Храм Божий

Thoughts about. John of Kronstadt. – Most likely, what leads us to alms and mercy is the church of God, its shepherds and teachers, its services, teaching, guidance and examples. Let us now see how our respected shepherd views the significance of the church of God and how he teaches us to relate to the church of God. Is there a higher, holier, more beneficial place on earth, like the church of God? No! For in it is the throne of God, in it terrible mysteries are accomplished, in it is our renewal, sanctification, reconciliation with God, adoption: here is the descent of the Holy Spirit, here is the appearance of the Trinity in the Life-giving mysteries; here is our renewal, deification, here is enlightenment, here is our guidance to eternal life, here is the constant prayer of the Church for us, both during our life and after our death; here our sinful burden is taken away; here is the solution and binding of sins, here is unanimous and common prayer, here is tenderness with copious tears, here is the consolation of the Holy Spirit, here is the confirmation and girding of strength from above upon us who are weakest. How the Godfather, King and Prophet David loved the house of God! – How our Savior, Christ the Lord, loved him in the days of his flesh. And the Mother of God was raised in him, in the Holy of Holies. How the apostles loved the house of God! Standing in the church, be as if you were in heaven with God, for in the church everything is heavenly: here the name of the heavenly God of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is glorified; he is a house of prayer, a house in which the heavenly Mysteries are performed. Where everyone speaks glory; here the Most Holy Theotokos, all the powers of Heaven, all the Saints, these earthly angels, heavenly men are glorified and called upon to intercede for us; here the heavenly virtues of the Saints are glorified; here is a general prayer. Not about anything else in life, but about the salvation of souls, about the forgiveness of sins, about success in virtue and the granting of blessed immortality to our souls - a prayer for everyone. All worldly concerns must be put aside when entering the church and standing in it. The church is the threshold of heaven and paradise...and, as it were, heaven itself, for in it is the throne of God, the ministry of angels, the frequent descent of the Holy Spirit, the celebration of heavenly, life-giving and terrible Mysteries, the cleansing of sins, the giving of holy things, the communion of the Divine Body and Blood. In the church everything is wise, holy, splendid, life-giving, instructive; The streams of life flow here, there is peace, joy, freedom. Why not love her? What wonderful spiritual wealth is in the Church, the wealth of faith, hope and love, the wealth of goodness, mercy, the wisdom of God, the wealth of miracles, the cleansing of sins, sanctification, enlightenment of the world and spiritual freedom. ABOUT! If only the faithful and the unfaithful knew and recognized this and remembered this, and zealously flocked to the Church! The Holy Church, in the structure of the church and Divine services, like a Charter or tablet, outlined the most important destinies of the world and man; This is how she depicts the creation of the world: the altar is heaven, the church or church is earth, the porch is a place for those who are still outside of grace; depicts the blissful state of man and then his fall, expulsion from paradise into the world, closing the gates of paradise and placing a cherub with a flaming sword, the repentance of Adam and Eve; the promise of the Redeemer, the Old Testament people's expectation of the Savior, the offering of propitiatory sacrifices (incense): prophecy, transformation, the appearance of the Savior. His life hidden until time, His baptism, His fasting and temptation, appearance to the world, preaching, miracles, suffering, death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven. My house is a house of prayer. Coming to the church, we seem to ascend to heaven, leaving everything earthly behind us: at least, this is how we should enter the church. At home there are a lot of things that distract us from prayer, but in church everything inspires us with reverence and prayer: the throne of God and the faces of the Lord and Saints and the image of the life-giving cross and the Gospel on the throne and the royal doors leading to the altar, into this earthly heaven and the very appearance of the altar, elevated above other places in the church and reading and singing, censing and burning lamps and priests, the faces of the servants, clothed in sacred clothes: everything, everything inspires you with reverence and prayer; everything suggests that you are in the sanctuary of God, face to face with God Himself. When you pray to the Lord, know that He is near you in your mouth and in your heart, loves you like His own child and unceasingly does you good, lives you, cleanses, sanctifies, enlightens, pacifies, strengthens, comforts, nourishes, helps you, and with strong love call upon Him, thank and glorify Him, for this is your duty, your life, your strength and your glory. Church services, by their course and the content of prayers, reading and chanting, inspire deepest gratitude to God and mutual communication and love for each other, no matter who else it may be, and the awareness of our countless sins and unceasing repentance for them, often pronouncing the prayers of the publican in a short form: Lord, have mercy. The Church is the bearer of the spirit of love, salvation, holiness, truth, meekness, kindness, patience and long-suffering, His wisdom, His life... the eternal life. The importance of the Church for a Christian is infinitely important; She is the leader in everything and saves him from birth to the grave and beyond the grave. What purpose does the Church have in performing Divine services for us? May we be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, chanting and singing in our hearts to the Lord, may we serve the Lord; not working for God, but working for the world, we work with our passions in order to bear fruit in death. For a Christian, a church is the center of light, grace, peace, the life of God, sanctification and holiness, spiritual and bodily renewal, strength, and spiritual wisdom. Here the unceasing currents of Divine life flow, here flows the source of immortality, here is the cup of life and the bread of life. Come, prepare yourself, your soul, eat the bread of eternal life and drink the drink, the blood of God, the source of the immortal life of heaven; take off your ugliness and the stench of sin and be renewed as much as you want. To one who believes and desires with all his heart, everything is possible; drive away the darkness of your passions and be illumined by the light inherent in the Most Serene Three Illustrious Trinity. Draw Divine strength for your weak nature, take on a spiritual girdle; take all spiritual weapons - they are ready for everyone, according to each person’s need; Take everyone everything you need: gifts are given from God to everyone independently. But here is all the abundance of spiritual gifts, and there is no one willing to accept them; here is Divine life, Divine light, Divine power, Divine peace, Divine holiness - and there are no recipients. In the church there is a place only for prayer, repentance, glorification and thanksgiving to the Creator and Lord, our Savior and Judge, and not to earthly thoughts or worldly, carnal passions, and let all human flesh be silent here and stand with fear and trembling and let nothing earthly think in itself and prefer no one and nothing to the Creator, let it not strive for anyone or anything, but let it be immersed with all its mind and heart in the Lord, in the contemplation of His truth, holiness, goodness, wisdom, omniscience, His omnipotence, His indescribable beauty and kindness; May he enjoy His endless sweetness, may he sincerely wish himself and all people well, may he wish and pray for himself and them the only thing they need - the salvation of the soul and for the whole world, and may he bring to the Creator, who created the entire human race from one blood, a prayer for his peace, enlightenment and salvation. The church is the earthly heaven: here is the throne of the King of heaven and earth, here a terrible, heavenly sacrifice is performed - the Body and Blood of the Sovereign and the faithful are united with the Lord and adored with wonderful deification. External rituals in prayer have very important meaning and meaning and are very useful for every believing and reflective pious Christian, both for soul and body. For example: bowing in prayer awakens mental and physical energy, humbles the soul, awakens it to reflect on the great multitude of our sins. Our guilt before God, our condemnation for sins, drives away laziness and coldness of the soul, warms the soul, arouses the fear of God in it; Without bows, we can be completely overcome by inertia, drowsiness, absent-mindedness, laziness, to which our soul and body are so prone. The sign of the cross naturally leads to reflection on many of the most important truths of faith and on the greatest mercies and blessings of God and the One of the Trinity - the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered for us on the cross. With His suffering and death He redeemed us from sin, curse and death, gave us blessing, rebirth to a new life, sonhood, resurrection from the dead, eternal life and in the cross gave us a powerful weapon against the devil and passions. In addition, the sign of the cross also reminds us of the most important dogmas of our faith - the Holy Trinity, the incarnation of the Son of God (three and two fingers folded together) or the two natures in Jesus Christ, their eternal content in our minds and hearts, the most important commandment of the law of God - to love God with all our thoughts (sign on the forehead), with all our hearts and with all our strength (on both shoulders). And this is the whole essence of the Christian faith. How important is the significance of these and similar rituals and how useful they are for a reflective Christian. Of course, everyone needs to know the meaning of these rituals. During prayer, the following conditions are necessary in order for the prayer to be pleasing and fruitful for the soul: 1) to clearly understand with the mind the meaning and power of each word of the prayer; 2) sympathize with your heart with what is being said, or turn away with the indignation of sin, in a word, willingly and naturally pray; 3) by the will to strive with all intensity to avoid sin or to practice virtue, i.e. to cut off one’s sinful, corrupted will and to fulfill the will of God and 4) so ​​that in the heart there is no guile, double-mindedness, any passion or addiction, for example: rancor, greed, in a word, pray with a pure heart. Such a prayer is a godly prayer. Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune” (Matthew 16:41). During prayer, and at all times, we must remember that our souls are completely open and naked, clearly visible to God, with all our innermost thoughts, feelings, intentions, and therefore we must pray with all our hearts, with all our thoughts, with all sincerity, ardor, and simplicity of heart. What does the Holy Church teach us with short exclamations or glorifications pronounced by a priest or bishop, for example: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. For due to you is all glory, honor and worship of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. For God is good and a lover of mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. For You are the God of mercy, generosity and love for mankind, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. For You are a merciful and loving God, and to You we send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. For Thy Name will be blessed and Thy kingdom will be glorified, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” They instill in us lofty thoughts about the infinite power and greatness of God, about the infinite goodness and mercy of God and about the eternal kingdom of God, so that we undoubtedly hope to receive His mercy both here and in eternity and strive with all zeal for eternal life, using this life as a means and as a field and battleground for winning rewards from God in the future life. Why does the priest raise his hands before the throne during the singing of the Cherubic song (at mass), before the great entrance? As a reminder and depiction of the prayer of the God-man in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His betrayal by Judas and in the depiction of the Calvary crucifixion. Great, wondrous, and effective was this prayer: it was offered for the whole world: the Calvary sacrifice is immeasurable, great and redemptive. For the sake of this prayer and this sacrifice on the cross, have mercy on me too, O Heavenly Father, Only Begotten Son and Holy Soul. Amen. Incense in the church is a material sign of the shrine, the Being of God and His Saints, and a reminder to us to live in the shrine. Shrine is eternally inherent in God and the Saints, by His grace and gift, and shrine must always be inherent in us, and the stench of sin that is inherent in us must be removed in every possible way - through repentance, works, fasting, prayers, alms. Why does the clergyman teach the world before reading the Gospel? In order to read the Gospel yourself in the deep silence of the soul and the world of feelings, without haste or worry, and for all other people to listen to it. The Church in its Divine services focuses the attention of those praying on the most necessary, most vital objects that every person must constantly keep in mind. On God's creation of the world and man in the image and likeness - on the commandment given to him and his failure to observe it due to negligence. To the destruction of sin, which gave rise to curse and death in the human race, to expulsion from paradise, or the place of blissful dwelling of the first people. For the need of repentance for every person, for the Savior’s promise to a perishing world and for His coming, for His birth in poverty, for His hidden life, for His open service to people, for sermons and miracles; for His fulfillment of all righteousness of the law - His suffering and death, resurrection and ascension. All the services of our church are wise, Divine! You often hear in church the cry “peace to all,” to remember that you are in the church of the God of peace and that you must be at peace with God and with people and with yourself: With God - through repentance and keeping the commandments, with people - through chastity, truth, mercy, meekness and patience, with yourself - without allowing yourself anything illegal and without violating your conscience. The prayer: “give, Lord,” inspires us that we have absolutely nothing of our own, except for a multitude of sins, and we receive everything from God freely, freely, by His mercy, and therefore we must humbly ask Him for all our needs and immediately thank Him for the benefit received. And the words: “To you, Lord,” after the expression “We give ourselves and each other and our whole life to Christ our God,” inspire us with constant and perfect devotion to Jesus Christ throughout our entire life, in all needs, temptations, deprivations, insults from people.” Why do we often sing: “Lord, have mercy.” – Because we are fallen beings, constantly sinning and angering our Lord and worthy of all condemnation and punishment. At all times, all the blessings that we have and ask for, we have by the grace of God, and not according to our deeds and merits - and we ask as the mercy of God, and not as something due or rightfully belonging to us. Thus, this short prayer teaches constant self-condemnation, repentance, humility, correction, trust in the mercy of God, mercy towards others, remembrance of the righteous Judgment of God and retribution for the deeds of each of us. Love from the heart the prayer: “Lord, have mercy.” It will teach you humility, repentance, tenderness; it is as necessary for a sinner as clean air for breathing, as sure medicine for a sick person. What pleases the Lord in our prayers for our neighbors, living and dead? Love with faith and trust in His mercy. And so we must always pray with love, in the simplicity of faith, in firm hope. The frequent cry: “Lord, have mercy, give, Lord, to You, Lord,” we remind, firstly, that we all stand before the face of the Lord, who listens to our prayers; secondly, that we are His servants, obligated to fulfill His will and constantly breaking it, and deserving of severe punishment. “Bow your heads to the Lord,” shows that we stand before the face of the Lord and humbly surrender to Him. The sign of the cross, made on themselves by Orthodox Christians, depicts the entire essence of the Christian Faith, the Holy Trinity and the wondrous salvation of us sinners, accomplished by the Trinity through the incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection of the One Christ God from the Trinity. Oh, wisdom in its simplest sense! Oh, the wisdom of the Holy Church! Oh, wisdom! On the forehead, on the chest and shoulders or muscles, we place the sign of the cross, in order to imprint in the mind, in the heart and in all activities the mystery of the Holy Trinity and the embodiment of the suffering, death and resurrection of the Son of God for our sake, in order to cast, so to speak, to the foot of the cross all our strength and abilities, our whole life, in order to be crucified with Christ, to die unceasingly for the world and sin, in order to love the Holy Trinity with all our hearts, with all your thoughts, with all your strength. How many prayers we read every day. But where are the fruits?! Everything is like a seed sown along the way, or on a stone or among thorns, everything is lost! As you move away from the Church, from Divine services, from this kingdom of God, you will be possessed by worldly passions, various bad habits and the prince of this age with his dark forces, you will be covered by the shadow of death. In conclusion of all of the above, one cannot pass by in silence that Father Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev is not only reverently revered by everyone here in Russia, but even the German press speaks of the dear shepherd: in No. 31 of the weekly German illustrated magazine “Die Woche” (“The Week”), published in Berlin, there is a small but interesting article devoted to the characteristics of our highly revered shepherd and equipped with a portrait of Father John Kronstadtsky (based on a photograph by N. Bull). We present this article from a German magazine in Russian translation; it bears the title “Russian miracle priest (Wunderpriester) Father John of Kronstadt.” “In the vast domains of the Tsar and far beyond their borders, the name of a simple (schlichter) Russian priest is pronounced with respect and honor. His name is Father John, and his nickname is Kronstadt - after his place of service. A native of the far north of the Russian state (he was born near Arkhangelsk), Fr. John is the true son of the people. That is why he knows and understands the people's sorrows (Leiden) so well, trying to soften them wherever there is a need, and that is why the masses revere him as a saint, as a miracle worker. And oh. John of Kronstadt really works miracles, not in a mystical spirit, of course, or as the possessor of some kind of supernatural power; no, he acts with the strength of his personality and the power of his loving heart. In both the King and the beggar he sees only a man (Mensch). Both need him, and he seeks to serve both. When Emperor Alexander III felt the approach of his last minutes, He called Fr. to the south to his deathbed. John of Kronstadt to pray with him. But it is not just desire or thirst for spiritual needs that attracts the masses to it. At the same time, he appears to her as an assistant in her material needs. The rubles that were at the disposal of Fr. for this purpose are estimated in millions. John of Kronstadt. But he himself remained poor and lives modestly, the life of an ordinary priest; he applies the words of the Gospel to his work: “love is the fulfillment of duty.” What a brief and at the same time, what a true and deep description of the personality and activities of the respected Russian pastor, written in such a sympathetic, heartfelt tone by the pen of a German journalist! The crown of the universe is man, but the main good of man is life. Its pattern is very colorful. This circumstance, due to the relative shortness of life, forces a person to be constantly on guard not only regarding his religious beliefs, but also the material means necessary for existence and, as far as possible, prolonging life, which, according to the poet, “is given to us for life.” Nevertheless, pessimists liken life to a soap bubble that bursts with a light blow of wind, or, what is even more accurate, to a child’s toy, on the skillful handling of which its safety depends. To live, if not in luxury, then at least in contentment, is the main task of man, so to speak, the Archimedean point of his views; but death, that inexorable, final companion of a person’s life, very often cuts off its thread at the very time when his spirit seemed to be vigorous and his strength was still fresh... Youthful dreams and lust instantly disappear, and the crying and sobs of those around them often echo the historical cry, begging both for a daily piece of bread and for help in the last sad hour of the life of a person who, by nature, is generally selfish. It is precisely at this sad hour that our “Mutual Aid Society in Case of Death” comes to the rescue. Although selfishness is an inherent feature of all the most beautiful human endeavors, even those that bear significant and abundant fruit. Nevertheless, our society, its thought, its idea go beyond the range of ordinary good deeds and embody the life-giving flame of love for one’s neighbor. Without even the slightest admixture of selfishness. The crown of all the commandments of Christ and, so to speak, the basis - the foundation of everything good and noble in the world, is love for one's neighbor, and it is precisely holy, Christian love that is the strong foundation on which the building of helping one's neighbor is built. Each member of the Mutual Aid Society in the event of death, which began its existence on the 17th day of January 1893, makes his feasible contribution to help the accomplices of the same society, at the most difficult moment in the life of a husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother or friend, when grief-stricken loved ones at that time do not care about any everyday needs. Each of the members, sacrificing for the benefit of others, without any selfish calculations, approaches that high goal of brotherhood, which was given to us for edification by our Divine Teacher. Moreover, the thought that constantly inspires us about that inevitable moment when the Society will help our families is the surest lever to go towards meeting our neighbors, making our relatively insignificant contributions to the public treasury. From these contributions, as can be seen from the accompanying charter of the Society and reports for past years, during the 9-year existence of the Society, benefits were issued in the substantial amount of 53,000 rubles. And besides, thanks to the skillful and conscientious attitude of public leaders, the Mutual Aid Society in the event of death has a free capital of 75,000 rubles stored in the State Bank. Which, with the help of God, given the present social principles, will increase this year, and in two or three years it will amount to a good amount of 100,000 rubles. if nothing more. The number of deaths fluctuates every year and depends on age, time of year and some unforeseen accidents and, although, in general, is not large, it cannot be said that the percentage of deaths is also small. The Society for Mutual Aid in Case of Death, due to its solid material resources, and most importantly, skillful leadership, is constantly succeeding: new groups are opening and, as a result, new ways of social welfare are emerging. True, sometimes the task is not easy for a poor person - an accomplice of the Society with mandatory membership contributions - but the thought of helping one’s neighbor in the most difficult moments of his life and the hope of that help for oneself, like cement holding the hearts of all neighbors together, serves as a guarantee of a better future. What, from the sincere heart, wishes to all participants of the Mutual Aid Society in case of death