of reverence for the Orthodox faith, they can, though in their churches, offer praises and prayers to God even without prayers, The Greeks did not change the text of the prayers containing such petitions. Today it is placed in the middle of the temple of the Tsargrad Patriarchate of Cancer with the relics of St.. Euthymius with a Slavic inscription that this cancer is the gift of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Anthony. This inscription seems to be testified, and the Russian people invisibly await the relics of St. Euphemia. And where are the relics of St. Olha, temples are selected and turned into cinemas, museums and theaters; in the remaining churches, with the support of the authorities, lively church members and self-saints invade. Both the soul and body want to enslave the godless power that controls even what is happening in the churches. But the miracles performed after the death of St. Euthymia and Olga give us hope that they are still being prosecuted for the Orthodox.
Let's finish our today's prayer with a petition, located in the Kontakion of St.. Euthymias: "And now, as heresy, the enemies of the reigning under the feet of the Orthodox kings subdue." Amen.
Belgrade 1928
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
To his glorificationYes, heaven rejoice and earth rejoice!
The new saint of God is glorified by the Church.
A new prayer book and a petitioner for sinful people openly appeared in Heaven. Not from today he became holy. From the day of his settling into the Kingdom of Heaven, he entered the face of the saints, and with them he intercedes for those who turn to him for help. With them he glorifies the Creator and enjoys unspeakable joy. For a long time already, even in life, many revered him as a saint of God. The miracles performed by him testified to that. But that was only the opinion or feeling of individuals, and panikhida were performed according to it, just like ordinary people. But now the Church is proclaiming: “Verily this is the chosen one of God. Verily this is the righteous one and intercessor for us before God. ” The earthly Church celebrates, the saints all the angels and saints of God are glorified with it. There is no envy and separation between them. When one of them is glorified, they all delight in him. They rejoice not so much about the honor they bestow, but on the fact that through him people turn to God. They rejoice in the fact that people from a sinful mipa turn their mental gaze to heaven. Raise our spiritual eyes and see John in the glory of Heaven.
Who is he? He is a great righteous man. He tried his whole life to keep the commandments of God and create everything as God commanded. He is the reverent clergyman of the Church. Not by inheritance, as the Old Testament priests, but by a sincere desire to serve God, he became a priest. He fervently offered prayers to God, diligently observed the church ordinance, indeed there was a model and an example to all clerics. Therefore, His prayer was effective. He was the embodiment of mercy, he pitied everyone, he helped everyone. Not only did he respond to requests for help, but he himself sought out those in need. I condescend to all, I tried to help everyone, with one giving real, worldly alms, raising others from the fall of sin and enriching them with spiritual gifts. He was also the formidable accuser of the sins of men, like the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist, not afraid to openly tell the truth in his face. Good to the repentant, no matter how great their sins were, he did not tolerate stubbornness in sin.
A great wonderworker, he filled the whole Mip with his wonders, like St. Nicholas the Miracle-worker, and with his teachings he edifies everyone who seeks the way of God. The sealer, who saw what came to him inside, what their life was like, and gave saving advice to everyone, towards the end of earthly life became a prophet who foresaw future disasters, if repentance and correction of life did not come. Let us cry to him now, when he shone before everyone in the spiritual sky: “Pray for us the righteous Father John, turn all of us to the path of salvation, and save your Fatherland and ours from the disasters that occurred according to your prophecy, yes happily call you: Rejoice righteous Father John, the most wonderful of miracles, and a prayer-book for us to God! Holy righteous Father John, save us with your prayers! ”
1964
V VII application
