Часть 2-я

The concept of Christian hope, its basis and means 383. What is Christian hope? Christian hope is the reassurance of the heart in God with the confidence that He constantly takes care of our salvation and gives us the promised bliss. 384. What is Christian hope based on? Christian hope is based on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope, or the foundation of our hope (1 Tim. 1:1). “Put your hope fully on the grace that is given to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). 385. How to acquire Christian hope? The means of acquiring saving hope are: prayer, the true doctrine of beatitude and actual adherence to this doctrine. 386. Is there any indication in Holy Scripture that prayer is a means of gaining hope? The Lord Jesus Christ himself combines with prayer the hope of getting what he wants: “If you ask the Father anything in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). Prayer is the lifting of the mind and heart to God, expressed by a person’s reverent word to God. 388. What should you do during prayer? A Christian, lifting his mind and heart to God, must do the following: glorify Him for His Divine perfections; thank Him for His benefits; ask Him for your needs. Therefore, there are three main types of prayer: doxology, thanksgiving, and petition. 389. Is it possible to pray without words? You can pray without words - with your mind and heart. An example of this is the prophet Moses, who prayed this way before crossing the Red (Red) Sea (see Exodus 14:13). 390. What names does prayer have? Prayer without words is called spiritual, mental, heartfelt or internal prayer, while prayer spoken in words and accompanied by other signs of reverence is called oral or external. 391. Can there be external prayer without internal prayer? External prayer without internal prayer occurs when the words of prayer are pronounced without attention and zeal. 392. Can outward prayer alone be sufficient? External prayer is not only not enough to receive grace, but on the contrary, external prayer without internal prayer angers God. God Himself shows indignation at such a prayer: “This people draws near to Me with their lips, and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me” (Matthew 15:8–9). 393. Is internal prayer alone enough without external prayer? Does it make sense to ask: isn’t one soul enough for a person without a body? It is useless to talk about this, since God was pleased to compose man from soul and body. It is also useless to ask whether internal prayer alone is not enough without external prayer. Having soul and body, we must glorify “God both in our bodies and in our souls, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20), because it is natural that from “the abundance of the heart the mouth should speak.” Our Lord Jesus Christ was spiritual to the highest degree; but He also expressed His spiritual prayer both in words and in reverent movements of the body: sometimes, for example, by raising his eyes to heaven, and sometimes by bending his knees and face to the ground (see Matt. 12:34; John 17:1; Luke 22:41; Matt. 26:39). 394. Is there a prayer that is a model for all prayers? A prayer that can be a common Christian prayer and a model for all prayers is the Lord's prayer. 395. What is the Lord's prayer? The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught to the apostles and which they passed on to all believers. 396. How is the Lord's prayer read? The Lord's Prayer reads like this: Our Father, who art in heaven! 1. Hallowed be thy name; 2. Thy kingdom come. 3. Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. 4. Give us this day our daily bread; 5. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. 6. And do not lead us into temptation. 7. But deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen (Matthew 6:9–13). 397. How is the Lord’s prayer divided for convenience of consideration? To make it more convenient to consider the Lord’s prayer, it can be divided into invocation, seven petitions and doxology. 398. How dare we call God Father? We dare to call God Father by faith in Jesus Christ and by the grace of regeneration. “To those who received Him, to those who believed on His name He gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12–13). 399. Should one always say “Our Father”? You should always say the Lord's Prayer, even if only one person prays. 400. This is because according to Christian brotherly love one should call on God and ask Him for good not only for oneself, but for everyone. 401. Why do we say “Who art in heaven”? In invocation one should say Who art thou in heaven (Who art in heaven) in order to begin the prayer, to leave everything earthly and corruptible and to lift the mind and heart to the heavenly, eternal and Divine. 402. Do we confess the holiness of the name of God? The name of God is holy and, without a doubt, holy in itself. “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:49). 403. How can the name of God also be sanctified? The name of God can be sanctified in people, that is, His eternal holiness can appear in them. 404. How can the name of God be sanctified? The name of God can be sanctified in people in the following way: when we, having the name of God in our thoughts and hearts, live as His holiness requires, and with such a life we ​​glorify God; when, seeing our good life, others glorify God. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). 405. What kingdom is spoken of in the Lord’s prayer? The second petition of the Lord’s prayer speaks of the kingdom of God, that is, the kingdom of grace, which, according to the apostle, is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). 406. Has this kingdom come? The Kingdom of God has come in part for some, but for others it has not come at all, since “sin still reigns in the mortal... (their) body, so that... (they) may obey it in its lusts” (Rom. 6:12). 407. How does this kingdom come? It comes secretly and internally. “The kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way... For... the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21). 408. Is it possible to ask for the kingdom of glory? A Christian can ask under the name of the kingdom of God for the kingdom of glory, that is, the perfect bliss of believers. “I have a desire to be separated and to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). 409. What does the petition “Thy will be done” mean? The petition, Thy will be done, means that we ask God that everything we do and what happens to us happens not as we wish, but as God pleases. 410. Why should you not ask for your will? We often sin in our desires, but God, infallibly and more than we ourselves, desires every good for us and is always ready to grant it, unless our self-will and stubbornness prevent this. “To him who, by the power that works in us, is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church” (Eph. 3:20–21). 411. Why do we ask for the will of God to be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven? We ask that the will of God be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven, because in heaven the holy angels and blessed people, all without exception, always and in everything fulfill the will of God. 412. What is daily bread? Daily bread is the bread necessary to subsist or live. 413. What should we remember when asking God for our daily bread? According to the instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ, you need to ask for nothing more than your daily bread, that is, the necessary food, as well as the clothing and shelter necessary for life. What is beyond this is not a necessity, but serves for pleasure, - surrender to the will of God and, if given, thank God, and if not given, do not care about it. 414. Why do we ask for our daily bread only for today? We are commanded to ask for our daily bread only today (today), so that we do not worry too much about the future, but rely on God for this. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things: each day’s own troubles are sufficient” (Matthew 6:34). “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all this” (Matthew 6:32). 415. What else do we ask for under the name of daily bread? “Since man consists of a physical and spiritual being, and the being of the soul is much more important than the body, then it is possible and necessary to ask for daily bread for the soul, without which the inner man dies of hunger” (see St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Mysterious Teaching, 4, 15; Orthodox Confession, part 2, question 19). 416. What is the daily bread for the soul? The daily bread for the soul is the word of God, and the Body and Blood of Christ. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). “My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink” (John 6:55). 417. What do we mean by our debts? In the Lord's prayer, the name of our debts should be understood as our sins. Sins are called debts because we received everything from God and must give everything to God, that is, submit everything to His will and law; if we do not fulfill this, then we remain debtors to His justice. 418. Who are our debtors? Our debtors are people who did not give us what they should have given according to God’s law, for example, they showed not love, but enmity. 419. How can we hope to have our debts forgiven? At the judgment of God, we can hope to have our debts forgiven through the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5–6). 420. Because of what can we lose the forgiveness of our debts? If we ask God for forgiveness of our sins, but we ourselves do not forgive others, we will not receive forgiveness. “If you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; and if you do not forgive people their trespasses, then your Father will not forgive you your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). 421. Why won’t God forgive us if we don’t forgive our debtors? God does not forgive us if we do not forgive others because because of this we become evil and thereby remove the goodness and mercy of God from ourselves. 422. What should we remember when pronouncing the words about abandonment by “our debtor”? “just as we forgive our debtors” They demand that the one praying should not have enmity and anger, but have peace and love with everyone. “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you: leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24). 423. What to do when a person does not want reconciliation? If the one who has something against us cannot be found soon or if he does not want reconciliation, then in this case it is enough to reconcile with him in the heart, before the eyes of the all-seeing God. “If it is possible for you, be at peace with all people” (Rom. 12:18). 424. What do we mean by temptation? In the Lord's prayer, temptation should be understood as a combination of circumstances in which there is an imminent danger of losing faith or falling into grave sin. 425. Where do temptations come from? Temptations come from our flesh, from the world, from other people and from the devil. 426. What do we ask for when we say the words of the prayer “do not lead us into temptation”? With the words of the prayer, do not lead us into temptation, we ask: that God does not allow us into temptation; that He, if we need to be tested and purified through temptation, does not completely give us over to temptation and do not allow us to fall. 427. What do we ask for when we say the words of the prayer “deliver us from evil”? With the words of the prayer deliver us from the evil one, we ask for deliverance from all evil in the world, which since the time of the first sin “lies all in evil” (1 John 5:19); especially from evil and crafty suggestions and slander of the spirit of malice - the devil. 428. Why is praise added to the Lord’s prayer? A doxology is added to the Lord’s prayer so that: we, asking ourselves from the Heavenly Father for mercies, at the same time give Him just veneration; so that the thought of His eternal kingdom, power and glory becomes more and more affirmed in the hope that He will grant us what we ask, because it is in His power and relates to His glory. 429. What does the word “amen” mean? The word amen means truly or so be it. 430. By adding the word amen The doxology shows that prayer is offered with faith and without any doubt, as the Apostle James teaches (see James 1:6). 431. What is needed, besides prayer, for confirmation in the hope of salvation? In order to be confirmed in the hope of salvation and bliss, one should add one’s own feat to achieve bliss to prayer. The Lord Himself speaks about this: “Why do you call Me: “Lord! God!" and you do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46). “Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! God!" He who does the will of My Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). 432. What is our guidance in our own feat? The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, briefly set out in His Beatitudes, can be a guide in our feat. 433. How are the Beatitudes read? There are nine beatitudes: 1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:3–12). 434. What should we remember in order to correctly understand these commandments? To correctly understand the Beatitudes, we should remember that the Lord handed them to us as the Gospel says: “Opening His mouth, He taught.” Being meek and humble in heart, He offered His teaching not by commanding, but by pleasing those who would freely accept and implement it. Therefore, in each saying about beatitude one should consider: teaching, or commandment; gratification, or promise of reward. On the First Beatitude 435. What is the first commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss? Those who desire bliss must be poor in spirit. 436. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? To be poor in spirit means to have the spiritual conviction that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace; and thus, we must consider that we are nothing and resort to God’s mercy in everything. Briefly, according to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, spiritual poverty is humility (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15). 437. Can the rich be poor in spirit? Even the rich can be poor in spirit if they come to the conclusion that visible wealth is perishable and impermanent and that it does not replace the lack of spiritual goods. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what ransom will a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). 438. Can physical poverty serve to perfect spiritual poverty? Physical poverty can serve to perfect spiritual poverty if a Christian chooses it voluntarily, for God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said this to the rich man: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). 439. What does the Lord promise to the poor in spirit? The Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in spirit. 440. How does the Kingdom of Heaven belong to the poor in spirit? In the present life, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit internally and initially, thanks to their faith and hope, and in the future - completely, through participation in eternal bliss. About the Second Beatitude 441. What is the second commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss? Those who desire bliss must be weepers. 442. What do we mean by crying? In the second commandment, the name of crying should be understood as sadness and contrition of the heart and actual tears because we serve the Lord imperfectly and unworthily and deserve His wrath through our sins. “Sorrow for God’s sake produces unfailing repentance leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). 44Z. What does the Lord promise to those who mourn? The Lord promises those who mourn that they will be comforted. 444. How is consolation understood here? Here we understand the consolation of grace, consisting in the forgiveness of sins and a pacified conscience. 445. Why is the promise of consolation connected with the commandment about crying? Sadness over sins should not reach the point of despair. About the third beatitude 446. What is the third commandment of the Lord for achieving bliss? Those who desire bliss must be meek. Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything. 448. How does meekness manifest itself? Special actions of Christian meekness: do not grumble not only at God, but also at people, and when something happens against our desires, do not indulge in anger, do not become arrogant. 449. What does the Lord promise to the meek? The Lord promises the meek that they will inherit the earth. 450. How should we understand the promise to inherit the earth? In relation to the followers of Christ, the prediction to inherit the earth was fulfilled literally, that is, the constantly meek Christians, instead of being exterminated by the rage of the pagans, inherited the universe, which the pagans had previously possessed. The meaning of this promise in relation to Christians in general and to everyone in particular is that they will receive an inheritance, in the words of the Psalmist, “in the land of the living,” where they live and do not die, that is, they will receive eternal bliss (see Ps. 26:13). About the Fourth Beatitude 451. What is the fourth commandment of the Lord for achieving bliss? Those who desire bliss must be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. 452. What do we understand by the name truth? Although we should understand by the name of truth every virtue that a Christian should desire as food and drink, we should primarily mean that truth about which in Daniel’s prophecy it is said that “eternal righteousness” will be brought (Dan. 9:24), that is, the justification of a person guilty before God will be accomplished - justification through grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul speaks about this truth: “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is in all and on all who believe: for there is no difference; because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God offered as a propitiation in His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness in the forgiveness of sins previously committed” (Rom. 3:22-25). 453. Who are those who hunger and thirst for truth? Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who do good, but do not consider themselves righteous; not relying on their good deeds, they admit themselves to be sinners and guilty before God. Those who desire and pray faith, like true food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ. 454. What does the Lord promise to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? The Lord promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they will be satisfied. 455. What do we mean by saturation here? Just like bodily saturation, which brings, firstly, the cessation of feelings of hunger and thirst, and secondly, the reinforcement of the body with food, spiritual saturation means: the inner peace of a pardoned sinner; the acquisition of power to do good, and this power is supplied by justifying grace. However, the complete saturation of the soul, created for the enjoyment of infinite good, will follow in eternal life, according to the word of the Psalmist: “I will be satisfied when Your glory is revealed” (see Ps 16:15). About the Fifth Beatitude 456. What is the fifth commandment of the Lord for achieving bliss? Those who desire bliss must be merciful. 457. How should this commandment be fulfilled? This commandment must be fulfilled through physical and spiritual works of mercy. Saint John Chrysostom notes that “There are different kinds of mercy, and this commandment is broad” (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, conversation 15). 458. What are the physical works of mercy? The physical works of mercy are as follows: to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked (lack of necessary and decent clothing); visit someone in prison; visit the sick person, serve him and help him recover or Christian preparation for death; accept the wanderer into the house and provide rest; bury the dead in poverty and misery. 459. What are spiritual works of mercy? These are the works of spiritual mercy: by exhortation to convert “the sinner from his false way” (James 5:20); teach the ignorant truth and goodness; to give good and timely advice to your neighbor in difficulty or in case of danger that he does not notice; pray to God for your neighbor; comfort the sad; not to repay the evil done to us by others; forgive offenses with all your heart. 460. Doesn’t the punishment of defendants contradict the commandment of mercy? Punishing a defendant does not contradict the commandment of mercy if done out of duty and with good intention, that is, to correct the guilty or protect the innocent from his crimes. 461. What does the Lord promise to the merciful? The Lord promises the merciful that they will receive mercy. 462. What kind of pardon is implied here? This implies pardon from eternal condemnation for sins at the judgment of God. About the Sixth Beatitude 463. What is the sixth commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss? Those who desire bliss must be pure in heart. 464. What is purity of heart? Purity of heart is not sincerity. Candor (sincerity) - when a person does not demonstrate his good dispositions, which in reality do not exist in his heart, but embodies the existing good dispositions with modesty in deeds - is only the initial degree of purity of heart. True purity of the heart is achieved by constant and unflagging feat of vigilance over oneself, expelling from the heart every unlawful desire and thought, attachment to earthly objects, with faith and love, constantly preserving in it the memory of the Lord God Jesus Christ. 465. What does the Lord promise with a pure heart? The Lord promises those with a pure heart that they will see God. 466. How should we understand the promise to see God? The Word of God allegorically endows the human heart with vision and calls Christians to make “the eyes of the heart” seeing (Eph. 1:18). Just as a healthy eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God. Since the sight of God is the source of eternal bliss, the promise to see Him is a promise of a high degree of eternal bliss. About the Seventh Beatitude 467. What is the seventh commandment of the Lord to achieve bliss? Those who desire bliss must be peacemakers. 468. What does it mean to be a peacemaker? To be a peacemaker means to act friendly and not give rise to disagreement; stop the disagreement that has arisen by all means, even sacrificing one’s interests, unless this contradicts duty and does not harm anyone; try to reconcile those at war with each other, and if this is not possible, then pray to God for their reconciliation. 469. What does the Lord promise to peacemakers? The Lord promises the peacemakers that they will be called sons of God. 470. What does it mean that the peacemakers will be called Sons of God? This promise signifies the height of the peacekeepers’ feat and the reward prepared for them. Since by their deed they imitate the only begotten Son of God, who came to earth to reconcile sinful man with the justice of God, they are promised the gracious name of the sons of God and, without a doubt, a degree of bliss worthy of this name. About the Eighth Beatitude 471. What is the eighth commandment of the Lord for achieving bliss? Those who desire bliss must be ready to endure persecution for the sake of truth, without betraying it. 472. What qualities are needed to steadfastly endure persecution for the sake of righteousness? Love of truth, constancy and firmness in virtue, as well as courage and patience in standing in truth and virtue in case of disaster or danger. 473. What does the Lord promise to those persecuted for the sake of righteousness? Just as the Kingdom of Heaven is promised to the poor in spirit to replenish the feeling of lack and poverty, the Lord promises those persecuted for the sake of righteousness the Kingdom of Heaven as if in exchange for what they are deprived of through persecution. About the Ninth Beatitude 474. What is the ninth commandment of the Lord for achieving bliss? Those who desire bliss must be ready to joyfully accept reproach, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith. 475. What is the name of the feat required by the ninth commandment? The feat corresponding to this commandment is called martyrdom. 476. What reward does the Lord promise for martyrdom? The Lord promises a great reward in heaven for this feat, that is, a preferential and high degree of bliss. You might be interested in: