НЕДЕЛЯ СВЯТОЙ ПЯТИДЕСЯТНИЦЫ

Jesus Christ on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles The Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorated the tranquility of the people in the land of promise from the labors of wandering, was the Feast of the Law, since then they were most occupied with reading it, and for the prophet Zechariah it symbolically meant the time of gathering in Jerusalem of all nations to worship the true God. On the last day of this holiday, according to custom, a symbolic libation of water was made from the source of Siloam (this water is indicated in the same chapter of Zechariah and Ezekiel), which flowed under the church mountain, while singing from the prophet Isaiah: you who thirst, come to the water (cf. Is. 55:1). Probably, according to the application of the holiday and actions to this meaning, the Lord, appearing on this day in the assembly of the people, said: if anyone thirsts, come to Me and drink (cf. John 7:37). And comparing Himself with a church from under which water flows, he applies this comparison to those who believe in Him. Just as He pours out living water, so those who believe in His name, having received the Spirit, will not only have this water within themselves, in their hearts, but will also pour it out to others, spreading the light of the knowledge of God everywhere. The Divine Voice fell silent. Judgments and disputes about Jesus began again. Some saw Him as a prophet, others as the Messiah Himself, while at the same time some said that the Messiah, as the son of David, should be expected not from Galilee, but from Judea, namely from Bethlehem; They also said that there were not even prophets from Galilee. There were even those who expressed a desire to seize Him; but the servants of the church, on whom this was entrusted by the Sanhedrin, returned, at the end of the holiday, without success, declaring that they could not take Him, because no man had ever spoken like this Man. Finally, in the Sanhedrin itself, when discussing what had happened, a division arose, which was even more likely to arm His enemies against Jesus. Having listened with indignation to the report of the messengers, they answered them: Have you also been deceived? Did any of the rulers or the Pharisees believe in Him? One people believes in Him. But this people is ignorant of the law - they are cursed (cf. John 7:47–49). At this time, Nicodemus dared to notice to the members of the Sanhedrin that they were acting unfairly, concluding their judgment about a Man whose deeds they did not know well and had not listened to. “What are we looking for? “There was no prophet from Galilee,” the others answered him, forgetting in the darkness of their minds that Elijah, Jonah and, perhaps, even Nahum were from there. And they remarked to him with ridicule: “Aren’t you from Galilee yourself, standing up for the Galilean like that?” Thus, without entering into further investigation of the matter, they decided to excommunicate from the synagogue everyone who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus Christ chose His disciples from poor and uneducated people; some were fishermen and lived by their craft. The Lord commanded them to preach His Word throughout the world. They had to convert Jews and pagans, speak to the learned and wise, to the strong and noble people. The task assigned to them was difficult. It could not be accomplished without God's help. And this help was promised to them by Jesus Christ, Who commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from above. He promised them the gift of miracles, knowledge of languages, and promised them His constant presence with the believers. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me, He told them. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18–20). After these words, the Lord ascended to heaven. The disciples returned to Jerusalem, where they remained in the upper room on Mount Zion in constant prayer, waiting with joy and hope for the Comforter promised to them, the Holy Spirit. With them was the Mother of Jesus, some women who had believed in the Lord, and other believers. The day of Pentecost was approaching. This holiday was celebrated solemnly in Jerusalem on the fiftieth day after Easter. They remembered the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Houses and synagogues were decorated with tree branches; many people came to Jerusalem from all countries of the world. The Gospel narrates that the apostles were praying unanimously in an upper room on Mount Zion, when suddenly, at the third hour of the day, which corresponds to the ninth hour of the morning in our time, there was a great noise from heaven, as if from a strong wind, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, descended on each of those praying; they were all filled with Divine power and wisdom; everyone suddenly received a great gift from above - knowledge of languages, which should have made it easier for them to preach the gospel to all nations. Hearing the noise, many people surrounded the house in which the apostles were - there were many foreigners and many Jews who lived in foreign lands and came to Jerusalem for the holiday. The apostles came out to them and began to speak to everyone in their native language, preaching about the great deeds of God. Everyone was amazed at this. Then Peter began to explain the prophecies that predicted the coming of Jesus Christ, and announced that all these prophecies were now fulfilled, that Christ was born, was crucified and then resurrected, that He had now poured out the Holy Spirit on His apostles. Those who heard this were touched in their hearts and said: What should we do? Peter answered them: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, that you may receive forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is given to you and to everyone whom the Lord calls. Save yourself from this corrupt generation (cf. Acts 2:37–40). On this day, about three thousand people turned to Christ and were baptized. They began to live with the apostles and had everything in common; constantly continued in prayer and breaking bread, i.e. performed the Sacrament of the Eucharist established by the Lord. The Holy Church solemnly commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit. This holiday is called the day of Pentecost, as well as the day of the Holy Trinity. Churches and houses are decorated with tree branches and flowers in memory of the fact that under the shade of green tabernacles the Jews also celebrated the giving of the Law to them. In glorification of the new grace poured out on the apostles, the Church sings: “Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, Who art wise as fishers of things, having sent down upon them the Holy Spirit, and with them caught the universe, Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.” In Russian: Blessed be Christ our God, Who revealed the wise fishers, sending down to them the Holy Spirit, and through them caught the universe. Lover of humanity, glory to You! “Caught the universe” means: attracted the whole world to the true faith. The word “caught” is used here because the Lord said to the apostles, who were fishermen, catchers of fish: “I will make you fishers of men.” The liturgy on this holiday is different in that it is immediately followed by Great Vespers with three kneeling prayers. The day following Pentecost is called the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and is a continuation of the same holiday. About the custom of decorating churches and houses on the Feast of the Holy Trinity Remembering on this day the event of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, we have the custom of decorating the churches of God and our homes with herbs and flowers. We stand in the church of God with green tree branches and fragrant flowers, and everywhere, on the streets, squares and in houses we see the same decorations with flowers and branches. Where does this custom come from? How was it established in our Church and why is it observed to this day? Nothing is done just like that in our Orthodox Church. If we think about it and delve deeper into the meaning and significance of this pious custom, we will see that it was not for nothing that it was established in ancient times. True, this custom is not given to us either in the Holy Scriptures or in the church charter. However, there are many pious customs of the Orthodox Church that are not established either by the Holy Scriptures or by church statutes and regulations, but, according to legend, are passed down from century to century. One of these customs is this one - on the Feast of Pentecost, to decorate our churches and homes with green branches, herbs and flowers. This custom dates back to apostolic times and was sanctified by the example of the holy men of the first times of Christianity. Blessed Augustine testifies to it back in the 5th century. That's how ancient this custom is. Let us consider the origins of this pious custom and what its meaning and significance are. First of all, the custom of decorating our churches and homes on the Feast of Pentecost is taken from the example of the Patriarchal Church. So, Abraham at the oak of Mamre, seeing three wanderers, invites them to his place to rest and offers them a warm treat. According to the understanding of the godly fathers, the Lord Himself appeared to Abraham in three persons in the person of three strangers. Hence, since ancient times, it has been the custom to depict the faces of the Holy Trinity on icons in the form of three wanderers treated by Abraham under the shade of one of the trees of the Mamvrian oak grove. And it is customary to decorate houses and churches on the Feast of Pentecost with leafy branches and flowers in memory of the appearance of the Most Holy Trinity to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. The churches and dwellings of Orthodox Christians, thus, serve as a kind of image of that tabernacle of Abraham, where three Divine travelers rested under the shade of the Mamre oak. Therefore, looking at the plants and herbs that surround us on this holiday in the church and in our homes, we are transported in thought to the appearance of the Trinitarian God to Abraham. Give reverent thanks to the Lord God, who appears to us in images accessible to our senses and so clearly approaches us, sinners, with such beneficence - for the fact that a person like us converses with God face to face! But at the same time, try to confirm in yourself the disposition of spirit that Abraham had when he met and accepted the Lord. Namely: try to imitate in life his unshakable faith in God, his deep humility, love for one’s neighbor, and so on. In this way you will become like Abraham, who accepted the Lord to himself, and, like Abraham, you will attract God’s blessing and love. We see the custom of decorating churches and houses with fresh herbs and flowers on the Feast of Pentecost in another example of the Old Testament Church. On the Feast of Pentecost, the Jews decorated their synagogues and homes in remembrance of the fact that when God gave the Law on Mount Sinai, everything in nature turned green. In addition, during their wanderings in the desert, the Jews lived in tents made of branches. The Ten Commandments of the Sinai legislation are also binding and necessary for us Christians. Therefore, the pious custom of the Old Testament Church to decorate homes and synagogues with plants can easily be maintained in our Christian Church, especially since the Zion Upper Room, in which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, according to the Old Testament custom, was also decorated with tree branches and flowers. It is no coincidence that the apostles and the first Christians preserved this custom in the Christian Church. It has come down to us in the same form as it was under the apostles. We find the custom of decorating our homes with herbs and flowers on the Feast of Pentecost in another example from the Old Testament Church. On the Feast of Pentecost, it was prescribed by law, as a sign of gratitude to God, to bring Him the first fruits of the harvest, which in Palestine was already ending by that time. Similarly, in the Christian Church the custom of bringing the first young shoots of trees and flowers to the church at the beginning of spring has been preserved. This wonderful custom testifies to our desire to offer the Lord God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the spring renewal of nature. There is no requirement in the church charter to establish a special celebration on the occasion of the spring renewal of visible nature. But now the feast of Pentecost is approaching, one might say, that time of year when plant life in nature appears in new strength and freshness. And therefore, the thought of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, remembered on this holiday, very clearly points us to another thought - to the action of the same Spirit of God in visible nature. Just as at the beginning, during the creation of the visible world, the Spirit of God moved on top of the waters (Gen. 1:2), which poured His life-giving power into the unstructured substance of creation, so in the already created nature, everything that vegetates and lives vegetates and lives by the power of the same All-Holy Spirit: hasten Your Spirit, and they will be built, and renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:30), says the Psalmist. Therefore, the custom of decorating churches and homes on the day of Pentecost with tender green branches and flowers expresses more eloquently than words the feelings of our praise and thanksgiving to the Spirit of God, who renews the face of the earth. Thus, looking at the branches of trees and flowers, we will always imagine that with these flowers and branches we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving worthy of God, who renews spring nature after a long winter sleep. Finally, the custom of decorating houses with branches and flowers on the Feast of Pentecost has both moral meaning and significance for us. These flowers and branches point us to ourselves, to our spiritual, moral state that we should have in life. Look: the flowers are turning green, blooming and smelling wonderful. This should be the life of every Christian. A Christian should be adorned and blossom with good and pious deeds. Just as flowers with their fragrance and beauty beckon and attract the eyes of everyone, so piety, faith and love attract the hearts of everyone. Our pious life must shine and blossom with deeds of virtue in order to be a model and example for others and serve for the glory of God. Thus, let your light shine before men, said the Savior, for they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). So, brothers, holding fragrant flowers in our hands on this holiday, let us try to demonstrate this or that virtue in our lives, if we did not have one before. Look: there is a forget-me-not in your flowers. While admiring this flower, do not forget the Lord God and the Mother of God, who loves you, protects you and prays to God for you. Here you have a lily; Looking at this flower, remember God’s commandment not to worry about excessive decoration and outfits, but to keep your heart pure and immaculate from all vanity and impurity. Here you have cornflowers. Let this flower indicate that sin should not reign in us, but that our spirit should reign over the flesh and passions. So, think about other colors and try to find in them certain lessons of faith and morality. Let every green branch with fragrant leaves teach us the abundant and life-giving fruits of virtue. And the branch is dry and lifeless - yes, it points to the sad image of a sinner who does not have the living fruits of virtue, and is dead to spiritual life. Look further and observe. Just as trees in winter, without the influence of the sun, seem to die from the effects of the cold, stand naked and leafless, such a state occurs in the soul of a sinner. She dies spiritually without the life-giving breath of the Spirit of God. Then, although our soul apparently lives, thinks, feels and acts, these actions without the assistance of the Spirit of God are as if dead, lifeless: they do not produce the good fruits of virtue. On the contrary, a person in whom the life-giving power of the Spirit of God shines reveals the beautiful fruits of virtue, some more beautiful and attractive than others. According to the Apostle, these fruits are: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22). Therefore, let us try to attract the grace of the Spirit of God to ourselves. What and how? A pious and immaculate life, faith, prayers, humility and other good qualities. Thus, from examining the branches and flowers brought to the festival, we each learn moral success in faith and piety. Christian brothers, we have seen where and how the pious custom of decorating our churches and houses with flowers and branches on the feast of Pentecost came to us; therefore let us observe it. But at the same time, we will try to learn for ourselves the lessons of faith and morality. Then the custom will serve everyone’s spiritual benefit, to improve themselves in morality for the future life. Whoever thirsts, come to Me and drink On the last great day of the holiday, Jesus stood and cried out, saying: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (John 7:37) - these are the words of the Gospel being read today. This last day of the Jewish eight-day holiday of Pentecost represented the current day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and on all Christians. On this day, the high priest solemnly, accompanied by priests and people, left the temple of Jerusalem to the source of Siloam and, having drawn water here with a golden cup, brought it to the church and poured it onto the altar. This water depicted the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on people at the coming of the Messiah Christ to earth. When the high priest performed this ritual of pouring out water, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah expected on earth, stood in the church in a high and prominent place and loudly spoke to the Jews: if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (cf. John 7:37), i.e. if any of you Jews sincerely desires and thirsts for the coming of the Messiah Christ to earth in order to receive from Him the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit, then here I am before you, the Messiah you are waiting for; Come to Me, everyone, and draw from Me, as from an abundant source, as much grace as anyone wants; widen your thirsty lips and drink as much as you want. The Lord addresses these very words to us now: if anyone thirsts, come to Me, draw grace from Me and drink (cf. John 7:37). To whom exactly does the loving Lord intend these significant words among us? Who are these thirsty ones among us whom He calls to Himself? These are, firstly, those unfortunate and bitter people who, suffering from extreme poverty, homelessness, resentment of their neighbors, from family discord or illness, from separation from loved ones or some other misfortune, desire and crave relief and consolation for themselves. Raise your bowed heads, you sufferers of life! Incline your dull ears to the calling of the Lord - He calls you to Himself; approach Him, fall down before Him with your tearful prayer, tell Him your grief, your sadness and, putting aside all grumbling about your fate, place all your hope in Him; and truly, you will drink the grace pouring straight from His loving heart: truly, He Himself will comfort your soul, calm and delight your torn and thirsty heart. Be sure of this by His true words: come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Secondly, those who are thirsty, whom the Savior now calls to Himself, are those of us who, being burdened with various sins and vices, desire to sincerely repent, cleanse our souls and calm our conscience. Why are you delaying, sinful souls seeking repentance! Hear the sweet voice of the Merciful Savior: if anyone thirsts for forgiveness of sins, let him come to Me and drink the grace of remission (see: John 7:37). He has been calling you to Him for a long time, has long been waiting for your true repentance: rise up and be encouraged, and now approach Him with a contrite and humble heart, now confess to Him all your sins before His servant - the priest, and you will undoubtedly drink from Him the grace of mercy and forgiveness; undoubtedly He will cleanse your soul and calm your troubled conscience. For our humane Savior lovingly accepts all sinners and forgives all who repent, no matter what their sins, as He Himself assures: for He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13). Thirdly, those who are thirsty are those Christians who, not seeing anything truly good in themselves - no love for God and neighbors, no due zeal and warmth in prayer, no meekness and humility, no firm determination to avoid sin and live according to God's commandments - remain dissatisfied with themselves and therefore desire and thirst to live a truly Christian life, to kindle in their hearts love for God and neighbors, to love prayer, remove yourself from all sin and establish yourself in virtue. Christians, languishing with this saving thirst for piety and virtue, take heed! Isn’t it you who the Savior is now especially calling to Himself to quench your spiritual thirst? Expand the thirsty lips of your soul and rush to the life-giving Source, the Sweetest Jesus, and through the communion of His Body and Blood, drink from Him the abundant waters of the grace of the Holy Spirit, who will strengthen your weak forces for all good, inflame your heart with love for God and your neighbors, kindle in you the spirit of unflagging prayer and give you strength to overcome all sin. So, all who thirst for consolation in the sorrows of life, for the cleansing of their sins, for piety and virtue - all come to your Savior, who is now calling you to Himself, and receive from Him, in your tearful prayer, the grace of consolation in your sorrows, in your sincere repentance - the grace of cleansing your sins, and in Holy Communion - the grace of sanctification, strengthening and love for virtue. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink (John 7:37). God's law commands us to maintain truth in all our words and actions, and not to lie or deceive under any circumstances. Truth, established in human society, strengthens its well-being. It generates mutual trust, nourishes love and, stimulating forces to unanimous action, leads all our endeavors to the desired success. If we all tried to live in truth, avoid lies and deception, our lives would flow calmer, safer, in peace and quiet. Nothing causes so much evil between people as from untruth. Deceptions, deceptions, and thefts undermine the general welfare. Everyone suffers in this case - both honest workers and unrighteous money-grubbers themselves. Those who resort to lies in order to gain benefits for themselves usually end up in great misfortune. When convicted of untruth, they lose honor, trust, and sometimes even their very social position, with which their livelihood is also connected. Thus, the path of untruth, lies, deceit and deception is a direct path to human impoverishment. Even if some people manage to increase their well-being by lying, it is always short-lived. What is easily acquired is easy to live; what is acquired with evil, will perish with evil. The tears of those offended by the unrighteous money-grubber reach the Just God and bring down the wrath of God on human unrighteousness. Can a person’s well-being be secure when the wrath of God weighs over him, when he is deprived of God’s blessing?.. Unfortunately, many do not understand the obvious manifestations of God’s wrath against untruth and, despite its disastrous consequences, there are many servants of untruth among people. To lie, deceive and generally hide the truth, especially when it brings benefit, is not considered a sin, and if it is considered, it is a small, forgivable sin. What happens from such a frivolous judgment about actions is that a bad disposition becomes stronger in the soul and turns into a strong passion, which a person is then unable to cope with. It is especially disastrous if a person from childhood sees examples of lies, deceit and deceit around him, and he himself gets used to the same from an early age, and there is no one to correct these bad habits. It is difficult to correct a crooked tree once it has become established in that position. Thus, the habit of acting untruthfully, lying and deceiving, having taken root in a person’s soul, becomes, as it were, his second nature. Therefore, if we want to preserve ourselves from double-mindedness and guile, if we want to stand firmly on the path of truth, we must correct at the very beginning the slightest inclination to deviate from the truth. Our God is the highest Truth; everything that deviates from the truth is not pleasing to God. There can be no justifying circumstances for allowing lies before the face of God. One unconditional truth is justified before God. How sacredly one must observe the truth and not allow lies in any apparently excusable cases is shown by the following example from the life of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia. The saint lived during the reign of Diocletian, a cruel persecutor of Christians. At this time, the persecutors tried first of all to find and execute the abbots of the church, in order to thus deprive Christians of their mentors. Saint Anthimus, at the special inspiration of God, withdrew from the city for a while and hid in a nearby village. From there he sent exhortations and letters to the Christians committed to trial and imprisoned, encouraging them to the upcoming feat of martyrdom. This became known to the king, and he sent soldiers to find Saint Anthimus. The soldiers searched for him for a long time and, tired, stopped in the village where the saint lived, met him and asked: “Where is Anthimus, the Christian teacher, hiding?” Realizing that the hour of martyrdom had come, Saint Anthimus said to the soldiers: “Come into my house and rest; I’ll tell you where the one you’re looking for is hiding.” Having received the soldiers into the house, the saint gave them a meal and treated them with love and cordiality. After the meal, standing in front of the soldiers, Saint Anthimus said that he himself was Bishop Anthimus, for whom they were sent: “Take me and lead me to those who sent you.” The soldiers were amazed by the generosity, meekness and benevolent appearance of the old man, who sheltered and treated them with such sincerity. They began to ask Saint Anthimus to hide, promising to inform the authorities that they had not found him anywhere. “No,” answered the saint, “it is a great sin before God to violate the truth; It is criminal to deceive any person, and even more so one’s king, and to allow a lie in the performance of one’s duty. Do your duty honestly, you are innocent of carrying out an illegal order given to you.” With these words he went to the city. And what did he do while going to his death? All the way he talked with the soldiers about the Christian faith and so confirmed them that right there on the way, in the river, he baptized them, thus making them children of grace, beloved of God. Presented before the tormentor, Saint Anthimus fearlessly confessed his faith in Christ and, after terrible torture, was beheaded with a sword. So, Christians, keep the truth as the apple of your eye, do not betray it under any circumstances. Whoever, out of self-interest or for some personal calculations, begins to deceive himself, will little by little imperceptibly reach such a disastrous state when a person, in the blindness of the mind and the hardening of the heart, fearlessly tramples the truth, becoming a criminal before the human court and preparing for himself the wrath of God, which is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth through unrighteousness (cf. Rom. 1:18). I am the light of the world (John 8:12), says the Savior of the world about Himself. There was a time when this Light visibly shone on earth, illuminated minds with a life-giving word, penetrated into the most cruel hearts, healed the sick and raised the dead; There was a time when this Light shone on Tabor like the sun, and on Golgotha ​​it hid from the eyes of the world, turning the day into deep night. “The earth and the sun were terrified, O Savior, I hid myself in the Everlasting Light, Christ, I went into a carnal tomb,” is sung in a church song. Since then, this Non-Evening Light is no longer visible to bodily eyes, but nevertheless it shines and has a life-giving effect in the human race. Where Jesus Christ is the Son of God, there is the Divine light. Where on earth is our Lord Jesus Christ? Where two or three of us gather and pray in His name. He Himself says: where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Where does this happen? In the Church of God. Yes, in church during services Jesus Christ is with us; therefore, here the Divine light shines primarily, therefore, here His light can shine for us primarily, here we can primarily enjoy His ineffable glory, and the Divine light shines here, and we enjoy this light here. That is why it is so good and joyful for us in the church of God. Therefore, Christian, always, but especially when it’s hard for you for some reason: sorrows, troubles threaten, doubts, bewilderments disturb, need, poverty weighs you down, despondency, boredom attacks - hurry quickly to the church of God; here you will rest your soul, calm down, here you will feel good, just remember from Whom it is good here, from Whom the joyful, soothing light shines here: do not forget Jesus Christ; Without the thought of the Sweetest Jesus, nothing in the church will please you, and nothing will calm you down. Further, just as the sun not only shines itself, but communicates its light to other, smaller luminaries, for example, the moon, stars, so our Lord Jesus Christ, the Non-Evening Light, not only shines Himself, but also communicates His light to people, and above all to the shepherds of the Church. You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), Jesus Christ said to the apostles and their successors - the shepherds of the Church. The shepherds of the Church, who have received grace from God, enlighten us with Holy Baptism, communicate to us the truths of the Gospel and guide us to eternal salvation on all paths of our lives. Our duty is to obey and rely on our spiritual shepherds in everything. Finally, the light of Christ can be reflected on all of us. Live among yourself in love and harmony, and you will live in the Divine light. He who loves his brother, says the beloved disciple of Christ, abides in the light (1 John 2:10). God's blessing descends on those people who live among themselves in harmony and love. And from the outside, your heart rejoices when you look at people living in harmony with each other; what kind of joy do they enjoy themselves?! Unfortunately, such families are rare and such people are few. Many of us, although they bear the name Christians and are called sons of Light, are unworthy of such a high title. These are all those who hate their neighbors. He who hates his brother, says the Apostle John the Theologian, is in darkness and walks in darkness (1 John 2:11). Meanwhile, the sin of hatred of one’s neighbor is almost common and very often repeated among us. How many different types of this sin are there? Do not envy, blasphemy, slander, murder and many others stem from one main root - hatred? Yes, these sins dominate the human race most of all. Love for one's neighbor is closely related to love for God. Anyone who, according to the Apostle, does not love his brother cannot love God (see: 1 John 4:20). It is clear that all those who hate their neighbors remain in darkness. Terrible truth! What should we do to belong to the sons of Light? What means will we choose for this? Mental illnesses, just like physical illnesses, are mostly cured by means that are directly opposite to them. Therefore, the real disease - hatred - can and should be healed in the same way. If hatred of our neighbor is the reason that we remain in darkness, then it means that love, a virtue completely opposite to hatred, can place us in the light. Love is the beginning and soul of all virtues, therefore the one who has it will do everything necessary to remain in the light, will fulfill the whole law, because love, as the Apostle Paul says, is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10). And whoever fulfills the law of Christ is the gracious son of God and, therefore, the son of the gracious Light. Christ the King, Holy Light, those who praised Thee were converted from darkness of ignorance by faith! Enlighten us with the light of Your face, and grant Your peace to us who cry out to You from the darkness of sin. Salvation of a sinner by the grace of God I have been a priest in the village for three years, writes one shepherd, and it’s been a year since I met one gentleman about whom I want to talk. In the year 186..., in the summer, a young man of about twenty-five came to our village and settled in a clean house, standing on a mountain and surrounded by a dark impenetrable forest. This house first belonged to one landowner, then it came into the possession of peasants and has now been sold to a newly arrived gentleman. The master, as the peasants called him, at first did not go out anywhere, then two weeks later I saw him in the church. His appearance was one of those that catches the eye from the very first time and arouses curiosity in anyone who just had time to look at him. Despite his young years, his face was wrinkled, wrinkles lay in whole folds here and there and involuntarily said that his youth had not passed without turmoil and storms. He began to visit our church often, and not only on holidays, but even on weekdays one could see him praying somewhere in the corner, with the faint flickering of a lamp. He always came early, left late, and each time with some special reverence he kissed the cross and took the antidor from me. The appearance of such a gentleman, who came from I don’t know where, I don’t know why and, as they said, expected to stay with us forever, his unsociability and especially his piety - all this interested me, and I decided to get to know him in any way, but getting to know him turned out to be quite difficult. Summer has passed, now winter is coming to an end... The life-giving rays of the February sun have already begun to disturb the icy crust of the earth. The Holy Pentecost has arrived; The church bell hummed sadly and rarely, calling sinful souls thirsting for cleansing to repentance, and somehow these blows resonated especially well in the soul of a true Christian. The heels of the first week have already arrived, and I, significantly tired of confessing to the parishioners, return home and find out that a note has been sent to me from the master: “I ask you, unknown but respected priest, welcome to my apartment this evening.” I was very interested in this short note, and I hastened to go to the unfamiliar gentleman. At my light knock, the door of the secluded house opened, and I saw a smiling gentleman on the threshold. “Come here, father, to this room, and I’ll come to you now,” he told me. The room I entered was small. The walls, covered with purple wallpaper, have taken on a dark appearance over time; the curtains, drawn down over the windows and not letting any light into the room, made this small closet completely gloomy. In front stood a carved crucifix, and in front of it lay a prayer book laid out. On the table by the sofa lay the Gospel in Russian translation, several spiritual magazines, a huge artificial skull and some pieces of paper. I walked around the room for a while and sat down in a chair, waiting for the owner. “Hello, father,” he finally said, entering the room and approaching me for blessing. “Hello,” I answered, blessing him. - Please excuse me for disturbing you at such a time, it’s already eleven o’clock, and you might have already wanted to go to bed... “For mercy... why such apologies,” I responded. “As a person, it will be very interesting for me to get to know you, because there is no one here with whom I can talk about anything serious; then, as a shepherd, I must, according to my duty, come to you, because perhaps you need me as a shepherd, as a spiritual doctor. – That’s right: I need you as a doctor... I need your teaching, your warm, sympathetic, mentoring word. – I am very, very glad that I can serve you! I ask you to say everything that is in your soul; my job is to share all the needs of my flock, heal their wounds and bring them to the Heavenly Father... - Thank you, thank you, father... so let me ask you for your attention and patience and listen to the story about my short but bad life. When you recognize it, it will be easier for you to prescribe this or that remedy for my healing. “My father,” he began, “was a small landowner; in Y... province, D... district, one village belonged to him. In this village, my father had a large house in which he constantly lived and in which I received my initial education. My father was always at home and, together with my mother, tried to instill in me the principles of all goodness and Christian piety. Both of them loved to tell me various sacred stories, and it often happened, listening to these stories throughout the long winter evening, that I fell asleep where I was sitting. And, my God, what sweet dreams I had then! Everything I heard that evening was reflected in my dreams, and in my truly innocent imagination, as if in a fog, dear sacred images from the stories of my parents flashed through. This is how I see it now - the Savior in a crown of thorns, stained with blood, hangs on the Cross. His eyes are full of love, and He asks the Father to let the tormentors go: “They don’t know what they’re doing!” And the Mother of God - as I now see - stands at the Cross, with a pale face, full of boundless love for the Suffering Son - and how much torment and suffering is in her eyes! All these dreams filled my soul with inexplicable bliss, I experienced a lot of things that are sometimes inaccessible to another person, and some kind of unearthly smile appeared on my face, as my kind mother said. And how much joy they had when they admired me at my crib. “He talks with Angels,” they said. My life flowed quietly and smoothly, and I was an exemplary child. I prayed, and my childhood prayer was sincere, fervent and warm, life was good then, and it is impossible now to remember this childhood life without a joyful sinking heart. But this blissful life did not always have to continue: I turned ten years old, and I entered one of the secondary secular educational institutions. It was hard for me to get used to the new life; in the institution where I entered, I no longer heard the warm, truly spiritual instruction that was given to me at every step at home. At first I was a believer and prayed often. I prayed... but this prayer was often the reason for the ridicule of my stupid and bad comrades. All the pupils of this institution, without the supervision of God-fearing parents, were terrible blasphemers, and their caustic ridicule rained down on my head for my piety. Time passed, I had no support, and my desire for prayer gradually began to weaken and finally disappeared completely, first because I was afraid of my comrades, then it turned into a habit; I pestered my comrades, and prayer never came to my mind again. Our conversations and conversations were the most disgusting: mockery of the Holy Scriptures, of worship, of the zeal and faith of some priests and people - that was the constant subject of our conversations. At first I was offended by all this, then time and society dulled me and the last manifestation of goodness - the remnant of home education. But still, no matter how deteriorated I was in this environment, I had the consciousness that I was sinning before God by this, but I continued to act together with my comrades... Sometimes - this happened very often - I felt the need to pray and even began to pray, but it was no longer the same prayer, it was rather mechanical work, not warmed by the heart, and I felt that something was missing in me... Time passed, I moved to the last grade, and then it finally happened my fall, and the previous ridicule of the rituals and faith of people turned into complete ridicule of the entire divine religion. Time flew by, and I became a notorious unbelieving madman. The existence of God, the existence of the soul, the future afterlife - I considered all this a product of fantasy and laughed evilly at everything. The cross is the instrument of our salvation - I threw it off and looked at it with some contempt. When I stood in church, at the request of the authorities, how I mocked, how I laughed at the divine service! When fasting days came, I deliberately tried to eat something quick in order to show complete contempt for church regulations. Holy icons and lives of saints were the main subjects of my ridicule. In a word, at that time I was some kind of monster, not a person. But then the time came for the end of my studies, and then with all my might I rushed into the abyss of destruction and carried away many pure and innocent souls with me... Yes, for these fallen souls I will have to give a terrible account to the Lord! I tempted them, and the Scripture says: woe to the man through whom temptation comes! (Matthew 18:7). Our reason is too weak to stop us in sin when there is no voice of conscience in us, or, more accurately, when this voice of conscience is drowned out by a vicious life; So I, having drowned out everything sacred in my heart, although I tried to be guided in everything by reason, it did not help me - and I finally perished. Surrounded by godless comrades and women who had lost shame and conscience, I spent whole nights drinking bottles of wine, and what had never happened in these noisy demonic orgies!.. Time passed, and I became even more corrupted and finally plunged into the abyss of vice. It seemed that there was more: the man was completely dead and no outside hand could pull me out of this whirlpool; but, to know, there is no sin that overcomes the mercy of God, to know, the Lord does not want the sinner to die, but to turn and live for him (cf. Ezek. 33:11); if man could not help me, then the Almighty Lord, Whom I rejected, helped; a special action of His Providence turned me to the true path and called me to moral revival. One year my good parents died of cholera; their warm prayer before the Throne of the Most High must have led to the correction of their lost son. Having received news of their death, I went to the village to their grave. It’s strange: no matter how I vulgarized, no matter how I laughed at all the holy feelings of a person, still this attachment to parents remained, and the cold, depraved mind yielded to the voice of the heart - the desire to visit the grave - and did not ridicule it. I attribute this to the special action of God’s Providence, because this trip to my homeland was the beginning or reason for my correction. Arriving in my native village, I asked the church watchman where the grave of such and such was, and, without thinking of crossing myself at the church, I went to the indicated place... Now the grave is already ten steps away from me, now I see a fresh mound, but... suddenly my vision grew dark, my head began to spin, and I fell unconscious to the ground. I don’t know what happened to me, only I regained consciousness in an apartment rented by my servant from a peasant. From his stories I learned that everyone around me thought that I had suffered a blow, because I was unconscious, with a purple face and foam at the mouth. The next day I woke up completely healthy and, no matter how much I racked my brains, I could not explain to myself why such a fit had happened to me. Then I again went to the grave at the same hours, but what was my surprise when this time the same thing happened to me as yesterday! Thinking that I had suffered from an epileptic illness, which periodically returned at certain hours of the day, I stayed at home on the third day, but there was no attack. When the next day I went to the cemetery, as soon as I began to approach the grave, the previous attack repeated itself again. Getting up the next morning, I saw my servant somehow frightened and afraid of me. Later I learned that he immediately decided that there was something evil in these attacks and that I must be too sinful if the Lord did not allow me to go to the grave of my parents. How much happier he was then than me: he had faith in Providence, faith in God, but I was a pitiful person and did not want to recognize the action of the Finger of God in all this. However, these strange seizures frightened me, and I sent for the doctor. The doctor promised to arrive the next day, and while waiting for him I fell asleep. This morning I woke up early, and – my God! - it’s scary to remember: I couldn’t move, my tongue didn’t obey, I lay completely relaxed, my body was all on fire, my lips were dry, I felt terrible thirst and completely lost heart. The doctor came, examined me and gave me medicine. The treatment began... At first the doctor prescribed me treatment without difficulty, but then he stood over my bed for a long time, biting his lips, and then one day, after six weeks of treatment, he wrote to me on paper: “When dealing with a man, I always openly talk about his illness, no matter how dangerous it is: your illness is inexplicable, despite my efforts to understand it, therefore, not foreseeing success from my labors, I leave you to wait for it to resolve itself.” Imagine my horror when I was abandoned by human help, which I had only hoped for! Others have hope for higher help, but it has been rejected by my depraved mind. Time passed, my illness intensified, pimples appeared on my body, which turned into purulent wounds, and a stench came from them; and I didn’t know what to do. I didn't sleep for whole nights and couldn't find peace. And what terrible pictures were painted in my imagination then! So, as I remember now, one day I imagined: a gloomy, damp, stuffy dungeon... there was darkness all around, the stench did not allow me to breathe... moans, screams and some kind of wild sobbing were coming from everywhere... I became scared, a frost ran through my skin, I shuddered and opened my eyes... The candle burned dimly... it was dark in the room, I forcibly forgot. And as soon as I began to fall asleep, I suddenly felt someone’s hand in my hand. I shuddered, opened my eyes, and - My God! – what did I see? My mother stood in front of me. I could not imagine how and how she ended up in front of me. “But she died,” I thought, “how can she exist?” Meanwhile, my heart beat at the sight of my dear mother. She was all in white, and only in one place was there a black spot; her face was gloomy, and she was all in some kind of twilight. “I am your mother,” she began, “your iniquities and your dissolute life, full of unbelief and atheism, reached the Lord, and He wanted to destroy you, wipe you off the face of the earth. You not only destroyed yourself, but you also stained us, and this black spot on my clothes is your grave sins. The Lord, I say, wanted to strike you, but your father and I prayed before the Throne of the Most High for you, and He decided to turn you to Himself not with mercy, because you could not understand this, but with severity. He knew that for you the only road here was our grave, and therefore he did not allow you to go to it, striking you with a supernatural illness, so that you would recognize a higher power above you, which you rejected, but you did not turn! Now the Lord has sent me to you - this is the last resort for your correction. You did not recognize God, the future life, the immortality of the soul, here is proof of the afterlife: I died, but I appeared and speak to you. Believe in the God you deny. Remember your mother, who, without sparing her life, tried to make you a true Christian.” At these words, her face darkened even more, muffled grave sobs rang out in the room and shook my soul. “Once again I conjure you,” the mother continued, “turn to God. You don’t believe and, perhaps, you think to explain my phenomenon by a disorder of your imagination, but know that your explanations are false and I stand before you with my spiritual being. And, as proof of this, here is the cross you rejected, accept it, otherwise you will perish. Believe, and your illness will be healed miraculously. Destruction and eternal hell are yours if you reject God!” That's what the mother said and disappeared. I came to my senses and saw a small cross in my hand, and an indescribable aroma filled the entire room. The supernatural appearance of my mother, her requests and curses shook my soul to the very depths; It seems that such a revolution has never happened to me, my conscience reproached me, my old convictions collapsed - and in a minute I was completely reborn. A sweet, incomprehensible feeling appeared in my chest; I wanted to thank God for His mercy, for His gracious treatment of me... But then I heard that someone was coming towards me... I listened, and a servant entered my room, holding a tea cup with water. “Try it, father, maybe it will be easier; this is holy water from the Life-Giving Cross,” said my servant, handing me a cup. I gladly accepted his offer and, encouraged by him, drank some water. God! I can’t remember that wonderful moment without tears: I instantly felt healthy, my limbs began to obey, my tongue began to speak freely, only spots remained in place of the scabs, and this confirmed my mother’s words. I got up, and my first thing was to pray in front of the image that the servant brought, but I didn’t have my own, because I considered it superstition! After that, I went to church and prayed there... And how much sincerity there was in this unfeigned prayer, when the soul could freely express itself before the Lord after long-term slavery in the shackles of sin and serving Satan! Immediately I went to my dear grave... I kissed it, cried, and these tears washed my former life and were the repentance of the prodigal son. The day of my healing, both spiritual and physical, was the 15th of July, and I always celebrate it as the day of my deliverance. After staying there for a few more days, I decided to move here, because a friend of my violent life had joined the judicial investigators, and I didn’t want to see him. I won’t go into the world, because I’m disgusted with it. I want to work here, to make amends for my old life. Tomorrow you will have communicants, and you, perhaps, will allow me, after confession, to partake of the Holy Terrible and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ, because I have not been worthy of this for ten years, but you will advise me what I should do to redeem my former life.” For a long, long time I talked with this man and gave him a lot of advice and finally went home. “Glory to You, Merciful God, who showed the light to this man!” - I thought on the way, heartily rejoicing at the conversion of a sinful soul to the path of truth. Heavenly fire descended into the chalice during the liturgy Once, when the Monk Sergius was performing the Divine Liturgy, his disciple Simon saw how heavenly fire descended on the Holy Mysteries at the moment of their consecration and how this fire moved along the Holy Throne. Illuminating the entire altar, it seemed to curl around the Holy Meal, surrounding the officiating Venerable Sergius. And when he wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries, the Divine fire coiled up “like some wonderful veil” and entered inside the Holy Chalice. Thus, the saint of God took communion of this fire “unscorched, like an ancient bush that burned unscorched...” Simon was horrified by such a vision and remained silent in awe, but it did not hide from the Monk Sergius that his disciple was granted a vision. Having received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he left the Holy Throne and asked Simon: “Why is your spirit so afraid, my child?” “I saw the grace of the Holy Spirit working with you, father,” he answered. “See that you don’t tell anyone about what you saw until the Lord calls me from this life,” St. Sergius commanded him. You might be interested in: