ЕДИНЕНИЕ

What does the Holy Church instill in us when, both at home prayer and in church, she puts prayers into our mouths on behalf of everyone, and not from just one person? Instills in us unceasing mutual love, so that we always and in everything in prayer and in everyday life love each other as ourselves, so that we, imitating God in the three persons who make up the highest Unity, ourselves be one, made up of many. “That they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). Common prayer on behalf of everyone in life teaches us to share everyday needs with others, so that in life we ​​have everything in common and, as it were, one, so that mutual love is visible in everything, also so that everyone uses their abilities for the benefit of others, whoever they can, and does not hide their talent in the ground, would not be selfish and lazy. You are wise - give advice to the unwise; educated - teach the ignorant; strong - help the powerless; rich - help the poor (1). The Lord loves and listens to prayers more when we pray not alone and not for ourselves alone, but together, from everyone and for everyone (1). Just as the Trinity - our God is One Being, although there are three Persons - so we must also be one. As our God is simple, so we must be simple, as simple as if we were all one person, one mind, one will, one heart, one kindness without the slightest admixture of malice - in a word, one pure love, as God is Love. “That they may be one, even as We are one” (John 17:22) (6). Passions for spiritual dispensation are contagious; for example, anger, not yet expressed in words, not expressed in deeds, but hiding only in the heart and reflected slightly on the face and eyes, is already transmitted to the soul of the one against whom I have anger, and is noticeable to others. I am outraged by passion - my indignation also touches the heart of another, there is some kind of spiritual overflow of an unclean stream from one spiritual container to another. If you destroy your passion for your brother, it will be destroyed in him too; If you calm down yourself, he will calm down too. What a close connection between souls! The word of the apostle is true: “we are members of one another” (Eph. 4:25) or “we, who are many, are one body” (1 Cor. 10:17). “Of one blood... the whole human race” (Acts 17:26). That is why the divine commandment demands: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). The action or inaction of preaching words is based on the mutual feeling or understanding of our souls of each other: hypocritically, listeners understand with their inner instinct the discrepancy between the preacher’s words and his heart, with his life, and the word does not have the power that it could bring if the preacher uttered it from the heart, especially when he himself fulfilled his word in practice. There is too close an internal connection and communication between human souls. That is why good, pious, heartfelt dispositions are communicated to the souls of others, especially good deeds (6). The Lord, for the good of rational creatures, that is, people, wants to unite everyone into a single body and Himself to dwell in them. “That they all may be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). And the devil tries to separate, dismember, disperse everyone, like a flock without a shepherd: he creates enmity, discord, discontent or resentment in families; in villages, in cities, it restores one to another; in states it restores people against people, kingdom against kingdom; in religious societies, it restores those professing one confession to the followers of another and especially breathes rage at those professing the Orthodox faith as the true Church of God, instigating various persecutions against them. Let us adhere to the One Holy Orthodox Church, the head of which is Christ our God Himself, who constantly acts in us for our salvation and renewal (10). You might be interested in: