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Saint Tikhon spoke about the holiness of the Churches of the Lord, and about the disposition of heart with which one should enter them, after the consecration of the church on Akitov in the city of Voronezh... Our God is both incomprehensible and inconceivable. Therefore, it is not just a small place, a small church, but the whole world, the whole universe, heaven and earth, east and west, north and south - the Majesty of our God cannot contain... However, there are some places in which the incontainable God of ours dwells in a special way: dwells in heaven, revealing there the special ineffable light of His glory, delighting the blessed spirits with the sight of His Face, delighting souls righteous. He also dwells in the souls of His faithful, giving them His grace, rousing them to do good deeds and protecting them from the snares of the devil. If anyone loves the Me... we will make an abode (our church) with him (John 14:23). And the Apostle of Christ says: Do you not know that you are the church of God, and that the Spirit of God lives in you?.. (1 Cor. 3:16). But prayer churches, built with the diligence of God-loving people, are properly called houses or churches of God. For in them the only services befitting one God are sent; in them sacred rites and holy mysteries are performed, singing and praises to God are offered. It is incomprehensible in them, in the darkness angels want to immerse themselves, a bloodless sacrifice is offered to the heavenly Father all day long. In them, our Savior Christ the Lord himself is present in the sacred Eucharist under the guise of bread and wine. In them, the Holy Spirit descends upon the offered holy gifts, performs sacred acts, and sanctifies those praying. In them the voice of the Gospel and the apostolic message are heard, the word of God is preached. In them, God hears the prayers of His faithful servants. Question Therefore, with what attention and disposition should one enter the churches of the Lord? Rep. As is the owner, so is His house. The owner of this house is terrible and holy, for God exists: his house is terrible and holy. Every respect is due to the house... If Jacob was afraid of the place where he saw the Divine vision: isn’t God’s house, in which He Himself is present with incorporeal powers, much more scary than us? Do not come near this, take the boots from your feet: the place you are standing on is holy ground (Ex. 3:4, 5). Tear off the boots of your feet, that is, the sadness of life, throw away vain thoughts, having come to the house of the Lord: for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. We enter the church of the Lord either to praise God, or to thank God, or to ask something from God, or to propitiate God for sins... If you came to the church of God to ask forgiveness for your sins, then remember all your sins, with which you angered your Creator from a very young age; look into the book of conscience, look and judge how much you have upset your Lord; touched in your heart, fly with your mind to heaven, with humility cast yourself before the throne of glory, fall at the feet of your Savior, kiss His feet, shed tears... and cry: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13)... Do you want to thank God? Begin from your very birth; from your very beginning remember the blessings of God. That you live in the world is His blessing. You are honored in the image of God, this is His great blessing. Grace does not retreat from you; His angels encamp around you, etc. and so on. Think: is he worthy of this?.. If you come to church with a petition, then ask without a doubt, with hope, that it is necessary for the glory of God and your salvation... Saint Tikhon gracefully portrays a Christian in his Spiritual Treasure, the good tree (Art. 3. Part II). “Like a good tree, so is a good Christian, who thinks spiritually within himself. A good tree comes from a good seed: a good Christian is born from God’s word, a heavenly and good seed (1 Pet. 1:23). A good tree is known by its good fruits: so a good Christian is known by good deeds. The tree must first be good, and then produce good fruits, because an evil tree cannot produce good fruits: so a Christian must first become good and then produce good fruits. A good tree bears fruit for its owner and other people: this is how a good Christian does good deeds for the glory of the name of God and the benefit of his neighbors. The good fruits of a good tree, although they hang on the tree, are not attributed to the tree itself, but to the seed from which the tree grew: so good deeds, even though a Christian does them, must be attributed to a good and humane God - to God, who sowed a gracious seed on the human heart, who helps him and strengthens him to do good; for without God it is impossible to do good and to be good. A good tree, the more it is cut off and cleansed from the worker, the more fruit it bears: so a Christian, the more he is punished and corrected by the heavenly worker - God, the better he is and the more good deeds he does (John 15:2). A good tree imparts its fruits to everyone indiscriminately - to those at home and to strangers: so a good Christian does good to everyone, friends and enemies, known and unknown, imitating in this the heavenly Father (Matthew 5:45). His house is open to everyone; Everyone who is hungry eats his bread; he will not refuse someone who requires help when he can... Seeing a brother sinning, he does not judge him (unless he is a judge); but he sympathizes with the spirit of mercy, etc., etc.” Such, in truth, was Saint Euthymius, celebrated on January 20. Christian! If you want to praise and glorify Christ the Lord, consider what kind of lips you have: are they Christian? Praise is not red in the mouth of a sinner (Sir. 15:9)... Singing and praising with your lips, sing with your heart and spirit. First of all, says Saint Chrysostom, you need to correct your life: then your praise will be red; - It will be a fragrant aroma to your Lord. About Christianity, St. Tikhon from the holy and golden lips of the Ecumenical Teacher, the following brings together his thoughts. The Christian thing is to always stand against desires; We always have the law of Christ, given in the Gospel, before us. (Conversations 9 on Gen.). If you are a Christian, believe in Christ; If you believe in Christ, show your faith by works (to Ant.). The only problem a Christian has is to anger God. For a Christian, neither right dogmas without a good life, nor a life without right dogmas benefits a Christian (Conversations 13 on Gen.). Question How does St. Tikhon reflect on the Divinity of Christianity? Rep. The great and wonderful work of converting pagans to Christianity, as if with a finger, points to God, the omnipotent, all-good, philanthropic, merciful, long-suffering and wise - and there is a constant silent preaching in all corners of the world about Christ, the Savior of the world. There must be a supernatural Light, which enlightened the pagans, hardened in idolatrous wickedness, and grown old in the charms and dreams of the devil, and showed the darkness and delusion that beset them. To whom did the pagans turn because of their delusion? To Christ, never heard of from them, expected from the Jews, but rejected, and suffered from them, and crucified on the cross in the middle of two villains, and on the third day, resurrected and ascended into heaven. They recognized Him as the true God, they placed all their hopes on Him alone, and they worshiped Him. What attracted them? The power of the crucified Christ drew them to Him, who died for all. Those who were rigid in polytheism recognized the one God: they recognized God as One in nature, but Trinity in Persons; believed in heavenly and supernatural mysteries: the resurrection of the dead, heavenly and invisible blessings, etc.; They left the lawless and carnal life, the vanity and pomp of the world and loved the humble, virtuous life of Christ: a supernatural light flashed in their hearts and attracted them to follow Christ. Through whom were countless peoples who lived like wild animals converted to Christianity? Through the twelve Apostles. What are they converted by? Not with weapons, but with words. Who were they? Ignorant and simple. This is incomprehensible to the human mind. And it was nothing other than the power of the crucified Christ that accomplished this. How many obstacles did the devil put in the way of growing Christianity? How many tortures did he invent through his ministers for preachers of the Faith and for believers? But he did not manage to do anything: his entire council fell apart by the power of the crucified Christ, our God. Marvelous! Everyone saw the terrible torment for those who accepted Christianity, but they courageously entered Christianity, despising the torment. They did not see eternal blessings; but they strove for them as if they were visible and encouraged each other to achieve feats. It was not human, but God’s work!.. And this is that Christ, before His suffering, said: If I am exalted, I will draw all things to Me (John 12:32)... I am the imam of other sheep, ... and you must bring you, and they will hear My voice (John 10:16). And all the ends of the earth heard and worshiped Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit. You see, St. is talking. Tikhon (in article 112 on spiritual wisdom, Part 4), - you see the image of Christ crucified. Here you will find abundant material for teaching in the matter of Christian piety. The image of Christ crucified is presented to us. 1) God's immutable truth. We see here that the truth of God cannot be violated, but it irrevocably demands that the holy law of God be intact and inviolable, or that lawbreakers be worthily punished. 2) The severity of sin and the wrath of God for our sins. Man could and can easily sin; but throughout all eternity he will suffer in the fire of Gehenna for his sin, if here he is not cleansed by repentance and faith in Christ. Sin is grave; for no one could take it away except Christ, the Son of God. The wrath of God for sins is inexorable: for to appease Him it was necessary for Christ, the Son of God, to die, and thus satisfy the truth of God, irritated by our sins. 3) The image of Christ crucified represents to us the immeasurable goodness of God and ineffable mercy. Since we ourselves could not arise and be saved, we could not satisfy the truth of God and cleanse our sins and be justified: then for this great work God sent His Son, so that, believing in Him, we would receive what we had lost in Adam (John 3:16)... 4) In Christ crucified we see the boundless wisdom of God, which then and there invented the way to our salvation, where when it seemed there was no salvation. Christ, the Son of God, sinless, and God in the flesh, suffered and died for sinners... The truth of God was satisfied with this most holy sacrifice; God's mercy took the place to act for the salvation of people. A person who has sinned is saved by the grace of God, and the truth of God certainly abides... Thus, everything is possible to our almighty, wise and good God. 5) In the image of Christ crucified we see our free obedience for the sake of the Son of God, the deepest humility, great patience and meekness. By the will of us, he deigned to be obedient even to the point of death, death on the cross; By the will of us, the Lord of glory humbled himself so much that there could be no greater humility; by the will of us, for our sake, Christ endured such suffering and dishonor, which cannot be greater... Christ did all this out of love for His heavenly Father and for us, His unworthy servants, and thus Christ the Son of God became an intercessor, a mediator between God who was angry, and us, who had angered God. From Christ’s obedience, humility, patience and meekness let us learn these virtues, so that we may not bear the Christian name in vain, but be truly Christ’s. Question What is our essential duty to Christ? Rep. Love, grateful love. The very name, the sweetest name: Jesus the Savior, attracts our hearts to His love, Orthodox Christian! How can we not love Christ? How can one not love Christ, who is worshiped and revered with love by the holy angels and all holy souls; - Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the Son according to the flesh of the most pure Virgin Mother of God, for the sake of our salvation, he so humbled himself, so belittled himself, endured such terrible things, only died a shameful death; Christ is our justification, our hope, our resurrection, our eternal life, our glory, our helper and intercessor, the conqueror for us, the conqueror of death, hell and all our enemies? How can one not love such a lofty Benefactor? Question What does it mean to love Christ, and how is this love known? Rep. A lover always wants to be together and inseparably with his beloved. So God, Who is eternal love, when man departed from Him, deigned to unite with him in the incarnation, and graciously dwells in His servants (2 Cor. 6:16). The same goes for people. A friend always wants to be inseparable from his beloved friend, not only in happiness, but also in misfortune... Consequently, whoever loves Christ with his heart, wants to be inseparable with Christ, to bear his cross and follow Him... and it is not denied to die with Him and for Him. An example of this is the Apostle Paul (Acts 21:13). 2) The lover fulfills the will of his beloved, so as not to sadden his beloved. So a good son strives to fulfill the will of his father, a good servant strives to fulfill the will of his master... So, whoever loves Christ the Son of God strives to fulfill the will of Christ (John 14:21)... 3) The lover also loves the one whom the beloved loves. So, when he loves your friend, then, for the sake of your beloved friend, he also loves the one whom the friend loves. For when you love Christ, you must love every person, your friend and your enemy. For Christ loved everyone so much that he laid down his life for everyone, both your friends and your enemies: Christ died for all (2 Cor. 5:15)... 4) A lover regrets when he himself insults his beloved, or sees someone insulted by someone else. So, whoever loves Christ, or because of weakness he sins, laments, regrets, repents himself, with humility and ardent confession of his sin falls before Him... Such a one, even if he were in hell for a crime, and there would praise God's truth... 5) The lover always carries his beloved in his heart - not physically, but spiritually. So the son of his father and his mother, whom he loves, and his dear friend, even in their absence, embraces his heart, and thinks about them, and talks about them, and cares about them, and often cries because he does not see them. This is in natural love. Also in gracious love for Christ, the Son of God. He who loves Christ, the Son of God, always spiritually embraces and bears His name in his heart, and therefore often remembers Christ, meditates and reasons about Christ, about His saving look upon us... and with zeal he thanks Him for this, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and desires to see face to face the beloved, whom he now sees by faith... 7) The lover of the beloved will follow the character... There is no true friendship except between like-minded people. Thus, one who loves Christ strives to follow His most good and Divine properties and disposition. He who loves Christ, following His example, is humble, patient, meek, kind, loving, simple-hearted, sincere, merciful, compassionate, etc... He thinks the same with Him, desires and agrees with Him in everything... 8) The lover does not love someone who is disgusted to the beloved. A son does not love his father's adversary, a friend is disgusted by a friend's adversary. For our heart cannot be divided (Matthew 6:24)... The world is disgusting to Christ. For whoever loves Christ does not love the world (1 John 2:15). The world here, of course, is not heaven and earth with their fulfillment, but carnal lust, the lust of desire, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16)... Question How can we stir up our hearts to love Christ? Rep. Christ says: He who loves Me will be loved by My Father. (John 14:21). Oh, what a great promise! A true lover of Christ has friendship with the Father and the Son, and where the Father is, there the Holy Spirit is not separated... We will come to him and make our abode with him. The lover of Christ is honored to be the home and dwelling of the Holy One. Trinity! I will appear to him myself. How does Christ appear to His lovers?.. Spiritually, when He enters into their hearts through His Holy Spirit, and enlightens, and comforts, and creates joy in them... It is amazing to us that true Christians love Christ to the point of death and most of all; but what is more marvelous and beyond reason is that Christ loved us sinners so much that He was willing to die for us (Book VII). Question How does Saint Tikhon encourage and console against the temptation that comes from the devil through evil and blasphemous thoughts? Rep. How many dirty tricks, and how many thoughts, like flaming arrows, the enemy fires at us at every time, day and hour - it is impossible to say!.. Against this secret temptation of evil and blasphemous thoughts, the struggling soul, heed the following. 1) Such temptation is God’s permission for our benefit. For, just as when we see an enemy approaching a city, we close the gates and guard the city with all fear, so that if he enters he does not destroy the city and destroy us and take us captive: so, feeling the spiritual enemy approaching us and his effect on us - through evil and blasphemous thoughts, we must close the houses of our souls, strengthen and guard dangerously, so that he does not invade inside and ruined our spiritual home. Strengthening and protecting it is accomplished by the fear of God and fervent prayer... Just as frequent attacks by enemies make citizens more cautious, so frequent temptations from the devil in a Christian arouse greater fear and sobriety... So, the devil thinks evil for us and for our destruction, but God promotes good for us; to him it is shame and reproach, but to us it is to praise. 2) Blasphemous thoughts occur not by will, but against our will; therefore, they are not considered a sin to us. For that is only the sin we are charged with, which we deign... Just as the enemy, although he places his arrows on the city, does not harm the city until the city surrenders: so the enemy of our souls, the devil, who is hostile to us, although he places his fiery arrows on our spiritual city, but does not succeed in anything until we deign to his evil will, but we reflect from ourselves the intrigues his slander. 3) As in any temptation, so especially - in the temptation of blasphemous thoughts, the tempter is put to shame and with shame departs from the tempted one, when we stand firmly against him and reject him with his evil slander... The greater the temptation comes from him, the greater the shame and disgrace that follows him... Like a giant, the greater the shame and shame when he is overcome by a little youth, and not by his equal: So the devil is always brought to shame when it is not his evil will. For every person, in himself, is like a little child before the devil; but strengthened by the power of God, he defeats him, like a little boy defeating a giant (Book VIII, Chapter 11). Question Where do blasphemous thoughts come from? Rep. Out of pride, says Climacus. Blasphemous thoughts will be born in proud hearts, while heavenly visions will be born in humble souls. Question What is the shortest way to free yourself from blasphemous thoughts? Rep. If a blasphemous thought invades God, read: I believe in one God, to the end - with bows. If a blasphemous thought comes to the most pure mysteries of Christ, read: I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, to the end with bows. If a blasphemous thought invades the Most Pure Theotokos, read a prayer to her: We take refuge under Your compassion, or: Rejoice, Virgin Mary, or: Most Holy Theotokos, save me, or another. If a blasphemous thought strikes a saint, read: pray to God for me, a sinner, holy one (his name), as I am running to you according to God, etc., and bow to the best of your ability. If a blasphemous thought comes to the holy icon, make 15 bows before that icon, or as many as you can, calling on the one who is depicted on the holy icon. icon, and in this way do not attribute blasphemous thoughts to anything with God’s help. Note There is a special book: spiritual healing for confused thoughts. It’s scary to even think about sin, which is called blasphemy of the name of God, the great and Holy! However, there is also such a sin, invented by the malice of the devil. In order to warn those who are less knowledgeable about this, let us consider: how is the name of God blasphemed? In different ways. 1) When a person does not believe His holy word and the revealed secrets and promises in it. For although the unbeliever does not directly call Him false, this very fact shows: He who does not believe God has created a lie to eat Him (1 John 5:10)... These include those who do not recognize the resurrection of the dead and other Mysteries that God’s word reveals. 2) The name of God is blasphemed when a person calls the Lord his God either unjust or unmerciful, or does not recognize His eternal existence and providence for His creation. And although someone who does not touch the name of God with a blasphemous word, but in his heart contains thoughts that are contrary to His Divine properties, also blasphemes the name of God. For God sees the depth of the human heart. 3) The name of God is terribly blasphemed when His Divine work is attributed to His adversary the devil (this is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit); what blasphemers were the scribes and Pharisees during Christ’s stay on earth; - or is attributed to some other creature, as the Israelites did when they attributed the great work of their deliverance from Egypt to a soulless calf (Ex. 32:4). 4) The name of God is blasphemed when a person takes away the glory and honor that should be given to God from Him and ascribes it to himself. For through this he places himself as an idol in the place in which he should place and honor God, and falls into the sin of idolatry. Such are the essence of those who rely on their own strength, wisdom, reason, skill, or their good deeds - to themselves, and not to the help of God's grace. 5) The name of God is blasphemed and dishonored by a false oath, when people do not have in their hearts what they declare in word; - and by God, when not in necessary and important cases, but in insignificant ones - and without any reason the name of God is remembered and accepted, as it has become an evil custom among people: by God, for that God, here is Christ for you, etc.... The name of God, like a great and terrible holy name, must be remembered with fear. 6) The name of God is blasphemed by murmuring against God in misfortune and troubles: “What have I done? what have I done wrong? Am I really more sinful than others? These are the crazy words of murmuring!.. This is not how a faithful and humble heart feels! It glorifies the truth of God in adversity: Thou art righteous, O Lord, and rule Thy judgments! 7) The name of God is dishonored and blasphemed by the crime of St. Law and lawless living, according to the word of the Apostle: by transgressing the law of God you are dishonored; and the Prophet: the name of God is blasphemed among the nations by you (Isa. 52:5). The Apostle applied this reproach to the Jews (Rom. 2:23). But it should be applied to Christians, who took the place of the Jews, who did not accept Christ, became the people of God, and took the law of God, which was contained by the Jews, and promised to keep it, entering Christian society; but in fact they do not want to fulfill it and fearlessly violate it. Therefore, just as the Jews then, so the Christians now blaspheme the great name of God among the nations. For the pagans, looking at the lawless life of Christians and noticing their behavior, which is better and more reasonable than theirs, involuntarily turn away from the Christian Faith, and they abandon God, the Creator of the Christian law, and are confirmed in their wickedness and perish forever. Woe to us such Christians! The strictest judgment of God will follow us than the pagans! Nailing the name of Christ while living a non-Christian life will not help us. Lord, Lord, we say to Him. We do not know you, but we will hear from Christ (Matthew 25:11, 12) (Book VII).