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It is given to you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, says the Savior to his disciples (Matthew 13:11), but it is not given to you to eat. These secrets are not revealed to everyone, but only to the worthy. “They (secrets), writes St. Anthony the Great, are completely different from everything that is in this world. They are not revealed to unclean souls, but are revealed to those people who have cleansed their hearts from everything unclean and have completely removed themselves from the vicious deeds of this fleeting world; are revealed to those people who hated both this world and their souls, took up the cross and followed the Lord, and try to do His will in everything. Why did the Divine dwell in them and give them spiritual sweetness and joy, which nourishes and revitalizes their souls (Chronicle Reading 1829, part 34, pp. 45–46).” About the secrets of religion of St. John of Damascus (Expositions of the Orthodox Faith, Chapter 11) says this: “everything divine is above nature, reason and words. Eg. whoever begins to reason about how and why God brought everything out of nothing into existence, and wants to comprehend this with natural reason, will not comprehend, because such knowledge is spiritual, demonic. But whoever, guided by faith, will reflect on the goodness, omnipotence, truth, wisdom and righteousness of God: for him everything will be smooth and even, and he will find the right path. Everything, both human and spiritual, is based on faith. Without faith, a farmer does not hold the reins on earth, and a merchant does not entrust his life to a small tree in the stormy depths of the sea... By faith we accomplish all deeds, both Divine and human... Faith is agreement without any inquisitiveness.” The same St. speaks about the mysteries of religion (there are also mysteries in nature). Father the following: “other means accessible to knowledge, and another means expressible. Another completely incomprehensible and ineffable thing is that God is beginningless, endless, eternal, ever-present, uncreated, immutable, unchangeable, simple, uncomplicated, incorporeal, invisible, intangible, indescribable, unlimited, inconceivable, incomprehensible, incomprehensible, good, righteous, creator of all creatures, omnipotent, omniscient, omniscient, Provider, ruler and judge - this we know and confess. Also, that God is one, or one essence; - that He exists and is known in three Persons, i.e., in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in everything, except ungeneracy, birth and procession; that the only begotten Son and Word of God and God, according to His compassion, for our salvation, by the good will of the Father and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, having been conceived without seed, was born incorruptible from the Holy One. Virgins... St. testify to this. Scripture and all the saints. But what is the essence of God? How does God exist in everything? How did the only begotten Son and God, having emptied Himself, become a man from virgin blood, being formed in the womb according to a special supernatural law? Or how he walked on the waters without getting his feet wet - we do not know and cannot say. Thus, we cannot say or even think anything about God other than what is shown to us, spoken and revealed from above in the Divine Scripture of the Old and New Testaments.” Question What general instruction regarding the Divine mysteries does the saint teach? Tikhon? Rep. “About the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, the Most Holy Eucharist and about the rest, what is not revealed in the Holy Word of God and what is open, but you cannot understand, do not try it curiously, lest you fall into the devil’s snare, and you will become entangled in it, and you will not be able to get out of it and thus you will perish. For what requires a single faith and our reason surpasses, it is very dangerous to test. Beware of testing that which is above you. Believe in everything as the Holy Church believes: this is the safe path." In another place: “Whoever looks at the sun a lot and diligently listens to it, his eyes are darkened and damaged: so, whoever looks at God, the eternal sun, and strives to experience His incomprehensible mysteries, his mind becomes darkened and falls into great error. what is not given to you to know. It is enough for us to only reason about God, what His holy word has revealed.” Here is a brief account of the seven sacraments of the Orthodox Church of Christ, as set forth by St. Tikhon in instructions to the Voronezh clergy. Question What is a secret or sacrament? Rep. A sacrament is a service that, under some visible appearance, brings the faithful invisible grace of God into the soul. Question How many sacraments are there? Rep. Seven: 1) Baptism, 2) Confirmation, 3) Repentance, 4) Eucharist, 5) Marriage, 6) Priesthood and 7) Blessing of Anointing. Question Who established the Sacraments? Rep. Christ the Lord established some - Himself, others - through the Apostles. Question Why were the Sacraments established? Rep. As a testimony of God's love for us, and for our salvation. Question What does the sacrament give us for the salvation of the soul? Rep. Every sacrament gives us the grace of God - from St. The Spirit, healing our illnesses, cleansing the soul from sins, sanctifying and saving man. Without the sacraments of our Orthodox Church, salvation is impossible for a person. Question What does the sacrament consist of? Rep. Of the two things without which there can be no sacrament. 1) From matter, that is, substance suitable for the mystery and 2) from form, that is, from the performance, or sacred words, with which the mystery is performed. Question What must be firmly kept in every secret? Rep. Four things: 1) let there be a priest who is properly consecrated. 2) Let there be a suitable and proper thing for the mystery that is about to be accomplished, for example: in baptism - water, in the Eucharist - bread and wine, in the Blessing of Anointing - oil, and also in others - things appropriate to them. 3) The priest must know with what words the Mystery is accomplished, and, moreover, must have a strong intention to perform the Mystery, so that he can act according to the rite of the Church and accomplish it by the power of the Holy Spirit, and without this intention, or when the priest does not know with what words the Mystery is accomplished, or when he acts unconsciously without any intention, he never commits the Mystery, but, like an unbreakable slave, is eternally condemned to destruction. 4) Those who want to receive the sacrament, let them have strong zeal and desire to accept. Note For each sacrament separately, see in the same book under the letters corresponding to their names. Question What sacraments did the Old Testament Church have, (12) prefiguring the mysteries of New Testament grace? Rep. Circumcision and the Passover Lamb. I) About the sacrament of circumcision of St. John of Damascus (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Chapter 25) says the following: “circumcision was given to Abraham before the law, after the blessing and promise, as a sign distinguishing him, his sons and household members from the nations with whom he spoke... Circumcision was also a way of baptism. For just as circumcision does not cut off any useful member of the body, but a useless excess: so through St. baptism cuts off sin from us; but sin, as is obvious, is an excess of desire, and not any useful desire. It is impossible for anyone to have no desire at all, or not taste pleasure at all; on the contrary, that which is useless in pleasure, or useless desire and pleasure is sin, which is circumcised by St. baptism. It places a sign on our forehead, that is, an honorable cross, to distinguish us not from the nations (for all nations received baptism and were sealed with the sign of the cross), but to distinguish the believer from the unbeliever in each nation. So, when the truth (Christ) appeared, the image and body became useless. Therefore, there is no need to be circumcised now and it is disgusting to St. baptism For he who is circumcised must eat and do the whole (Old Testament) law (Gal. 5:3). The Lord was circumcised to fulfill the law, and kept the whole law and the Sabbath, to fulfill and establish the law. But when He was baptized, and the Holy Spirit appeared to people, descending on Him in the form of a dove, from that time spiritual service to God and a spiritual way of life and the Kingdom of Heaven were preached.” II) About the Paschal Lamb: it was the second sacrament under the law and, signifying the hasty flight of the Israelites, also meant our redemption through the suffering of the Divine Lamb, the only begotten Son of God, slain from eternity in the Trinitarian Council. The days of unleavened bread were inseparable from the Passover lamb and depicted the purity of spiritual life. They began on the morning of Easter and continued with magnificent sacrifices. The divine participation of the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the creation of the universe is magnificently sung in the Church's Trisagion Song: “Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord my God, sovereign creator of all creation! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God, the builder of the whole world and even in the world! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God, who made up creation from the four elements! Holy, Holy, Holy are you, Lord my God, you crowned the circle of summer with four seasons! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord my God: the sun sings to you, the moon praises you. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! The stars praise you and the sources work. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! You have stretched out the sky like skin. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! You have established the earth on the waters. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! You protected the sea with sand. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! You shed air for breathing. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! The Archangel forces serve You. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! The Angelic Powers bow to you. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! Have mercy on me, Thy unworthy creation, for the sake of Thy Holy Name. Amen (from Akathist to the Most Holy Trinity).” About the creation of the universe by St. Demetrius of Rostov in the mirror of the Orthodox Confession (Part 1) briefly says: God is the creator in the first member of the Creed, because everything visible, that is, heaven, earth, sea, air, trees, animals and man according to the flesh; and - also invisible: He created the Angels, the soul of man, with His only Divine Word in six days. God created man like this: the dust of the earth, He created him and breathed into his face the breath of life: He created him for his glorification and the inheritance of eternal life, inscribing His image and likeness in his soul, giving him immortality, which he destroyed by his sin, in violation of the commandment of God, by eating from a forbidden tree, wanting to be God himself. And so he became completely corruptible, his body subject to labor, illness and temporary death; and in soul he became angry, and inclined to sin and by nature worthy of eternal destruction, having been condemned by the righteous wrath of God to endless torment, to which all his descendants, as all those involved in that sin, became subject to it. Let us learn, beloved brother, from Saint Demetrius of Rostov a grateful feeling towards the Creator and Provider: “I thank You, the Lord my God, he cries out, the most generous benefactor, for You created me in Your image and likeness, and You brought me from non-existence into being; you crowned with glory and honor; You did not create me as a beast, nor as a beast, nor as any other animal, but as a man, a rational creature: You honored my soul with immortality and autocracy... If anyone is grateful and guilty (i.e., obligated) to a doctor for healing a minor illness, since even more so, Lord, Who brought me whole, active, alive, and healthy from non-existence into being Thou art, and thou hast ordained me for ever and ever! I thank You, my Lord, your most generous benefactor, for you have created everything for me. For my sake - the sky, the earth, the sun, the moon and all the starry celestial adornment; for my sake - animals, cattle, birds, every animal; for my sake - seas, rivers, springs, lakes, fish, great whales; for my sake - forests, oak groves, various deserts, fruitful trees; for my sake - potions, roots, seeds, various vegetables; for my sake - everything visible and invisible was created, O my God (verse five)! Question Does this thanksgiving refer to one Person, or to all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity? Rep. To everyone, because all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity - God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - participated in the creation of the universe and man. Rep. Not three, but one. For there is one God, worshiped and glorified in the Trinity (Catichos of St. Demetrius of Rostov). About the order of creation and other things related to the great matter of the universe, Saint Demetrius of Rostov stated the following in his chronicle: “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the dark abyss of water, or, as the Greeks call it, chaos, that is, an inseparable mixture of elements... The omnipotent Lord created this from nothing, and brought it into existence from non-existence... And the first creature created by God, or the substance was the firstfruits of other creatures. The Creator, beginning to form the first invisible and unadorned creature, or substance, into perfection and adornment, first commanded light to shine out of darkness. Like a certain artist, getting up to do his work at midnight, he first lights a candle, so that he can see: so the all-wise Creator God, although He is the all-seeing one, seeing everything in the dark abyss, as in the light, first of all, as I light in the church, in the dark primeval abyss the daylight shone, saying: let there be light, and there will be light... After the light shines in the bottomless darkness, God He divided the light from the darkness, and called it day, and called the darkness night; and that was the first day, which we now call week, and the first month, which was then called March, and the day of this month was the first... On the second day, which we call Monday, the Creator, by His omnipotent Word, brought forth the heavens from the waters of the abyss. By the Word of the Lord, says the Psalmist, the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth was all their strength. (Ps. 32:6). On the third, which we call Tuesday, the Lord God, having gathered the waters into one union, revealed dry land and called it earth; and commanded it to vegetate with seeds, and to bring forth all kinds of grass and trees. On the fourth day, which we call Wednesday, God created two great luminaries - the sun and the moon, as well as the stars. On the fifth day, which is a quarter, God created fish and creatures of the water, and from the waters He brought forth birds. On the sixth day - which is our heels - God created beasts, cattle, and the things that creep on the earth, according to their kinds; after all creatures, he created Adam and Eve, and brought them into the food paradise (Gen. 1). And on the seventh day God rested from all His works, and this day was called Sabbath, that is, rest, for the Creator rested, and He sanctified that day (Ex. 20:11). After the passing of the Old Testament, and after the advent of the New Grace, the honor and holiness of the seventh day and Sabbath passed to the first day of the week, for the sake of Christ’s resurrection, which took place on this day. Question What does Saint Demetrius in his chronicle extract from the contemplation of the universe? Rep. Having briefly spoken about the creation of visible creatures over the course of six days, we will act prudently and spiritually if we begin to learn at least a little from them, following the example of St. David, who says: Let us learn in all Thy works; in creation I have learned Your hand (Ps. 142:5). What can we learn from God's creation? Knowing God and ourselves. Knowing God. This is what St. says about this. Basil the Great in Six Days (conversation 6): “If we learn from these (creations), we will know ourselves, we will understand God, we will worship the Creator of us, we will work for the Master, we will glorify the Father, we will love our Nourisher, we will honor our Benefactor.” We read in ancient history that when a certain philosopher asked Anthony the Great, the bookless: how do you, father, use and comfort your soul in the desert, without reading books? Saint Anthony answered: “My book is all visible creation, created by God, and when I wish to read the words of God, I present this book, composed by God himself, to my eyes, and with my mind I learn from it, and I use it and am filled with spiritual consolation, I rejoice in God, my Savior, and I glorify His almighty power.” Wise is the answer of the venerable elder, who called all visible creation a book; In this book, heaven and earth are like two leaves, on which, just as we see God’s most beautiful creatures, we have as many writings teaching us about God. Beautiful is the sky with its luminaries: how redder is the Creator of the sky and the heavenly luminaries! Good is the earth with its riches: since He is the best Creator of the earth and everything on it! With wisdom everything above and below was arranged: how wise is the Creator who arranged everything! We also recognize our unworthiness, considering that everything in heaven and earth was created by God - for the sake of our temporary life, so that it serves us; but an incomparably better thing is prepared for us in the future life by His eternal goodness. Are we worthy of God's mercy, being dust and ashes? And are we grateful for such His blessings? According to the thought of Saint Anthony, St. Chrysostom says: “having a rational soul, before there were books, man had a creature, instead of a book, set in the midst (on 1 Cor. Chapter 2, conversation 3). Question What does Saint Demetrius of Rostov say in this same place in the chronicle about the creation of man? Rep. The wise and all-good Creator, intending to create man, a rational creature, for whom he created and decorated the entire universe, prepared for him, as the future king of all the earth, a special, most excellent, most perfect, most beautiful place to live, like a royal city, and planted a bright paradise in the east. About this St. John of Damascus says this: “since God had to create man from an invisible and visible creature, in His image and likeness, as a certain king and ruler of all the earth and those who exist on it: He presented to him, like a certain queen (capital), paradise, in which, while remaining, he could have a blessed and rich life. The divine paradise, planted in Eden by God's hands, was a repository and container of all joy and sweetness. For Eden is interpreted as sweetness; was at the height of the whole earth, refreshed by the most beneficial, subtle and light air; always showed off flowering gardens; full of fragrance and light, and all sensual beauty, and kindness that surpasses thought: a divine place and a dwelling worthy of man, created in the image of God (On Faith, book 2, chapter 13).” Note The creation of man, which is presented here only in a general overview, is discussed in more detail below in the article: man. Question How does Saint John of Damascus discuss in his Exposition of Faith about the Divine Table or about the holy and pure mysteries of the Lord? Rep. since, he says, we are twofold and complex by nature: then birth must be twofold, and food must also be complex. Therefore, we were given birth by water and the Spirit, I am talking about baptism; and the food is the living bread itself, which came down from heaven (John 6:51), our Lord Jesus Christ. For He, preparing to accept voluntary death for us, on the night on which He gave Himself, bequeathed the New Testament to His holy disciples, and through them to all who believe in Him. In the upper room of Holy and Glorious Zion, having tasted the Old Testament Passover with His disciples and fulfilled the Old Testament, He washed the disciples’ feet, then, breaking bread, He gave it to them, saying: Take, eat, this is My body, which was broken for you for the remission of sins. In the same way, taking a cup of wine (and water), he gave it to them, saying: drink of it, all of you, this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you for the remission of sins: do this in remembrance of me (Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:19, 20, 1 Cor. 11:23–25)... Question How does Saint John of Damascus bring the miracle of the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist closer to our concept? Rep. If, he says, the word of God is living and active (Heb. 4:12), if according to His word: let there be light; let there be a firmament, and there be a firmament (Gen. 1:3, 6); if heaven, earth, water, fire, air and all their beauty, and the noblest animal - man, are perfected by the Word of the Lord; if God Himself, the Word, voluntarily became a man, and from the pure and immaculate blood of the holy Ever-Virgin made Himself flesh: can He really not make bread with His Body, and wine (and water) with His Blood? He said at the beginning: let the earth bring forth the old herbs (Gen. 1:11); and the earth, stirred up and strengthened by God's command... even until now watered by rain, produces its vegetation. So here too God said: this is My body, and this is My blood, do this in remembrance of Me; and by His omnipotent command this happens and will remain so until the time when it comes; for it is said: until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26). And for this new work, through invocation, the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit becomes rain... How will this happen, where I don’t know a husband, says the Holy Virgin? The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, the Archangel Gabriel answers (Luke 1:34, 35). And now, if you ask, how is bread made by the Body of Christ, and water and wine by the Blood of Christ? I also answer you: the Holy Spirit finds and does what is beyond words and understanding. Question Why is this divine meal taught under the guise of bread and wine? Rep. Bread and wine, says St. John of Damascus, are used because God knows human weakness, which turns away many things with displeasure when they are not confirmed by ordinary use. And so God, according to His usual condescension, through what is ordinary by nature accomplishes the supernatural. Just as in baptism, since people are washed with water and anointed with oil, God united the grace of the Spirit with oil and water, and made baptism the bath of regeneration: so here, since people usually eat bread, and drink water and wine, God united His Divinity with these substances, and made them His Body and Blood, so that through the ordinary and natural we would participate in the supernatural... If you ask: how does this happen? It is enough to hear that this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, just as the Lord, from the Holy Mother of God, made Himself and in Himself flesh by the Holy Spirit. And we know nothing more; We only know that the word of God is true, effective and omnipotent, but the image of its transformation cannot be traced. At the same time, it can also be said that just as bread through eating, and wine and water through drinking, are naturally transformed into the body and blood of the one who eats and drinks, and becomes not another body different from his previous body: so the bread of show, wine and water, through the invocation and influx of the Holy Spirit, are supernaturally transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, and constitute not two bodies, but one Body of Christ. Question What instructions does St. John of Damascus from the Old Testament to the New Testament Divine Meal? Rep. Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, met Abraham with bread and wine, returning after the defeat of the foreigners (Gen. 14:18). This meal prefigured this mystical meal, just as that priest was a prototype and image of the true High Priest Jesus Christ: for it is said: Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 109:4; Heb. 5:4–6). This bread also depicted the showbread... Bread and wine are not images of the body and blood of Christ - let it not be! But – the most deified Body of the Lord. For the Lord himself said: this is my body, and not an image of the body; - This is My blood, and not an image of blood. And before this he said to the Jews: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in you. For My flesh is truly meat, and My blood is truly drink. And one more thing: whoever poisons Me will live (John 6:53–57). If some called bread and wine instead of images - that is, images of the body and blood of the Lord, as, for example. God-bearing Basil in the Liturgy; then this offering was called so not after consecration, but before consecration (i.e. until the time of their transubstantiation into the true body and true blood of Christ). Question As St. explains John of Damascus the power and effect of the sacramental meal? Rep. The body and blood of Christ are part of our soul and body, says St. John of Damascus, but they do not become exhausted, do not decay, and are not thrown out - let it not be! They enter our essence to preserve and cleanse us from all filth; to ward off all harm from us, and if they find counterfeit gold in us, they purify it with the fire of judgment, so that we will not be condemned with the world in the next century; they are cleansed by illnesses and all kinds of disasters, as the Apostle says (1 Cor. 11:31, 32)... This sacrament is also called communion, because through it we become partakers of the Divinity of Jesus. It is also called communion, and indeed there is communion, because through it we communicate with Christ, and also through it we communicate and are united with each other... and we become one body of Christ, one blood, and members of each other, being members of Christ (Eph. 3:6). Therefore, let us approach with all fear, a clear conscience and undoubted faith, and it will certainly come to us as we believe without doubting... Let us approach Him with fiery desire, and, folding our hands crosswise, accept the body of Him crucified on the cross; fixing our eyes, mouth and forehead, partake of the Divine coal, so that the fire of love, ignited in us by this burning coal, burns our sins and enlightens our hearts. May he depart from us, says St. John of Damascus (chapter 10 of the Exposition of the Faith) this, in vain, was included in the Trisagion hymn, the addition: crucified for us. ( 13 ) For the words: Holy God, mean the Father; however, we do not attribute the name of Divinity to Him alone, but we confess both the Son and the Holy Spirit as God. Words: Holy Mighty - refer to the Son; however, we do not take away strength from the Father and the Holy Spirit. Words: Holy Immortal – refer to the Holy Spirit; however, we cannot imagine that the Father and the Son do not have immortality. But all these divine names are simply and unconditionally understood about each Hypostasis... That the Trisagion hymn refers not to the Son alone, but to the Holy Trinity, is evidenced by the divine and sacred ones - Athanasius, Basil, Gregory and the entire council of God-bearing Fathers. Likewise, the holy Seraphim, by repeating the word three times: Holy, point us to the three Hypostases of the all-essential Divinity; and the single use of the word “Lord” makes it clear that there is one being and the kingdom of the Divine Trinity. Gregory the Theologian (at the beginning of 12 words), says: “thus the Holy of Holies, covered by the Seraphim, and glorified by the threefold proclamation: Holy - expresses one dominion and Divinity”... And the writers of Church history tell that when the people of Constantinople prayed for the aversion of the disaster sent by God under Archbishop Proclus, one youth from the people was caught up, and there The holy Angels dedicated this thrice-holy hymn to him: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. And when the boy returned and told what was revealed to him, then all the people sang this song, and thus the disaster ceased. It is also known that at the holy great Fourth Ecumenical Council, which took place in Chalcedon, this trisagion was sung in the same words as is mentioned in the acts of this Council (towards the end of the 1st act). (14) And so, it is truly funny that this Trisagion hymn, delivered by the Angels, justified by the end of the disaster, approved and approved by the Council of so many holy Fathers, and even before sung by the Seraphim in commemoration of the Trisagion Deity, was now trampled by his reckless opinion, or at least began to be corrected by Knapheus (the Armenian), as if he were higher than the Seraphim! What insolence!.. But we... will always say this: Holy One of God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Question What virtues are called theological virtues? Rep. These three are: faith, hope and love (1 Cor. 13:13). And this is what St. Tikhon says about the first theological virtue - that is, about saving faith. “This faith attracts and appropriates all the good deeds of God, shown to the whole world by God. It teaches the believer to confess from the heart: I believe in one God, who created everyone as well as me, and created everything from nothing, and sought me through His only begotten Son when I sinned and perished... I believe in one my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who sought me, when I was lost, and saved me from sins, oaths, death, hell and the devil... I also believe in the Holy Spirit, Who through the washing of rebirth gave birth to me and renewed me to serve God in honor and truth... Saving faith, what one believes, fearlessly confesses where it should... This faith cleanses the heart from everything that belongs to the world. "... Question What does St. say? Tikhon, about the second theological virtue, that is, about hope? Rep. since every person has that weakness and blindness that is natural, that what he does not see with his eyes, he does not hope for; and the enemy does not sleep, but puts various dreams into our thoughts, and through this he tries to distract us from God: then it is not indecent that that virtue that strives against the devil’s machinations and dreams can be called hope; against relying on oneself, on one’s own strength, reason, on princes - in a word: against relying on everything that exists besides God; - in love for mankind, omnipotence, and the truth of God alone, one strives to be established... The foundation, support, stronghold of this hope is our Savior Jesus Christ, and His merits... Question How does St. Tikhon speak about the third theological virtue, that is, about love? Rep. What God's love is and what its sweetness is, words cannot describe; only those who know it are those who taste its sweetness. For this love is spiritual and is the work of the Holy Spirit: for the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). However, it shows itself with its fruits, like the sun with its rays. 1) A true lover of God strives to fulfill the will of God not for the fear of punishment, but in order not to offend his loved one... 2) A true lover of God for God's sake loves every person, knowing that every person is God's, and God loves him... 3) A true lover of God always embraces and embraces God in his heart... 4) A true lover of God strives with all his might to unite with his beloved (Ps. 41:2, 5). 5) A true lover of God strives to imitate God in His morals... 6) A true lover of God deviates from the love of this world, because the love of God is incompatible with the love of this world... 7) A lover of God, when he sins out of weakness, greatly regrets, grieves, is angry with himself and casts himself down with loving humility before God. Question What are the three main passions of peace lovers? Rep. The holy Apostle John points them out, saying: for all that is in the world is carnal lust, and the lust of desire and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). I) About the first idol of the sons of this age, that is, about the lust of the flesh, Saint Tikhon says: one part of worldly bliss consists in carnal pleasure, in banquets, in feasts, merriment and in everything that delights the senses. This imaginary bliss appears to be something as long as it is accomplished and touches the senses; but as soon as the feeling is completed, then instead of true sweetness, sorrow will follow. Thus, after the commission of carnal lust, a gnawing of conscience occurs; by banquets and by rapture - relaxation of the members, an increase in harmful phlegm, illness in the head, trembling of the arms and legs, and the whole complex of various infirmities... In the shortest possible time, sensualists enjoy themselves, but they go to hell - they drink the cup of sorrowful torment without end. We see this in the example of the rich man of the Gospel (Luke 16:19–24). II) The other part, which constitutes the bliss of this world, or deity, is wealth, or lust. Oh, how many are there who have lost and are losing wealth in one hour, acquired through many labors? It is subject to fire, tattoo and other disasters. But even if someone owned it until his death, will he take it with him from the world? No: - silver, gold, precious stones, lands, fatherland, peasants, servants, horses, carriages - and all the treasures remain here; one departs from the world, just as he entered the world here. The coffin is small to accommodate both the poor and the rich. Everything else is no longer his: it has passed into the hands of someone else... III) The third deity of this world is honor and glory, or worldly pride. But this bliss is like a sleepy dream, or a bellows of arrogant air, which until then seems full until the air leaves. Honor and glory are so hard to come by! And how easy it is to get lost! And the greater the honor, the more conveniently it is destroyed: for she has as many enemies as there are power-hungry and envious hearts!.. The bright, but truly bitter life of the glory-loving people ends with the bitterest death. Look, where is their glory that filled the universe? She was buried with them in a coffin and disappeared: those who were not happy with the whole world were imprisoned in a three-arshin place; those who were trampled by the whole world are trampled underfoot by those who are low... Those who wanted to be revered as gods have turned to dust; and it is impossible to know now where Alexander, the conqueror of the universe, and where the last of his family lies... And so you see, Saint Tikhon continues, that the tripartite bliss of this world is like the bliss of one who in a dream eats, drinks, and receives honor from everyone; but having awakened, he feels hunger and thirst, and sees himself in contempt and poverty (From book 7). Question The three youths, glorified every day in the 7th and 8th hymns of the canons, how did they best distinguish themselves, as an example to everyone - the youth, the youth and the elder? Rep. 1) By abstinence: and Daniel (the eldest of them) put it on his hearts that he should not become defiled by the king’s meal and his drinking wine: and pray to the elder, so that he will not become defiled (Dan. 1:8). 2) By the power and effect of fasting: let them give us from the earth, let us eat and drink water; and let our faces appear before you, and the faces of the youth who eat from the king's table... And I will listen to them until ten days. At the end of ten days, their faces appeared to be good and strong in flesh, more than the youths who eat from the king’s table... 3) A spiritual reward for fasting: and God will give them meaning and wisdom in all book wisdom... (Dan. 1:13-18). 4) Courageous confession of the one true God before the irritated king. And Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered (to the compulsion to bow to the idol): You do not require us to answer about this verb. For there is our God in heaven, and we serve Him, who is able to take us out of the burning fire, and to deliver us from your hand, O king! 5) A prayer of repentance on behalf of all the people: Thou art righteous, O God, in all that Thou hast done for us, and all Thy works are true... And you created true destinies for everyone that you brought upon us, and on the city of our holy father - Jerusalem (it was destroyed); for by truth and judgment you have brought all this upon us, sin for our sake. For we have sinned, we have been transgressors, we have departed from You, and we have sinned in all things, and have not obeyed Your commandments, we have kept less, we have done less, as You commanded us... And now we cannot open our mouths, the shame and reproach of Thy servant... But let us be accepted with a contrite soul and a humble spirit... And 6) with thanksgiving in his salvation with the song: and I will not touch their fire, and do not offend them, below the cold. Then these three - as if with one mouth, I bowed and blessed and glorified God in the cave, saying: Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised and exalted forever! Blessed art thou in the church of Thy holy glory, revered and exalted forever! Blessed are you who sees the abyss, who sits on the Cherubim!.. Blessed are you on the throne of the glory of Your kingdom, revered and exalted forever! Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven! .. Bless all the works of the Lord the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever! Bless the Angels of the Lord!.. Bless the heavens of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever!.. Bless the sun and moon of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever! Bless the heavenly stars of the Lord!.. Bless all the rain and dew of the Lord! .. Bless the fire and heat of the Lord!.. Bless the cold and heat of the Lord!.. Bless the nights and days of the Lord!.. Bless the light and darkness of the Lord!.. May the earth bless the Lord! Bless the Lord, sons of humanity! Bless the Lord the Priests of the Lord, sing and exalt Him forever... (Dan. 3). You see, beloved, how worthily and righteously the Church of Christ is daily remembered and glorified in her canonical songs are the three fathers, who are equal in number to the Holy Trinity!.. Question What does Triodion mean? How many Triodei? And what do they contain? Rep. 1) The Triodion is a church liturgical book and, as explained in the synaxarion for the week of the publican and the Pharisee, means three songs, in the image, I remember, of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. 2) The compilers of the Triodion are many of the holy and God-bearing beauties of our Father, good and worthy, moved by the Holy Spirit. The first of all these intentions was the great creator (of songs) Cosmas. 3) The contents of the Triodion are set out in this way in the synaxarion. The idea of ​​our Holy Father with the entire book of the Triodion (there are two of them, as will be shown below) is to briefly outline everything that concerns us, God’s good deeds (economy). As if from Him we were created, and driven out from the food of paradise, having rejected the commandment given to us for training, and being rejected by the envy of the primeval serpent and the enemy, cast down for pride. And how I was rejected by the good and led by the devil. How did the Son and the Word of God descend and dwell in the Virgin, bowing the heavens and us for the sake of becoming man, and showing the ascension to heaven by the example of His life. How he suffered, and rose again and ascended into heaven, and sent down the Holy Spirit to His holy disciples and the Apostle. And how the Son of God, and the perfect God, was preached by all of them. 4) The Triodion, according to its content, is divided into two parts: the Lenten Triodion and the colored Triodion. The Lenten Triodion contains the time from the week of the tax collector and the Pharisee to Holy Pascha; and colored - from Easter inclusive until the week of All Saints. For in the circle of this time, mainly, the entire vision for human salvation was beautifully fulfilled by Christ our God (mol. 3 in Friday 1), who brought for Himself an immaculate slaughter... Note The Lenten Triodion - the book of repentance - is replaced, to nourish the feelings of constant and daily repentance, by the Octoechos (in Russian - octochanic, also a liturgical book) and especially on Monday, Tuesday - by the canons of the Savior touched, and on all days of the week - by the Theotokos at Little Vespers. Having a storm inside with soul-destroying heresies, the second Judas is the insane Arius, having rejected You, the Son of God, One of the Trinity. We are a different composition (Hypostasis) of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But we confess the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as one Divinity, equal in power, co-essential majesty with our hearts and lips, and, like servants who have been consecrated in holy baptism, we bow to You - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God, calling: Alleluia. (The third day of the Feast of the Holy Trinity. From the akathist). Hearing the Shepherd, the teacher of the Holy Church, Arius, the fierce beast, having climbed into the verbal flock of Christ and rapt the sheep from the true confession, having gathered in Nicaea the Council, God, and not a creature, confessed Christ and is equal to the Father - and the Son and the Holy Spirit, honoring, with fear deciding: Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord my God, God Father, God the Son, God the Holy Soul! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God! One true God, not three Bozis! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, O Lord my God, uncreated Father, uncreated Son, uncreated Holy Soul! Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord my God, One uncreated, and not three uncreated... Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, Lord my God, have mercy on me, Thy unworthy creation, for the sake of Thy Holy One. (Ikos 4 from the Akathist). To save the world, you appeared on the Jordan River, the Most Holy Trinity: the Father in the voice, the Son in the form of humanity, the Holy Soul in the form of a dove. Likewise, in You, the One God, in three Persons we have learned to baptize every person, calling: Alleluia. Question What is the actual saving prayer of the human race to the Three Persons of the Divine? Rep. Among many, this is short, but significant: my hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection (and Paraclete) is the Holy Spirit. Question Would I like to understand the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity a little more clearly? Rep. No similitude can fully explain this mystery, and separately imagine in our minds how God is one in essence, and Trinity in Persons. No mind, not only human, but also angelic, can comprehend it. We firmly believe that God the Father, who has existed from all eternity and, moreover, is not descended from anyone, begets the Son and produces the Holy Spirit. Athanasius the Great expounds this in more detail in his symbol. But you, according to the instructions of Sirach, do not seek those who are superior to you, and do not test those who are stronger for yourself. What you have been commanded, understand this. There are both secret needs (Orthodox Confession 10). In addition and as an explanation, we will read the symbol or statement of the Faith of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea. There is One God, the Father of the Living Word, the Self-Existing Wisdom and Power and the Eternal Image: the perfect Parent of the perfect, the Father of the Only Begotten Son. One Lord, One from One, God from God, the image and expression of the Divinity, the active Word, the Wisdom containing the composition of everything, and the Power that builds all creation; the true Son of the true Father, the Invisible of the Invisible, the Imperishable of the Imperishable, the Immortal of the Immortal, the Eternal of the Eternal. And there is one Holy Spirit, proceeding from God, and appearing through the Son, that is, to people; Life in which the reason for living; Holy Source, Shrine that bestows consecration. He is God the Father, Who is above everything and in everything; and God the Son, who is through all things. The Trinity is perfect, in glory, and eternity, and the kingdom, indivisible and inseparable. Therefore, in the Trinity there is neither created, nor auxiliary, nor incidental, which did not exist before, and which would come after. Neither the Father was ever without the Son, nor the Son without the Spirit: but the Trinity is immutable, unchangeable, and always the same. Let us bow down to Her and pray to Her, that she may bring us into understanding and knowledge of Her glory and greatness, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, who brought Saint Gregory to understanding. The difference in the persons of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in the worship of the Holy Trinity by those like the saints of our father Demetrius of Rostov (see Part 1). Let us read this reverently. All the strength of my soul, come, let us worship God, one in the Trinity - Father and Son and Holy Spirit. All the thoughts of my heart, come, let us worship the Trinity, revered in Unity. All the senses of my body, come, let us worship, and fall down, and weep before the Lord who created us. I adore You, Most Holy One, consubstantial, life-giving and inseparable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Soul! I believe in You, and I confess, I glorify, I thank, I praise, I honor, I extol, and I pray to You: have mercy on me, Your unworthy servant (Three times). I worship You, Father God, for You have brought me from non-existence into existence, for You have adorned me with Your Divine image. I worship You, O Son of God, for You have acquired me with Your honest blood, You have redeemed me from the legal oath, You have enlightened me with Holy Baptism. I adore You, Holy Soul God, for You have revived me, for You have illuminated me with the light of faith. I adore You, Father God, for You have given me a soul with Divine and life-giving inspiration. I worship You, O Son of God, for You laid Your soul on the cross for me. I worship You, O Holy Soul God, as You deliver my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my nose from creeping... I worship You, God the Father, who cleanses all my iniquities. I worship You, God the Son, who heals all my ailments. I worship You, God the Holy Spirit, who delivers my belly from corruption. I adore You, God the Father, who is not completely angry and who is at enmity forever. I worship You, God the Son, who does not commit my iniquities against me. I worship You, God the Holy Spirit, who does not repay me for my sins. I worship You, God the Father, who is generous to me, as the Father is generous to his sons. I worship You, God the Son, who knows my passionate nature and weakness. I worship You, God the Holy Spirit, who heals my infirmities and cleanses me from all filth... I worship You, Father God, my hope! I adore You, O Son of God, long-suffering, my refuge! I bow to You. God, Holy Soul, kindly, my patron! This, falling on his face to the ground, said: 11 It is truly worthy to worship, glorify and thank Thee, the Holy Trinity, even all the heavenly powers, the Cherubim, the Seraphim - they praise with triholy songs, all the saints give thanks, every creature slavishly worships; and I, mortal worm, crawling before the majesty of Thy unapproachable glory, am bold, in the hope of Thy mercy, I dare, I fall down shamelessly and pray: grant that I may always bow to You, my Creator, without condemnation and laziness, to You alone to know, to love and to fear, to keep Your commandments, in the way of Your commandments. walk, praise and glorify You until my last breath, and even after separation from my mortal body, and again copulation with it, do not deprive me of those who are most pleasing to You - Holy, Holy, Holy, shout to the ages, Amen. In the exact exposition of the Orthodox Faith by John of Damascus we read about God the Father as follows: we believe in one Father, the beginning and cause of everything, and not begotten of anyone, Who alone has no cause and is not begotten; is the Creator of everything, and the Father by nature of His one, only and begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were created. When we say that He is before all ages, we thereby show that His birth is not in time, and is beginningless. For it was not from non-existence that the Son of God was brought into being, who is the radiance of glory and the image of the Hypostasis of the Father, living wisdom and power, the Hypostatic Word, the essential, perfect and living Image of the invisible God; but was always with the Father and in the Father, and was born of Him eternally and without beginning. For the Father was never without the Son; but the Father is always together with the Son born of Him. For without the Son He could not be called Father... It cannot be said of God that He does not have the natural power of generation. And the power of birth consists in giving birth from oneself, that is, from one’s own essence, what is equal to oneself by nature... And if we do not agree that the Son existed from the beginning together with the Father, from Whom He was born, then we will admit a change in the Hypostasis of the Father in that He, not having been the Father, later became the Father. It is true that creation occurred in the aftermath of time; however, not from the essence of God, but by the will and power of God, she was brought from non-existence into being; and therefore (during creation) no change occurred in the nature of God... God's creation, as an action of the will, is not co-eternal with God. God and man do not create in the same way. Man does not bring any thing into existence out of nothing, but what he does, he does from ready-made matter, and, moreover, not by one movement of the will, but first thinks it over, imagines in his mind what he wants to do, then he acts with his hands, accepts labor and fatigue. On the contrary, God, with a single wave of his will, brought everything into existence out of nothing. So God and man do not give birth in the same way... But may He who is above all and Who exceeds all thought and understanding be merciful to us! About God the Son, Saint John of Damascus sets forth the teaching of the Holy Church as follows: “And thus the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches that there is a Father and at the same time His only begotten Son, born of Him not in time, impassively and incomprehensibly, as only the God of all knows. Just as fire and the light that comes from it exist together, there is not fire first, and then light, but fire and light are together, and always abides in it, and is not separated from it at all: thus the Son is born from the Father. But light, which is born from fire, without separating from it, does not have its own independence without fire, because light is a natural quality of fire; on the contrary, the only begotten Son of God, born inseparably and inseparably from the Father and always abiding in Him, has His own Hypostasis, in addition to the Hypostasis of the Father. He is perfect, has His own Hypostasis, and except for being unborn, is like the Father in everything; is called the Only Begotten, because one is begotten of the Father and begotten in a unique way; – The Holy Spirit, although it comes from the Father, does not come by way of birth, but by way of procession. Here is another way of being, as incomprehensible and unknown as the birth of the Son of God. Therefore, everything that the Father has, the Son has, except ungeneracy, which does not mean a difference in essence or dignity, but a mode of being. So Adam was not born, for he is the creation of God, Seth was born, for he is from Adam; and Eve came from Adam’s rib: they all differ from each other not by nature, since they are all people; a – according to the way of being. If we say that the Father is the beginning of the Son and is greater than Him, then we do not attribute to Him primacy in time or in nature over the Son; for through Him the Father made the worlds (Heb. 1:2). But we do this only because the Father is the cause, that is, that the Son was born from the Father, and not the Father from the Son. Just as we do not say that there is a different essence of fire, another of light, so it is impossible to say that there is a different essence of the Father, and another of the Son; on the contrary, Their essence is one and the same. Just as we say that fire is revealed through light, and we consider light from fire not to be a ministerial instrument: so we say that whatever the Father does, he creates through his Only Begotten Son, not as through a ministerial instrument, but through natural and Hypostatic Power. And just as we say that fire shines, and we also say that the light of fire shines: so everything that the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19). However, light does not have its own independence, separate from fire: on the contrary, the Son is a perfect Hypostasis, inseparable from the Hypostasis of the Father. Because in creatures it is impossible to find a likeness that would perfectly depict the image of being of the Holy Trinity. About the Holy Spirit, the same Saint John of Damascus states this in the same place: “In the same way, we believe in one Holy Spirit, Lord and life-giving, proceeding from the Father and resting in the Son, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, as consubstantial and co-eternal; in the Spirit from God, right, sovereign; into the source of wisdom, life and sanctification; God with the Father and the Son, existing and named, not created, full, Creator, Almighty, omnipotent, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, possessing all creation, but not possessed; Who communicates deification, but Himself does not accept deification; fills, but He Himself does not require filling; reports, but does not borrow anything; sanctifies, but is not sanctified. We believe in the Comforter, because he accepts the petitions of everyone; in everything similar to the Father and the Son, proceeding from the Father, given through the Son, and acceptable to all creation, self-creating, fulfilling, sanctifying and containing everything; Hypostasis, existing in its own Hypostasis, inseparable and inseparable from the Father and the Son, and having everything that the Father and the Son have, except ungeneracy and birth. For the Father does not have the cause of His existence and is not born, because He has existence not from anyone, but from Himself, and everything that He has does not come from another; on the contrary, He himself is the beginning and cause of being, which is inherent in every being by nature. And the Son is from the Father by birth; The Holy Spirit, although also from the Father, is not by birth, but by procession: and although we are taught that there is a difference between birth and procession; but what this difference consists of, and what the birth of the Son and the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father are, we do not know.” The symbol of Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, says about the consubstantiality of the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: “Whoever wants to be saved, first of all it becomes him to hold the Catholic Faith... This Catholic Faith is, yes, we honor the One God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in the Unity, below merging the Hypostases, below the being dividing. The other is the Hypostasis of the Father, the other the Son, and the other of the Holy Spirit. But the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one Divinity, equal in glory, co-essential with majesty. Like the Father, like the Son, like the Holy Spirit. The Father was not created, the Son was not created, and the Holy Spirit was not created. The Father is incomprehensible, the Son is incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit is incomprehensible. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal: neither are three eternal, but One is eternal; for there are not three uncreated, below three incomprehensible, but One incomprehensible and One not created. Similar: Almighty Father, Almighty Son, Almighty and Holy Spirit; but there is One Almighty. So: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; Either way, there are not three Gods, but One God. Equally: the Lord Father, the Lord Son, the Lord and the Holy Spirit: neither are three Lords, but the Lord is One. Once again, we are forced to confess the Hypostasis of God and the Lord with Christian truth; so three Gods or three Lords are forbidden to speak by Catholic piety... And in this Holy Trinity there is nothing first, or last, nothing more or less; but the three Hypostases are intact, co-essential with themselves and equal. If you want to be saved, let him philosophize about the Holy Trinity.” I. There is physical labor and there is mental labor. There is bodily peace and there is mental peace. The body is at peace when it rests on the path or after intense activity: so the soul is at peace when it rests in a pure and immaculate conscience, and is not disturbed by anything. This is sweet peace of mind! The body is in sweet peace when it rests after its labors; the soul is in sweet peace when its conscience is pure and immaculate. The body has its anxiety, and so does the soul. The body is deprived of rest when it is in labor; the soul is deprived of peace when it is troubled by an evil conscience. Peace of mind is taken away by: 1) all sin and iniquity. A fornicator, an adulterer, and anyone who loves uncleanness cannot have peace of mind; an evil person, an avenger and a murderer cannot have peace of mind; a thief, a predator and a judge - a bribe-taker cannot have peace of mind; A lying and deceiver cannot have peace of mind. In a word: every sinner who is ruined by the law of God cannot have peace of mind. For, destroying the law, it destroys the peace of conscience and irritates it... Satan tries to take away the peace of the soul from pious people with all kinds of temptations and evil thoughts, when he tries to lead them into sin, and thus disturb and irritate their conscience. O beloved! Beware of this whisperer, lest you lose peace of soul. How many times do you feel some evil thought rising in your heart: know for sure that then the enemy comes to your soul and gives it his evil advice, like the serpent to Eve... Do not allow your soul to listen to his whisperings for a long time; but immediately, as soon as you hear his evil advice, turn away from him and turn to the all-powerful Jesus, your intercessor and Savior, and pray to Him that he will help you in your feat. This feat is boring and difficult; but a glorious victory will follow... 3) The pious soul is troubled by the same enemy through evil people. Hence it happens that a pious soul endures all kinds of hatred, bitterness, persecution, and slander. And this is the intrigue of the evil spirit. First of all, he himself disturbs and tempts the pious soul; but when he fails to make it, he sends evil people against her. II. You should not live in idleness, but exercise yourself in blessed labors. For idleness or withdrawal from work is in itself a sin; because it is contrary to the commandment of God, which commands us to eat bread by the sweat of our brow (Gen. 3:19). And the Apostle forbids holy food to those who do not want to do it. Consequently, those who live in idleness and feed on the labors of others constantly sin, and will not stop sinning until they devote themselves to blessed labors. This excludes the infirm and elderly, who, although they would like to work, are unable to. III. Just as not all work is useful, so not all idleness is vicious. Evil are those and lawless works that arise for the sake of lawless deeds. The evil and destructive work of the evil one, who weaves intrigues and cunning for his neighbor, spreads nets and digs a ditch of destruction. Evil work is the destructive efforts of predators who wander along the paths and paths in order to expose travelers. The lawless work and feat of a crafty man who tries to seduce and deceive his brother. Hard and vile work and labor for mammon. A soul-destroying illness and the work of the envious, who, for the sake of their neighbor’s good, are consumed and tormented. Just as these and other similar labors are not praiseworthy and ungodly, so freedom from them and abolition is praiseworthy. Blessed is that peace and idleness when the mind is free from evil thoughts, the heart is at rest from evil lusts, the eyes do not look at anything bad, the ears do not hear anything, the tongue and mouth do not speak anything, the hands do not do anything that is contrary to the law of God. We must celebrate this Saturday not only every week, but also every day, hour and minute. Question What spiritual thoughts are in the soul of the saint. Tikhon was struck by these simple words: Shall we go there too? Rep. It happens, he philosophizes (Part. 11, Art. 11), that when people go to some place, or city, or to do some business, others say to their household or neighbors like this: yours went there, or for such and such a thing, that’s where we’ll go. Christians! and this word to us: we too will go there, in consideration of our departure from the world, is fitting. Our brothers and ancestors departed from this world and went to another age: we too will go there. They left the world and its pleasures: so will we. They left their relatives, friends, houses, expensive clothes: we will leave them too. They left their estates and villages: we will leave them too. They left silver, gold and all their wealth: we will leave too. They left their ranks, titles, names and all glory: we will leave too. They couldn’t bear anything with them; neither can we. Naked they departed from this world: naked we too will depart, and we will depart soon. Why do we bother and collect so much? They went to their righteous Judge to accept their deeds: let us also go. Oh, let's go to the Judge of all - God, who looks not at faces, but at conscience and deeds, with whom kings and their subjects, masters and their slaves, the rich and the poor, princes and farmers are equal. Our ancestors and brothers went to such a Judge for this age: let us go there too... Everyone goes there and no one returns from there. We too will go and will not return. Let us therefore repent and prepare ourselves in advance for the hour of death, so that we may depart from here with good hope, and receive mercy from Christ the Lord... Here, beloved reader, are some spiritual thoughts drawn from the saints. Tikhon from the words: and we will go there! Let us also learn this art from him. Question What help does Saint Tikhon offer to avoid vanity? Rep. This reflection - (Part 2, l. 175). “There is no reason for a person to be proud and vain: is it for the sake of honor and glory? She, like smoke, or like a bubble on water, disappears. Is it for the sake of wealth? But, like money, it passes from hand to hand; and if it is collected untruthfully, then it is disastrous for you too. For someone else you don’t like and don’t want will get it, but you will be left with harm. Will you be vain for the sake of reason? God gives reason and wisdom, and when He takes His, you will be the craziest of all. Is it for the sake of beauty and strength to be vain? But like the flower of grass, illnesses wither and dry up in the heat. Is it noble to be vain? It is your ancestors’, not yours: they deserved it, not us; To be vain with strangers is as crazy as showing off someone else’s dress. Is it good to be vain about virtue? If it is truly in you, that is God’s work, not yours. Why did you not accept him (1 Cor. 4:7)? When God takes away His own, then only your sins will remain. What else is there that you can boast about? Look at your birth: who is born as a man with great difficulty and illness? Look at upbringing: which animal requires the most care, care, cleansing, nutrition, care until it grows - like a person? Many animals, immediately after their birth, get food for themselves; and a person spends so much time running around with someone else’s hands, dressing himself, eating with someone else’s labor, keeping warm, and being preserved!.. Look at the content of your life: who is more careful about food and drink than a man? Look at the clothes: where did you get them from? Sheep, hare, fox, wolf, lynx, bear dress you. You are so wretched that you don’t even have your own clothes. Look at your condition: who is subject to great troubles, passions, corruption, illnesses, and weaknesses as a person? Who is subject to greater fear, sadness, sorrow, vanity, as a person? Surrounded by disasters everywhere: behind - sins, ahead - death, above - the judgment of God, below - hell, on the sides - the temptations of the world and the machinations of demons, inside - passions. Is it such a disaster to be proud and vain? Look again at your beginning and end: you are earth, and to earth you will go (Gen. 3:19). Come to the tombs, distinguish there the king from the warrior, the glorious from the dishonest, the rich from the poor, the strong from the weak, the noble from the weak: here boast of your nobility; here be vain of your beauty, intelligence and honor. Oh, poor creature! poor at the beginning, poor in life, poor at the end. Remember again, who are you? A creature created in the image of God, but destroyed the image of God, fallen, corrupted, joined to senseless cattle, but restored by the mercy of God, the Son of God redeemed by suffering and death. The Son of God humbled himself for your sake: should you be proud? For your sake, the Son of God took on the form of a slave: should you seek dominion? The Son of God became poor for your sake: should you chase after wealth? The Son of God accepted dishonor: is it honor for you to covet? The Son of God had no place to lay his head: should you expand the magnificent buildings? The Son of God washed the feet of His disciples: are you ashamed to serve your brethren? Aren't you ashamed, a slave, to be proud and vain when your Lord humbles himself? He will not have a share in His glory who did not want to be a participant in His humility. Amen". Question What Christian thoughts and reasoning are in the mind of the saint. Tikhon produced visible darkness and light? Rep. “There is bodily and visible light, he reflects; there is spiritual and invisible light; also there is physical and visible darkness, and there is spiritual and invisible darkness. By bodily light the body is, and by spiritual light the soul is enlightened; and by bodily and visible darkness the body is, and by spiritual and invisible darkness the soul is darkened and darkened. God and the knowledge of God is spiritual light; ignorance of God is spiritual darkness. Faith is spiritual light; unbelief and superstition are spiritual darkness. And fearlessness is spiritual darkness. But every sin is spiritual darkness. The memory of death, the judgment of Christ and a blessed and unhappy eternity is spiritual darkness; consistent - good deeds are the light of the soul; and unrepentance and every evil deed is the darkness of the soul... You see, Christian, light and darkness; run away from darkness, and you will not be cast into total darkness. Love the light, so that you may remain in the light, and you will pass to eternal light. He walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going, as if the darkness has blinded his eyes - he who lives in sin. He who knows God walks in the light, and is in true repentance, and runs away from dark deeds, and bears the fruits of repentance. “I am the light of the world,” says the Lord: “Whoever walks after Me will not have to walk in darkness” (John 8:12)... Let us follow the Lord not with our feet, but with our heart, will and morals... Christ, the true Light! Enlighten the eyes of our hearts and direct our feet to follow You, may the imams be the light of life.” Some rituals of the Old Testament are called by the ancient saints. The Fathers used the sacraments not in the sense that they communicated the grace of the Holy Spirit, like the New Testament sacraments, but in the sense of the internal, moral and educational meaning that was present in every ritual institution. Among the Armenians and Jacobites, these words are attached to the thrice-holy hymn: Holy God, according to that one-sided understanding, as if this hymn is sung in honor of one Son, crucified for us, and not all Three Persons of God, as the Orthodox Church understood from ancient times. Acts of St. of the seven Ecumenical Orthodox Councils are published in Russian in the spiritual journal: Orthodox Interlocutor, which is published by the Kazan Theological Academy.