НЕДЕЛЯ СВЯТЫХ ЖЕН-МИРОНОСИЦ

Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Holy Sepulcher The evening of Holy Saturday has arrived. The holy apostles and holy wives spent this entire day in peace, according to the commandment of the Law. On Saturday evening, as soon as the possibility of all sorts of things opened up, Mary Magdalene and Mary of James went to look at the Tomb of the Lord Jesus. They were drawn there by an uncontrollable desire to find out whether something special had happened near the Holy Sepulcher, where their thoughts and hearts were. Seeing there that everything was as it was on Friday, they returned to the city. Here the women met Salome and bought spices and ointment to anoint the Body of the Lord Jesus in the morning. The third day began, when, according to the Lord’s prediction, His Resurrection was to take place. The Jewish elders, fearing this terrible day for them, hastened to take precautions so that the disciples of the Lord Jesus would not steal His Body at night and say that He had risen. While the wives were at the Tomb, the elders went to Pilate and asked him to assign a guard to the Tomb. When they brought and placed the guards in place, they placed a seal on the tombstone. Meanwhile, the holy women did not even suspect that the Tomb was surrounded by guards and sealed. They agreed to gather together in the morning, not in the city, so as not to disturb anyone, but at the Tomb itself, waiting there for each other, so that together they could begin to anoint the Body of the Lord. So they agreed and calmly waited for the morning, knowing nothing about the guard. Seeing their love, the Lord did not allow them to be frightened by the formidable guard. Even before their arrival, at a mysterious hour in the dead of night, the Resurrection of the Lord took place, invisible and unknown to anyone, accomplished, “the stone was sealed from the Jews and the soldiers guarding the Most Pure Body...” And only then an Angel descended from heaven and, rolling away the stone from the door of the tomb, sat on it. The shaking of the stone and the bright shining appearance of the Angel brought trepidation and horror to the guards: they fled to the city. The stone was rolled away not for the Lord, but for the guards and for those who loved the Lord, so that they could enter and be sure that He was no longer in the tomb, that He had risen. Mary Magdalene was the first to rise that morning and, still in complete darkness, rushed to the Tomb. When she arrived, she saw that the stone had been rolled away from the Tomb. But the Angel did not show her his face: heavenly messengers appear by the will of God and by the same will they can be invisible. Deeply shocked by the open Tomb, Mary Magdalene immediately thought: they have taken the Lord! With this thought, she hastily returns to the city, runs to the apostles Peter and John and says to them: They took the Lord away from the tomb, and we do not know where they laid Him (John 20:2). At this time, the myrrh-bearer Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward, came to the tomb, along with some of her friends, carrying the prepared aromas. They also found the stone rolled away from the Tomb and entered there. There, to their utter amazement, they did not see the Body of the Lord Jesus and wondered what this meant, when suddenly two Angels appeared to them in shining robes. The wives bowed their heads to the ground in fear, but the bright men reassured them, saying: Why do you seek the living with the dead? He is not here: He has risen; remember how He spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again (cf. Luke 24:5-7). And they remembered these words of Him and, returning from the Sepulcher, decided to go and tell the apostles and everyone else what they had seen and heard. Meanwhile, the apostles Peter and John with Mary Magdalene were already hurrying to the Sepulcher and came to it without meeting their wives, which, according to the location of the streets in Jerusalem, could easily have happened. Both apostles were in a hurry, but John was younger and therefore overtook Peter and was the first at the Tomb, but did not enter it, but only looked in and saw only the linens lying there. Soon Peter came up and went inside. And he also saw the swaddling clothes and also the cloth that was on the Lord’s head, especially rolled up and lying in another place. Then John also entered and believed in his heart that the Lord had risen (this is how St. John Chrysostom interprets it). Having examined everything in the Tomb, the apostles returned home. But Mary Magdalene remained near the Tomb, exhausted by inexpressible grief and hasty walking. Crying, she looked inside the Tomb and saw two Angels in white robes: one sitting at the head, the other at the feet, where the Body of Jesus lay. They asked her: Zheno, why are you crying? She answered: They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they laid Him. Here, probably, she noticed the reverent movement of the Angels, whose gaze was directed outside the cave; and she also turned back and saw the Lord Jesus, but did not recognize Him. The Lord says to her: Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for? Mary, thinking that the gardener was before her, said to Him: Master! If you brought Him out, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him. Then the Lord says to her again: Mary! This time she recognized the Lord and said to him: Teacher! The Lord anticipates her outburst of joy and warns: Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brothers and tell them: I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God (cf. John 20:13–17). That morning, the other holy wives Mary of James and Salome, and perhaps some with them, hurried to the Sepulcher. Along the way they thought among themselves: Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? (Matthew 16:3). The stone was very large and they were unable to move it. Approaching the Tomb, the myrrh-bearing women saw that the stone had already been rolled away and on it was an Angel. He said to them: Do not be afraid, you are looking for Jesus who was crucified; He is not here, He has risen, as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord lay (cf. Matthew 28:5–6). Obeying the word of the Angel, the wives entered the Tomb and saw a young man in white clothes sitting on the right side, that was another Angel of the Lord. Seeing their confusion, the Angel calmed them, saying: Do not be alarmed, are you looking for Jesus of Nazareth, crucified? He is Risen; He is not here, this is the place where He was laid. Now go quickly and tell His disciples and Peter that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him, as He told you (cf. Mark 16:6–7). And they, hastily leaving the tomb, with fear and great joy, in awe and horror from the extraordinary nature of what they saw and heard, ran to the city. When they went to tell His disciples what had happened, the Lord Jesus Himself met them and said: Rejoice! And they came, fell at His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them: Do not be afraid, go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee, there they will see me (cf. Matthew 28:9-10). So, the holy myrrh-bearing women were the first to see the Risen Lord; Angels appeared to them; the Lord Himself appeared to them before any of the apostles. Why is this so? Because they loved Him much. This is evidenced by their service to Him from their estates, their courageous presence at the Cross of the Lord on Golgotha, their participation in His burial and, finally, their morning procession to the Tomb of the Lord with aromas and peace to anoint His Most Pure Body. Imitate, brethren, the good example of the holy myrrh-bearing women, and use the excess of your acquisitions to serve God and the Church, to deeds of love and Christian piety. Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene None of the holy myrrh-bearing women loved the Lord so much and was not so devoted to Him as Mary Magdalene; That’s why in the Gospel she is always called the first among them. Out of zeal for the faith of Christ, she worked in preaching the faith, like the apostles. And therefore the Holy Church called her Equal-to-the-Apostles. She was originally from Syria, and lived in Galilee, in the city of Magdala. Judging by her origin and the fact that she once suffered from demons, one can assume that she was not the daughter of that Syrophoenician woman who strenuously asked the Lord to heal her demonic daughter and received praise from Him for her great faith (see: Matthew 15:22-28; Mark 7:25-30). Some believe that she was the sinner who, with tears of repentance, kissed the feet of Jesus and anointed them with precious ointment (see: Luke 7:37). But this opinion, adopted among the Latins, has no basis; and even if it were fair, it should not humiliate Magdalene: and the Savior says: there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not demand repentance (see: Luke 15:7). Magdalene was possessed by a terrible illness - demonic possession. The Savior healed her, casting out seven demons from her. The great benefit shown by the Lord to Mary produced in her grateful heart such love and commitment to the Savior that she decided to devote her whole life to Him and, in any case, showed the most sincere zeal for Him. Jesus Christ, who came to earth to seek and save the lost, looked everywhere for the lost sheep of the house of Israel and for this purpose moved from city to city, from city to city, swam across seas and rivers, climbed mountains, went deep into deserts, and Mary accompanied Him everywhere, although the incessant travels, no doubt, were burdensome for her. Jesus Christ, who became poor for our sake, had no place to lay his head, suffered extreme need in everything, and Mary diligently served Him with her property and the labor of her hands. Jesus Christ, having completed His work on earth, goes to lay down His soul for the salvation of the world - Mary follows Him to Calvary, weeps inconsolably for Him with the women of Jerusalem, and looks with trepidation at His crucifixion. At first she stood with His acquaintances at a distance, but then, forgetting all fear and obeying only the attraction of her heart, she approached the very Cross of Christ, sympathized with the Divine Sufferer in the difficult moments of His death and took His last breath into her heart. She loved the Savior so much! Her love for Him, according to the word of Scripture, was as strong as death (Song.8:6). No, Mary’s love for Jesus Christ was stronger than death, and it did not weaken even after His death. While everyone - both friends and enemies - left the Crucified One after death, Mary Magdalene remained with Him. She saw how Joseph and Nicodemus took down the Most Pure Body of Jesus from the Cross; she accompanied Him to the burial place; she looked at where and how they laid Him. If she herself did not take part in his burial, then this, no doubt, was due to excessive grief, which so depleted her strength that, according to the Evangelist, she could not stand, but sat opposite the Tomb (see: Matt. 27:61). However, she mentally strove to where the treasure of her heart lay - the Sweetest Jesus, and therefore, noticing that Joseph and Nicodemus, hastening to complete His burial before the approaching Sabbath, only wrapped His Body in shrouds and sprinkled with incense, and did not anoint with aromas, as was the case with Jewish burials, immediately decided to make up for this omission of funeral customs and together provide for the crucified Last diligence for the teacher. Having spent Saturday in peace, according to the well-known Jewish custom, Mary Magdalene immediately bought various aromas and the next day early in the morning, still in the predawn twilight, hurried with them to the Tomb of the Savior, accompanied by some of her friends. The darkness of the night, the solitary position of the Holy Sepulcher, the proximity of the terrible Golgotha ​​to it - nothing could deter the pious wives. They go and think only about how to quickly anoint the Body of their beloved Teacher. Mary Magdalene was ahead of everyone and, seeing that the stone had been rolled away from the Tomb, she immediately ran to Jerusalem to the apostles Peter and John and said to them in fear: The Lord has been taken away from the Tomb, and we do not know where He laid Him (John 20:2). This news struck the apostles, and they rushed to the Tomb, and Mary also ran there. But, having come to the Tomb and seeing in it only the shrouds of the Savior and the cloth that was on His head, the apostles returned to themselves, marveling at everything that had happened. And Maria? She did not go with them, but remained at the Tomb, thought about Jesus and wept bitterly for Him. Oh, how touching this act of hers is! How touching are her tears! They clearly expressed such sincere devotion to Jesus, such tender love for Him, which, it seems, His most zealous and beloved disciples did not have. The Lord could not leave such love and devotion without reward and consolation. And so it was. When Mary stood and cried at the Tomb, she decided to look again to see if the Body of Jesus was somewhere in it. But, leaning close to the Tomb, she saw two Angels in it, who said to her: Woman, why are you crying? Mary answered them the same as she answered the apostles: My Lord is taken away and we do not know where I laid Him (John 20:13). Having said this, she turned back and saw Jesus Christ, but did not recognize Him, probably because, out of modesty and despondency, she did not look into His face, or His appearance changed after the Resurrection, or perhaps his clothes hid it. Then the Savior said to her: Woman, why are you crying? who are you looking for? She, being busy thinking about Jesus Christ and thinking that the helihandler was speaking to her, answered Him: Lord, if you have taken Him, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him (John 20:15). Then Jesus called her by name: Mary! Hearing the familiar voice that so often delighted her ears and heart, Mary rushed to Jesus Christ and joyfully exclaimed: Rabbi - Teacher! The Lord, of course, was pleased with such delight from his beloved student; but, wanting to calm her down and quickly bring joy through her to the other disciples who were greatly grieving for Him, He said to her in a friendly manner: Do not touch Me - do not touch Me, lest I sigh to My Father - I have not yet ascended into heaven; Go therefore to My brethren, and tell them that I will soon ascend to My Father and your Father, and to my God and your God (cf. John 20:17). Magdalene immediately went and told the disciples of Christ everything that she had seen and heard, but the disciples did not believe her. Meanwhile, she, taking with her another Mary, the mother of James, again, for the third time, went to see the tomb. Perhaps in this case she was also guided by a secret hope that she might not see the Risen One again? This is exactly what happened. Arriving at the Tomb, the holy women found an Angel there, who, having assured them of the Resurrection of Christ, ordered them to quickly announce it to the Lord’s disciples. When they went to fulfill this assignment, Jesus Christ Himself suddenly met them and said to them: Rejoice! And, wanting to further assure them of His Resurrection, the Lord allowed them to do what He had previously kept Mary from - He allowed them to embrace His nose and worship Him as the Lord. Thus, Mary Magdalene, for her ardent love for the Savior, was awarded His appearance twice and became the first evangelist of His Resurrection. How this special favor of the Lord towards her must have pleased her! What new ardor for Jesus filled her loving heart!.. And truly, Mary Magdalene showed such zeal for the Risen One, which we do not see in any of His other disciples. Like the apostles, leaving everything - home, friends, and fatherland - she devoted her entire life to preaching the gospel of Christ and proclaimed it not only to Judea, but to many pagan countries. She was also in Rome; here she found access to Caesar Tiberius himself and, presenting him with a red egg, a beautiful image of rebirth to life, said to him in greeting: “Christ is Risen!” She announced in detail to Caesar all the deeds and teachings of the Lord, showed His innocence and clearly exposed His unrighteous judges, and through this aroused strong anger in Caesar against Pilate and Caiaphas, who received righteous reward for their wicked deeds. One might think that the Apostle Paul points to this feat of Magdalene in his Epistle to the Romans when he says: kiss Mariam, who has labored so much for us (Rom. 16:6). From Rome, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene went with the gospel to other places and finally arrived in Ephesus to John the Theologian, to whom she was drawn by their inherent love for the Savior. Here she peacefully reposed in the Lord. Brothers and sisters in the Lord! Imitate her in Christian virtues. Imitate her, sisters in the Lord, for she was a subservient wife to you. Imitate her too, brothers, for it is a shame for husbands to yield to their wives in good deeds. Imitate her, everyone, for this is possible and soul-saving for everyone. Mary Magdalene completely devoted herself to serving the Lord, and you be His faithful servants. Mary Magdalene followed Him everywhere and was His most zealous disciple, and you steadily follow His footsteps, diligently listen to His word and carefully fulfill His holy commandments. Mary Magdalene helped the Lord with her property and the labors of her hands, and you do the same, if not to him personally, which is now impossible for us, then to His Church, which He calls His Body, and to His smaller brothers - the poor people. Every mite used in their favor, every crumb given to them, will have a great reward from the Lord, for He Himself says: Because you have made one of these least of my brethren, you have been made together with Me (Matthew 25:40). Mary Magdalene accompanied the Lord to Calvary, looked at His suffering on the cross and seemed to be crucified with Him in sorrow, and you, brothers and sisters, are more often transported in your thoughts to Calvary, often imagine yourself at the foot of the Cross of Christ and think about what the Son of God endured for our sin, weep for yourself, weep for your sins and fear to crucify the Lord with them again. Mary Magdalene came to the Savior with aromas and, not finding Him in the Tomb, diligently searched for Him everywhere until she was worthy to see Him after the Resurrection. And you resort to Him with spiritual incense - with holy prayers, and you seek Him mentally everywhere: in the churches of God, where He is graciously present in His Sacraments, and in visible nature, where He reveals Himself with His power and goodness, and in your own heart, where He responds in the voice of our conscience. Strive for Him in spirit to heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God. By doing this, you will one day be worthy to see Him face to face in heaven. Mary Magdalene openly confessed herself to everyone as a disciple of the Savior; Do not be ashamed to show yourself always and in everything as true disciples of the Lord, do not be afraid of the reproaches and ridicule to which the sons of this age subject those who want to spread piety among their children, friends and household members. Let us try to imitate Saint Mary Magdalene in all this, and you, Equal-to-the-Apostles, strengthen us in good deeds with the grace given to you! An example of living love for God In the city of Edessa, in Mesopotamia, Emperor Valens, infected with the Arian heresy, ordered the Orthodox churches to be locked so that services would not be held in them. Orthodox Christians began to gather to serve the Divine Liturgy outside the city in the fields. Having learned about this, Valens ordered that all Christians who would henceforth gather there be put to death. The head of the city, Modest, to whom this command was given, out of compassion, secretly notified Orthodox Christians about it in order to divert them from meetings and the threat of death; but the Christians did not cancel their meetings and the next Sunday came in even greater numbers for joint prayer. The chief, passing through the city to fulfill his duty, saw one woman, neatly dressed, although poorly, who hurriedly left her house, not even bothering to lock the door, and was leading a baby with her. He guessed that this Orthodox Christian woman was hurrying to the meeting, and, stopping, asked her: - To the meeting of Orthodox Christians! - answered the wife. “But don’t you know that everyone gathered there will be put to death?” “I know, and that’s why I’m in a hurry, so as not to be late in receiving the martyr’s crown.” - But why are you bringing the baby with you? - So that he too can participate in the same bliss. Christian love is the law of the human heart In the Gospel, the Lord answered the question of one lawyer: what have I done, will I inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25) pointed him to the commandment to love God and neighbor. Love God and your neighbor, so said the Lord, and you will enter Eternal Life. Love is the law of morally rational life. This law must unite all beings in boundless harmony. Outside of this law, for creatures who remain disobedient to it, only wandering, suffering and death are possible. “Christianity has commanded affections such as nature has never inspired in man; it blesses them, it evokes them.” Let us present examples that confirm this idea. There is a Jew at the gates of Jerusalem. This man suffers cruel torment, the executioners surround and torment him like wild, bloodthirsty animals; blood streams down his face; he raises his gaze to heaven, full of angelic meekness: he prays for those who stone him. God commanded him to love, and he loves. This is the holy first martyr Stephen. Here is a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus. By the law of natural superiority, all prejudices, all pride, all narrow concepts, all the hatred of his tribe and his school should have concentrated in him and reached their highest degree. This man writes the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, that is, the highest hymn of love that the earth has ever heard. God commanded him to love, and he loves. When a Christian woman, brought up among luxury and grace, imprisons herself in a school or hospital and here endures rudeness, dirt, deprivation, constant troubles, then why do you most often encounter on her face a wondrously beautiful reflection of the world, which women of the world do not have? God commanded her to love, and she loves. When a missionary goes into voluntary exile in icy countries, under a sky that is nothing more than a wide shroud; when he imprisons himself in unhealthy huts, where the atmosphere is constantly overflowing with miasma; when he condemns himself to disgusting food; when, after many years of heroic labor, he finally manages to make the entire people there believers, who in their uneducated and rude language sing sacred hymns that we cannot hear without emotion - where did this animation come from? God commanded him to love, and he loves. And when we have a Christian spouse or mother near us, forced, as we see very often, to endure constant insults, ridicule, rudeness, betrayal, all this is opposed by meekness, generosity, which nothing crushes; when she knows how to remain dignified without irritation and calm without weakness; when she hides her secret sorrows and her grief from everyone; when she teaches her children to respect a name which an unworthy father dishonors by his conduct; when she, having endured all these insults, finds the strength in herself to think about her husband, who is returning to her, in her dying illness; when she can only die - do you think that in such a disastrous life, more frequent than you suspect, the mere impulses of nature are enough? No, and you know it well. There is something other than nature here. God commanded this woman to love - and she loves, she forgives, she tolerates, she forgets and loves... This means that it is true that we can learn to love, it means that the heart can overcome nature (that is, the instincts of its nature - instead of revenge on the enemy, pay with kindness, instead of anger and irritation, respond with love and meekness). The infinite is revealed to love, not that infinite in disorder, where it finds only slavery in the subjugation of the flesh, but then the highest infinity, where holy love expands in its eternal fullness and where it can embrace all beings, even those for whom the heart in its natural state would feel only hatred and disgust. Obeying the law of the heart, in which holy love is written with the finger of God, a Christian man, showing his love, does not want to be served, but wants to serve others himself. He knows neither pride nor humiliation, he serves the weak and powerless, the pitiful and the outcast. Here one of the laws of Christian love is manifested, which is that the strong should help the weak, the lower should be supported by the higher. This, in essence, is a manifestation of the general law of love. Whatever He wills to be in you, let him be your servant; And if anyone wants to become old in you, let him be a slave to all, said our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:43–44). Why? Because it is unnatural for the weak and feeble to serve the strong and powerful, for the higher to be supported by the lower. It is more natural, on the contrary, for the strong to help the weak, the lower to be supported by the higher. I want mercy, not sacrifice Two peasants were going to visit Jerusalem - to venerate the Holy Sepulcher. They didn’t have any interference around the house: both of them had grown-up children who were in charge of the entire household. The pilgrims prepared everything and set a day for them to set off. The day has finally come - so what? One of them - and precisely the one who first decided to go to Jerusalem - suddenly announces to his comrade that he has changed his mind and is staying at home. He did not explain what made him change his decision. The neighbor was surprised and upset and began to persuade him, but the stubborn man insisted on his own and stayed. There was nothing to do, I had to go on a long journey alone. He safely reached Jerusalem and began to walk around the holy places, often remembering his neighbor who remained at home and condemning him in his soul for being unfaithful to his word, and even in such a holy, great deed. But what was the surprise of our wanderer when, among the pilgrims in Jerusalem, he saw his neighbor who had remained at home. And wherever he happened to go to worship holy places, everywhere he resolutely saw his friend, who was always in front, before his eyes. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not get along with him: the crowd constantly rubbed him off. Just a little more, and he will get to him - lo and behold, he is again far ahead... Our wanderer was even more upset, thinking that his neighbor had deceived him, came to the holy city alone and was now deliberately running away from him. Having been everywhere he needed to go, he finally went home with other pilgrims. But the neighbor disappeared into thin air: our wanderer never saw or met him again. “You know, he went home before me,” the traveler returning home thought to himself. So he finally returned home and began asking his family whether his neighbor had returned from Jerusalem, who did not want to go with him. They were surprised and told him that the neighbor did not even think about going to Jerusalem, but stayed at home all the time. He did not believe his family and went to his neighbor, who greeted him joyfully and asked how God helped him to visit Jerusalem. “But it’s not good, neighbor, to do something like that,” the guest said reproachfully to the owner. - What's happened? – he asked in bewilderment. “Why, my brother, you didn’t want to go with me to Jerusalem, you went alone, and there you kept running and hiding from me.” “I don’t understand, dear friend, what you’re saying.” - Don’t fool me, please, because I myself, with my own eyes, saw you in Jerusalem - and more than once and in more than one place. “God is my witness that while you were in Jerusalem, I remained here and absolutely did not go anywhere.” And if you don’t believe me, then ask others. The neighbors unanimously confirmed his words. After this, our wanderer did not know what to think. The matter was becoming mysterious. After many long questions, the neighbor admitted why he did not go on pilgrimage, but stayed at home. Just as they were about to set off, a peasant he knew died and left behind young children in bitter need. The neighbor felt sorry for the poor, homeless orphans, so sorry that he did not know peace for himself. And so he decided on the following: no matter how much he wanted to visit Jerusalem and venerate the holy places, he abandoned this holy task in order to help the unfortunate family with the money he had saved for the journey. Our wanderer’s eyes were opened, he understood what the words of the Lord mean: I want mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 12:7), I realized that with mercy towards one’s neighbor one can please God no less, and maybe even more, than with zeal for pilgrimage, and that the Lord accepts the mere intention to worship holy places as alms, as well as the deed itself. Woman as Christian Mother In Christianity, not only men, but also women are called to serve the human race according to their strengths and abilities. In the Church of Christ, both men and women are called equally to preach the Holy Gospel. An example of this is the holy myrrh-bearing women, who not only served the Lord during His earthly life, but also after His Resurrection worked hard to preach the Gospel among the pagans. Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, for example, after the Ascension of the Lord, preached the faith of Christ in many countries and even visited Rome. A legend has been preserved that, while in the city of Rome, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene appeared before Tiberius Caesar and told him everything about Christ the Savior; from Rome she arrived in the city of Ephesus to Saint John the Theologian and there also preached about Christ. Another myrrh-bearer, Saint Mariamne, sister of the holy Apostle Philip, accompanied her brother and shared with him and with the Apostle Bartholomew the labors and sufferings of preaching the Holy Gospel; in some cities, the three of them tirelessly preached the Word of God day and night, instructed the unfaithful on the path of salvation and led many to Christ. After the martyrdom of her holy brother, Saint Mariamne went to Lycaonia to the pagans, preached the Holy Gospel there and rested in peace. Saint Junia, a relative of the holy Apostle Paul, together with Saint Andronicus, who belonged to the ranks of the seventy apostles, also zealously worked in preaching the Holy Gospel. Saint Irene the Great Martyr was such a great evangelist of the Holy Gospel that she converted her parents, the entire royal house, and about eighty thousand inhabitants of the city of Mageddon to Christ; in the city of Kallipolis she led up to one hundred thousand people to Christ, and in Thrace, in the city of Mesemvria, she converted the king and all the people to the faith of Christ. Some of the women, for their zeal in spreading the faith of Christ, received the name Equal-to-the-Apostles in our Church - these are Saint Mary Magdalene, the holy first martyr Thekla, the holy Queen Helen, Saint Olga, the Grand Duchess of the Russian Land, and others. In general, it must be said that women worked hard to spread the faith of Christ on earth. Christian women! And you must imitate the high example of the holy myrrh-bearing women, collaborators of the holy apostles, and other holy women who worked to spread the faith of Christ. Your preaching about Christ is still very necessary and can be fruitful. To whom will we preach the faith of Christ? – you ask. To your children; your family is the place for your preaching. And how much good a Christian mother can do for her children! How easily she can instill in the hearts of young children the fear of God, love of neighbor, obedience and many other Christian virtues and rules of piety! A pious Christian mother will be able, better than anyone else, to teach her children to believe, and love, and hope in God, and to work, and to take care of their parental property - in a word, to live according to the law and commandments of God. For to whom are children closer, if not to their mother? Let every Christian mother, who feeds her children physically out of a feeling of love for them, also feed them with spiritual food. If a son grows up to be a believer and pious, then he will fear God, and will love, respect, obey his parents, and take care of them in their old age, and will not dare to disobey his father or mother and offend them. From the time of pagan persecution of Christians, many examples of firmness in faith, love and obedience of children raised by Christian mothers are known. One mother said this to her son during persecution: “My son! Do not count your years, but from a very young age begin to carry the true God in your heart. Nothing in the world is worthy of such ardent love as God; You will soon see what you leave for Him and what you gain in Him!” And the mother’s suggestions were not in vain. “From whom did you learn that there is one God?” - the pagan judge asked one Christian youth. The boy answered: “My mother taught me this, and the Holy Spirit taught my mother, and taught me so that she could teach me. When I rocked in the cradle and sucked at her breast, that’s when I learned to believe in Christ!” Read also, for example, the life of the Roman Saint Sophia with her three daughters: Faith, Hope and Love - there you will see a great example of a Christian woman worthy of attention and imitation. Saint Sophia tried and did sow in the hearts of her young daughters the seeds of the true faith of Christ: they proved the firmness and immutability of their faith by enduring terrible torment for the name of Christ... In vain did the heartless tormentors persuade them to betray the Christian faith: they gave their lives for the faith that their pious mother, Saint Sophia, instilled in their hearts. After the death of her husband, Saint Emilia left nine children. She raised all of them in deep faith and piety. Three of them later became bishops and great teachers of the Church: Basil the Great of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste. The pious Christian Nonna, mother of St. Gregory the Theologian, converted her husband Gregory, who was later bishop of the Cappadocian city of Nazianza, to Christianity. Righteous Nonna prayed to the Lord to give her a son and promised to dedicate him to His service. The Lord fulfilled her fervent prayer: a son was born to her and was named Gregory. The pious mother tried to instill in her son, from his adolescence, faith in God, love for Him and the rules of Christian piety. Having been brought up in faith and piety, Gregory became the bishop of Constantinograd, was a great teacher and was nicknamed the Theologian. And the pious Anfusa, the mother of St. John Chrysostom, having become a widow in the twentieth year of her life, did not want to enter into a second marriage, but took up the upbringing of her son and especially tried to ensure that he studied the Divine Scripture. And nothing later could erase this Christian pious upbringing from the soul of her son: neither the bad examples of his comrades, nor the pagan teachers. The example of Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, shows especially clearly what a Christian mother can do for her children. Blessed Augustine received his first instruction in faith and piety from his mother. But, not having time to strengthen himself in the truths of the holy faith, living in a circle of depraved comrades, he became carried away by their example, began to lead a disorderly life and even fell into heresy; however, thanks to the care and fervent prayers of his mother, he was again directed to the true path and returned to God. This is how great, beneficial and soul-saving the influence of a Christian mother is on her children!.. Therefore, Christian women, teach your children the main and fundamental rules of the faith of Christ, the commandments of God, prayers, raise them in the fear of God and, thus, prepare from them true children of the Christian Church, good and zealous workers for society and faithful servants of our Fatherland; This is your main responsibility, this is your preaching of the Holy Gospel! By Christian upbringing and teaching children the faith and fear of God and your own example of a good and pious life, you will ensure the well-being and happiness of your children, for which you will receive mercy and blessing from God in this life, and in the future life you will be rewarded with bliss and glory. Oh, blessed is that Christian mother who gave birth to temporary life and prepared her children for eternal life! Such a mother will fearlessly appear before the Righteous Judge and boldly say: “Here I am and the children you gave me, Lord!” Women in the first centuries of Christianity Our Lord Jesus Christ was accompanied by women in his earthly life. He showed His merciful concern for them: the Lord denounced the Pharisees for the oppression of widows and the feeling of contempt that they had for the lost woman; He calls even the most fallen to repentance, encourages and comforts them. The harlot who fell at the feet of Jesus Christ, anointed them with perfumes and wiped them with her hair, the wife caught in adultery, and, finally, the widow who put two mites into the treasury of the church, find themselves a protector and patron in Jesus Christ. He enters into all the legitimate needs of women, does not make a difference because of origin - both the Samaritan and the Canaanite woman equally provide His participation and help, arousing delight in them with His preaching; to a simple woman, and also a Samaritan woman, he reveals the highest truths about the spiritual, grace-filled life, about serving God in spirit and truth, and about His messianic dignity. Throughout His life He shows an example of love and obedience to His Holy Mother and He shows His tender care for Her even amid the terrible suffering on the Cross. In gratitude for his gracious participation, women also show Him their deep sympathy and devotion; a woman enthusiastically confesses His greatness, a woman preaches about Him as the Messiah, a woman intercedes for Him before Pilate - women cry, seeing Him going to suffer, do not leave Him at the Cross and show concern for His burial, visit His Tomb, the first are honored with the appearance of the Risen Lord and become the first evangelists of His Resurrection. In the apostolic age we see the same thing. Women, like men, are listeners, companions and helpers of the apostles and greatly assist them in spreading the faith and building the Church of Christ. The significance of their labors and care for the apostles and for the faith of Christ is evident from the fact that many of them are mentioned with gratitude in the book “The Acts of the Holy Apostles.” The Apostle Paul greets many of the women in his Epistles, as well as other apostles mention them. Inspired by the faith of Christ, the women soon declared themselves with honor in the field of martyrdom. Following the first martyr, Archdeacon Stephen, in the same apostolic century Saint Thekla accomplished the feat of martyrdom. In the period following the apostolic period of the spread and establishment of Christianity, women continued to play a prominent and active role. There is a deeply true expression by one church writer, Tertullian, that our soul is by nature Christian. The justice of this could not be more evident in the example of Christian women. It is not for nothing that a woman is credited with insight, the ability to recognize the truth through some kind of instinct. This is how the woman reacted to Christianity. She soon became convinced in her heart of its truth. It has been noted in the history of the spread of Christianity that in general women were more likely than men to accept Christianity, before their fathers, husbands and brothers, professed it with firmness and selflessness and encouraged others to do the same. The holy faith, which served as temptation and madness for many, penetrated into the homes of noble Roman citizens through pious housewives. Women of different classes and ages, not excluding the youngest, join, one might say, the ranks of martyrs and are “more courageous than lions,” in the words of St. John Chrysostom, enduring the most severe suffering with heroic calm. Women visit Christian prisoners with great danger to themselves, and when the pagans, noticing the influence Christian women had on the prisoners, forbade them to enter the dungeons, they even decided to take such measures: they cut off their hair, dressed in men's clothes, neglected women's jewelry, just to be able to serve the confessors. Who fearlessly collects the remains of martyrs and buries them with dignity? These are, first of all, Christian women, as noted in almost all legends about Christian martyrs. Do you want to see women in high positions as proclaimers of the Christian faith, contributing to its spread? Here are glorious names before us: Saint Helen of the Apostles, mother of Emperor Constantine, who became a Christian before her son. She contributed to his conversion, and then throughout her life she patronized Christians, and became famous for her zeal in the discovery of Christian shrines, including the Holy Cross; Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, grandmother of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir; Saint Nina, enlightener of Georgia, and others. In relation to the fathers and teachers of the Church, women play the same important role as under the apostles. They provide them with all possible assistance, support them with material resources, help with their knowledge and, in turn, are surrounded by full attention, respect and devotion. Many of them are known only for their exploits, but history has not preserved their names. But here are the glorious names known to us: Theosva the deaconess, sister of St. Gregory of Nyssa and his tireless collaborator; Olympias, a rich and noble citizen of Constantinople, who, having been widowed in her early youth, refused to enter into a second marriage with a relative of Tsar Theodosius the Great, suffered a lot of trouble for this, accepted the title of deaconess, led a simple and austere life, devoted her labors and enormous wealth to good deeds and was the benefactor of the great saints - Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and many others. Some of the women are known for their beneficial influence on infidels and heretics, as well as on the Orthodox, such as Melania the Younger. Others are known for their pious travels, the founding of churches and monasteries, hospices and care for the sick, and a thorough knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Such was Fabiola, a noble and wealthy Roman woman from the family Fabia, who became a benefactor of the Romans and citizens of all Italy, for whose funeral, in gratitude for her benefits, the whole of Rome gathered. Do you want to see women ascetics? Here they are: Syncletikia and Theodora of Alexandria, Fevronia, Macrina, Maria of Egypt, Anthusa, Cassia with many others. They will say that these are rare, chosen women who acted according to their calling, and whose example is not accessible to everyone. But there was no shortage of famous women who acted just as beneficially in the humble home circle. Thanks to these valiant Christian women, husbands rooted in paganism became true Christians; sons, from the earliest times, one might say, with their mother's milk - like the three ecumenical saints - learned for themselves the lessons of Christian faith and morality for the rest of their lives, or after a long wandering and disorderly life, through the tearful prayers of their mother, they finally converted like Blessed Augustine, and fruitfully served Christianity; the brothers were early guided by the good examples of their sisters along the path of virtue; grandchildren competed with the exploits of their grandmothers and passed them on for the edification of future generations. Before such great Christian women, who even raised entire generations - honest, virtuous, saints - the pagans themselves could not help but bow in amazement. “What kind of women are Christians!” - exclaimed Livanius, one of the famous learned pagans of the 4th century, mentor of St. John Chrysostom, Fr. Without dreaming of external exploits, these valiant women in silence, unnoticed by the world, performed a great service to humanity; without seeking special rights, they made the best use of the rights of Christian mothers, wives, sisters, girls and earned the indisputable right to the eternal gratitude of mankind, without striving for honorary positions, for broad public activity, in a small, close circle they accomplished truly great deeds. The pagan Libanius's comprehensive praise of Christian women gives us reason to imagine the sharp contrast that existed between Christian women and their contemporaries - pagan women, and for the most part from the same upper class of society. While a noble Roman pagan woman thinks only about clothes and headdresses, suffers and worries about dying her hair a fashionable red color, wearing gold, pearls and other jewelry even on her shoes - the adornment of a Christian woman, according to the commandment of the Apostle, is not external braiding of hair, not gold headdresses and elegance in clothes, but the innermost person of the heart in the imperishable beauty of the meek, silent spirit, which is of great value in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:3–5). While the pagan women rejoice at their festivals in honor of their gods, Christian wives and daughters sit at home, knitting and sewing, delighting and sanctifying their work with the singing of sacred hymns. While the noble Roman woman is carried on a stretcher, the famous Christian woman Paula travels throughout Palestine on a donkey. While the pagan puts five hundred slaves to death for her pleasure, the Christian Melania feeds five thousand Christian believers in Palestine. While a noble Roman woman attends gladiatorial spectacles and gives signs of approval to the victors, Melania disguises herself as a slave to carry food to the Christian captives in prison. While severe selfishness reigns in the heart of the pagan, sated with pleasures, Paul sells everything to give to the poor, and even borrows to lend it himself. “Beware,” Blessed Jerome writes to her on this occasion, “it is said: “Whoever has two dresses, let him give one,” but you give three!” “What is this! - she exclaims. “Whether I am reduced to beggary or to a loan, the family will always pay my lender and help me find a piece of bread; but if the poor man, pushed away by me, dies of hunger, who will be responsible for his death if not me?” While in paganism the vices of a woman not only did not arouse repentance in her, but were sometimes encouraged and even elevated to the level of religious service, the Christian Mary of Egypt, after a long vicious life, felt such deep repentance at the sight of Golgotha ​​that she immediately abandoned her previous path, went deep into the desert and for thirty years lived alone, without clothes, eating herbs and dragging around under the scorching sun. These are the examples of moral perfection that Christian wives present to us! The Courage of Christian Wives in Times of Persecution The power of God is made perfect in human weaknesses, and where it dwells and acts, there weak human strength is stronger than ordinary human strength; with it, the weak nature of wives exerts actions worthy of the valiant and undaunted confessors of Christ. In the Antiochian Church lived the pious wife of Publius, who, after the death of her husband, having been ordained to the rank of deaconess, surrounded herself with chaste virgins who vowed to God to spend their entire lives in holy virginity. With them she performed feats of pious life, daily praising God the Creator and Benefactor in sacred songs. The persecutor of Christianity, the apostate Julian, could not have been pleased with such pious deeds of Christian women and such praise of Christ the Savior from the lips of Christian virgins: his hatred, prohibitions and threats weighed down on everything that bore the name of Christ. Once, when Julian passed by the monastery of Christian virgins, at the sight of him, the fearless ascetics sang songs of praise and praise to God even louder than usual. These courageous confessors of Christ chose those songs in which the greatness of the true God was praised and the insignificance of idols was mocked. Hearing this, the champion of idols was offended and ordered the girls to remain silent when he passed by. But a lawless prohibition is not scary to someone who knows that it is unrighteous to obey man more than God; and the pious Publiya, undaunted by Julian’s prohibition, inspired the Christian virgins with even greater zeal, and when the king again passed by their monastery, she ordered them to sing: Let God rise again and let His enemies be scattered. This irritated the enemy of God even more, and he ordered the director of the choir to be brought to him. An old woman appeared before him, venerable in age and gray hair, majestic in the valor of her courageous soul. The apostate ordered each of his squires to hit the pious old woman in the face. But the threats and wounds inflicted by the fierce enemy did not frighten the soul of the humble Christian wife: having counted the dishonor suffered for Christ as a high honor for herself, she did not stop praising the Lord with the choir of her virgins, despite the prohibitions and threats of the persecutor. High is the calling of the Christian woman. Destined for life in heaven, she must perform great service here on earth as a wife and mother. Happy is the husband who has a good wife, but even happier are the children who have a kind, loving Christian mother. But in order to be a worthy wife and a real mother, you need to prepare yourself for this even as a girl. All the behavior of a Christian girl must bear the stamp of a conscious, rational life, must be imbued with firm faith in God and complete childish devotion to His good Providence. A living example of a true Christian can be found in the life of the holy martyr maiden Eulalia. She was the daughter of pious parents who lived in Spain, in a village located near the present city of Barcelona. The parents loved their daughter very much for her meekness, humility and obedience. Having learned to read and write, Saint Eulalia often read sacred books, and prayer, one might say, was her food: she glorified the Lord day and night. Eulalia lived in a special room at her parents’ house and here she indulged in prayerful labors, read sacred books to her friends, explained to them what she read, why they loved her as “their soul.” Under the influence of unceasing prayer and reading religious and moral books, a holy intention to devote herself to the virgin life arose early in her heart. When Saint Eulalia was fourteen years old, the persecution of Christians began by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. By order of the emperor, Hegemon Dacian arrived in Barcelona: he sought out Christians, forced them to make sacrifices to idols, and subjected those who refused to terrible torture and executed them. Having learned about this, Saint Eulalia decided to go to the city. Seeing the hegemon sitting in the city square, she boldly approached him and said: “Unjust judge! Here you are sitting on a high throne and are not afraid of God, who is above all. Are you then sitting here to destroy innocent people created in the image and likeness of God? People must serve the one true God, but you force them to serve Satan, and subject the disobedient to the death penalty!” The surprised hegemon asked the holy virgin: “Who are you and where are you from?” “I am Eulalia, the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords; Trusting in Him, I was not afraid to come here and expose you,” answered Saint Eulalia. The enraged hegemon then ordered her to be naked and severely beaten with sticks on her back. At the same time, he mocked the holy sufferer, reviled the Christian God, advised her to repent and ask for forgiveness, and the young virgin said to the tormentor: “Know, cruel tormentor, that I do not feel pain from the wounds you inflict on me, because I am protected by my Master Christ, Who on the terrible Day of Judgment will condemn you to eternal torment!” The embittered hegemon then ordered that Saint Eulalia be hanged on a tree and her body be planed with iron combs. But this was not enough for the cruel tormentor: he ordered the candles to be lit and the body of the holy virgin to be scorched with them until she died. And the holy girl, as if not feeling suffering, prayed: “Lord Jesus Christ! Hear my prayer, show Thy mercy to me and rest me with Thy chosen ones in Thy Kingdom.” Having said these words, she died. The people who were present saw a dove as white as snow, which flew out of the mouth of the holy martyr and soared to the sky. On the third day after the death of the holy sufferer, her body was secretly taken from the square and buried with honor. This is the Christian way of life, which modern girls should imitate to the best of their ability. From the life of Saint Eulalia we saw that prayer was her constant occupation. She praised the Lord “day and night.” Prayer at home and in church, at the beginning and end of every task, should be a distinctive feature of the behavior of every Christian girl. She must deepen in her heart firm faith in God and childlike devotion to His wise leadership, must always remember that nothing happens in the world without the will of God, and be ready for whatever the Lord sends her in life. In only such a mood can a girl boldly embark on the path of life, which, by the way, is strewn with more thorns than roses - in such only a mood she can cheerfully carry on her shoulders the burden of life imposed on her by the duty of a wife and mother: she will not lose heart, will not give up in despair, no matter how heavy the cross befalls her, but with deep humility and submission she will carry it to the grave. A Christian girl, following the example of Saint Eulalia, must have respect and love for her parents, be submissive and obedient to them in everything. Unfortunately, we often see and hear that disobedient girls not only do not listen to their parents, but even behave arrogantly, impudently, and arrogantly towards them; they allow rude behavior, they tell them that they are backward people who have outlived their time, that now is not the right time; There are even those who get married without the consent and blessing of their parents. This is a sad phenomenon and worthy of bitter regret! No, girls should always respect and honor their parents, no matter who they are. They should always put themselves in the shoes of their parents: this will protect them from many mistakes. Let them keep in mind that they too can have children who will treat them the same way they treat their parents. Disrespectful children are the greatest grief for parents. He who honors his parents will be honored by his children. A Christian girl should lead a working life, avoid idleness and laziness. She should be her mother's closest assistant in running the household. By doing this, she will early learn order, housekeeping, and enter into life with full knowledge of her business: she will not have to study when she will already have to work, toil, and not to study. We know that many girls, entering life, bitterly repent of the fact that in due time they were not accustomed to work and housekeeping. While still in her mother's house, every girl should be able to sew, knit, and cook at least the simplest food. Handicrafts, helping the mother with the housework, almsgiving, hospitality, caring for younger brothers and sisters should be her constant exercise. A Christian girl should avoid luxury in dress, which is a common weakness of almost all girls. We must be content with what the Lord has awarded us, and not give ourselves artificial beauty. The best adornment of a girl and a woman in general, according to the Apostle, is not the external braiding of hair, not gold headdresses or finery in clothing, but the hidden person of the heart in the incorruptible beauty of a meek and silent spirit, which is precious in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:3-4). The meaning of the words of the holy Apostle is this: the main subject of concern for a girl should not be appearance, but the innermost person of the heart, that is, the soul hidden in the body, the heart of a person. By a meek and silent spirit we mean self-control, which consists of not being offended by anything, not offending anyone, not giving free rein to the tongue, not idle talk, not judging, and behaving modestly and humbly. Such self-control is the duty of every Christian, especially a Christian woman. Nothing humiliates a woman more than a lack of meekness and modesty, grumpiness, pickiness, talkativeness, and a tendency to idle talk and gossip. I ask and implore you, Christian girls, to walk worthy of your calling. Imitate virgin saints in your life, such as Saint Eulalia. By doing this you will please God and save your souls. Girls - helpers in the family We will devote our present reflection to those of you, Christian virgins, who live with widowed mothers who, in addition to you, have young children. You, no doubt, know how difficult it is for your mothers to live without support - a husband, your father, and how difficult it is for them to run a household and raise children without him. Their situation is truly difficult! It is necessary to get a piece of bread, and to dress and put shoes on everyone, and, most importantly, to give all the children at least some kind of education. But what can one weak and often poor woman do here? Need and grief often take away her last strength, and plunge her into hopeless despondency, and often she has neither a deliverer nor a helper. Who in such a situation should help your mothers first and most of all, share their grief with them, wipe away their tears? Of course, first of all, you, virgins, daughters of age! You must put yourself in their position and help them, share their grief with them. But what to do? How can we help mothers and how can we wipe away their tears? We will now show this with an example, which we ask you to pay attention to. The Venerable Macrina, sister of St. Basil the Great, wishing to remain a virgin forever, lived, before entering the monastery, in the house of her parents, and here she devoted herself entirely to the service of her mother. She never left her side, was like a guard with her and served her diligently, with humility, not being ashamed of the work that slaves had to do, and always worked with them together. And when her father died, then she became for her widowed mother and a completely persistent servant, in all her sorrows, a comforter, a good builder of the whole house, and to her brothers and sisters, of whom she was older than all of them, a teacher and mentor and, as it were, a second mother. Thus, Macrina taught her younger brother Peter, who was born on the very day of his father’s death, to read and write and all prudence, good morals and chaste living. Peter subsequently became a saint and was numbered among the saints of God. When her brother Vasily, who had studied science for a long time in a foreign country, returned home, while still young, and began to be proud of his learning, then the holy sister, with his meek and God-inspired words, in a short time led him to such humility that Vasily soon despised everything worldly and took on the monastic image. She also led another brother, Nektarios, through soulful conversations to the love of God and a pure life. And this one, also despising everything, went into the desert and there served the elderly hermits. With the assistance of Macrina, all her sisters got married. Then, together with her mother, she went to the monastery; there they both spent time in great feats of abstinence, unceasing prayer, and, finally, Macrina served her mother during her last illness, her mother died in her arms. From this example, you see, Christian virgins, what your help to mothers should consist of and how you can greatly alleviate their sorrowful fate and wipe away their tears. Following the example of Saint Macrina, you should be persistent servants for your widowed mothers, comforters in sorrows and sorrows, and good builders of the whole house; most of all, you should share with them the work of raising their children, that is, your sisters and brothers, and try with all your might to instill in their hearts all that is good, such as, for example, the fear of God, zeal for prayer and for every good deed. Then truly, according to God’s commandment, it will be good for you yourself; you will live long on earth; and, of course, not only on this, but also on the land of the living, that is, in Eternal Blissful Life. Yes, know that, according to the wise and good Providence of God, the life of children who care about their parents almost always passes in prosperity and continues predominantly before the life of children who do not want to know their father and mother; Even if this does not happen, then children who care for their parents, in any case, still receive in due time the most perfect blessing from the Heavenly Father, that is, immortal and blissful life in the Heavenly Fatherland. Many customs have taken root among people, which at first were not only not reprehensible, but even necessary, but then, due to human whim, became harmful to the soul and body and, in general, to all well-being. Among these customs is the more and more widespread custom of decorating one's body with exquisite and luxurious clothes. Of course, a person cannot neglect decency and decorum in dress; whom the Lord has blessed with prosperity in life should not walk around in torn and tattered clothes: by doing this he would show either his carelessness and laziness, or his despicable stinginess and passion for covetousness. The Holy Apostle Paul advises Christians that everything they do should be decent and in order. This applies to all their external behavior; there is a danger that by excessive care about clothing they will damage their soul, grow cold in zeal for its decoration and, thus, betray their essential duty in fulfilling the law of God. That is why the holy fathers strictly denounce luxury and sophistication in attire. Thus, the life of the Monk Pambo contains an amazing lesson on how one should look at unnecessary bodily adornment. The Monk Pambo was one of the famous ascetics who fled in the Nitrian desert, in Egypt. Through prayers and solitary contemplation of God, he acquired such experience and wise insight that he was a simple-minded but faithful interpreter of the law of God. People flocked from everywhere to hear his wise words and advice, and even the great saints wanted to enjoy his wise conversation. Thus, one day Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, asked the Monk Pambo to come to Alexandria for a spiritual conversation. During this visit, walking along the city streets with the brethren, the Monk Pamvo saw a woman adorned with luxurious and exquisite clothes. Looking at her and seeing spiritual impurity in her under her luxurious clothes, the elder wept bitterly. The brothers asked him why he was crying. “For two reasons I cry,” answered the man of God, “I cry for the destruction of the soul of this dressed up woman, and at the same time I cry because I, a sinner, do not have the same care for my soul that she has for her body. This woman dresses up to please people, but I don’t want to decorate my soul with anything to please God.” Truly worthy of great regret and lamentation is man’s useless and vain concern for his bodily adornment without concern for inner beauty. What does our body mean in comparison with the immortality, the God-like being of our soul? The body is a temporary church of the soul, which at a certain time must collapse, and all its decorations will remain unnecessary. On the contrary, the soul has an eternal purpose, and only adorned with the wedding robe, that is, with good deeds, can it gain access to the Heavenly Palace and be present at the supper of Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. Without good deeds, if our soul appears before the face of God, it will be as if without any clothing, naked and filled with shame, and therefore will be expelled from the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, it is better to take care of your eternal happiness and salvation, rather than about temporary, fleeting pleasure; it is better to try to please God with the beauty of virtue, rather than think about pleasing people with external vain decorations. Let us suppose that it is possible to do both: to decorate both the body and the soul in their own way. It would be good if this were so, but in reality, for the most part, it happens differently. Usually we have update after update, outfit after outfit, and a continuous series of new inventions in jewelry; luxury is developing in society even among poor people, but little is heard about new successes in good morality, about the increase in society of love, honesty, abstinence, and charity. And it is not surprising if excessive care for the body does not leave a person time to take care of his soul. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21), says the Savior. It is difficult for someone who thinks only about earthly things to rise in spirit to the highest spiritual perfection. How often it happens that because of the passion for clothes, the most necessary spiritual duties are abandoned! Some, for example, do not want to go to church because there is no new dress, and they come to the church itself in new clothes, as if for show; others, instead of praying in church, consider who is dressed how, and when they come home they judge the outfits they saw, and do not want to remember what the Gospel or Apostolic word was, what teaching... They often regret helping the poor with a few pennies, but throw a lot of money at fashionable clothes, depleting their funds necessary for daily life. What can we say about those cases when they decorate their body for the purpose of seducing them into sinful networks, when for this purpose they invent clothes that do not so much cover as expose and excite sensuality? Truly one cannot help but shed tears, like the Monk Pambo, seeing such an obvious violation of the purity of morals. Beware of entering the slippery and dangerous path of indulging your passions and whims, which quietly lead to death. Likewise, an addiction to clothes, which at first seems not reprehensible, can harm a person’s spiritual salvation. Christian wives! Let your adornment, in the words of the holy Apostle Peter, be not the external braiding of hair, not gold jewelry or finery in clothing, but the hidden person of the heart in the imperishable beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:3-4). About harmony in family life How pleasing to God is a peaceful and harmonious life in a family, this is evidenced by one circumstance from the life of St. Macarius of Egypt. One day while praying, this ascetic of Christ heard a voice: “Macarius! you have not yet equaled the perfection and holiness of the two women who live in the city not far from you.” Hearing this, the holy elder went to look for those wives and, having found them, asked: “Tell me, my sisters in the Lord, how do you live and serve God?” The pious wives answered him with humility: “We are sinners and live in the vanities of the world.” But the reverend father did not cease to question them, saying: “For God’s sake, reveal to me your good deeds!” At the strong request of the holy elder, the women finally told him: “We have no good deeds; The only thing we don’t do is anger God: since we entered into marriage with two brothers, we have been living so peacefully for fifteen years now that not only have we not started quarrels or hostility among ourselves, but neither has yet said an unpleasant word to the other.” This is how pleasing to God a peaceful life is that even the fasting and prayer of a hermit could not compare with it! Therefore, the Holy Church, through the mouths of its ministers, more than once greets us with peace during divine services and wishes to establish it in our hearts. Almsgiving and prayer - helping the deceased We are all sinful people, we die with sins. There is not one of us who, when dying, does not realize that he is a sinner before God. But although we all die in body, we will live in spirit before the Lord of life. The Word of God says: for this reason Christ died and rose again and is alive, and has both the dead and the living (cf. Rom. 14:9). The Savior Himself says: believe in Me, even if you die, you will live (John 11:25). Our soul, after separation from the body, appears at the judgment of God. This court is private - before the General Court. The General Judgment will be the last, at the Second Terrible Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, after our general resurrection, when our souls are united with our bodies. It will be performed solemnly, in front of the whole world, and will decide our fate in Eternal Life; and private judgment occurs immediately after the separation of the soul from the body, before God, our conscience and before the bright Angels of God and evil spirits. He determines our position only until the General Resurrection and the Last Judgment. Evil spirits will expose and accuse our soul of our evil deeds, and bright Angels will protect us with our good deeds against every sin exposed by evil spirits. This private court will determine what our soul is worthy of. A righteous soul according to this judgment is destined for eternal bliss; she, like the soul of the righteous Lazarus, is brought by Angels to the Kingdom of Heaven for bliss in it. And the souls of unrepentant sinners are sent to hell, to be tormented in it (see: Matthew 25:46). But until the General Resurrection, our souls feel neither perfect bliss nor perfect torment. The souls of sinners who died with faith and repentance, but did not manage to correct their lives here and bear fruits worthy of repentance, although they are relegated to hell, but not to a place of eternal torment, but to that place from where, through the prayer of the Church and by the power of the Bloodless Sacrifice of Christ, they have the sure hope of being transferred to the bright heavenly abodes. The mercy of God and the power of the redemptive merits of the Savior extends to us until the General Judgment. The justice and mercy of God, while punishing evil, cannot but reward good. Only unrepentant sinners are directly cast into the bottom of hell. These are infidels, freethinkers, blasphemers. The dead themselves cannot bring anything to the Lord God for their sins. There is no repentance after death (see: Ps. 6:6). After death, according to St. Augustine, “the time of doing has already flown away from us.” Only we, living on earth, can help the deceased in this. If we earnestly pray for the dead and remember them, then, through our prayer, the Lord can forgive their sins, deliver them from hell and bring them heavenly bliss with the saints. We ask the Lord to have mercy on the dead, to forgive them every sin, voluntary and involuntary. And what is asked in the name of the Lord, then, according to the Savior, will be given to us. Whatever else you ask from the Father in My name, that I will do (John 14:13). Whatever you ask in prayer as a believer, you will receive (Matthew 21:22). Church prayer is such a great power that passes through the heavens to the Throne of the Almighty; it descends to the abyss of hell and brings prisoners from there to freedom; she ascends to God in the name of His beloved Only Begotten Son, who offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. The most important and greatest means of easing the lot of the dead is the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for their repose, which is performed at mass. Here our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in the Most Pure Mysteries of His Body and Blood, is sacrificed for everyone. With His Blood He intercedes with the Heavenly Father for the forgiveness of the sins of the departed. From the prosphora we serve at the proskomedia, particles are taken out for the deceased. These particles are put into the very Chalice of the Body and Blood of Christ and washed with this Blood of Christ. At the same time, the souls of those for whom these particles are taken are washed with this same Most Pure Blood. “Wash away, Lord, the sins of those who are remembered here by Thy Blood,” - this is how the priest prays, immersing particles in the Most Holy Blood of the Son of God for the departed. How rightly we act when we serve prosphora to the proskomedia to remove particles from them for the dead! Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says: “Great benefit will come to the souls for whom prayer is offered when the Holy and Terrible Sacrifice is offered.” “The Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” into which the particles taken out at the proskomedia for the dead are dropped during the Liturgy, cleanses... from all sin (cf. 1 John 1:7). “Prayer for the departed is like a saving rope, which at an opportune time a person throws to a drowning neighbor,” says St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. Truly: commemoration brings untold benefits to the deceased. If we could see our deceased relatives and friends, then surely they would tenderly ask us for remembrance; True, they would tell us: “You cannot imagine how gratifying your commemoration is to us and how useful it is to us. Help us to be freed from sins and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.” If by some miracle we saw these millions of people rushing to the abodes of the saints, would not a stony heart and a cruel soul be amazed at this sight. Just as it is bitter for drowning people when they see their friends on the shore who do not give them a rope for salvation, so it is hard for the dead if we do not heed their requests and do not pray for them. Let's listen to the following story about how our prayers for them help the dead. Saint John of Damascus relates that one holy man had a disciple who behaved negligently and thus died. The elder, fearing for his fate after a carefree life, began to pray for him. The Lord showed him the disciple in fire up to his neck. The elder began to pray for him even more fervently, and the Lord showed him a young man standing waist-deep in fire. Finally, when the elder intensified his prayers for the disciple, the Lord showed him the young man completely freed from the fire. This is how useful prayers are to our dead. Another incident told by Saint Gregory Dvoeslov. One presbyter usually washed himself in the greenhouse. One day he sees a stranger in that place, who took off the presbyter’s boots and took his clothes. Then he handed him a linen to wipe his feet and clothes. This service from the stranger was repeated. The presbyter, wanting to thank the stranger, took two prosphoras with him and went to the greenhouse. The stranger also served him. But when the presbyter wanted to give him those prosphoras for his services, the stranger wept bitterly and said: “Father! Why are you giving this to me? This is holy bread. I can't eat it. I was once the master of this place, but for my sins I am condemned to remain here. Instead, take pity on me, pray for my sins and bring this bread to God. And when you come to wash and you don’t find me here, it will mean that the Lord has heard your prayer.” At these words the stranger became invisible. The presbyter prayed fervently for a whole week for his pardon and, when he returned to the greenhouse, he no longer saw the stranger. Is it possible after this to forget to pray for our deceased relatives and brothers, so that the Lord may rest their souls in the villages of the righteous! After all, the dead are only waiting for prayerful help and consolation from us. How bitter and difficult it is for them when we forget to remember them! ...Our other duty towards the dead is to give alms for them. The dead are most in need of God's mercy. The Savior says: blessed are the merciful: for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). Alms delivers from death and cleanses all sin (cf. Tob. 12:9). Saint John Chrysostom says: “Almost dead through alms and benevolence; for alms serves to deliver one from eternal torment.” “If we want to ease the torment of a sinner,” says the same saint, “we will give alms, and, although he is unworthy, the Lord will take pity on him. It’s not the coffins, it’s not the funeral ceremonies that need to be taken care of. Place widows around the coffin - this is the best funeral celebration. Command everyone to make prayers and supplications for him, and this will appease God.” Almsgiving brings great joy to the dead. The dead cannot give alms themselves; we must give alms to the poor for them. Alms given to the poor are accepted by the Savior Himself (see: Matthew 25:40). And the one who receives alms will, without a doubt, remember in prayer the one in whose memory the alms are given to him. The Lord Himself commanded us to pray for each other (see: James 5:16). He often showed His mercy to some through the intercession of others. Thus, he healed the centurion’s servant at the master’s intercession, and the daughter of a Canaanite wife through the prayer of her mother. These are prayers of the living for the living, although absent. The prayer of the living and for the dead is just as powerful. The Monk Athanasius says: “Let it be known to you that alms done for the soul of the deceased and priestly prayers appease God. If the souls of the departed are sinners, then for the good deeds of the living in their memory they receive remission of sins.” Blessed Luke’s brother died and he lived in extreme neglect. The saint asked God to show him the fate of his brother. During prayer, God showed the blessed man his brother in the hands of demons. The blessed one at the same time sent some of the brethren to inspect the cell of the deceased; the messengers found gold and expensive things there; The blessed one ordered all this to be distributed to the poor. After that, he began to pray again and saw the judgment seat of God and the Angels of God arguing with demons for the soul of his brother. The evil spirits cried out: “You are righteous, so judge: our soul, for it did our deeds.” The Holy Angels of God said: “She has been delivered by the alms given for her.” The evil spirits resisted and exclaimed: “Did he give alms? Isn’t this the old man?” Blessed Luke answered: “Yes, I did alms, but not for myself, but for this soul.” Then the demons disappeared. This is the great power of almsgiving for the dead! It is not only the dead who benefit from our commemoration of them; it brings great benefit to ourselves. For our prayers for the dead, we are awarded a special blessing from God in this life and a reward in the future life. Although the bodies of the dead have decayed in the earth, their souls are alive in another world; they remember their loved ones living on earth. Not only that: they bake and take care of us. Our deceased relatives, looking at our lives, either rejoice when we live according to God, piously, or mourn when we do not live like a Christian. They pray and intercede for us before God, and their prayers, like incense, ascend to God (Apoc. 8:4). The Monk Athanasia, appearing in a dream vision to the abbess, among other things said to her: “If the souls of the departed are pure and righteous, then those who perform commemoration upon themselves thereby bring down the mercy of God.” Is this why, when we fervently pray for the departed, we have sweet feelings that alleviate grief? Our conscience becomes light, our souls feel joyful. This is precisely a sign of God’s blessing for the good that we do to the dead through our remembrance. He who earnestly prays for the dead gives them consolation and joy for himself. Let us pray earnestly for our deceased parents, relatives and neighbors. Let us beg the Lord for their forgiveness and the repose of their souls in the Kingdom of Heaven. We will give alms for the dead: we will bring great good to the dead. Through our prayer and through alms, the Lord can forgive their sins and install them in the bright abodes of heaven. And the Lord will not deprive us of His heavenly blessing for our love and zeal for the dead. When we pray earnestly for the dead, then others will pray for us when we ourselves die: Measure with every measure, it will be measured back to you, says the Lord (Matthew 7:2). You might be interested in: