A short story about the life of the Optina elder hieroschemamonk Fr. Ambrose

Contents Optina Elders Life of Fr. Ambrose in the world Life of Fr. Ambrose in the monastery before the eldership The beginning of the eldership of Fr. Ambrose Cell life of Fr. Ambrose Care of Fr. Ambrose about widows and orphans The death of an elder Teachings of Fr. Ambrose in general holiday greetings of 1870–1891 “Where the Spirit wills, it breathes,” it is said in the Holy Gospel. (John 3:8). According to the inscrutable destinies of God, the modest Optina hermitage (Kozelsky district, Kaluga province) in the past century was the chosen place of earthly life for a whole host of great elders, who taught the brethren in word and deed and all who came to them for spiritual advice, of every rank, condition and every degree of education and morality. They have shone like lamps continuously from the late twenties to the present day, teaching advice and guidance on the path to the kingdom of God. Their advice and leadership are known in the Orthodox world under the name of “eldership”, the distributor of which in Russia, at the end of the 18th century, was the great elder Paisius, the archimandrite of the Moldavian-Vlachian (Romanian) monasteries, who collected ascetic books from holy places in the East, translated them into the Slavic language, and transferred these treasures to Russia to his students, whom he guided in their spiritual exploits. The sincere love of Philaret, Bishop of Kaluga (later Metropolitan of Kiev), for the ancient monastic life was the stone on which it pleased the Lord to found in 1821 at the Optina Hermitage a monastery for the solitary, contemplative life of ascetics. Having become acquainted with the secluded area of ​​Optina Pustyn, Rev. Filaret settled on the idea of ​​​​building a monastery near the Hermitage. Thought of Rev. Philaret about the monastery was realized, by the will of God, in the following way. After the death of Elder Paisius, several of his disciples chose the Roslavl forests of the Smolensk province as their place of exploits, under the leadership of Paisius’ disciples, the elders: Athanasius and Dositheus. One of Athanasius’s disciples, Moses, going about his business in Moscow, went to Optina Pustyn in 1820, where he encountered in Abbot Daniel and some monks a tendency to live in the desert, cutting off his own will, under the guidance of an elder; I also learned that Eminence Philaret also wants to establish a monastery in Optina. Attracted by the love and jealousy of Philaret and the disposition of the Optina brethren, Fr. Moses, on the advice of his elders, took upon himself the work of establishing a monastery in Optina. The first initiative for the structure was made by him with five monks; They cleared the forest and uprooted stumps from centuries-old pines to make way for the monastery area. Benefactors also appeared: Kozel citizens - Bryuzgin and Tretyakov, with whose help residential buildings and a wooden church were erected, founded on August 16, 1821 and consecrated on February 5, 1822. To this newly built monastery, at the invitation of Rev. Philaret, Father Leonid, a disciple of Theodore, also the successor of Paisius, entered the ranks of the brethren in 1829, with his five students who were under his eldership, with the complete cutting off of his will. And the Divine fire of grace shone in Optina from that time and did not go out, in the successors of Fr. Leonida, to this day. Serendipity o. Leonid and his high ascetic life were experienced by the famous traveler monk Parthenius in the Orthodox world, who described his visit to Optina Pustyn in the book “The Wandering of the Monk Parthenius.” Father Leonid died on October 11, 1841. During his lifetime, Fr. Leonid prepared his disciple Fr. to accept the great feat of eldership. Macaria. Having received only primary education, Fr. Macarius acquired in monasticism, in addition to insight and the gift of healing, also the gift of explaining the true meaning of the writings of St. fathers and teachers of the Church, who expressed thoughts about spiritual exploits “in the vision of sunrise.” When translating from Greek, Latin and Slavic languages ​​into Russian, without knowing either Greek or Latin, Fr. Macarius supervised the learned translators and established the final edition of the text, and Moscow Metropolitan Philaret always preferred his edition to academic translations. Elder Fr. Macarius ended his earthly life on September 7, 1860. And like Fr. Leonidas, during his lifetime, prepared for himself a successor in old age, in the person of Fr. Ambrose. (The eldership is prepared by spiritual deeds and spiritual gifts in secret; it has no official appointment or title, but is based only on the complete faith of those seeking salvation in the elder, who is sometimes also a confessor). Preparation about. Ambrose was discovered by Bishop Nicholas in this way: when the Right Reverend, having visited the monastery on August 23, 1846, returned on foot to the monastery, and the monastery brethren accompanied him to St. Gate, then the Right Reverend, bidding farewell to the brethren, said the following words: “Save yourself, fathers and brethren, have peace and love among yourself, obey your superiors, and you, Fr. Ambrose, help Fr. Macarius in clergy; he's getting old already. After all, this is also science, only not seminary, but monastic.” And so oh. Ambrose, from 1846, was named assistant to the elder Fr. Macarius, and from the time of his death - September 7, 1860 - he took up the full work of the elders and carried it until his death, which followed on October 10, 1891. Following the example of his predecessors and Fr. Ambrose prepared for himself an assistant in the eldership in the person of monastic priest Fr. Anatolia. By decree of the Holy Synod, August 3, 1871, Fr. Anatoly was appointed archimandrite of the Spaso-Orlov Monastery, Vyatka province; but, with the blessing of the elder, he went to Kaluga to see the bishop, and formally renounced this rank of archimandrite and the position of abbot of the monastery. Since then Fr. Anatoly was Fr.'s assistant. Ambrose is an elder and at the same time is now the chief confessor of the Optina Hermitage monastery and the Kazan women's community. Father Ambrose, by birth, is the son of the clerk of the village of Bolshiye Lipovets, Tambov province, Mikhail Grenkov; born November 21, 1812, named Alexander at baptism; lived as an orphan in a large family with his mother and his grandfather, a priest; studied in Tambov, at theological school and seminary; graduated from the course with the title of seminary student on July 15, 1836. From the certificate it is clear that Alexander Mikhailovich studied five languages: Greek, Jewish, French, Tatar and Slavic. Soon after completing the course, Alexander Mikhailovich took the place of teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School, where he remained until the fall of 1839. As a chosen vessel of Divine grace, even after occupying his position, listening to a secret voice calling him somewhere, to some activity, he could not be satisfied with his position - he did not find consolation in worldly life. Having grown up in need, in severity, because of time and especially in chastity, which is preserved mainly in the clergy and so precious for spiritual life, Alexander Mikhailovich was not flattered by worldly family life, did not see the purpose of life in occupying the priestly place, which by right of education belonged to him. In order to teach others the Word of God and the Gospel commandments, it is necessary, according to the legend of the Holy Fathers, to learn the practice of virtues yourself. The Lord Jesus Christ, it is said in the Acts of the Apostle, began to “create and teach” and the Apostle James teaches: “be makers of the word, but hearers of empty words, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22.) Regardless of his spiritual disposition, Alexander Mikhailovich suffered from illness, and during it, wishing for a speedy recovery, he gave his word to devote himself to serving God, but, according to recovery, he forgot his intention and, after a secondary illness, set off along the path paved by the people's faith to the ascetic elders. The closest contemporary elder to him was Fr. Hilarion in the village of Troekurov; Alexander Mikhailovich went to him for advice regarding his life and entering the monastery, and which one. The priest of the village of Gubina, Fr. Nikander says that, leaving the cell of Elder Hilarion, he unexpectedly met Alexander Mikhailovich, his fellow seminary student, and learned from him that the elder gave advice: “go straight to Optin” and added at the same time “you could go to the Sarov Hermitage, but there are no such wise elders there as there were before.” Alexander Mikhailovich took a decisive step: without turning back, he went straight to Optina Pustyn and from Pustyn sent an explanation to Tambov Bishop Arseny in a letter in which he asked forgiveness for his unauthorized removal from office for monastic life. Alexander Mikhailovich soon received forgiveness with the archpastoral blessing. Life o. Ambrose in the monastery before his eldership The monastery chronicles indicate that Alexander Mikhailovich Grenkov was appointed to the monastery brethren on April 2, 1840. In November of the same year, he moved to the monastery, under the leadership of Elder Leonid. I spent several months on obedience in the kitchen. Alexander Mikhailovich entered there as an assistant to the cook Fr. Gennady, but soon Fr. Gennady went to the Tver province for a dismissal certificate to enter the monastery. A. M. Grenkov was ordered to take his place in the kitchen. Upon returning from his homeland, Fr. Gennady found his place as a cook occupied and without complaint, with the blessing of the elder, he became an obedient assistant cook. Fr. often loved about this incident. Ambrose to remember, for the edification of the brethren - since Fr. From that time on, for fifty years, Gennady did not and does not leave the skete into the world, humbly accepting the schema, evading all positions and achieving gentleness, and remains in the feat of prayer. After obedience in the kitchen, A.M. entered Fr. Leonid went to his cell room for writing, but he didn’t have to be in obedience to Fr. for long. Leonid, since he died on October 11, 1841; A. M. underwent further obedience with the elder Fr. Macaria. On November 29, 1842, A. M. was tonsured as a monk; On February 4, 1843 he was ordained a hierodeacon, on December 9, 1845 a hieromonk, but due to illness he became supernumerary; Finally, on April 12, 1870, he unexpectedly received a pectoral cross. Upon entering the monastery, Fr. Ambrose was in poor health and, being a hierodeacon, served very rarely. Then, upon initiation into monasticism, having gone with other brethren to Kaluga on December 7, 1845, early in the morning, he returned on the 10th in the evening, having endured a strong blizzard and cold on the way. Poor health o. Ambrose was completely upset. But to the extent that the outer man becomes corruptible, the inner man is enriched in spirit. The Fathers say that bodily illness is higher and stronger than fasting, asceticism and physical labor; the weak must only continually thank God and pray to Him to grant him patience. This path of salvation was presented to Fr. Ambrose. The main obedience to Fr. Ambrose had a lesson in translating the patristic writings, together with other learned brethren, under the guidance of Fr. Macarius, with the assistance of I.V. Kirievsky and others. On August 23, 1846, as mentioned above, Fr. Ambrose was declared Bishop Nicholas, assistant to Fr. Macarius by old age. After the death of Fr. Macarius, which followed on September 7, 1860, Fr. Ambrose took upon himself the full hard work of elderhood. The beginning of Fr. Ambrose Bodily powers o. Ambrose was so bad and his health was so exhausted by illnesses that at the solemn funeral of his spiritual father and elder, Fr. Macarius, he could not put on his vestments. Living in a monastery, where the gaze of women does not reach, and not participating in church services due to illness, Fr. Ambrose was little known to the public. At first, many treated Fr. as an old man. Hilarion, also an ascetic and peer of Fr. Macaria. Contemporaries who knew Fr. Ambrose, spoke of him with great respect. Of the Chermenets Monastery, Abbot Anthony (Bochkov) wrote to K. Zederholm (later Fr. Clement): “I rejoice that your monastery can boast before all Russians of the meekness, kindness and simplicity of its mentor Fr. Ambrose. His good example and advice could create a miracle...” “Praising him is in vain. Actions speak for him better than words, and his humility, of course, will not tolerate the slightest praise.” At first, Fr. Ambrose, already a schema monk, abandoned the reclusive rules and devoted himself with all his soul to serving his neighbors, entering into all human sorrows, sorrows and infirmities, helping in word, deed and spiritual gifts. And these are the feelings he expressed in a letter on December 31, 1860 to one person who addressed him as an elder. “I have long been planning to reassure you, much-concerned P.V., regarding your fear that I would leave you and not write to you. If, due to the weakness of my character, I did not refuse you, not knowing you properly, but agreed to your proposal, not wanting to offend you in extreme spiritual need; can I leave you now when, due to a lack of true reasoning, I have despised my soul and left my own salvation to the mercy of fate, imagining to care about the spiritual benefit of my neighbor. I don’t know if there is anyone more unreasonable than me! Being extremely weak in body and soul, I take on the work of those who are strong and healthy mentally and physically. Oh, that the All-Good Lord may forgive me my folly for the prayers of our blessed father (Macarius).” This is what humility and at the same time what great spiritual strength was contained in the weak body of Elder Ambrose! The cell life of Fr. Ambrose About the cell life of Fr. Ambrose can also be said in relation to what he himself said about the life of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret after his death. “In the word of Isaac the Syrian it is said: “Chief! pour out your mercy on everyone and be hidden from everyone.” M. Filaret kept himself so hidden that his cell not only did not know his secret life, but also could not see how he washed himself. “Get some water and go.” It happened that the cell man stayed and wanted to help the elder with this; he repeated “after all, you were told: go!” Exactly the same with Fr. Ambrose, at the end of the reception, went into his cell, locking the door behind him, and in the morning and during the day, cell attendants entered him by ringing a bell run through all the rooms, and during receptions they entered only by prayer, if the door was not locked. Told about. Ambrose also talks about the confidentiality of his elder Fr. Macaria. "ABOUT. Macarius was a sage. I was his cell attendant for four years and for the rest of my life I could not figure him out at all. Once a peasant came to us and told us that he had seen one of our elders in a dream, so bright (he told this to the monk Serapion from the left choir) and when they were talking about it, suddenly Fr. Macarius. The peasant, seeing him, said to Serapion: “That’s the one I saw.” Fr. Serapion then began to retell it to Fr. Macarius had that dream, and Father Fr. Macarius: Well, beat him with a stick! “Afterwards, when Fr. Macarius talked to me about this incident and asked me: “Guess who received his salvation without troubles and sorrows?” I wanted to say: Father, it’s you, but I didn’t dare; remembered Fr. Serapion and a stick." With all Christian simplicity, kindness and meekness, Fr. Ambrose did not give himself up for a single moment, so to speak, to everyday life, neither in front of strangers nor in front of his cell; but he always held himself to the height of his rank. No one dared to let slip an unnecessary unnecessary word in his presence. Instantly the whole person will flare up and stop evading decency: either with a gesture, or a word, or a saying, and sometimes even a crutch. “A spiritual doctor, teaches the Climacus (word to the Past. Ch. 4-1), must be completely free from the passions themselves, so that on occasion he can feign any of them, and especially anger.” Hemorrhoids and colds were the dominant constant diseases of Fr. Ambrose. salary of 15 rubles. per month and God’s blessing apparently was on our family. Despite the many similar workshops that have been doing business for a long time, we earned 40–50 rubles a month. “And things went on like this for two years, until the time when most of our family finally settled into an independent life. A wealthy man proposed to me, but he only had the weakness of intemperance. I asked my father for advice. He answered like this: “if he stopped drinking, then perhaps we could get out, if he is only a wealthy, kind and healthy person.” And since my fiancé had all these inclinations and the elder did not forbid marriage, I decided to marry this groom, and, thank God, I was relatively calm and happy in my marriage. Now, having been widowed again, I have, although small, still my own means of living, so I married off two of my sisters - orphans. During my widowhood, one gentleman wooed me, and I asked the elder for advice, but the priest said positively: “Where should he marry? there is another path for him.” And indeed, this gentleman later entered the monastery and I saw him as a hierodeacon. As a young woman, I became so addicted to card games that I was positively killing all my health: I spent sleepless nights over this idleness, played, of course, for money and lost a lot. – Once, saying goodbye to the priest, before leaving Optina, I knelt down near the elder’s bed, and, kissing his blessing hand, began to ask for his card. It was a general blessing. He instantly makes a sly look and, I am the only one who understands in his eyes, a reproach and says: “You’ve started something useless: - you’re asking for cards; Are we playing cards here in the monastery? 12 years have passed since then, and, as now, I hear this quiet, paternal, public, but incomprehensible to anyone, reproach. All the blood rushed to my face at that time. It is impossible to express what my soul felt. I began to explain to him that I wanted to receive his photograph; then he, turning to me, a soul-piercing gaze characteristic of him alone, replied: “Oh! it's possible! but I didn’t understand!” And with these words he pulled out a drawer, took out a photographic portrait of himself and handed it to me. The hands of everyone who was at the blessing reached out to the priest, also asking him to bless them with their portraits. But the priest answered everyone: “What are you, what are you! “My entire fortune will not be enough if I give cards.” And out of the whole crowd, only one young girl received a card.” This story alone can already give some idea of ​​the countless cases of insight, help, healings of soul and body, which cannot be written about here due to lack of space, as well as because the publicity of such cases depends on those individuals who have experienced such actions. Most of all they asked the elder how to live? To this he used to say: “We need to live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be true, otherwise it will turn out badly. – You can live in peace, not in the South, but live quietly. Don’t bother living, don’t judge anyone, don’t annoy anyone, and everyone – my respects!” Care of Fr. Ambrose about widows and orphans From all over Russia people resorted to the elder for advice, both in writing and verbally, both monastics and laity, on all sorts of matters and even on those that did not relate to him; In particular, the elder had a lot of worries about women - widows and orphans, about the arrangement of their life. Some sought spiritual consolation, some asked for resolution of religious doubts; who asked for guidance on how to lead life; those wishing to choose the monastic life asked for guidance and blessings on how and where to settle; how to treat your family and how to arrange your affairs. But it was a hundred times more shiny in the village Shamordina, - 12 versts from Optina to Kaluga. Initially Fr. Ambrose persuaded the landowner Klyucharyeva, the owner of Shamordin, to donate for the establishment of a community estate - already dilapidated, with land of 200 dessiatines. The first wooden house church was consecrated on October 1, 1884. Then a community was opened on a small scale, but there was an influx of applicants so much that as soon as a building for housing was built, twice as many people were already waiting for new premises, so by 1891 there were up to 600 sisters in Shamordin, with a hospital and an orphanage. Every nail in Shamordin was driven in with the blessing of Fr. Ambrose. All these six years construction was going on, but no one knew about the funds: whether they existed or not. Almost everyone was sure that the funds were inexhaustible. Even the benefactors closest to him did not know his situation. For the construction of the stone church, according to the approved plan, an architect was hired by benefactors and was supported at their expense for two years; preliminary work has begun - brick factory, foundation. Meanwhile, money was needed. A printed invitation was made to all significant homeowners of the capital of Moscow on behalf of the abbess, but alas! Times are not the same. Printing and postage costs were barely covered. In such extreme circumstances, Fr. Ambrose moved for personal orders locally in Shamordino. And he conducted business on credit, relying on the devotion of believers who gave him promises of donations, sometimes posthumous, and sometimes throwing their last, albeit small, property at his feet. In Shamordin he was delayed from returning to the monastery by ill health and cold weather. But, by the way, on October 4, 1890, he wrote in a letter to his novice N that “I have stayed in Shamordin until now due to the special Providence of God,” and why – this should become clear later.” September 21, 1891 Fr. Ambrose felt bad. And before there were days when the elder grew weak, and everyone who knew him closely became quite accustomed to this; and therefore this time the elder’s weakness did not arouse any particular fears. Even the doctor who arrived from Moscow, who always used the elder, said that there was nothing dangerous. On October 4, the elder’s situation worsened; there were boils in the ears; All the following days he felt a feverish state. On October 8, the elder was unconscious all day; his situation became hopeless; in the evening he was honored by St. oil. By the morning of October 9, the elder felt better; he regained consciousness and they took advantage of this to introduce him to the Holy Mysteries. By evening he felt worse again; all night he lay motionless; the breathing was heavy, the eyes were raised upward, and the lips were whispering something. At 11.30 on the day of October 10, the righteous spirit of the elder left his painful body. The sound of the bell three times announced this sad news. It is difficult to describe what happened at that time in Shamordin, in that monastery that was almost built by the elder with his own hands; it is not difficult to imagine what kind of sobbing filled the cells of the orphaned children. His Eminence Bishop Vitaly arrived from Kaluga for the elder’s funeral. He went to Shamordino on business, but halfway there he received news of the death of Fr. Ambrose and wished to personally perform his funeral service. The funeral service was held on October 13, and the next day the elder’s remains were carried in a solemn procession in their arms from Shamordin to Optina Pustyn, where burial was scheduled. A countless crowd of people, despite the autumn rain and cold, accompanied the procession; On the way, the clergy came out of the churches and served the litiya. In the evening, only in the dark, the procession reached the walls of the monastery; The coffin was placed in the Vvedensky Cathedral and a requiem service was immediately celebrated by Archimandrite Isaac at the cathedral. The next day, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Vitaly, who at the end said a beautiful word dedicated to the memory of the elder. After the funeral service, the coffin was carried out, preceded by banners and icons, from the church and lowered into the grave amid the sad ringing of bells and the singing of “eternal memory.” Grave of Fr. Ambrose is located next to the grave of his elder and teacher Fr. Macaria. Let's finish our short story about Fr. Ambrose in the words spoken by the Reverend. Vitaly in his funeral oration: “let us offer warm prayers to the Almighty for the repose of the soul of the departed servant of God, Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, may his spirit inhabit the faces of the righteous in their blessed abodes. Let us ask and pray to the elder, that he may also intercede with his prayers before the throne of God for our salvation. The soul of the elder will be pleased with our prayer if, like him, we establish our lives in the principles of the love of Christ. May all kinds of quarrels and divisions cease from us, and may unity reign among us in the name of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” Amen. Teachings about. Ambrose in general holiday greetings of 1870–1891 By the grace and patience of God we reach the time of the annual celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Instead of just the usual congratulations, I want to tell you a few words about the great mystery of this great holiday. The Church in her songs already calls on the faithful to contemplate the pilgrimage of the Lady with high minds and with purified hearts mysteriously, to enjoy the immortal meal in the wretched den: as He who is everywhere, having bowed the heavens, descended to the earth, did not leave the bosom of the Fathers; How the Invisible One becomes visible; what kind of co-beginning Word and co-essential Son of God the Son of the Virgin is; how the Eternal and incomprehensible in the highest from the Virgin is born today, like a Child, how the Unapproachable to all today, like a Child, is embraced by the Mother’s virgin arms; How the sky is covered with clouds today, like a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes; how He who created all things with wisdom is now laid in a manger like a wrapped baby, so that he may free people from dumbness; Like a Baby, all things feed today, like a Baby, feeding on Maternity’s milk. Oh, terrible mysteries! Oh, incomprehensible things! As God immutably makes Man, and makes Man God, prefaced by the prophet: I am God, you are Gods, and you are all sons of the Most High. But, oh, our wretchedness! - We, like humans, are dying. Oh, our vanity and negligence about the Divine sonship! We love more than the slavery of passions and evil for the sake of our will, willingly and unwillingly we bow to the yoke of the enemy. Oh, our blindness and darkness! Blessed are the ears of these shepherds, who heard the angels in the air, singing the glory of God in the highest, preaching peace to the earth and God's favor to men. Blessed are their eyes, who saw the blameless Lamb in Mary’s womb. Blessed are all those who are worthy of God's favor and peace, which surpasses all understanding. Blessed are the wise magicians who came from distant countries to worship Him who was born of the Virgin, bringing Him worthy gifts: gold like the King, frankincense like God, and myrrh like the Immortal Dead. Blessed are all who worthily worship Him in spirit and truth, bringing Him gifts, each according to their strength: like gold, righteous mites of mercy, like frankincense and fragrant censer - doxology and pure prayers of repentance and confession; like fragrant myrrh - a grateful remembrance of suffering and reverent worship of the life-giving wounds of the Incarnate and the flesh of the Crucified for our salvation. But what will we do, dull and insensible, from them I am the first, unable to enjoy this immortal meal in a wretched den with a mind elevated from the earth and a purified heart. Humbling and contemplating ourselves, let us diligently listen with reverence to church reading and singing and from them, as from the source of life and immortality, so that we may draw for ourselves consolation and admonition and salvation, by the mercy and ineffable love for mankind of Him who incarnated us for the sake of the Son of God; to Him belongs glory and power, honor and worship, with His beginningless Father and the Most Holy and Good and By the life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Ineffably Born of the Virgin, have mercy on us cold ones for the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all those who have pleased You! Sisters in the Lord and mothers! I congratulate you on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ and the upcoming New Year. May He who was incarnate and born of the Virgin give you and us, out of His ineffable love for mankind, that for which He came down to earth and became incarnate. Be incarnate, so that our nature, corrupted by sin, will be renewed. Be incarnate, may he deliver us from the power and torment of the devil. Incarnated, may He save us, and not exactly save us, but also make us sons, daughters and heirs of His Kingdom for Himself, demanding nothing for all this, except our only good will to gain this indescribable inheritance of God: then He Himself will help us, strengthening our good will and giving us strength in our good actions, as the apostle says: “God is act in you, both as you will and as you do, for good will.” On our part, all the strength and importance of this matter lies in good will, that is, in the good will to please the Lord: then the Lord Himself will act and help us in the matter of our salvation, according to what was said: without Me you can do nothing. From all that has been said, it is clear that the matter of our salvation depends both on our will and on God’s help and assistance. But the latter will not follow unless it precedes the former. Peace to everyone! And your perfume! I congratulate you on the bright holiday of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and sincerely wish you all to meet and celebrate this all-joyful Christian celebration in peace and spiritual consolation. When the solemn and mutual greeting begins in the church, then remember that I, too, a sinner, greet each of you with the usual all-joyful greeting: There is great power in this brief greeting, as St. Chrysostom in his Catechetical Word: “Christ is risen, and hell is overthrown! Christ is risen, and the demons have fallen! Christ is risen and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen and has trampled death! Christ is risen and life reigns. It is not without reason that the joyful church song is repeated many times: “Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you,” that is, rejoice and be enlightened by the light of Christ, the assembly of sons and daughters of the Orthodox Church. And St. teaches us how to be enlightened and illuminated by the light of Christ. Apostle Paul, saying: Walk as children of light; For there is spiritual fruit in all goodness and righteousness and truth. The apostle repeats the same words in another place from the other side: Therefore, have your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod for the preparation of the gospel of peace. The word “truth” must mean the commandment to love God: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. And again: Whoever loves his father or mother more than Me is worthy of Me. If the love of God is so jealous that it allows one to love both father and mother only in moderation, and not more than measure, then it is not without reason that the Apostle commands us to gird our loins with the truth, so as not to sin against the love of God by inappropriate love for others; especially unclean, because God loves chastity in humility most of all. The word “truth” means the commandment to love your neighbor: love your neighbor as you love yourself. And since this commandment is not always easy to fulfill, the apostle commands us to put on the armor of righteousness, that is, not to be angry, not to condemn, not to envy, to endure insults, reproaches and humiliation, to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to pray for those who attack us and drive us out. The remaining words “the fruit of goodness” and “the gospel of peace” mean kindness, simplicity in relation to one’s neighbor, and all benevolence and friendliness, according to what was said: Have peace and holiness with everyone. “Seek peace and get married!” Or, as the Church sings today: “Let us forgive each other everything through the resurrection.” Not being able to congratulate each of you separately on this truly joyful Christian celebration, I congratulate all of you in general. Having brought joy to all humanity and the angelic nature with His Nativity, may He also please you with spiritual consolation, who are sometimes mourning in your souls, and sometimes also sick in your bodies. Everyone knows that on the first night of the Nativity of Christ, the Heavenly armies of angels, between heaven and earth, in the space of the air, glorified the Lord with the sweetest singing: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace with men. And even to this day, the words of this angelic singing are repeated every day in the Orthodox Church. But we, being blinded by the vanity of thoughts and sorrows, and everyday or earthly worries, do not always delve sufficiently into the great meaning and great significance of this angelic song. For everything that befalls us, sorrowful or painful, and sometimes comforting, without giving due thanks and glory to God, who lives in the highest in the unapproachable light, we are deprived of the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, bestowed upon the worthy by the ineffable favor of God, to the human race. Oh, lest the all-good Lord deprive us all of what I am writing to you about. We just need to take care to correspond to God’s favor with our good will. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke two initial commandments to His disciples: “My peace I give to you, My peace I leave with you.” And again: “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” It is not in vain that the wise words of ancient people are repeated: where there is peace and love, there is God, there is every good thing. For the most part, we are concerned with acquiring goods, only, unfortunately, they are often earthly and temporary, and not heavenly. We forget that earthly blessings are fleeting and unstoppable, while heavenly blessings are eternal, endless and inalienable. All-merciful Lord! Help us to despise everything that is fleeting, and take care of the only thing that is needed - the salvation of our souls. Sisters about the Lord and Mother! I greet you all with an all-joyful greeting: Christ is Risen! So the all-merciful Lord again vouchsafed us to wait for the luminous holiday, His Bright Resurrection. I congratulate you on this great, significant and all-joyful Christian celebration and I sincerely wish you all to meet it and spend it in peace, consolation, and spiritual joy. As is my custom, I would like to tell you something helpful and salutary on the occasion of this significant celebration. Hearing the words repeated many times in the Easter stichera: “and we will forgive those who hate us all by the resurrection,” let us try not only to forgive, but also to not have hatred for anyone. There is no higher virtue than love; and there is no worse vice and passion than hatred, which to those who do not pay attention seems unimportant, but in its spiritual significance is likened to murder (1 John 3:15). Pagan peoples also love those who love, as the Lord Himself testifies, and to Christians he prescribes greater and more perfect commandments, saying: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who attack you and drive you out. Be merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful, whose sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and on the unjust (Matt. 5:44–45; Luke 6:36). Mercy and condescension towards others and forgiveness of their shortcomings is the shortest path to salvation. Said in St. Gospel: Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, lest you be condemned; release, and they will release you (Luke 6:37); I want mercy, not sacrifice (Matt. 9:13) And again: Have mercy, he will have mercy (Prov. 17:5). The ancient Christians, out of great spiritual zeal, labored a lot in fasting and all-night vigils and practiced prolonged psalmody and prayer. At present, due to our weakness and negligence, we are alien to these virtues. At the very least, let us take care of fulfilling the most necessary things, which the Apostle commands us, saying: bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). But fulfilling this commandment and practicing this virtue is impossible without humility and patience, because humility gives strength to every virtue, and without patience no good deed is accomplished. According to the testimony of the monks Callista and Ignatius, love, mercy and humility differ only in their names, but their power and effect are the same. Love and mercy cannot exist without humility, and humility cannot exist without mercy and love. These virtues are invincible weapons against the devil, which he and the whole multitude of demons cannot even look at. Let us arm ourselves with this trinity of virtues, so that we may draw closer to God and receive eternal mercy from the risen Lord. To Him belongs glory and power, honor and worship with His beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. According to accepted custom, I congratulate you on the all-joyful holiday of the Nativity of Christ. On this holiday, a significant church hymn is often repeated: The Virgin today gives birth to the Eternal, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable, the angels and shepherds glorify, and the wolves and the star travel to us for the sake of the birth of the Young Child, the Eternal God. We all hear this church song many times, but do we all understand the great meaning and significance of it? The Virgin is giving birth to the Most Essential One today. Virginity has great significance before God. The Holy Virgin, more than by nature, was honored to be the Matter of the Most Essential Son of God and, always remaining a Virgin, is called the Most Holy. However, not all virginity is good and praiseworthy, as the Lord Himself declared in the Gospel about ten virgins: five of them were wise, and five were fools (Matthew 25:21), that is, foolish virgins who observed only outward virginity, but were inwardly defiled by unclean thoughts, and were also overcome by other passions - love of money and vanity, envy and hatred, anger and resentment, and general intemperance, as explained by the monks Simeon the New Theologian and Mark the Ascetic. Why does the Lord reproach such people in the Gospel: Amen I say to you, tax collectors and fornicators, repentants, you are preparing for the kingdom of God (Matthew 21:31); those who pretend to be sons of the kingdom will be cast out into utter darkness (Matthew 8:12). And the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable. These words show, firstly, how poor the human offering to God is; secondly, that for Him who has humbled himself to the form of a slave, simple and humble dwellings and premises are more pleasant, and on the contrary, luxurious buildings erected by human vanity are displeasing and unpleasant to Him. Angels and shepherds praise. Why were simple shepherds awarded such honor and glory? For their simplicity and for their simple way of life, which St. John Chrysostom compares its severity and hardships to the life of the Forerunner. They ate only bread and drank water from a spring wherever they could. And it is said in the psalms: he drinks from the stream along the way, for this sake he lifts up his head (Psalm 109:7). Whoever eats luxurious foods and drinks expensive drinks, his thoughts cannot rise to grief, but wanders and grovels down upon the earth. It is also said in the Gospel about shepherds that they keep vigil and keep watch over their flock at night (Luke 2:8). At midnight the shepherds kept vigil and, when Christ was born, angels appeared to them and before them in the air they praised the Lord: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14). The angels could not praise the Lord before the sleeping and drowsy. Volsvi travel with the star. The Magi, that is, the eastern wise men who were engaged in astronomy, when they saw an extraordinary star, they came to Jerusalem to worship the born Christ, since they heard from their teacher Balaam a prophecy that a star would rise from Jacob (Num. 24:17). So the sages, only the ancient sages, looking at the stars of heaven, knew God, according to what was said: The heavens will tell the glory of God (Ps. 18:1); and the sages of the present time, examining and exploring the visible world, for the most part become atheists. For our sake, for the sake of the Young Child, the Eternal God. I think that these words are clear and understandable to everyone. To what has been said I will only add that although the teacher of the Magi, Balaam, was a prophet of churches, and for the sake of interest he taught Balak to lay a stumbling block before the sons of Israel (Apoc. 2:14); but his disciples, the Magi, turned out to be God-wise people, just as it did not harm the prophet Samuel that he was a disciple of the priest Eli, who treated his children poorly. So you, sisters and mothers, try to imitate these godly disciples. If your mentors themselves are weak and faulty and treat their spiritual children poorly, then try to be firm, have the fear of God and keep your conscience in all your deeds and actions, and most of all, humble yourself. Then you will undoubtedly receive the great mercy of God, through your ineffable love for mankind and mercifulness for us for the sake of the Son of God Incarnate. Amen. Sisters of the Lord and Mother, Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! I congratulate you on the Bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ and sincerely wish you all to meet and celebrate this all-joyful Christian celebration in peace and joy and spiritual consolation, if someone is not hindered by unusual weakness. You ask, what kind of weakness is this? You may think that this means faulty conduct of the fast of the Holy Pentecost. But St. Chrysostom condescends to us in this, saying: “Those who fasted and those who did not fast, rejoice today, those who are abstinent and lazy, honor the day.” Also, you might think that this refers to the memory of past sins, which prevents joy. But he also says about this: “Let no one weep for sins, for forgiveness has come from the grave.” So, ask, what kind of weakness is this? That unusual weakness that prompted Cain to kill the gentle Abel, and prompted the Jews to crucify Christ the Savior and Deliverer of the world. You yourself can understand that I am talking to you about the passion of envy, which, according to Scripture, is not preferable to useful news. The passion of envy does not, on any joyful holiday, under any joyful circumstances, allow one to fully rejoice at the one it possesses. Always, like a worm, it gnaws at his soul and heart with vague sadness, because the envious person considers the well-being and success of his neighbor to be his misfortune, and considers the preference given to others to be an unfair insult for himself. One Greek king wanted to know which of the two was worse, the money-lover or the envious one, because both did not wish the other good. For this purpose, he ordered to call to him the money-lover and the envious and said to them: ask me, each of you, what he pleases; just know that the second one will receive twice what the first one asks for. The money-lover and the envious man bickered for a long time, not wanting to each ask first, so that later they could receive double. Finally the king told the envious one to ask first. The envious one, being overwhelmed by ill will towards his neighbors, instead of receiving, turned to malice and said to the king: “Sire! Order me to gouge out my eye." The surprised king asked why he expressed such a desire. The envious one answered: “So that you, sir, order my comrade to gouge out both eyes.” This is how the passion of envy is harmful and harmful to the soul, but also malicious. An envious person is ready to expose himself to harm in order to harm his neighbor twice as much. We have set the strongest degree of envy here. But it, like all other passions, has different sizes and degrees, and therefore one should try to suppress it and destroy it at the first sensation, praying to the Almighty God of the Heart with the psalm words: cleanse me from my secrets, and from those that are strangers, spare Thy servant or Thy servant (Ps. 18:14). One must also humbly confess this weakness before the spiritual father. And the third remedy is to try in every possible way not to say anything nasty about the person we envy. By using these means, we can, with God’s help, although not quickly, be healed from envious weakness. Envy comes from pride and at the same time from negligence in doing what is due. Cain neglected to offer his chosen sacrifice to God. And when God despised his sacrifice for such negligence, and accepted Abel’s zealous and chosen sacrifice, then he, overwhelmed with envy, decided to kill and killed the righteous Abel. It is best, as stated above, to try to destroy envy at the very beginning, through humble prayer and humble confession and prudent silence. Whoever, with the help of God, is able to destroy the passion of envy in himself can hope to overcome other passions, and then not only on the Bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ and on other Christian holidays he can rejoice with unspeakable joy, but also on simple days, when he is in a good mood and in a good dispensation. Amen. And forgive me for the non-holiday greetings. On this holiday I wanted to tell you something useful, and useful things rarely coincide with pleasant things. Whoever does not like this congratulation, let him read it on St. Thomas Week, and let him notice that envy is first revealed by inappropriate jealousy and rivalry, and then by zeal with annoyance and censure of the one we envy. And so, let us be prudent and careful, at the first appearance of an envious feeling, trying to reject it, asking for all-powerful help from us for the sake of the Crucified and on the third day of the Risen Christ the Lord. Amen! Amen!!! Brothers in the Lord, sisters and mothers! Through the mercy and forbearance of God we are still deemed worthy to celebrate the great feast of the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. I congratulate you on this all-joyful Christian Celebration and sincerely wish you to spend it in peace and spiritual consolation. According to my custom, for the benefit of your soul, I offer you the psalm words for your consideration: The Lord is good and right, that is, righteous and just, for this reason He will give law to those who sin along the way (Ps. 24:8). What will the Lord lay down for those who sin? He lays down the law for people to repent, saying in the Holy Gospel: repent, or if you do not repent, you will perish (Luke 13:3). Some of the Christians do not repent at all out of unbelief, and some, although they repent for the sake of order and custom, but then without fear again gravely sin, having the unreasonable hope that the Lord is good, while others, bearing in mind only that the Lord is just, do not stop sinning out of despair, not hoping to receive forgiveness. Correcting both those and others, the word of God declares to everyone that the Lord is good to all who repent sincerely and with the firm intention not to return to the former. There is no sin that overcomes God’s love for mankind. On the contrary, the Lord is just for those who, out of unbelief or negligence, do not want to repent; also for those who, although sometimes they bring repentance for the sake of order and custom, but then again gravely sin without fear, having an unreasonable hope that the Lord is good. There are also Christians who bring repentance, but do not express everything in confession, and some sins are hidden and concealed for the sake of shame. Such, according to the apostolic word, partake of the Holy Mysteries unworthily; and for unworthy communion they are subject to various ailments and illnesses, and many even die. The apostle said: He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment for himself, do not judge the Body of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:29). Some will say, what should we do when we often, as if involuntarily, sin from weakness? Some people sin out of weakness and sin a forgivable sin, and others sin out of negligence and fearlessness and sin a grave sin. Everyone knows that there are mortal sins, and there are sins that are forgivable in word or thought. But in any case, sincere and humble repentance and compulsion, according to the word of the Gospel, with the firm intention not to return to the previous state, are required. It is said in the Fatherland: “Have ecu fallen, arise! once again fell ecu, again rise!” It is not surprising to fall, but it is shameful and hard to remain in sin. May the All-merciful Lord give us His all-powerful help to hold on to sincere and true repentance in fulfillment of the Gospel word: The Kingdom of Heaven is in need, and the needy women delight in it; May we all receive with ineffable mercy the Son of God Incarnate and Born of the Blessed Virgin, amen. Unworthy hieromon. Ambrose. Brothers in the Lord and sisters and mothers! With the mercy and long-suffering of God, I, who am weak, am vouchsafed to congratulate you on the upcoming all-joyful holiday of the Nativity of Christ and wish you all the best and saving things. As is my custom, it would be desirable for me, for the sake of the upcoming Holiday, to tell you something for the benefit of your soul. The Supreme Apostle Peter in his letter to Christians writes: Beloved, as children of obedience, do not be the first to be transformed by ignorance of your lust; but according to the Holy One who called you, you yourself will be holy in all your life. It is written beforehand: Be holy, for I am Holy (1 Pet. 1:14-6). God demands holiness of life from us. This holiness consists first of all in chastity, and then in fulfilling other commandments of God, and in case of violation of them in sincere and humble repentance. Chastity is twofold - virgin and marital. Ancient Susanna, even in her marriage, was called chaste because she decided to die rather than fulfill the evil wishes of lawless judges. And from the Gospel parable of the ten virgins it is clear that not all the virgins were wise, but five of them were fools. The latter were called holy fools or fools because, while observing physical virginity, they did not care to maintain spiritual purity and desecrated their minds and hearts with unclean thoughts and desires, or were outraged by thoughts of anger and memory, or envy and hatred, or were blinded by the love of money and, out of stinginess, were not compassionate towards their neighbors. If some of them apparently refrained from these passions, but, overcome by conceit and pride, condemnation and humiliation of their neighbors, lost their spiritual purity through this, according to what was said: Everyone who is high-hearted is not pure before God (Proverbs 16:5). What is said about passions in relation to virgins applies to both widows and married people, as the Lord Himself said to the apostles: And what I say to you, I say to all (Mark 13:37). What is the main means to lead a holy life? The Lord Himself, through the same Apostle Peter, points to this means, saying: If you call Me Father without hypocrisy, judging everyone’s actions, live in fear for your time (1 Pet. 1:17). These words show that the main means to live piously and holyly is the fear of God and the fear of future judgment and eternal torment. Only with the assistance of this fear, with the help of God, does the observance of the commandments occur, as it is said in the psalms: Blessed is the man, fear the Lord in His commandments, he will greatly delight. And without fear, even if someone lived in heaven, according to the word of St. Peter of Damascus, he would not take advantage of it, having pride, which is the same as Satan, and Adam, and many fallen people. If the word of God prescribes to all saints to have the fear of God according to what is said: Fear the Lord in His holiness, for there is no hardship for those who fear Him (Ps. 33:10), then how much more so for us, sinners and defectives, it is necessary to have the fear of God, and the fear of death, and the Last Judgment of God, and eternal torment in hell, dissolving the fear with this hope to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, if we It is very possible to be forced to repentance and correction. The fear of God and the remembrance of the last four keep us from falling into sin, according to what has been said: Remember your last and you will never sin (Sir. 7:39). May we all receive indescribable mercy and omnipotent help, born of the Holy Virgin, our Lord Jesus Christ; let us earnestly pray to Him for this. Amen. Unworthy Hieromon. Ambrose. Brothers in the Lord and sisters and Mothers! Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen! By the mercy and long-suffering of God we are still honored to celebrate the all-joyful and bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, on which I congratulate you all and sincerely wish you to spend this great Christian celebration in peace, joy and spiritual consolation. According to my custom, for the benefit of my soul, I offer for consideration the psalm words: My mouth will speak wisdom, and the teaching of my heart will be understanding (Psalm 48:1). These words are repeated by the Holy Church mainly on the feasts of saints at their services, but they equally apply to every true Christian. Every pious Christian is obliged to speak with his lips about the wisdom of God, and to study with his heart good thoughts and good understanding. What is the wisdom of God? The wisdom of God is, firstly, the Son of God Himself, who was incarnate from the Most Holy Virgin and, for our salvation, suffered and was resurrected for three days. Secondly, the wisdom of God is everything that is spoken of in St. The Gospel and in all Holy Scripture and the writings of the patrists about the salvation of Christian souls. It was said in the Old Testament that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and good understanding is given to all who do it (Proverbs 1:5), i.e., good spiritual understanding is given to all who live by the fear of God. St. Isaac the Syrian writes: Place the fear of God as the foundation of your life, and in a few days you will find yourself at the gates of the kingdom. And he who lives without fear, as Peter of Damascus says, even if he lived in heaven, will not take advantage at all, like Adam and the devil. When someone begins to forget the fear of God, not imitating St. To David, who says: I have seen the Lord before me, as if I are at my right hand, but I do not move, then such a person becomes darkened and begins to talk idlely with his lips, to judge and condemn, to slander and humiliate his neighbors, and to study in his heart the thoughts of the flesh, unclean. And if he does not come to his senses soon, he will end up doing evil deeds, called the devil’s, because, according to the word of the Apostle, the devil first sins (1 John 3:8), instilling sin in a Christian man. The Son of God came to destroy such things on earth, for our sake he suffered and died on the cross and was resurrected for three days. Maybe someone will say, is it really impossible to talk about anything in everyday life except one for spiritual salvation? One can speak about everything only with the consciousness and grateful remembrance that the Lord, in His goodness and mercy, created the entire universe for man; He created the earth for his temporary stay on it and together to test his will - what it is inclined towards, good or evil; and heaven is for the eternal bliss of those who are worthy and do not resist the word of God and who repent. Only those who are disobedient to the word of God and unrepentant sinners go into eternal fire, prepared not for people, but for the devil and his angels; people seem to go there voluntarily. Also, if we look at the sun, we must think with grateful remembrance that it was created for man to illuminate and warm the earth on which we live. If we see rain falling, we should think that through it the sown grain fields and other plants that provide us with food are fattened. If we partake of food and drink, we should gratefully think that in this present temporary life we ​​cannot exist without it. If we are in prosperity and prosperity, then we should think with a grateful feeling that the Lord sends this not because of our dignity, but because of His goodness and mercy. If illness or any calamity befalls us, we must think that the Lord sent it to us for our sins for our admonition and correction. If we are disposed in this way internally in our soul and act in this way in accordance with this and externally, then we will be trustworthy that, for our sake, our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered and was resurrected for three days, will not abandon us with His mercy, neither in this nor in the future life. Amen. Unworthy Hieromon. Ambrose. Brothers in the Lord and sisters and mothers! I congratulate you on the Bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ and greet you all with a joyful Christian greeting. Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen! Due to its great significance, the Bright Feast of the Resurrection is called the Feast of Feasts, the Triumph of Christian celebrations, the Easter of Christ, which means the transition from death to life, and from earth to heaven. On this Holiday, joyful Christians greet each other brotherly, Forgiving everyone and those who hate them with the Resurrection. According to my custom, for spiritual benefit, I offer for consideration the psalm words that St. prayed. David to God: “Teach me kindness and punishment and wisdom” (Ps. 118). If St. David, being a prophet, had the need to pray to God to grant him the indicated qualities, then all the more every Christian, an ordinary person, needs to take care of acquiring these qualities, praying to God for help from above. “Teach me goodness.” Goodness and mercy are the main part of love, and love is the main virtue and commandment, as it is said in the Gospel: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and love thy neighbor as thyself. The whole law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” Love is born from faith and fear of God, grows and is strengthened by hope, comes to perfection by goodness and mercy, which expresses the imitation of God, as it is said in the Gospel: “Be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful;” and it is also said in the Gospel: “I want mercy, not sacrifice.” Mercy and condescension towards one's neighbor and forgiveness of his shortcomings are higher than sacrifice, which is not accepted without peace to one's neighbors, according to the word of the Gospel: If you then bring your gift to the altar, you will also remember that one, as if your brother had something for you: leave your gift before the altar, and go first and reconcile yourself with your brother, and then come and bring your gift” (Matthew 5:23). Love for God is proven by love and mercy towards one's neighbor, and mercy, mercy and condescension towards one's neighbor and forgiveness of his shortcomings are acquired through humility and self-reproach, when in all sorrowful and unpleasant cases we place the blame on ourselves, and not on others, that we did not know how to act as we should, that is why trouble and sorrow occurred, and if we think this way, we will be less upset and indulge in anger, who does not practice God's righteousness. The words of the Apostle John are terrible: “Do not love your brother,” that is, any neighbor, “he abides in death, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he goes; but hate your brother, he is a murderer” (3, 15). “Teach me punishment.” In the Slavic dialect, the word “punishment” means soulful instruction on how to actively walk the path of virtue in the fear of God, in accordance with the commandments of God and the decrees of the Church. Even in the Old Testament it is said, “An unpunished son is grief to his father and grief to his mother,” that is, a son who is not taught in the fear of God and the law of the Lord. Currently, many parents teach their children a lot, often unnecessary and unhelpful; but they neglect to instruct children in the fear of God and the fulfillment of God’s commandments and observance of the decrees of the One Catholic Apostolic Church, which is why children for the most part are disobedient and disrespectful to their parents, indecent for themselves and for the fatherland, and sometimes even harmful. “Teach me reason,” that is, true and correct reason. The Holy Scripture says: “Seek understanding so that you may live and correct your understanding in knowledge,” that is, try to understand the Holy Scripture not just somehow, and as you please, but to understand it as it should, correctly and truly. Proof of this is that all nations read the same Gospel, but understand it differently. Orthodox and Catholics do not understand the same; Armenians, Copts and Arians understand differently, Reformed and Lutherans and the like understand differently. This difference occurs because not everyone pays due attention to the meaning of the Gospel words of the Lord Himself: “Go and teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all the commandments given to you.” The Orthodox Church alone accepts the old and new scriptures in full, and those who disagree with the Orthodox Church accept from the scriptures only those passages that they like, and for this they are considered heretics, because the word “heretic” comes from the Greek word “Εpεω” (I choose). The Apostle Paul writes about such people: “A heretic man, according to the first and second admonition, deny, knowing that he has become corrupt and sins and is self-condemned.” Like David, let us also pray that the Lord, who knows the message of destinies, will help us to learn goodness, mercy, and true reason, without which our eternal salvation is doubtful and unreliable, if we do not resort in repentance with humility to the One who suffered for us and died on the cross and rose again for three days, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all glory, honor and worship are due. His beginningless Father, and the Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit forever and ever. Amen. Unworthy Hieromon. Ambrose Pages missing - electronic editor's note.