Festive divine service

Contents General concepts about festive worship Conversation No. 1. On the necessity and salutary value of honoring the holidays of the Orthodox Church Conversation No. 2. On the worthy celebration of holidays Conversation No. 3. On holidays in general Conversation No. 4. On the mysterious meaning of Christian holidays 1. Lord's holidays I. Nativity Conversation No. 1. On the divine service on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity Conversation No. Appendix to Conversation No. 1. A. Why was Christmas Eve established on the eve of the Nativity of Christ? B. Bethlehem C. Nativity scene and manger (From the journey of A. O. Norov) D. Spiritual conversation with the Infant Jesus Blessed. Jerome, in the Bethlehem Cave Conversation No. 2. About the service on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ Appendix to Conversation No. 2. Something from the tales of ancient Christian writers about the signs and events that preceded and accompanied the Nativity of Christ Conversation No. 3. On the meaning of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ Appendix to Conversation No. 3. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ Conversation No. 4. About the remembrance of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from the invasion of the Gauls and with them the twelve languages. Appendix to conversation No. 4. A. From the hymns on the day of the Nativity of Christ with brief explanatory notes B. Is it permissible to dress up on Christmastide? Conversation No. 5. To the words of the church song “Christ is born, glorify; Christ from heaven, hide away; Christ on earth, ascend” Conversation No. 6. On the words of the kontakion of the feast of the Nativity of Christ Appendix to conversation No. 6. The history of the origin of the church song “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...” II. Circumcision of the Lord Conversation No. 1. About the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ III. Epiphany of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Epiphany with moral and dogmatic lessons Appendix to conversation No. 1. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the feast of the Epiphany Conversation No. 2. About the service on the feast of the Epiphany Appendix to conversation No. 2 A. Historical background on how the blessing of water was performed in antiquity in Rus' B. Historical information about why on the feast of Epiphany the water is blessed twice C. Some chants on the day of Epiphany with a brief explanation D. About the sacred Jordan River Conversation No. 3. About the meaning of the holy water of Epiphany Appendix to conversation No. 3. About the holy Epiphany water IV. Presentation of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which explains the history of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord with moral conclusions Appendix to conversation No. 1. A. Edifying thoughts taken from the service of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord B. Some hymns on the day of the Presentation of the Lord with brief explanatory notes V. Transfiguration of the Lord Conversation No. 1. About the service on the day of the Transfiguration The Lord's Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. Historical information about why the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated here on August 6 B. From church hymns on the day of the Transfiguration with explanatory notes Conversation No. 2. About what the Transfiguration of Christ teaches us Appendix to conversation No. 2 A. The instructiveness of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord from church hymns and readings B. Mount Tabor V. About the offering to the church for blessing of the firstfruits of fruits and vegetables, which occurs on August 6, on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord VI. The Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord with moral conclusions Appendix to Conversation No. 1. Miracles that have happened and occurred from the Cross and the Cross of the Lord Conversation No. 2. About how to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord Conversation No. 3. On the meaning of the rite Exaltation of the Holy Cross Appendix to conversation No. 3 A. From the chants on the day of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross with some explanatory notes B. The fate of the Life-giving Tree of the Holy Cross C. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the holiday of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord D. Mount Calvary VII. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem with dogmatic and moral lessons from the history of the holiday and its worship Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. From church hymns on the day of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem B. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the feast of the solemn entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem C. Jerusalem D. God's judgment over Jerusalem VIII. Bright Resurrection of Christ (Easter) Synaxarion of Holy Easter, outlining the history of the holiday Conversation No. 1. About the service on the first day of Holy Easter Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Easter holiday B. Historical background on the origin and meaning of the church custom of beginning the service on the day of Holy Easter at midnight Conversation No. 2. Word on Matins on the feast of St. Pascha Conversation No. 3. About why on the feast of Easter the royal doors in holy churches are constantly open. Appendix to conversations No. 1–3. Stories about the resurrection of people from the dead by the power of Christ's resurrection among the pagan world and Christians Conversation No. 4. About the Easter greeting, about mutual kissing and the custom of giving each other red eggs Appendix to conversation No. 4 Explanation of some symbolic actions before the start of Easter Matins Conversation No. 5, in which the Easter troparion is explained Appendix to conversation No. 5 A. Explanation of the Easter song B. Explanation Easter stichera: B. The meaning of the refrain “An angel crying with more grace” Conversation No. 6. About artos Appendix to conversation No. 6 A. Why is holy bread, or artos, placed in churches on Easter? B. Easter Canon of Matins C. Historical note about the origin of the Easter canon Conversation No. 7. On how to celebrate Easter of Christ Appendix to Conversation No. 7 A. Historical note about how Easter was celebrated in the ancient Christian Church B. The Holy Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem C. Easter in the Moscow Kremlin IX. Ascension of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which sets out the history of the feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ with dogmatic and moral conclusions Appendix to conversation No. 1. Mount of Olives Conversation No. 2. About the divine service on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord Appendix to conversation No. 2 A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord B. From church hymns on the day of the Ascension X. Feast of Pentecost Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the Feast of Pentecost, or Trinity Day, with dogmatic and moral conclusions Appendix to Conversation No. 1. Church historical information about why the celebration of the Holy Spirit was established on the next day of Pentecost Conversation No. 2. About worship on the day of Pentecost Appendix to Conversation No. 2 A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of Pentecost, or the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles B. Why do we decorate sacred churches and our homes with greenery and tree branches on the Feast of Pentecost? Conversation No. 3, explaining the troparion of Pentecost. Appendix to conversations No. 2–3. Why on Pentecost and on all Sundays are prayers performed in the Church without kneeling? XI. Feast of the origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-giving Cross Conversation No. 1. About the holiday of the origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-giving Cross (August 1) Appendix to conversation No. 1. Historical basis of the holiday of the origin of the Trees of the Honest and Life-giving Cross XII. Feast of the unmade image of our Lord Jesus Christ Conversation No. 1. About the feast of the unmade image of our Lord Jesus Christ Appendix to conversation No. 1. Thoughts on the importance and meaning of the holiday in honor of the Not made by hand image of Christ the Savior 2. Feasts of the Mother of God I. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1. On the day of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. The instructiveness of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary according to church hymns B. From church hymns on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary II. Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1. About what religious and moral lessons are offered to us by the history of the feast of the Annunciation Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. About what the Annunciation means and what it inspires in us B. From church hymns on the day of the Annunciation C. Nazareth III. Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary with moral conclusions Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. The instructiveness of the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary B. From church hymns on the day of the Entry into the Church of the Mother of God IV. Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1, which sets out the history of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God with moral and dogmatic lessons Appendix to conversation No. 1. Tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 2. About the divine service on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God Appendix to conversation No. 2. From church hymns on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God V. Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God with moral conclusions VI. About the holiday in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, October 22 Conversation No. 1. About the holiday in honor of the Kazan Mother of God 3. Holidays in honor of saints Conversation No. 1. About the celebration in honor of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal forces, November 8 Appendix to conversation No. 1 A. Why is the holy Archangel Michael depicted on the icon in a warlike militia? B. About guardian angels C. Examples of protection by holy angels Conversation No. 2. Explaining the history of the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist with moral lessons Appendix to conversation No. 2. The Mountain City of Judah Conversation No. 3, explaining the history of the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist with moral conclusions Conversation No. 4. On the day of St. apostles Peter and Paul Conversation No. 5. On the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas (May 9) Conversation No. 6. On the celebration in honor of the holy prophet of God Elijah Appendix to conversation No. 6 Beliefs connected with the name of the holy prophet Elijah Conversation No. 7. On the day of repose of St. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (September 26) Conversation No. 8. On the day of the glorious Great Martyr George the Victorious, April 23 IV. Civil holidays. New Year Conversation No. 1. About celebrating the New Year Appendix to Conversation No. 1 A. Treasure your time! B. New Year's wishes of the shepherd to his flock C. One should not believe in omens and guess D. To those who put on masks and dress up Conversation No. 2. On the occasion of highly solemn (royal) days General concepts about festive worship Conversation No. 1. About the necessity and salvation of honoring the holidays of the Orthodox Church I. Christian holidays are days that should be dedicated to serving God and our Lord Jesus Christ and on which we should put aside all worldly cares and abandon all our usual activities and affairs. Through the holidays of the Orthodox Church, all the grace-filled gifts of Christianity are clearly depicted. II. Holidays are established by God. The most ancient and widespread holiday is a weekly day: its beginning coincides with the appearance of the first person on earth. When and why was it installed? We find clear evidence of this in the book of Genesis. Following the story of the creation of the world, it says: “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, for in it he rested from all His work, which God had created and made” (Gen. 2:3). The Almighty Creator, with such a schedule of His activities, set an example for people so that they would work for six days and stop their work on the seventh. But it is not only the rest that distinguishes the seventh day from the other days of the week: God not only rested on this day, but blessed and sanctified it, that is, this day is a joyful day and a holy, or sacred day. Rest, or cessation of all work, on the seventh day serves only as a means of its sanctification, a necessary condition, without which it would be impossible to achieve the actual dedication of the Sabbath day to the Lord. Of the ten commandments given by God at Sinai and containing the entire moral law, the fourth obliges a person to work for six days, and on the seventh to stop his work and serve God (Exodus 20:8–10). Realizing the importance of this commandment, the Jews fulfilled it with all strictness. How did the Jews devote the Sabbath to serving God, what did their service consist of? Serving God consisted in the fact that the people gathered in the tabernacle or in the church, where prayers were performed, sacrifices were made, and the Holy Scriptures were read and explained. In addition to Saturday, in the Old Testament Church there were other days dedicated to the remembrance of the most important events in the life of the Jewish people, such as: Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, Tabernacles, Purim, etc. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself sanctified the Jewish holidays: as a twelve-year-old boy He went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover; on Saturday He came to the temple when he was in Jerusalem, or to the synagogue if he was outside Jerusalem; prayed there, read and explained the law and taught people, and also performed works of mercy. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the ritual Old Testament law lost its significance, but the religious and moral law retains its force, and the Decalogue, although it was given to Jews, is mandatory for all Christians. But we Christians, instead of the seventh day, Saturday, dedicate the first day of the week, Sunday, to serving God, in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The celebration of Sunday began with the apostles: the book of Acts tells that the apostolic disciples and with them the apostle. Paul met to break bread on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). On Sunday, all believers gathered together, prayed, sang hymns, listened to the reading of Holy Scripture and the sermon, which mainly consisted of an explanation of the section of Holy Scripture read, and participated in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; At the same time, a collection was made in favor of the poor and needy brethren (1 Cor. 16:2). During the first three centuries of Christianity, Sunday was strictly observed as a day of holy joy and thanksgiving. For the annual remembrance of the great events in the history of the redemption of the human race, the leading Christians, following the example of the Old Testament Church, established festivities on several other days in addition to Sunday. Among such days, the Easter holiday was especially revered, containing the remembrance of the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; Christians also celebrated the day of the Ascension of the Lord, Pentecost, Nativity of Christ and Epiphany; Over time, holidays were established in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos and other saints. a) Recognizing holidays as a useful and pious institution, the Holy Church has always imparted a bright, solemn character to their celebration. The Church has always considered the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which in itself is the most solemn Christian service, to be a necessary condition for celebration, and the Church made participation in public worship on these days an obligation for its children, under the threat of spiritual punishment (Sardica Council, rights 11; Laodicea, rights 29, Gangra, rights 5, 6). The whole life of Christians on holidays should have been organized according to this. They had to free themselves from worldly occupations and labors, not to overshadow the celebrations with amusements or feasts, but to sanctify them with benefactors for the benefit of the Church. The Church considered the celebration of holidays in the spirit of bright joy, as opposed to the idleness and sensual licentiousness that accompanied pagan holidays, so expedient that when the state took the Church under its protection (from the 4th century), it called on civil authority to protect the sanctity of holidays. The emperors who patronized the Church issued laws in the 4th-6th centuries that prohibited violating the sanctity of holidays by performing public duties and legal proceedings; Fun and amusement that offended the Christian sense, such as theatrical performances, duels and horse racing in amphitheaters, were also prohibited. St. Constantine the Great prohibited trade on Sundays, and this decree was subsequently confirmed by the law of Emperor Justinian. b) Festive peace, established by the commandment of God, sanctified by the example of ancient Christians, protected by church laws, has an unshakable foundation in the very structure of human nature, both physical and spiritual. Work, even if moderate, tires the soul and body of a person, and the latter, in order to restore strength, needs rest, to replace work with peace; What is even more necessary is more or less long rest for people who carry out heavy and constant work: without rest, no matter how strong and seasoned they are, they are in danger of ruining their health, prematurely losing the ability to work and shortening their life itself. If holiday rest is necessary to maintain the health of a working person, then it constitutes one of the important conditions for the economic well-being of a person, family, people and humanity, insofar as this well-being is based on work: an unhealthy person is a bad worker. In all well-organized states, rulers and legislators, aware of the importance of holidays for the economic condition of the people and for their moral education and enlightenment, for the most part supported the requirements of religion regarding holidays and protected their proper observance by laws. Such laws exist in Christian states, Jews, Mohammedans and even pagans. From what has been said, one can see that dedicating certain days of the year to serving God and others, and partly to rest, is an urgent requirement of human nature - a moral duty of a person: it is caused, extended, approved and sanctified by the commandment of God and protected by laws. c) Now let's talk about what harmful consequences are accompanied by disrespect and non-observance of holidays. Raising the people to respect the law is the first guarantee of their moral improvement and the first basis for the development of their spiritual strength, power and well-being. If this applies to every law, then much more does it apply to the commandments of the Lord, which are unchangeable and endure forever (1 Pet. 1:25). Among these commandments is one that shows all of us Christians how we should spend holidays, designated exclusively for serving God and deeds of love for our neighbor; Meanwhile, we often see that imaginary guardians of the welfare of the people, establishing fairs, markets and bazaars on the days of the twelve holidays, seem to want the simple Russian villager to devote these great days in the Orthodox Church not to serving God - not for edification of himself, but to the business of buying and selling. If the commandment of God Himself, the Creator and Provider remains with us in such neglect, then what will force us to truly honor the laws of earthly power? If we only take into account that the main figure in the markets on holidays is the common people, then this alone is enough to understand all the evil that can arise from educating the people outside the rule of law, because it is these people who constitute the strength of the state. It should not be hidden that a frivolous attitude and coldness towards the Holy Church and its institutions, through various teachers and dissenters, began to penetrate more and more among our people, who from time immemorial were distinguished by their strong faith and deep devotion to the Orthodox Church. And this faith and this devotion to the Holy Church fostered in him boundless faith and boundless devotion to the throne and the fatherland; Moreover, faith and devotion animated and strengthened the people in times of disaster and misfortune. The Holy Orthodox Faith revived, enlightened and grew the Russian people. By non-observance of God's commandments and a cold attitude towards the institutions of the Holy Orthodox Church, what do the imaginary guardians of the people's welfare want to achieve? They seem to want to separate the people from the Church that has grown them, to shake the holiness of the Church with all its statutes in the eyes of the common people. From time immemorial and until the last days, the Holy Orthodox Church was and remains the main and almost the only school for the people, and this teaching takes place in holy churches, of which all worship is the highest sermon; Both adults and children, men and women, literate and illiterate study here; the holy church fosters respect for order and decency, nourishes and increases religiosity, introduces morality, and awakens spiritual interests. Meanwhile, with the establishment of markets on the days of great holidays, both the merchants themselves and the common people are deprived of the opportunity to be in the holy church and receive edification here. Moreover, in the establishment of markets and bazaars on holidays there is another side that is extremely unfavorable for the morality of the people: the days of our markets are usually accompanied by oaths and gods, drunkenness, foul language, swearing, fights and similar indecent actions, which further undermines the power of God’s commandment in the eyes of the people and belittles the importance of those days that should be dedicated to serving God and doing good deeds. In a word, the establishment of markets on holidays fosters and aggravates sinfulness among the people, multiplying temptations and weakening the saving influence of the Holy Church as a great school of morality. It is impossible to justify the opening of markets on holidays and even the production of their usual work and activities on the days of their usual work and activities by any considerations other than selfish motives. The cessation of trade and ordinary activities on holidays can neither restrict industry nor undermine the people's well-being. The richest countries are those in which holidays are sanctified in the most strict manner. An example is the countries with the busiest and most extensive trade, with the most developed industry - England and North America. In England, on Sunday, not only heavy work stops, but even all work in general, with the exception of absolutely necessary ones, such as cooking, not to mention judicial and administrative places, educational institutions, banks and offices, all theaters, concert halls and other places of entertainment are closed for the whole day; most of the shops are locked; travel in carriages, omnibuses and on railways is reduced by four; all the workshops are empty. In North America, which prides itself on its exemplary achievements in the sciences, inventions of industry and commerce, and its wealth, on Sundays the appearance of the city changes completely. “Instead of an endless procession of commercial and industrial hulks flooding the streets, and hurried masses of people running along the sidewalks, you see a kingdom of solemn calm... At certain times the streets are flooded with masses of people going to or from church. Going to church here is considered so necessary that it is even required by public opinion, which strictly punishes non-compliance with this requirement... Sunday services usually take place twice, in some churches in the morning and evening, and in others in the morning and at three o'clock in the afternoon. The noon and evening services are attended as diligently as the morning ones. During evening services there are often even more people than during morning services. In their free time from worship, Americans attend meetings of various societies and corporations, religious rallies, at which all measures to maintain the religious and moral character of the members of this or that community or corporation are discussed. Strict observance of the laws regarding Sunday is an excellent moral discipline” (Lopukhin, “Life overseas,” pp. 98–107). Thus, the British and Americans - the most active and hardworking people, extremely practical - do not consider Sunday peace a lost time and do not put it among the reasons for the decline of industry, stagnation in trade and poverty of the people. One cannot in any way agree with the opinion of those guardians of the people's welfare who, out of selfish motives, assert that after the cessation of trade and ordinary activities on holidays, those participating in them, instead of visiting the church of God, will indulge in gross vices, and in particular, drunkenness and revelry, which will further darken the holiness of the days designated for serving God and loving one's neighbor. Numerous examples prove that those families or individuals who have not broken ties with the Holy Church, attend churches and, to the extent possible, try to fulfill the institutions of the Orthodox Church, are least likely to indulge in revelry, drunkenness and other vices unworthy of a Christian. People of heterodox confessions and people of other faiths living in our fatherland usually stop their trading activities on holidays, and Russian people who call themselves Orthodox even intensify them on these days, making them bazaars or fairs. In St. Petersburg, the richest and so-called fashionable best shops of foreigners: English, Catholics and Lutherans, on Sundays and holidays are locked from early morning for the whole day, and on the doors of some of them notices are posted that “there is no trading on Sundays and holidays.” And anyone who is familiar with the life of the cities and towns of our southwest, where trade is concentrated mainly in the hands of Jews, knows well that on Saturday you cannot buy anything there. And the Jew does not even undertake a journey on the Sabbath; Only extreme need can force a Jew to break the Sabbath rest. Those of other faiths themselves, or those who have deviated from the Orthodox faith, often express reproaches to the Orthodox for openly violating God’s commandment about holiday rest - for the fact that we turn the days appointed for serving God into days of the heaviest vanity of life. (See “Vyatka Diocesan Gazette” for 1890) III. Good Russian people! If holidays have an unshakable basis in the commandments of the Lord Almighty Himself, if they are the establishment of the Holy Church, if they are important in the religious and moral education of the people, then their veneration and sanctification is obligatory for everyone who honors the commandments of God and considers himself a member of the Holy Orthodox Church. The commandment to honor holy holidays is easy to fulfill, since it is the commandment of God Himself, and the divine law is adapted to human powers. Failure to fulfill the commandments of God, a frivolous attitude and coldness towards the Holy Church are usually accompanied in the life of nations by the most sad consequences, from which may the Lord save our dear fatherland! Conversation No. 2. About the worthy celebration of holidays I. They struck for the All-Night Vigil. Let us not be lazy, dear brethren, let us go to the house of the Lord and hasten to prayer! “As a deer longs for streams of water, so does my soul long for You, O God!” ( Ps. 41:2 ), exclaims the psalmist. Let us also cry out to him: “My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God: when will I come and appear before the face of God!” ( Ps.41:3 ); “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this only I seek, that I may abide in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to contemplate the beauty of the Lord and to visit His (holy) church” (Ps. 26:4). So, brothers, we need to tune in, we need to be imbued with such desires, with such feelings we should strive to “worship the Lord in His beautiful sanctuary” (Ps. 28:2)! It is not for nothing that the Holy Church at the beginning of the All-Night Vigil, after the Great Litany, sings: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” This seems to indicate that those who, despising the vanity of the world, prefer to spend the evening in the church of God act well, “Be ardent in the Spirit; Serve the Lord" (Rom.12:11), "Continue in prayer" (Rom.12:12); on the other hand, this very on behalf of St. Church, all lovers of peace, all the worldly sons of this age are reproached - all who, due to laziness and negligence, rarely or do not attend prayer meetings. II. a) In not so distant times, it was considered a great sin not to go to the All-Night Vigil on the eve of the holiday. Nowadays it’s somehow become easier to look at it. “It’s enough,” they say, “if I go to mass.” And then there’s this: they’ll celebrate the All-Night Vigil, and then go to a ball or party. "Well? I did my part, I was at the All-Night Vigil, I will be at the Mass; It doesn’t stop me from having fun.” No, it interferes! The fourth commandment teaches: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; “Six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” According to church rules, the holiday begins in the evening and continues until the next evening. b) From here it is clear that any entertainment in the evening on the eve of holidays constitutes a direct violation of the commandment of God. Pious Christians, having defended the All-Night Vigil, return home and, putting aside, if possible, all worldly concerns, prepare to listen to the Divine Liturgy. In ancient times, at almost every Liturgy, Christians partook of the Holy Mysteries: therefore, the eve of the holiday, preparing for Communion, was spent soberly, in purity and thought of God. Nowadays, unfortunately, people approach the Divine Chalice much less often. But this does not diminish the significance of the Sacrament. If you do not approach Holy Communion yourself, then you are present at the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice and the communion of others; if at the same time you ascend the mountain with all your heart and soul, then you also spiritually partake of the divine grace inherent in the Sacrament. “To those who left the church meeting,” says St. John Chrysostom, - you should not immediately upon arriving home take up matters remote from the spirit of this meeting, but you should pick up the Bible, call your wife and children to you and talk with them about what was said in the church. If no one, upon leaving the bathhouse, wants to go straight to the marketplace, so as not to damage the beneficial effect of the bathhouse by marketable activities, then even more so those leaving the church meeting should not do the same” (from the 5th conversation on the Gospel of Matthew). If one should not immediately take up the ordinary affairs of everyday life, then even more so one should not waste time on vain entertainment! So, the All-Night Vigil and the time that follows serve as preparation for the Divine Liturgy, this most holy Sacrament, during which “the King of kings and Lord of lords himself comes to sacrifice and be given as food to the faithful.” The Lord Himself descends to us, the Lord is the Ruler of the world, and before Him with fear are “faces of angels with every principle and power, many-eyed cherubim and six-winged seraphim, covering their faces and crying out the song: Hallelujah.” What are we in comparison with these heavenly inhabitants? How can we not tremble for our fate if we spend holidays in sins and iniquities? Brothers! Let us not be lazy, let us not shy away from attending All-Night Vigils, let us take care to always be prepared for the meeting of Christ God coming to us in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist! On the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints of God, we will never offend the holiness of these days with negligence, laziness and debauchery; We will not give the enemy of our salvation the opportunity to triumph; We will spend the evening and night before the festival in a Christian way - holy, peaceful and sinless! And here’s how the holidays began and continued in ancient Rus'. Varlaam, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, in a letter written in 1647 to Anthony, abbot of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, said: “On Saturday, cease from all work, when they begin to preach the gospel in the cathedral church for vespers, three hours before night, and leave the trade, and close the rows, and leave work in the houses at the same time, and in the morning on Sunday day until the fifth hour in the afternoon, do not open the rows, but as 4 o’clock in the afternoon passes, and at that time sell all sorts of goods and grub and open the rows. Not so long ago, in our memory, with the first strike of the bell for the All-Night Vigil, the streets were filled with people hurrying to the churches of God: then there was a lull: almost no city noise could be heard on the streets, silence in the houses; It was clear from everything that it was the eve of a holiday. Nowadays, you often hear music in some garden, noise and festivities in the streets, singing and the sounds of pianos in houses, along with the ringing of bells. Previously, it used to be, on the night before the holiday, the solemn silence on the hills of the city clearly said: people have rested from the labors of the vigil, so that in the morning they would again diligently lift up the glory of God with one mouth and one heart. Nowadays, you see, they dance the whole night, or lose at cards, or sit in the theater, or, finally, just spend their time in vain conversations - and everyone considers this to be nothing, completely in the order of things, because, they say, that on the morning of a holiday you can sleep well, you don’t have to go to service, but they don’t even think about the Liturgy and worthy preparation for it! III. Brothers! The Lord is long-suffering and abounding in mercy, but let us not tempt His divine goodness. Let us remember that “for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18), that “the wicked will turn to hell, all the nations that forget God” (Ps. 9:18), that “the way of the wicked will perish” (Ps. 1:6). Oh, brothers! Let us pray that the Lord will not be completely angry with us, but that He will enlighten us and teach us to honor and spend holy days! Thus let us live, so that we may be cleansed from all our sins, so let us serve the Lord, so that we may be delivered from this standing, and so let us reach heavenly Jerusalem, where, together with all the saints, we will be worthy to sing to God: Hallelujah.” (Extracted from “Soulful Reading” for 1891, October). Conversation No. 3. About holidays in general I. Created to live on earth and after the fall, having heard the sentence to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, man needs to work in order to earn food for himself and maintain his existence. The All-merciful Lord blessed to assign him six days of the week for this. “Six days you shall work and do (in them) all your work” (Ex. 20:8,9). II. But so that man would not become completely attached to earthly things and would not forget about his Creator, God determined that the seventh day should be dedicated to Him: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” a) The establishment of the Sabbath marks the beginning of our holidays. Sabbath is a Hebrew word and when translated into our language it means: rest, that is, the cessation of weekly labor. Well, this meaning of Saturday is conveyed in the Russian word - holiday. This is a day on which we should be idle, free from everyday affairs and activities. Thus, the first feature of the holiday is rest, freedom from the activities that a person was engaged in during the six days of the week. But along with freedom from everyday affairs, it is required to sanctify the holiday, that is, to dedicate it to the Lord God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, by His example, sanctified the holidays. On Jewish great holidays He went to Jerusalem, and on Saturday he visited synagogues where Jews gathered for teachings and religious conversations. But most importantly, the Savior showed us how the holidays should be spent. By allowing the disciples to pick ears of corn to satisfy their hunger, He made it known that the satisfaction of natural needs was permitted on the holiday. By healing the sick on Saturday, He sanctified works of mercy. These matters should even extend to animals. The Savior did not prohibit pulling out a sheep, ox or donkey that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11; Luke 14:5) and generally commanded to do good on holidays when he said: “Should we do good on the Sabbath?” (Mark 3:4) Since the resurrection of Christ, instead of Saturday, they began to celebrate the first day of the week, i.e. Sunday. By His death and resurrection the Savior accomplished our redemption. There is no more joyful news for a Christian than the news of the resurrection of the Savior, the victory over death and the redemption of the human race. Therefore, the remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which fell on the first day in the weekly circle of days, became a holiday. Christians of the primal Church gathered on Sundays for public services “to break bread,” that is, to celebrate the Sacrament of Communion (Acts 20:7) St. Apostle. Paul, inspiring Christians to commemorate Sunday with works of mercy, wrote to Corinth: “When collecting for the saints, do as I prescribed in the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week, let each of you put aside and save for himself as much as his fortune allows, so as not to have to make preparations when I come” (1 Cor. 16:1-2). The first Christian sovereign, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great, legalized the celebration of Sunday throughout his state. He decreed: “How unworthy it is on the day of the sun (Sunday), revered by all, to engage in litigation and disputes, it is so pleasant and comforting on this day to especially do what should be dedicated to God,” that is, deeds of Christian love. The celebration of Sunday, established since ancient times, came to us in Russia with the adoption of the Christian faith. In addition to Sunday, Christians have other holidays. Even in the Old Testament, the Lord God deigned to establish some deliberate holidays, such as: the Feast of Passover, in memory of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, the Feast of Pentecost - in memory of the Sinai legislation, and the Feast of Tabernacles - in memory of the Jews' journey through the desert. The New Testament has its great events in which God's mercy towards sinful people was manifested to the highest degree. These are the events from the life of Jesus Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God and the saints. From the first years of the existence of the Christian Church, the resurrection of the Savior, or the holiday of Easter, began to be solemnly remembered in it. In connection with it and depending on it, they began to celebrate the day of the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven (40 days later) and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (50 days after Easter). Then they began to celebrate the birthdays and baptisms of the Savior, and His meeting in the church by Simeon. Along with these holidays, events from the life of the Most Pure Mother of God were remembered: Her introduction into the church, the Annunciation, etc. Since the Christian Church from the first years of its existence on earth was met with hostility by Jews and pagans, martyrs soon appeared in it. Their faith and life, sealed with blood, were instructive for living members of the Church, and therefore were sacredly revered by the latter. The days of death of the martyrs were called the days of their birth into a new blessed life. Church hymns were composed in their honor. Many of the great fathers and teachers of the Church, famous for their writings and piety, were canonized by the Church as saints, hymns were composed in their honor, and the days of their death also became holiday days. This is how the annual circle of memory of the saints was formed. The month book appeared. Services were compiled, which are placed in a book called Menaia - monthly. Nine hundred years ago, under Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, our native Rus' was baptized and all the orders of church life were transferred to us from Greece. From there we took both the month book and liturgical books in Slavic translation. Those holidays that were celebrated among the Greeks began to be celebrated among us. But over time, important church events took place in holy Rus' and their own holy men appeared. Special holidays were established in their memory. So, for example, in Rus' they began to celebrate the “Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross” together with the Greek Church: the sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (1170); the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called Tikhvin (1383), Vladimir (1395), Smolensk (1524) and Kazan (1579); in honor of the saints: Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga and Vladimir, Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh, saints: Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip of Moscow and All Rus', wonderworkers, Mitrofan and Tikhon of Voronezh and other holy ascetics. b) All church holidays of the annual cycle are divided into several categories. According to the subject of the memories, they are divided into the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and the feasts of saints. According to the importance of remembered events, they are divided into large, medium and small. Major holidays, in turn, are divided into three categories. The first includes the greatest of the holidays - Easter, the second - the holidays known as the twelve, and the third - the great non-twelve. The twelve holidays include: 1) the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8), 2) the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (September 14), 3) the Presentation of the Most Pure Virgin Mary into the Church (November 21), 4) the Nativity of Christ (December 25), 5) the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Epiphany (January 6), 6) the Presentation of the Lord (February 2), 7) the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Theotokos (March 25), 8) the day of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, 9) the Ascension of the Lord, 10) the day of Pentecost, 11) the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6) and 12) the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 15). According to the time of celebration, they are divided into stationary and mobile. The stationary ones include those that fall on the same dates of the month every year. Moving dates include: Easter, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the day of Ascension and Pentecost. These holidays always fall on the same days of the week, but the numbers change annually depending on the time of Easter. The great non-twelfth holidays include: the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1), 2) the Circumcision of the Lord (January 1), 3) the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24), 4) the day of St. Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29) and 5) Beheading of St. John the Baptist. In addition to the actual church holidays, we also have church and civil holidays, on which civil events that are significant for the Church and the Fatherland are remembered, for example. New Year's Day, royal days, days of establishing insignia (cavalry), days of victories and the conclusion of peace. c) Festive worship differs in many ways from everyday worship. The first feature is that the duration of the festive service depends on the fact that the number of chants increases. Further, the greater the holiday, the more solemn the service. Thus, on middle holidays there is an All-Night Vigil with lithium. But the longest and most solemn services take place on great holidays. In a few more days, the Holy Church begins to prepare us for the upcoming celebration. In special chants, she points to the upcoming holiday. This preparation is called forefeasts. As a kind of prototype and prophecy, pre-festive hymns speak about the holiday itself. On the eve of the last one, in the evening, the sonorous sounds of the bell call Orthodox Christians to God's church. They are calling longer than usual. Little by little, God's church is filled with pilgrims. Many lamps were illuminated with bright light: this means spiritual joy on the occasion of the holiday and our ardent gratitude to the Lord God for the good deed remembered on this day. But then the service begins. The clergy are dressed in light, expensive clothes. Light clothes express the glory befitting those being celebrated, the triumph of those celebrating and the lightness of the holy life with which we must glorify God on earth in order to receive a bright and eternal triumph with the saints in heaven. During the service, readings are heard less often. They sing more, expressing, according to the word of the Apostle James, complacency (James 5:13), that is, joy and spiritual triumph. For the sake of holidays, fasts are weakened or completely canceled. Fasting is appropriate for those who mourn their sins, and not for those who triumph spiritually 1 . For the same reason, that is, spiritual joy, the Holy Church allowed her faithful children to “not bend the knee” during divine services on holidays. Here we briefly talked about the features of the service on holidays. Giving us six days to do and fulfill our works to which one is called, the Lord God commanded that we devote the seventh day to Him, that is, Sunday, and then other holidays. d) How should the holiday be celebrated? The holiday has arrived. With the first strikes of the bell, hurry to God's church. You've had enough work for a week. The Lord has given you health, strength and help in your work. Give thanks to Him and ask Him not to forsake His mercy in the future. What are we without God and without His all-powerful help? “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain!” - says the Word of God (Ps. 127:1). Work is not successful without God's blessing. That is why you need to turn to the Lord with fervent prayer. And how convenient and good it is to do this in church! Here everyone, with one mouth and one heart, raises their petitions to the Giver of all good things. Here, on the face of the Lord, peace and blessing are proclaimed to everyone, here everything earthly, not to mention sinful, is forgotten, and all those who work and are burdened with everyday affairs receive peace and rest. But then the service ended. Go home in peace. Don't rush to everyday work. Work harder for your soul. If you are literate, read a divine and soul-saving book, and if you are illiterate, listen to the reader. It is very good for the soul and it pleases the Lord to do some kind of act of mercy on this holiday. It is true that an Orthodox Christian should not forget about deeds of mercy on weekdays, for he knows that God is pleased with such deeds, but on holidays it is more convenient to do this. Free from work, you can visit the sick and serve him, comfort the sad with conversation, give advice to the needy and provide the necessary help, etc. Judge for yourself, brothers, what would happen for us if we all, as one, decided to spend the holidays in God’s way? First of all, we would please the Lord by fulfilling His commandment to celebrate special days. And who should expect mercy from God if not those who fear Him and keep the commandments? And how important true holiday peace is for the soul! Let her ascend from earthly attachments, from temporary and earthly impressions, to the heavenly, to the fatherland where eternal life awaits her. But doesn’t the body also need rest after labor? For six days you did your work by the sweat of your brow. All members of the body were tired. Give them peace, and do not tire them with intemperance and revelry. If you have servants, people who work for you, give them holiday peace. Let them go to God’s church for divine services, take a break from their labors, but do not allow them to insult the holiness of the holiday with vices. What do we get from this! Peace, joy and God's grace will be established in families. Then you will not hear any noise or swearing and you will not see fights. Isn't this an expensive benefit? Imagine that all Orthodox Christians learned to spend holidays in God’s way. The desired silence and peace would be established everywhere. Truly, our dear fatherland would become happier, and people from the outside would learn from us. III. I pray you, brothers, walk worthy of the title of Orthodox Christians, do not be Christians only in name. (Compiled from “Non-liturgical conversations of the shepherd with his flock,” part 2, issue 6, St. Petersburg, brotherhood in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, 1889). Conversation No. 4. About the mysterious meaning of Christian holidays I. Now, brothers, I intend to tell you about the mysterious meaning of Christian holidays. II. What does a Christian holiday mean? Is this one memory of a sacred event, for example, Christmas, Baptism, Transfiguration, Resurrection of Christ? Is it one prayer of praise and a grateful glorification of God’s mercy towards the human race, marked in this or that saving event? More, brethren, more. What is a Christian holiday? The manifestation on earth of heavenly celebration, the pre-celebration of that great, universal holiday that will open in the Kingdom of God after the end of the world. It is impossible not to console the poor inhabitants of the earth, it is impossible, at least from time to time, not to reveal to them what awaits them in the future, what they are destined for after death. It is impossible not to encourage the soldiers of Christ, struggling amidst temptations and troubles, fighting against the enemies of the name of Christ - one cannot help but encourage them with hope and, as it were, a foretaste of that bliss and that glory, which are determined for them to enjoy in the triumphant Church. And so the Church of Christ on earth, the militant Church, has established and celebrates holidays, in the triumph of which it depicts the future triumph of believers who are still on earth, continuing their life and service to God in mortal flesh. Yes, the Christian holiday is a sign of an eternal holiday in the Kingdom of God, a prototype of the future glorious triumph of God’s chosen ones. a) Here, Christians, according to the law of God and the rule of the Church, on this holiday they abandon all occupations and labors, all everyday affairs. What does it mean? The fact that with the advent of the Kingdom of God there will be an end to everything temporary, earthly; with the end of the world, according to God’s determination, all the labors to which man is condemned will end, all disasters and misfortunes, all deeds and exploits for which man will be honored to receive from God the crown of eternal life. b) On the holiday, at the call of the Church, all Christians gather in church. What does this mean? This depicts the fact that after the end of the world and after the resurrection from the dead, God’s chosen ones will ascend to the church of glory, to the heavenly palace of the village of God. What do we now see in church on holiday? We see the service of God, the solemn service, with many lamps, we see various sacred rites, we hear pleasant divine singing that delights our hearts, in general we see on the holiday the triumph, the splendor, the order, the reverence of those serving and praying. A triumph similar, but incomparably to the highest degree, will be in the Kingdom of God. The reverent service and worship of God, the singing and praise of angels, the unapproachable divine light, the incomprehensible beauty and glory of the house of God will delight and delight those who live in the house of God. c) And always, and especially on holidays, the Holy Church offers believers a mystical meal and calls them to accept the body of Christ and to partake of the immortal source of His divine blood. This is a pledge of eternal life and a sign of that divine supper and that heavenly meal, which the elect of God will partake of in the non-evening days of the Kingdom of Christ. d) On holidays, both the clergy and the people in the church wear expensive, shiny clothes. What does this signify? The garment of incorruptibility and immortality in which God’s elect will be clothed after the resurrection from the dead is signified, that divine light and glory with which they will shine in the Kingdom of God. On holidays we are usually idle from troubles, free from labor, calm, cheerful and content. The elect of God will enjoy a similar, but immeasurably more perfect and better peace, joy, contentment, and generally bliss in the eternal, heavenly feast, “to the triumphant assembly and church of the firstborn, who are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23). III. This is what Christian holidays mark and represent! So, celebrating Christian, when a church holiday comes, leave all worldly affairs! Remember at the same time that you will leave everything earthly in exactly the same way when you go to the next world, for the future world holiday. When the Holy Church calls you to church, to God’s service, imagine that the Lord is calling you to Himself, to His Heavenly Kingdom. Be afraid, through negligence and laziness, to stay at home and not appear at the house of God, so that in your future life you will not remain outside the heavenly house of God. When you are in church on a holiday, you see the service, hear solemn singing, imagine how wonderful it will be in heaven, and you will already, as it were, have a foretaste of the bliss and glory of heaven. When on holiday you see the beauty of the clothes on the servants and on yourself, remember the beauty and glory of the attire in which your soul and body will be clothed in the future life. When on the holiday you enjoy rest from work, peace and contentment, imagine the bliss, peace and sweetness of the future Kingdom, that Sabbath that is left to the people of God (Heb. 4:9), that eternal rest in which God’s elect “will rest from their labors” (Rev. 14:13). Just be afraid of darkening the bright divine holiday with sensual, ungodly, sinful deeds. Beware that your passions are not celebrated on the holiday. If always, then especially on holidays, you should be like “sons of light and sons of day” (1 Thess. 5:5). (Compiled from “The Sower of Piety” by Archpriest V. Nordov, vol. 2, ed. 1891). Conversation No. 1. About worship on the eve of the Nativity of Christ I. The closer the feast of the Nativity of Christ approaches, the more often the names of the Virgin Mary and Joseph, dear to the Christian heart, are heard in church hymns, the more often the Church transfers our memory to the sacred den of Bethlehem, points us to the star of the Magi, calls us to worship the Infant of God, wrapped in shrouds, lying in a manger. II. a) Five days before the holiday, its forefeast begins. The services from Octoechos are abandoned, and in their place the stichera and canons of the forefeast are sung. “The unsetting Sun is coming to shine from the virgin cloud and enlighten the entire sunflower,” the Church sings, “let us strive to meet Him with pure eyes and pure deeds... God the Word, carried on the shoulders of cherubim, clothed in flesh, is coming to be born from the tribe of Judah. Get ready, Bethlehem! open the gates of Eden! Show off the house of David - Ephrathah! Behold, the tree of life blossomed in the den from the Virgin; Her womb appeared to us as a mental paradise; eating from its planting, we will not die, like Adam, but we will live: Christ is born before the fallen to restore the image!... Rejoice, prophets, patriarchs, leap, Christ is born, the King of heaven comes to earth...” b) Finally, the eve of the holiday comes - a day dedicated especially to fasting and prayer. Remembering the star that led the Magi to Christ, believers do not eat food until the appearance of the evening star. The Liturgy on this day is celebrated by St. Basil the Great and is usually combined with Great Vespers. aa) Between Matins and Mass on this day, special hours are sung, compiled by Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem. These clocks are called royal because the ancient Greek emperors, and later our Russian autocrats, came with special solemnity to listen to them; therefore, at the end of the hours, it is necessary to proclaim many years to the kings with their full title. In these hours, ordinary psalms and stichera are replaced by psalms, troparions and stichera appropriate for the upcoming festival. Both in terms of content and the sacred importance of the service, the hours on the eve of the Nativity of Christ deserve all the pious attention of Christians and are fully worthy of the name royal. The most important prophecies that foreshadowed the appearance of God in the flesh are combined into one. The ancient prophets, as if together with the choirs of angels, welcome the descent to earth of the One whom they so ardently desired to see. First of all, one hears the inspired Psalter of St. Godfather David, through the darkness of distant centuries, clearly contemplated the future joy of his Divine Descendant: “You are more beautiful than the sons of men; grace poured out from Your mouth; Therefore God has blessed You forever. Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Mighty One, with Thy glory and Thy beauty, and in this Thy adornment make haste, sit on a chariot for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness, and Thy right hand will show Thee wondrous deeds” (Ps. 44:3-5). He sings of His pre-eternal birth: “From the womb, before the morning star, your birth was like dew” (Ps. 109:3). He sees how foreign kings greet the newborn King of Kings with gifts and the peoples rush to take refuge under the shadow of his blessed Kingdom: “The kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts; and all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him” (Ps. 71:10–11). Finally, he sings of the peace and prosperity of this glorious Kingdom: “May the mountains bring peace to people and the hills bring righteousness; may he judge the poor of the people, may he save the sons of the poor and humble the oppressor; in his days the righteous will prosper, and there will be abundance of peace... his name will be (blessed) forever; as long as the sun remains, his name will be transmitted; and in him (all the families of the earth) will be blessed, all nations will make him blessed” (Ps. 71:3–4,7,17). Following the inspired psalms of David, the voices of the ancient prophets are heard: Micah, who foreshadowed the birth of the great leader of Israel in Bethlehem; Jeremiah, who foresaw the East, which would come from above to illuminate the universe with a new light, and especially the wondrous prophecy of Isaiah, who foresaw the seedless conception of the God-man seven centuries ago: “Hear the house of David...”, this, as the Church Fathers call him, the evangelist of the Old Testament exclaims: “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth Son, and they will call His name Immanuel... God is with us!” (Isa.7:14;8:10). “Understand, O Gentiles, and repent, hear even to the last of the earth: you who are mighty, repent (Is. 8:9). “A Son was born unto us, and was given unto us, whose rulership was upon His frame: and His name is called: Great is the counsel of the Angel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Ruler, Prince of Peace, Father of the age to come...” (Is. 9:6). The bright visions of the ancient prophets are replaced by the touching narration of the evangelists about the first minutes of the earthly life of the Infant Lord and the words of the Divinely inspired Paul, revealing the dogmatic and moral thought of the holiday. In the intervals of these readings, the church hymn, lively and solemn more than in ordinary services, is sometimes in the form of a hymn, amazed, glorified, calling heaven and earth to praise the Almighty, sometimes like a prayer, it is poured out in holy feelings of thanksgiving and submission to the Creator of the universe, sometimes it represents persons from the times of the event itself acting and touchingly talking. Most of these songs belong, as stated above, to the glorious Christian Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem. The very departure of the royal clock resonates with special solemnity. It begins with the carrying through the royal doors of the Holy Gospel from the altar, outside of which it lies for the entire duration of the hours, as if as a sign that the born Savior is no longer hidden, as he once was in the darkness of the den, but lies in the light of all tongues. Before the Holy Gospel, incense is burned in remembrance of myrrh and frankincense, brought by the sages of the East as a gift to the divine Child. In the ancient Church of Constantinople, the sovereign, entering the church, first of all bowed before the Holy Gospel. His face at these moments perfectly resembled those eastern kings, or sages, who, putting aside their earthly greatness, humbly threw themselves before the wretched cradle of the Lord the Child. (See “Soul. Sobes.”, published by the Athos Panteleimon Monastery, 1894, issue XII). Thus transferring the thoughts of believers in the first minutes of the appearance of the Son of God on earth and painting before their eyes the events surrounding the cradle of the Savior of the world, the royal clock best disposes the soul to a lively sense of the benefits of the Lord Jesus Christ and prepares it for a celebration worthy of both a Christian and Christian holidays. bb) At the Great Vespers, in the deeply instructive stichera on the Lord, invocations compiled by Patriarchs Herman and Anatoly, the mystery of the Nativity of Christ is majestically depicted: “Come, let us rejoice before the Lord, proclaiming the real mystery: the mediastinum of hostility has collapsed, the flaming weapon turns back, the cherub retreats from the tree of life, and I partake of the food of paradise, from which I was expelled for disobedience, for the unchangeable image of the Father, the image of His Eternal Being, takes on the form of a slave... The true God, He remains as He was, and He accepts what He was not, upon Himself, having become a man out of love for mankind... Light from Light, the Radiance of the Father! You have enlightened all creation; every breath glorifies You! What will we bring to You, Christ, for the fact that You appeared on earth as a man for us! Each of the creatures You created brings thanks to You: the angels - singing, the heavens - a star, the wise men - gifts, the shepherds - surprise, the earth - a den, the desert - a manger, and we bring the Virgin Mother!..” After the entrance, a series of proverbs begins, numbering up to eight: the 1st proverb indicates in the Infant God the Creator of heaven and earth (Gen. 1: 1-13); in the 2nd, the Spirit of God speaks through the mouth of Balaam about Christ the Savior: “A star rises from Jacob and a rod rises from Israel” (Num. 24:5–9,17–18); in the 3rd we hear the prediction of the prophet Micah that an Elder will come out of Bethlehem, whose origin is eternal (Mic. 4: 6–7; 5:24). Here the reading is interrupted and the faces sing: “You were born secretly, O Savior, in a den, but the sky preached You to everyone, as if with lips, revealing a star, and brought the Magi to You, worshiping by faith, with them have mercy on us!” The last words are repeated several times when reading Psalm 86. Then the reading of the proverbs continues: in the 4th prophet Isaiah proclaims Christ, under the image of the rod from the root of Jesse, who will be endowed with all the gifts of the Spirit of God and will bestow the knowledge of the Lord on the whole earth (Is. 11: 1-10); in the 5th Jeremiah announces the appearance of God on earth and His life among people (Bar.3:36–4:4); in the 6th Daniel explains Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the coming eternal Kingdom of God (Dan.3:31–36,44,45). And again the reading is interrupted by singing: “You have shone from the Virgin, O Christ, the spiritual sun of truth, and the star has shown you inconceivable, contained in the den...” And the reader recites Psalm 92 verse by verse. Finally, proverbs 7 and 8 are read, both from the book of the prophet Isaiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given,” “Behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (Is. 9:6–7, 7:10–16, 8:1–4, 8–10). The last proverb ends with the solemn word of the prophet: “God is with us.” At the end of the Liturgy, a lamp depicting a star is lit in the middle of the Church, and the clergy sing the troparion and kontakion of the holiday for the first time. (See Trinity Leaf, No. 298). III. This, brethren, is a touching, touching and highly instructive service on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. A. Why was Christmas Eve established on the eve of the Nativity of Christ? To the question of one of the many correspondents of the late Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret: “Why was the so-called “Christmas Eve” established on the eve of the Nativity of Christ?” - the bishop answered in writing: “The church charter will not give a special answer to your question; but your curiosity about the useful can be satisfied by considerations. An example of fasting before Christmas is fasting before Easter. An example of Christmas Eve is Holy Saturday. The extended fast of Great Saturday, together with Great Heel, is the exact fulfillment of the words of the Lord: when the bridegroom is taken away from the sons of the wedding, then they fast on these days. Moreover, the prolonged fast of the pre-holiday day is useful in order to enter into the spiritual triumph of the holiday in the exaltation of the spirit, and not in the burden of the flesh. For this last reason, the day before the Nativity of Christ is arranged according to the day of Holy Saturday, all the more opportunely because on both days, in ancient times, many were baptized, and diligent prayer and general fasting of the Church were beneficial for them; and the divine service, spread by the Sacrament of Baptism, filled up the days so much that the time for eating therefore fell in the evening. Our ancestors, in order to continue the Christmas Eve fast even when the service ended quite early, piously remembered the star, the good news of the Nativity of Christ, and uttered the rule: do not eat until the star appears.” Bethlehem, where the Lord was born, is located 2 hours south of St. city ​​of Jerusalem; it is located on a mountain covered with luxurious gardens of figs, olives, pomegranates and vineyards. The whole neighborhood breathes freshness and some kind of joy: wherever you look, you can see mountains and valleys in the greenery of gardens, and in different places among the trees there are watchtowers, which greatly adorns this happy town. When you admire these picturesque surroundings, you remember all the biblical events that took place here. Over there in the distance you can see a small quadrangular building covered with a dome: this is the grave of the beautiful Rachel, the dearly beloved wife of the forefather Jacob; Here she died, was mourned by him and buried near the road to Bethlehem. And here are the ruins of that Rama, which the prophet mentions, predicting the massacre of the innocent babies of Bethlehem: “Thus says the Lord: a voice is heard in Rama, a cry and a bitter sob; Rachel cries for her children and does not want to be consoled for her children, for they are not there!” (Matthew 2:18) These are the fields in which poor Ruth gathered ears of corn behind the reapers to feed her elderly mother-in-law, whom she loved like her own mother, for which the Lord rewarded her with great happiness: she became the wife of the honorable and wealthy resident of Bethlehem, Boaz. And down there, in the valleys of Bethlehem and along the surrounding fertile hills, rich in springs of sweet water, Ruth’s beautiful great-grandson, the young man David, was tending his father’s flocks; there he entered into battle with a lion and a bear, protecting his flock, and there he played the harp and sang his wondrous psalms; many of his psalms are sung in these mountains, in which he knew every gorge, every cave, every source of cool water. In these mountains he more than once hid from Saul when he was chasing him everywhere, like a runaway slave or some kind of villain. And I remember the touching, pleading words of an innocently persecuted, meek young man, addressed to an evil persecutor: “Why is my lord persecuting his servant? what did I do? what evil is in my hand? May the Lord judge between me and you, and may the Lord take revenge on you for me; My hand shall not be upon you” (1 Sam. 26:18; 24:13). Here, in Bethlehem, the prophet Samuel found him and anointed him king for the first time, and when David became king in Israel, Bethlehem began to be called by the honorable name of the city of David. And here is David's well, from which he, tormented by thirst, wished to drink at a time when Bethlehem was occupied by the Philistines; then three of his brave men, at the risk of their lives, made their way through the enemy camp and got water for their beloved leader. But the courageous king poured out this water instead of a sacrifice to God, saying: “God save me! Am I really going to drink the blood of these brave men? Following this, he completely defeated the enemies and took possession of Bethlehem. Further, to the south, behind the mountains, are the famous Solomon's ponds, from where this wise king built a water supply system to Jerusalem, which still supplies the Omarov mosque with water. But to the east, a beautiful valley of shepherds is visible, overgrown with fruitful trees; there they were tending their flocks on that sacred night when an angel from heaven appeared to them and said: “Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people: for today a Savior will be born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). And suddenly many armies of heaven appeared with that angel, and they sang a wondrous song to the Lord: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” How many great, touching memories!... The church above the cave where our Lord Jesus Christ was born rises separately from the village, on the very edge of the mountain, on its eastern side, and the huge walls of the ancient monastery from a distance resemble a fortress. The majestic church was built by Queen Helena in the form of a cross. In the back limb of the cross there are 48 marble columns in 4 rows; there is no ceiling above them, but cedar beams and rafters, decorated with carvings, are placed directly on the walls, and on them is a tin roof. The main altar stands above the Cave of the Nativity. Under the entire church there are caves in which several altars are located; There is also the tomb of Blessed Jerome, who labored in these caves for many years; Not far from him rest two of his blessed disciples, Paula and the bishop’s daughter. Eustychia; they came from a noble Roman family, but exchanged luxurious Rome with its rich chambers for these caves, founded several convents in Bethlehem, and, having ended their toiling life at the manger of Christ, both were buried in the same grave. Bethlehem has about 4,500 inhabitants, and, remarkably, there is not a single Jew among them. Even Tertullian, a writer of the 2nd century after the Nativity of Christ, asked the Jews: “How are you expecting the Messiah from Bethlehem when not one of you is there?” The inhabitants of Bethlehem make bone and olive rosaries, mother-of-pearl crosses, icons, images of the Holy Sepulcher and similar things. All this is bought up in large quantities by pilgrims. (Compiled according to Norov). V. Nativity scene and manger (From the travel of A. O. Norov) The main altar of the Bethlehem Church is located above the very den of the Nativity of Christ the Savior. On both sides of the altar, 15 marble steps lead down to the underground church. Is it possible to explain the sweet feeling of delight and reverence that fills the heart upon entering the mysterious darkness of this sanctuary? Before I could see anything, I fell prostrate on the marble platform, where the silver star, illuminated by lamps, signifies the birthplace of our Redeemer! Having poured out a feeling of touching gratitude to the Savior for the salvation of all mankind and my soul, I read the Latin inscription around the shining star: “Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.” What more can be said? This place is located in a semicircular depression. The platform of the nativity scene, also forming a semicircle, is hung with 16 rich lamps, above which a marble plaque serves as a throne where the Liturgy is celebrated. Retreating a few steps from the place of the Nativity of the Savior, you see on the right side a special cave, where you walk up two or three steps; there was a manger where that Child rested, for whom heaven is the throne, and earth is the footstool of His feet (Is. 66:1), and where the wise men and shepherds first worshiped Him: wisdom and simplicity. The manger is carved out of natural stone (for wood is quite expensive in Judea). They look like an oblong box and are lined with white marble. This holy place, illuminated in the same way as the Nativity scene, with precious lamps, serves as a throne for the celebration of the Liturgy. The altarpiece depicts the worship of shepherds. Opposite the cradle of the Savior, another throne was built in the same nativity scene in the place where the Most Holy Theotokos received, with the Child Jesus in Her bosom, the worship of the three wise men. All the walls of the nativity scene, both here and at the sanctuary of the Nativity, are covered with rich fabrics, and many silver and gilded lamps hang along the main vault and on the sides. The entire den is generally 5 fathoms long and one and a half fathoms wide. D. Spiritual conversation with the Infant Jesus, blessed. Jerome in the Bethlehem Cave We know that our Lord Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem. In our lessons we once memorized the prophecy about His birth: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah? out of you will come to me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). Indeed, Bethlehem was a small town when Jesus Christ was born there. But how dear he is to us! And now Bethlehem is also a small town. A monastery was built on the site where the Savior was born; in the middle of the monastery there is a beautiful church; under the main altar of this church there is a cave, which is the place where He Whom the whole world cannot contain was born and lay in a manger. This cave is about 20 arshins in length, 6 in width and 4 in height; the vault of the cave is decorated with ancient thick mosaics: a recess lined with marble in the wall shows the birthplace; in this recess there used to be a silver star, around which there was the following inscription: “Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.” Two steps from this recess there is another, with a manger carved into the rock, in which the Mother of God placed the Infant Christ. The walls and floor of the cave are lined with marble; the cave itself is covered with red silk material, shining with gold; thirty-two gold and silver lamps illuminate it day and night. These lamps are gifts from various pious kings and kings. Grateful hearts cleaned up the Savior’s birthplace so beautifully. There is a custom on Christmas Day to give gifts to children. When you, children, receive your gifts, remember those precious, priceless gifts of the Heavenly Father that He gave us in the born Baby Jesus, and at the same time, those gifts that we received from Jesus Christ. He gives us everything and does not require anything more from us except our love and our sins, which we must bring to Him in sincere repentance. Take your thoughts to Bethlehem. Imagine that you are standing in a den above the manger where the baby Lord Jesus lay sleeping. What feelings would fill your soul then? We will tell you one wonderful conversation that Blessed Jerome had in his soul with the Infant Jesus when he lived in Bethlehem and stood at the manger of the Lord. “Whenever I look,” says Jerome, “at the place where my Savior was born, I always have a sweet conversation with Him in my soul. “Lord Jesus,” I say, “how firmly You lay there in Your manger for my salvation! What should I repay You for this?” And it seemed to me as if the Child was answering me: “I desire nothing; just sing: glory to God in the highest... It will be even worse for me in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.” And I say: “Ah, beloved Child! What will I give You? I would give You everything I have”... But He answered: “Both my heaven and my earth: I do not need anything: you better give it all to the poor people, and I will accept it as if it were done for Me.” I continued: “I will do this willingly; but what would I actually give You?” Then the Child answered me: “If you are so generous, then I will tell you what you must give Me: give Me your sins, your corrupt conscience and your condemnation.” “What do you want to do with them?” I asked. “I will take them on My shoulders: this will be My property and that great deed about which Isaiah predicted: He bears our sins and suffers for us.” Then I began to cry and said: “Divine Child! Take what is mine and give me yours! By you I am justified from sins and I believe in eternal life!” (Extracted from “Sunday Reading” for 1867). Conversation No. 2. About worship on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ I. The solemn ringing of the bells now awakens you, Christian, earlier than usual, and calls you to the church of God for the morning praise. Don’t be lazy to rise up and go there with your family. The event that we now solemnly remember happened very early - in the deep silence of the night; Our Lord was born at a time when the Bethlehem shepherds were on night watch over their flock (Luke 2:8). The shepherds were honored to hear the angel’s gospel and the heavenly praise: go, too, to the flock of Christ - and from the mouth of the Church you will hear the same gospel and the same praise. Before Matins itself, Great Compline is now read. This is evidence that our ancient brothers and fathers continued their prayers and singing all night long on this great holiday. Compline is usually combined with Vespers; but Vespers and Compline in ancient times for this holiday were so long that Compline coincided with Matins, and all three services constituted, in the proper sense, the All-Night Vigil. II. a) At Great Compline we hear the singing of Isaiah’s prophetic song: “God is with us.” After the ordinary psalms of Great Compline, the lithium, or nationwide service, begins, which was always performed among the people, sometimes in the open air, and now is performed in the vestibule or in the first part of the church from the entrance. Here we listen to the sweet songs of St. John of Damascus. He calls heaven and earth, angels and people to spiritual triumph and to corporate singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,” - the hope of the tongues, the expectation of the peoples has been fulfilled, He who saves us from the slavery of the devil has come; The Light has shone for the darkened; having taken on flesh to renew the decayed Adam. Here are the Magi, led by a bright star, worshiping the flightless - eternal Child! On the stichera, the stichera belong to the Patriarchs of Constantinople Herman (8th century) and Anatoly (5th century) “A great and glorious miracle has happened today,” the holy teachers sing, “The Virgin gives birth and the womb is not damaged, the Word receives flesh - and is not separated from the Father... Come, all nations, worship the born Savior of our souls!” b) At Matins, the Gospel of Matthew tells how an angel resolved the bewilderment of St. Joseph the Betrothed, explaining that what is conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin is from the Holy Spirit, and recalls the prophecy of Isaiah: “So the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel,” and finally announces the joyful event: “She gave birth to Her firstborn Son, and he called His name Jesus.” “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!” - the Church responds to this gospel of the evangelist and soon, according to the leadership of Saints Cosmas of Maium and John of Damascus, begins to glorify the born Lord with two poems, or canons. “Christ is born, praise! Christ from heaven, take off! Christ on earth, ascend!” This is how these canons begin. “The all-wise Creator is coming to renew decayed man; having become incarnate, he will take away the curse from Eve’s wretched womb” (canto 1). “The Divine nature is united with the perceived flesh; From Bethlehem comes He who sits on the shoulders of the cherubim and reigns over all” (canto 3). “Out of the tribe of Judah Christ shone forth, the hope of the tongues, a star from Jacob” (canto 4). “The Lord of the purest powers (heavenly) will recline in a manger; is the child the Father of the age to come, the mighty God and the Almighty. God the Word strengthens our nature, which could not preserve the ancient union, and offers a second union, indestructible by passions” (canto 6). “He came to restore human nature from the desert hills to the flowering pasture” (canto 8). “We no longer see shadows and images, but the light of truth” (canto 9). This is what it glorifies, this is what the Holy Church thanks the Lord for. The joyful songs of praise are concluded by the following song, which briefly depicts the entire essence of the holiday: “Now Christ is born in Bethlehem from the Virgin; now the Beginningless begins, and the Word is embodied; the heavenly powers rejoice and the earth and people rejoice; the Magi bring gifts to the Lord; the shepherds marvel at the Born One, and we cry out unceasingly: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” Finally, all morning singing concludes with a great doxology, which is especially fitting for this holiday, because it begins with the same angelic doxology - “Glory to God in the highest” - sung at the hour of the Nativity of the Savior. c) At the Liturgy, instead of the Trisagion, the following is now sung: “Those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” This reminds us that in ancient times, on the eve of a real holiday (as well as on the eve of other great holidays), the catechumens were baptized, and on the holiday itself, for the first time, they listened to the entire Liturgy and partook, together with other faithful, of the Holy Mysteries. With the song of Baptism, the Church then welcomed her newborn children... The Apostle (Gal. 4:4 et al.) points us to the purpose of the incarnation of the Son of God: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His (Only Begotten) Son, who was born of a woman, subject to the law.” And the Gospel (Matthew 2ff.), telling about the coming of the Magi to Jerusalem and Bethlehem and their worship of the newborn Baby King, teaches us to worship Him. Instead of “It is worthy to eat,” the face sings the irmos of the 9th song, “Love for us.” d) At the end of the Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated as “poranu”, a prayer of thanksgiving is sung in memory of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from the invasion of the twelve tongues in 1812. It begins with Isaiah's solemn song "God is with us"; after the great litany, troparia are sung in honor of the World-Sovereign Infant, the Lamb of Bethlehem, who trampled the lion and the serpent; then in the sublime prophecy of Isaiah the fate of the king of Babylon is depicted, and in his person and every proud conqueror who boasts to ascend to heaven and set his throne above the stars of heaven, but to whom it is announced: “But you are cast into hell, into the depths of the pit” (Is. 14:15). The Apostle Paul recalls the exploits of the ancient men who by faith conquered kingdoms and put foreign armies to flight (Heb. 11:33–34) and invites him to humbly place all hope of salvation in the author of the faith and the perfecter of Jesus; and in the Gospel the Lord announces the coming wars and reassures us with the hope that these sorrowful days will end for the sake of the elect. The prayer service ends with a touching kneeling prayer and a great doxology, “Glory to God in the highest,” or a solemn song, “We praise God to you.” (See Sunday Reading for 1838). III. Here is the briefest outline of that solemn, deeply instructive and at the same time joyful service that takes place on the feast of the Nativity of Christ. Let us rejoice, brethren, and be glad with spiritual joy on this day, glorifying and thanking the Lord for His countless benefits to us, His sinful and unworthy servants; above all, let us, with all our souls and all our hearts, offer our thanks to the Lord for His love for us, which surpasses our understanding, for which He sent His Only Begotten Son into our sinful world to save man from sin, curse and eternal death. Appendix to conversation No. 2. Some of the tales of ancient Christian writers about the signs and events that preceded and accompanied the Nativity of Christ 1. There is a legend, recorded on the pages of history by Nicephorus Callistus 2, that Emperor Augustus, at the end of his long reign, wanted to find out through an oracle the further fate of the worldwide Roman Empire he founded. And so, for this purpose, he goes to the Delphic oracle of Apollo to offer there the greatest and most solemn of the then pagan sacrifices, a hecatomb (of one hundred oxen or other animals), then asks the oracle who will rule the Roman Empire after him, Augustus (it is known that Augustus did not have a male generation). Despite the great sacrifice he had just received, Apollo remained silent. Augustus makes a new sacrifice, expresses his natural surprise in this case that the always prolific and sometimes verbose oracle now suddenly makes no sound - and after a while receives the following answer, mysterious to him: To me a Jewish youth, God Himself, the ruler of all gods, The throne ordered him to give up and return to the underworld. Humbly, too, leave our local altars. Having received such an answer, Augustus returned to Rome, and here, in the Capitol itself, in the most honorable and central place of the city, he built a great altar, with the Latin inscription: “Altar of the Firstborn God.” Then, when the same Emperor Augustus entered Rome, upon returning from the city of Apollonia, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, on the bright and clear horizon of the sky, a circle suddenly formed around the sun, resembling a rainbow, and this happened, they say, on the very day on which Jesus Christ was born, which seemed to indicate from above that in the days of this great monarch the One who alone could create and hold in His power both the sun itself and the whole world 3 appeared on earth. Finally, when the Romans, in commemoration of their countless victories and in memory of the peace they later enjoyed, decided to build a magnificent church dedicated to the goddess of peace, they turned to the entire numerous host of their gods with the question of how long the planned magnificent church could last, and received, to their amazement, the answer: “Until the Virgin gives birth” 4 . Having interpreted this answer in the sense of the impossibility of such an event, the Romans called this majestic building the “eternal church” 5. And on that ever-memorable night, when the God-man, Christ Jesus, was born from the Most Holy Virgin, this majestic building of the eternal church, for which the Romans did not expect the end, suddenly collapsed at once with such force that traces of the former building were barely visible 6 . 2. Near the city of Bethlehem, located on a hill in a mountainous area, at the foot of one of the rocks, there is a stall and a manger, carved out of the rock, where Jesus Christ was born. This cramped shelter from bad weather for the cattle grazing nearby did not provide even the slightest convenience for a person: the roof and bare walls constituted the entire property of this building, and only the most extreme need could force a person to take refuge here. And in this cave, they say, a miracle happened on the days of the Nativity of Christ: water flowed from the rock in inexhaustible quantities, and this source of water existed for a long time afterwards, as a special proof of divine grace, here revealed to the whole world by the birth of the Divine Child. This source, adds the legend, served as the first font for washing the sinless body of the Divine Infant. And not only Christians, even pagans had a special reverence for this source, so the Emperor Hadrian, in order to erase among the people not only reverent feelings for this source, but also the very memory of it, built a temple at the top of this rock in honor of Venus and Adonis, which, however, did not achieve the desired goal. With the advent of the complete triumph of Christianity over paganism, the cave where Jesus Christ was born was decorated in every possible way - even the manger was lined with silver 7 . 3. The Prophet Jeremiah, when he was in Egypt, according to legend, predicted to the Egyptians that there would once be a time when the God-like Virgin - a mother-mother with Her Divine Child - would come to Egypt, and then the idolatrous images of the Egyptians, as the indecent work of human hands, would be overthrown from their foundations and destroyed. A very shaky basis for such a tradition could be given by the prophecy of Jeremiah, contained in his 44 books, where the Lord, through the mouth of the prophet, promises to visit the people of Israel in Egypt and threatens them with destruction. The legend adds that the Egyptians treated the prediction of the prophet Jeremiah with complete confidence and made it their custom once a year to display for display and veneration of the people a maiden resting on a bed and a baby lying in a manger. And when some king asked for an explanation of such a mysterious custom, the Egyptians replied that this had been commanded to their ancestors by one holy prophet 8 . 4. According to Thomas Aquinas 9, in some stories about the Romans it is reported that in the days of Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helen, a tomb was found in which lay the body of an unknown man, on his chest lay a golden tablet on which was written: “Christ will be born of the Virgin, and I believe in Him. The sun will see me again in the times of Helen and Constantine." Thomas Aquinas adds that only one who was undoubtedly gifted with the spirit of prophecy, although he lived among the pagans, could believe and write in this way. 5. On the eighth day after birth, the Divine Child, according to the requirements of the Law of Moses, was circumcised, and, as Epiphanius of Cyprus says 10, in the very cave in which he was born, and, moreover, according to some, by the hands of the Mother of God Herself. It was here that the name was given to the Eternal Child, “which was given to the angels before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21). 6. On the thirteenth day from the Nativity of Christ, the Magi came from the distant countries of the East to worship the born Savior of the world, as the Evangelist Matthew narrates, or as the ancient legend says, the kings of Arabia, according to the prophecy of King David, who sang of their coming in Psalm 71. The Magi made their great journey on camels, the path was shown to them by the star that they first saw in the east ( Matthew 2:2), still within the boundaries of their possessions. Tradition says that there were three of all the aliens: Melchior, Gaspar and Belshazzar. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts to the Born One. These Magi, according to legend, were worthy of baptism from the Apostle Thomas and later became bishops in the East 11. Conversation No. 3. About the meaning of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ Behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people: for to you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord to you in the city of David (Luke 2:10–11) I. Thus preached the angel of the Lord to the Bethlehem shepherds on that blessed night when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. “I proclaim to you great joy,” said the heavenly messenger, “which will be to all people: for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord.” II. Great is the joy announced by the angel of the Lord; great is the joy to which the Church of Christ now calls all her children. a) This joy is great and indescribable in its subject matter. The Savior is born today. Who is this Savior? Christ the Lord, answers the heavenly messenger. The only begotten Son of God, the true God, the Lord of heaven and earth, was born for the salvation of men. Even the prophet Isaiah, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, depicts the Divine greatness of the promised Savior as follows: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; dominion is upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor; The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). God appeared on earth to save perishing people; God took on our human nature in order to work out our salvation in it. Who will comprehend this secret of the boundless goodness of God! Who can worthily reveal the greatness of God’s mercy revealed in the incarnation of the Son of God for the salvation of the human race! How could sinners deserve such boundless mercy of God that the only begotten Son of God, the true God, deigned to be born on earth for the salvation of people! People could do nothing to deserve this mercy. This is a matter of God's infinite goodness. The prophet Isaiah, having said: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,” and so on, added an explanation of how this can happen, saying: “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Is. 9:7). This means the same as saying: “The love of the Lord God, which does not want the death of sinners, will cause the Son of God to be born on earth.” And the Savior Himself explained this mystery, saying: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). b) This joy is great and inexhaustible, due to the beneficial consequences of the great event about which we now rejoice. The Son of God took on human nature and was born in Bethlehem - for what? To save people. For what salvation? Not for salvation from some bodily ulcer or illness, not for salvation from some ordinary misfortune or misfortune, not for salvation from an external enemy or slavery (as the Jews of Jesus Christ thought), but for salvation from sin, damnation and eternal death, or eternal condemnation for sin. And to save whom was Christ born? Not for the salvation of the Jews alone, not for the Old Testament patriarchs, prophets or chosen righteous men alone, but for the salvation of all people. The Apostle teaches: “Therefore, as through one transgression there was condemnation for all men, so through one righteousness there was justification for life for all men” (Rom. 5:18). Jesus Christ was born on earth, “so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Therefore, the joy of the Nativity of Christ is a worldwide joy of salvation from sin and eternal condemnation for sin, there is a joy of eternal life that Jesus Christ gives to all who believe in Him. III. "Gloria!" - and we will repeat this angelic song with our lips and hearts, thanking and glorifying God the Father, who so loved the world, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Brethren! Let us pray to the Lord God that He may be established, may He be exalted, and may His peace spread throughout the whole earth. Let those who do not know the true God come to know Him, let them know His boundless love for people, revealed in Jesus Christ. Let those who do not care about their salvation be illuminated by the light of His grace and recognize the only thing they need, and love the path of salvation. Amen. (Compiled from the “Sermon” of Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev, vol. II, ed. 1870). Appendix to conversation No. 3. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Nativity of Christ 1) The memory of the poor den and the wretched manger in which the Child, the Eternal God, who was born from the Virgin, was laid, inspires humility in every earth-born. Let every mountain and hill humble itself, let every kind of worldly pride come close to this wretched monastery, to this pitiful container - “Christ God, who cannot be contained in them,” - and humble himself. “He is the brightness of His glory and the image of His person” (Heb. 1:3). “He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man” (Phil. 2:6-7). Thus our Redeemer humbled Himself, so that He may put our human pride to shame. “For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. “Great God, Invisible King, how I cannot see You and understand the mysteries because of Your immeasurable poverty; the den, even the smallest and this alien one, contains Thee who was born inside” 12. “The full is exhausted, the eternal begins, the Word becomes white, the Creator is built, the incontainable is contained, we embody in Your womb, O God-gracious One” 13 . Thus the Church sings of divine exhaustion in the Nativity of Christ! 2) May the believing soul be filled with reverent joy, heartfelt tenderness and gratitude, remembering the divine exhaustion revealed in the Nativity of Christ for our salvation. All the promises, all the prophecies about our salvation were fulfilled when God incarnate came to earth from the Virgin, Who saved all humanity. The Holy Church expresses this joy in a variety of ways in holiday chants: “Hear the heavens, instill in the earth that God and the Creator is a building clothed in flesh...” 14. “Hear the mountains and hills that Christ is coming and that he who created man, as a lover of mankind, will save him” 15. “Mountains and hills, oak trees, rivers and seas, and every breath leap for joy: now salvation draws near...” 16. 3) “Clap your hands, all nations, shout to God with a voice of joy” (Ps. 47:2). “God reigns over the nations” (Ps. 46:9). The longed-for desire of tongues is fulfilled; the star that shone from Jacob illuminates all the ends of the earth, in the revelation of all tongues. The pagan church, which was not previously fruitful, that is, not bearing the good fruits of piety, is now flourishing. The Eastern Magi, or wise men, guided by the star as some kind of intelligent power, come to worship the Virgin-born Christ, our God, and thus lay the beginning of turning to the true God of the erring children of the pagan world. “You will be guarded by a rod of iron in Judah, for if you do not submit and do not believe in the prophet: for to the Son who is born, the Father gives an inheritance of a tongue and possession of the whole earth, but he will regurgitate foul things for you” 17 . ABOUT! the depth of the riches of God’s mercy towards the sinful and lost pagan world! 4) “In a strange way Christ passes into His own; let us take away our sins and receive Him who dwells in meek souls” 18. The first grace-filled news of the Nativity of God the Word from the Blessed Virgin Mary was revealed by angels not to the nobles and mighty of the earth, not to the high priests and nobles of the Jews, not to the Pharisees and scribes who rest on the law, but to simple and poor shepherds guarding the flock of the dumb in the field. Simplicity and kindness of heart attracted this mercy to the shepherds. Thus, the grace of God is always poured into the meek and humble hearts. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things; God chose the base things of the world and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27-28). 5) “Let us accept the law of love, the will of brotherly love, with peace with each other, and with common wisdom. For Christ, the Giver of Peace, comes, pacifying all things and saving those who call: Sing to the Lord..." 19. “God reconciled the world to himself in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:19). And those who are reconciled with God, brought into the children of God and adopted by Him, must live among themselves in unanimity of faith and love as children of one God and brothers in Christ. Therefore, let us acquire love for one another “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:14,15) 20. Conversation No. 4. On the memory of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from the invasion of the Gauls and with them the twelve languages I. Not a single people, if we exclude the people of God, was shown such omnipotent help from above in the fight against the darkness of enemies, such as it pleased the beneficent providence to show our Orthodox fatherland during the difficult time of the invasion of the Gauls (French). We are not the only ones who see, but, in the words of the Church, “we see all the nations in us as if the Most High is God and is not Him. He will kill and create life, He will smite and heal, and He will pluck all sorts of things from His hand.” In the same way, the Holy Church exclaims, “Our heart is established in our Lord, our horn is exalted in our God,” and all the more solemnly, after this, she proclaims a joyful victory song: “God is with us, understand the Gentiles and repent, for God is with us!” Hear to the last of the earth that God is with us!” II. So! The Lord was clearly with us in the great time of the Patriotic War, when Russia could apply to itself in its entirety the words of the prophet: “All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I overthrew them... They pushed me hard so that I would fall, but the Lord supported me” (Ps. 118:10,13). In fact, it was not an ordinary war - not people took up arms against people and not kingdoms against kingdoms, but entire kingdoms and peoples - almost all of Europe seemed to move from its place in order to destroy and crush Russia. In the brow of the terrible army, which had already crushed more than one kingdom, walked the giant of war - a man who irritated the earth, shook the kings, laid the whole universe empty and scattered its cities (Parem. mol. pen. Ex. 14: 16-17). He widely and suddenly captured the great expanse of Russian land. In vain did the good leaders and warriors exhaust their courage and their art, in vain did they lay down their souls for their faith and fatherland, the daring and numerous enemy went further and further, ravaging cities and villages with fire and sword; Finally, the royal city fell into his hands. ABOUT! Of course, many then, looking at such a terrible devastation of the fatherland, were ready to say like Gideon: “If the Lord is with us, then why has all this (disaster) befallen us?” (Judges 6:13). But He was with us, and - “for a short time He left us, with great mercy He pardoned us... He looked upon our sorrow and on the consumption of the reigning city, in which His name was called from ancient years, and on our prayers, even though it was not our righteousness that overthrew our trust, but on His bounty, many, and gave us the backbone of the wicked adversaries to eat” (words of prayer). Then began for our enemies that “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and will not be” (Matthew 24:21): one drove out thousands from the Russian soldiers, and two drove away thousands. The voice of the Lord of Hosts seemed to thunder over the fleeing hordes of enemies: “To crush Assyrian in My land and to trample him on My mountains” (Is. 14:25). “Isn’t it the Lord of hosts,” asks one pious contemplator of God’s destinies, “on the same path, once he destroyed one with illnesses, cold and famine, and another he maintained strength, put in fire and gave wings? Wasn’t it God, in whose hand the king’s heart is, instilled in the Tsar at the very beginning of the battle this decisive, even prophetic feeling - not to lay down weapons until not a single enemy remained within Russia - a feeling that inspired the entire people with an equally unshakable determination? , “We have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King in the holy place” (Ps. 67:25). The blessed anointed Russian, who was the great instrument of Providence in delivering the fatherland from enemies, saw them and did not exalt himself with his greatness, did not dream in his glory, but in the humility of a grateful heart, attributing all his victories to the One by whom kings reign, bequeathed to Russia in grateful prayers to God to remember in the generations of generations the great day of deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from invasion Gauls and with them twelve tongues. (See Sunday Reading, Vol. V). III. “Grant to the wives, O Lord, that the memory of this glorious visitation of Thy may be firmly and unceasingly kept in themselves, for in Thee they are confirmed by filial fear and faith and love, and protected by Thy strength, so that, just as today, we sing and glorify Thy holy name!” (Words mol. on mol. pen.). A. From the chants on the day of the Nativity of Christ with brief explanatory notes a) I cried to the Lord. Voice 2. “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, the real mystery is told 21: the mediastinum of the city (the barrier between God and man) is destroyed, the flaming weapon (which blocked the entrance to paradise) gives up (disappears), and the cherub retreats from the tree of life (no longer preventing people from approaching it. Wed Gen. 3:24), and I (I) I partake of the food of paradise, but from it (paradise) I was expelled for the sake of disobedience: the unchangeable image of the Father (God the Father), the image of His ever-present, the image (image) of a servant accepts, having passed from the unartificed Mother, having not undergone change, the hedgehog abides, God is true: and he did not receive it, man having become (became) for the sake of humanity, therefore Let us cry out: God, born of the Virgin, have mercy on us.” “To Augustus, the sole ruler of the earth, the multiplicity of men ceased: and to You, who became man, the polytheism of idols was abolished: under one kingdom of the world the city was born, and in one dominion of the Divine the pagans believed, having signed up (registered as tributaries of the Roman Empire) people by the command of Caesar, having written down (as citizens of the Kingdom of God) in the name of the Divinity of You, our God incarnate. Great is Your mercy, Lord, glory to You!” b) On lithium. Voice 1. “Today, let heaven and earth rejoice prophetically, let angels and men spiritually rejoice: for God in the flesh has appeared to those who are in darkness and the canopy (shadow of sin) who sit: born of the Virgin, the den (cave) and the manger received Him: the shepherds preach miracles, they bring gifts from the east to Bethlehem, but we praise With unworthy lips of angels let us bring to Him: glory to God in the highest and peace on earth: for the longing of the tongues has come, having come to save us from the work of the enemy.” c) On a poem. Voice 2. “A great and glorious miracle will take place today: the Virgin gives birth and the womb does not decay: the Word is incarnate and the Father is not absent. The angels and the shepherds glorify: and we cry with them: glory to God in the highest and peace on earth.” “Thy Nativity, Christ our God, rises up and is the world’s light of reason: in it, for those who serve as stars learn from the stars, they bow to you, the sun of righteousness, and they lead you from the heights of the east: Lord, glory to you.” Your birth, Christ our God, illuminated the world with the light of the knowledge of God; for then - to the stars, as to God, those who served - were taught by the star to worship You, the Sun of Truth, and to know You, the East, from above. Lord, glory to You! e) Magnification: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the unknown and most pure Virgin Mary.” f) Prokeimenon: “From the womb before the morning (dawn) I gave birth to You; the Lord swears and will not repent” (Ps. 109:3,4). 1. “Christ is born, glorify: Christ is from heaven, drop down. Christ on earth, be exalted, sing to the Lord, all the earth, and sing with joy, people, for you have been glorified.” 2. Christ is born - glorify! Christ from heaven - take it off! Christ on earth - ascend! Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and sing with joy, O people; for He is glorified. 3. “First of all ages to the Son born incorruptible from the Father, and in the last from the Virgin incarnate without seed, let us cry out to Christ God: Our horn is lifted up, holy art thou, Lord.” Before the ages, from the Father to the incorruptible Son, and in the last (times) to the seedless incarnation of the Virgin, let us exclaim to Christ God: You who exalted our dignity are holy, O Lord. 4. “The rod from the root of Jesse, and the flower from it, Christ grew from the Virgin, from the mountain of praise, the shaded thicket, you came incarnated from the unskilled, immaterial and God, glory to your power, O Lord.” Christ - a branch from the root of Jesse and a flower from it - You were born from a Virgin, from a mountain overshadowed by a thicket, 22 You came, O All-Praised One, incarnated from a woman without a man, immaterial and God. Glory to Your power, Lord! 5. “The God of peace, the Father of generosity, You have sent us the great counsel of Your angel, giving us peace: thus, having been taught the wisdom of God towards the light, from the morning in the morning, we glorify You, O Lover of Mankind.” God of peace, Father of mercy, You have sent us an angel (messenger) of Your great counsel, giving peace. Therefore, having been brought to the light of the knowledge of God, beginning the morning in the night, we praise You, Lover of Mankind. 6. “From the womb of the baby Jonah, a sea beast vomited and adopted him, but the Word entered into the Virgin and the flesh that was received passed on, preserving it incorruptible, since it did not suffer corruption, and preserved the one who gave birth intact.” The sea beast spewed up Jonah, (like) a baby from the womb, as he received him; and the Word, having inhabited the Virgin and taking flesh, was born, keeping (Her) intact; for the corruption, which She herself did not undergo, left the One who gave birth untouched. “Today a virgin gives birth to the Most Essential, and the earth brings a den to the unapproachable, angels and shepherds glorify, and wolves travel with a star: for for our sake the Child of the Eternal God was born.” Now the Virgin gives birth to the One who is above all created things, and the earth presents a cave to the Unapproachable. Angels and shepherds praise; the wise men travel with the star; for for us a Child was born, the eternal God. 7. “The youths were educated in piety, they were heedless of the evil command, they were not afraid of the fiery rebuke, but stood in the midst of the flames: God of the fathers, blessed art thou.” The youths, brought up together in piety, despising the wicked command, were not afraid of the threat of fire, but standing in the midst of the flames, they sang: Blessed are You, God of the fathers. 8. “Draw an image of the supernatural miracle of the tree-bearing cave: it is not more customary to burn the young, as if below the fire of the deity of the Virgin, in the lower depths of the womb. Thus let us sing in praise: let all creation bless the Lord and exalt it to all ages.” The dew-bearing cave presented an image of a supernatural miracle, for it did not scorch the young men it received, as well as the fire of the Divine, the womb of the Virgin, into which it descended. Therefore, triumphantly, let us sing: let all creation bless the Lord and exalt it to all ages. “Glorify, my soul, most honorable and most glorious of the hosts on high, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.” 9 . I see a strange and glorious mystery: the sky is a den, the throne of the cherubim of the Virgin, the manger is a container, in which reclines the incontainable Christ God, whom we magnify in praise.” I see an extraordinary and incomprehensible mystery: the cave is the sky, the Virgin is the cherubic throne; a manger is a container in which the incontainable Christ God reclines. We glorify Him and magnify Him. “It is more convenient for us to love, as if we are comfortable with fear, in silence, but for the love of the Virgin it is inconvenient to weave long-form songs: but also give Mother strength, since there is will.” It would be more convenient for us to remain silent, as devoid of fear; out of love for You, Virgo, it is difficult to compose harmoniously composed songs. However, Mother, grant us as much strength as we have zeal. B. Is it permissible to dress up for Christmas time? On the holy days of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church calls to us: “Christ is born, glorify! Christ from heaven, welcome! Christ is on earth, ascend!” And instead of especially glorifying the Lord these days, we dishonor Him even more. Instead of joyfully meeting and spending these days with Christ, we move away from Him even more than at other times, indulging in demonic games, Christmas fun, often combined with mockery of sacred objects, excess in food and drink, leading this latter to disastrous drunkenness. Instead of raising all our thoughts in the abode of the Heavenly Father, we strain our minds to mock, to further distort the image of God placed in us. For what else is Christmas fun - dressing up - if not the distortion in man of the human nature created by God for the joy of our enemy the devil? The Lord forbade even a man to dress in women's clothing, and a woman to wear men's clothing (Deut. 22:5). Is there anyone we don’t just want to introduce ourselves to? - and the beast, and the reptile, and Satan himself! St. The Church strictly prohibits all such demonic fun. Here is what she said about Christians who allow themselves to dress up: “If Christian children do this, and men put on women’s clothes, and wives put on men’s clothes, and in platbands (i.e., masks) various persons pretend to be themselves, excommunicate the white ones” (61st rule of the Tula Coll.), that is, deprive them of the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries. Think about this, lovers of Christmas fun!... “Rejoice, young man,” says the wise Solomon, “just know that for all this God will bring you to judgment” (Eccl. 11:9). Here's what to keep in mind during your holiday fun. God strictly judges the person who indulges in harmful activities and forgets the deeds that mark the holiday. Holidays are God's days, which we should primarily dedicate to the Lord, practice prayer and good deeds. In these days of God, Satan tries most of all to tempt people to sin. So, be vigilant, Christian, so as not to succumb to the suggestions and machinations of the enemy of our salvation. Conversation No. 5. To the words of the church song “Christ is born, glorify; Christ from heaven, hide away; Christ on earth, be exalted" I. Now - on the day of the festive remembrance of the Nativity of Christ the Savior - let us talk, brethren, about that church song with which the Holy Church began to fill our ears a few weeks before the holiday itself, as if preparing us for it - with which the priests of the Church will appear to you and in your homes, like angels of good news, announcing the great birthday of the Savior and at the same time teaching how to spend this auspicious day. Let us delve into every wise word of the wondrous church song - high in spirit, deep in feeling and edifying in its meaning. II. a) “Christ is born, glorify!” And quite naturally, when we think about the Nativity of Christ, we are called to glorify the One who was born. If there were a celebration in honor of some earthly benefactor of ours, who saved us from the greatest misfortune or brought us the greatest prosperity, we would undoubtedly turn to him with all our thoughts: we would talk about him everywhere and praise him with everyone, we would try to give him everything pleasant: such is the property of a grateful heart! But can an earthly benefactor be compared with Jesus Christ? The Only Begotten Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, leaves heaven and His throne, is incarnated from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, dwells in our poor land, endures everything precisely in order to deliver us from eternal death and elevate us to the first degree of honor and bliss. Such an ineffable Benefactor of the human race is born - so, glorify - turn all your thoughts to Him and to His glorification! Although He, as the Lord of glory, does not need any of our glorifications, He Himself “Gives to all things life and breath and all things”; although He Himself is infinitely glorious and above all glory, we, weak and unworthy, must always glorify Him, and especially on the coming holy days. The Holy Church commands us all: glorify. Shout out to the glory of God, whoever and however you can; think primarily and talk with each other about Him in your homes and meetings; magnify Him with all the names in which His glory and our gratitude to Him can be expressed; admonish those who do not know the love of the Born Savior for humanity. Glorify with your lips, and most of all with your life, trying to conform it with the law that was taught by the born Savior Himself. b) “Christ from heaven, remove.” Preaching that Christ is coming from heaven, the Holy Church calls us all to meet Him. And which of us, brothers, would refuse such happiness - to meet the born Lord? If we consider those people happy who had the opportunity to see the king of the earth, and even more so to receive him into their home, then what joy, what bliss to go to meet the King of kings and Lord of lords! But how can we meet Him, the Heavenly King, our Lord and Savior? “The Lord is close to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18), says the psalmist. Thus, our fervent true prayer, both at home and especially offered in the holy church of God, especially brings the Lord closer to us. And therefore, if anyone wishes to meet the born Christ, let him come to the holy church. Here Jesus Christ, according to His gracious promise, is always mysteriously present among us in our prayer meetings; here, during the Divine Liturgy, through the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, He desires to “take our wordless soul into the manger and bring it into our desecrated body” (2 mol. of Holy Communion); here “in the readable word of God He appears,” as St. Ambrose of Milan - walking, present and speaking; here He is present everywhere and is close to those who seek Him.” We will meet Christ the Savior in houses of mourning in the person of our wandering, poor and suffering brethren: whether we feed the hungry, whether we clothe the naked, whether we visit the sick, whether we comfort the mourning - Christ the Savior Himself will receive all this from us and assimilate to Himself according to His word (Matthew 25:34-40). c) “Christ on earth, ascend.” With these words, the Holy Church seems to say: “Because Christ is on earth, you ascend to heaven. Why should we separate from Him, our Savior, when angels even flew from heaven to earth and sang: “Glory to God in the highest.” Christ the Savior did not descend to earth in order to remain on it and make it His dwelling place, but in order to show us by His appearance on earth the way to heaven - our true fatherland - and to give us the means to ascend there from earth - a foreign country. For this reason, precisely at His birth, the Lord appears as a humble man, without any earthly glory, so that we would not stop our attention on this glory and so that, having withdrawn from the world, we would lift up our minds to those above and recognize the Lord of the world in the Born One. And if ever, then it is precisely on the birthday of our Savior that it is most fitting for us to begin our path to heaven; if ever, then it is now that we must leave all attachment to the earthly and corruptible and think about the spiritual and heavenly; now it is fitting for us to leave the sinful customs of the world and work for the salvation of our souls.” Our most loving mother, the Holy Church, for our salvation, commands us in the coming great and holy days of the greatest of Christian celebrations to ascend in mind and heart from earth to heaven, for Jesus Christ came to lead us there. (See Sermons, appendix to the Manual for Rural Pastors, 1892 Dec.). III. So, brothers, in a few words of the sacred edifying song, the Holy Church told us a lot - the reason for the current celebration, the solemnly joyful glorification of Christ the Savior, who became famous for the re-creation of man no less than for his creation - and the rules for how to spend these holidays with dignity. Let us sing this sacred song more often with both our lips and our hearts for our own edification and teaching: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and sing with joy, people, for you are glorified.” Amen. Conversation No. 6. On the words of the kontakion of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable, angels and shepherds glorify, and wolves travel with the star: for for our sake the Young Child was born, the Eternal God I. Here is one of the church songs for the feast of the Nativity of Christ, sung from above by the enlightened clergyman of the Constantinople Sophia Church, Saint Roman. It briefly but clearly sets out the history of the Nativity of Christ - it states who is now born and from whom, where he is born and for what, how heaven and earth, angels and men greeted the Newborn. II. Who is being born today? The all-essential, eternal God, the One who was before all things in the world, before the world and time itself; Whoever is born of God the Father before all ages is co-beginning and co-eternal with Him; Today the Only Begotten and Consubstantial Son of God is born. From whom is He born? From Virgo. The Virgin is giving birth to the Most Essential One today. How does a Virgo give birth? She gives birth contrary to the rules of nature. Yes, we are not the first to be perplexed when hearing this secret. Even before us, righteous Simeon, one of the 70 interpreters, expressed similar bewilderment. When translating the book of the prophet Isaiah from Hebrew into Greek, he came to the words: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel,” he began to doubt and wanted to blot them out in his manuscript, but the angel of the Lord who appeared to him, held his hand and said to him: “Believe what is written; you yourself will see the event of the greatest sacrament, for you will not see death until you see Christ the Lord who is to be born of the Most Holy Virgin.” Simeon listened to the angel and waited for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Indeed, after 277 years, Simeon was honored to accept into his arms the Lord born of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, thanking God, who gave salvation to Israel, peacefully gave up his spirit. And the Most Holy Virgin Mary Theotokos Herself, as having vowed to God to remain virginity forever and betrothed to the holy elder Joseph only for the preservation of virginity, did not she respond with bewilderment to the news of the Archangel Gabriel about the conception and birth of her Son - did she not ask him: “How will this be when I do not know a husband - I am not involved in marriage?” But Archangel Gabriel said to Her in response: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You, therefore what is born, like the Son of God, will be holy - without the sin of the ancestors.” This means that during the conception and birth of the Most Essential from the Virgin, it will not be the weak forces of created nature that will act - not the statutes of nature, but the almighty power of God. The Virgin gives birth to the Essential One painlessly, incorruptibly, remaining still a Virgin, just as a tree bears fruit without harm or illness to itself, and like a bush, according to John of Damascus, burned and was not consumed. “Oh, the depth of wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies and unsearchable His ways!” (Rom.11:33). Where God wants, the order of nature is defeated. Where does the Virgin give birth to the Infant God? In the den. The earth brings a den to the unapproachable. What kind of nativity scene is this? The cave of the mountain on which Bethlehem stood, where shepherds drove livestock in inclement weather. In Bethlehem, the city of David, where the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Righteous Joseph came from Nazareth, as descendants of David, on the occasion of the national census then appointed by the Roman Caesar Augustus, there was such a huge crowd of people that there was no comfortable room for the poor mother in labor in any house. The Virgin Mary and her betrothed were forced to look for a place outside the city. There was a cattle den near the city, and they took shelter in it. Here the Virgin gave birth to the Baby, She She swaddled Him and laid Him in a manger. O God's extreme condescension towards us and immeasurable love for mankind! He Whom the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain (1 Kings 8:27), Who lives in the unapproachable light, Who is the radiance of the glory of the Father, Who covers the sky with clouds, appears on earth in the form of a weak Child, hides in a den, lies down in a bestial manger, is wrapped in wretched swaddling clothes... Why does the Lord of glory, the King of heaven and earth, the image of the Father’s hypostasis, the Son of God, raise such humiliation? For the sake of us humans - in order, on the one hand, to restore in us the fallen image of God, to break the captivity of our sins, to raise us from the depths of bestiality to the heights of godlikeness, to lift us from the earthly vale of mourning to the high and bright abodes of the Heavenly Father, and on the other hand, to teach us to be imitators of childish kindness, infantile simplicity and gullibility, not to disdain poverty, to avoid luxury to inspire us to place greatness in humility, height in humiliation. How did heaven and earth, angels and people greet the newborn baby? Angels and shepherds praise, while wolves travel with a star. At the hour of the birth of Christ the Savior, a heavenly angel in divine light appears to the Bethlehem shepherds who were guarding the flocks in the field at night and says to them: “Do not be afraid. I proclaim to you great worldwide joy: now a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, even Christ the Lord.” And this is how to recognize Him: you will find a baby swaddled, lying in a manger. With the angel suddenly appeared a large army of heaven, praising God and crying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men!” The shepherds, at the word of the angel, rush to Bethlehem, and when they arrive there, they find Mary, and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger, they tell about what was announced to them from the angel, and everyone who heard them is amazed at their speeches. After this, the shepherds return to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for everything they heard and saw. And who are these Magi and the star with which they travel? The Magi were the main leaders of individual regions, usually called kings in the Holy Scriptures, familiar with astronomy - the science of stargazing. One day, while looking at the heavenly bodies, they saw a new extraordinary star in the east; Having focused on it with all their attention, they began to compare it with other stars and compare it with comets, and after a long study they found that it was not like them. Struck by the news and the unusual nature of the star, the Magi concluded that it signified something extraordinary. At that time, there was a rumor around the world that the Ruler of the Universe would once emerge from Judea. In accordance with this rumor, especially at the inspiration of God, as Saint Leo, Pope of Rome, teaches, the Magi positively decided that the star that appeared was the star of the newborn King of the Jews. Having provided themselves with everything necessary for the journey, they set out, each from his own country, Melchior from Persia, Gaspar from Arabia, Belthassar from Ethiopia, in the direction and indication of the star, and nine months from the time of its appearance they reached Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, having learned from King Herod the Edomite where Christ was born, they went to Bethlehem. The star, which had disappeared when the Magi entered Jerusalem, appeared again as soon as they left Jerusalem, and, having brought them to Bethlehem, descended from above to the ground above the very place where the newborn king was. The Magi enter the house, see the Child with His Mother Mary, fall down and worship Him. Then, having opened their treasures, they offer Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold - as for a king, incense - as for God, myrrh - as for a person who has to die for the sins of the world (for in the East they anointed the bodies of the dead with myrrh). After worshiping the Infant God, the Magi returned to their countries and there they were the beginnings of Christianity among paganism. (See Sermons, appendix to the Manual for Rural Pastors, 1889 Dec.). III. Here, Christian brothers, is the essence and explanation of the church song: The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential, and so on... From the Virgin today is born not an ordinary person, but also God; in the person of the Born, two natures are united, Divine and human, and united inseparably, immutably, unchangeably and inseparably; according to Divinity, He is born before all ages from God the Father; according to humanity, He is born in time from the Most Holy Virgin Mary by the creative action of the Holy Spirit. Although the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God is incomprehensible to the minds of earthly beings, God’s chosen ones rise from bewilderment to reverence for God and devotion to the will of God. Although the situation of the carnal birth of the God-man is not enviable: He appears on earth in extreme poverty and humiliation; despite this, with His birth, all creation begins to move, hurries to worship Him as its Creator and bears gifts from itself: angels - singing, heaven - a star, shepherds - a miracle, wise men - treasures, the earth - a den, the desert - a manger, people - the Virgin Mother. Appendix to conversation No. 6. The history of the origin of the church song “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...” St. Roman the Sweet Singer was the son of poor but noble parents in Syria. Even from an early age, he was distinguished by meekness and good behavior, but was not educated, so much so that he did not even know how to read. Having served as a sexton at one of the Syrian churches, Roman, with his special zeal and helpfulness, gained special attention from good people. But its extreme simplicity made it a subject of laughter for flighty and impudent people. These ridicule and insolence intensified even more when Roman moved (remaining in his previous rank) to the cathedral church of St. Sofia. There were more people there who liked to laugh at the sexton's simplicity. Meanwhile, Roman served here with full zeal. And so Patriarch Euthymius, seeing Roman’s zeal, gave him a share equal to the others who made up the cathedral clergy. This aroused envy and hatred of Roman among the entire clergy. The poor and pitiful sexton experienced ridicule at every step - and endured everything with firmness. Roman's arrogant envious people and ill-wishers finally decided to ridicule him publicly. On the occasion of the eve of the Nativity of Christ, there was a very large crowd of people in the St. Sophia Church. Roman, according to custom, lit candles in front of the holy icons. The clerics, taking him, impudently dragged him to the choir and told him: since you are receiving a share equal to us, today you must alone sing on the pulpit (according to the custom of that time) a kontakion, or a song of praise in honor of the holiday. Roman was embarrassed. Leaving the church, he prostrated himself with bitter tears before the icon of the Mother of God and earnestly asked Her intercession before the Mentor of wisdom and meaning, the Giver. Bitterness sank deep into Roman’s soul. Coming from church, he did not eat food and fell asleep with a mournful, prayerful spirit. But in a dream, the Heavenly Queen, the Mother of God, appears to him, hands him a scroll and says: “Open your mouth and eat this scroll.” Roman fulfilled the command of the Mother of God. Waking up, he felt extraordinary joy in his soul and extraordinary enlightenment of his mind. Having adequately and diligently thanked the Mother of God, Roman with a calm soul went to church for the All-Night Vigil. The usual time for singing the kontakion (on the pulpit) has arrived. Roman boldly ascended to the pulpit and began in the most pleasant voice to sing not the old, but a new song, inspired to him by the Spirit of God: “Today a virgin gives birth to the Most Essential, and the earth brings a den to the unapproachable, angels with shepherds praise, and wolves travel with a star, for for our sake the Child of the Eternal God was born” (kontakion of the Nativity of Christ). The whole church was amazed by the sweet (hence the nickname - sweet singer) and touching singing; everyone began to glorify the Lord. The clergy fell at the feet of the saint of God, asking him for forgiveness for the insults caused to him. The Patriarch ordained him as a deacon. Since then, church songs have flowed from the lips of Roman the Sweet Singer like a plentiful river. He, no doubt, with the same divine help, compiled more than a thousand kontakia for the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and in honor of the saints. Conversation No. 1. About the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ I. The holiday of the Nativity of Christ ends, and at the same time a new holiday begins - the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. The holiday gives way to a holiday. Remember, brethren, from sacred history that when God entered into a covenant with Abraham and promised him numerous descendants, like sand in the sea, like stars in the sky, he established the rite of circumcision as a seal or a visible sign of this covenant; at the same time, Abraham was given this new name instead of the previous one - Abram. Then, when the Lord, through Moses, gave the law to the Jewish people, he also commanded (Lev. 12:3) that the rite of circumcision must be performed on every male Jewish child, otherwise he could not belong to the Jewish people chosen by God and could not be a participant in those great promises of God that were given to Abraham and all his descendants. In fulfillment of this law, the legal rite of circumcision was performed on our Lord, as having descended in the flesh from the tribe of Abraham, on the eighth day after His birth, and the name Jesus was given to Him, the same name that the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the hour of the Annunciation. The heavenly name Jesus means Savior, because the Lord was born for this purpose, to save all people from sin, curse and death. This name of the Lord is human, although brought from heaven. The name Christ, which we usually add to the glorious name Jesus, means the anointed one, in Hebrew - Messiah. The Jews called kings, high priests and prophets anointed; because kings and high priests, upon taking office, were usually anointed with sacred oil. Remember how Samuel the prophet poured sacred oil on Saul and David, when, by the command of God, he chose both to the kingdom, - how Moses poured the anointing oil on the head of Aaron, when he appointed him high priest to serve at the tabernacle (Ex. 29). And the prophets received enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, which is also called spiritual anointing. But all these titles belong in the highest degree to the Lord Jesus: He is our king, the king is the conqueror of our enemies; He is the high priest, who sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins; He is a prophet, He is our teacher, who announced to us the will of God. Thus, the Feast of Circumcision was established in remembrance of this rite performed on our Savior, on the eighth day after birth, and, with the naming of the All-Holy Name of the Lord, completes the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. II. a) The establishment of the Feast of Circumcision dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, and the Holy Church, in establishing this holiday, in addition to preserving the memory of the event, had in mind, through the example of the Lord Himself, to teach us the constant fulfillment of God’s commandments and unquestioning obedience to its holy statutes. “The Lord,” she says, “gave Himself an image and a mark for the salvation of all: for the creator of the law fulfills the law” (at Great Vespers stichera 2). Let us take note of this instruction of the Holy Church and try to fulfill it in action. (See Sunday Reading, 1864). Let us draw for ourselves, beloved brethren, from the events now celebrated by the Holy Church and other edifying lessons. b) At the circumcision of the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation, the name Jesus was given to Him. What does the name of Jesus mean? Salvation. Which? Everything, spiritual and physical, temporary and eternal, visible and invisible. What evils does the fallen human race suffer from! He suffers from darkness in the mind, from anger in the will, from impurity and languor in the heart, from illness and death in the body. All these forms of evil will be destroyed by the Son of God; from all of them He will save people completely and forever. For this very reason the name of Jesus, or Savior, is given to Him; for He accepts it not in the way names are often accepted among us in order to bear only a name, but in order to actually realize it. Therefore, this name was not given by chance, at the request of, for example, the Mother or St. Joseph, and from above, from an angel, even before His conception in the womb. And the angel, without a doubt, did not invent it himself, but received it with reverence from the Lord of the angels Himself, “from whom,” as the apostle notes, “the whole family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:15). Therefore, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) except the name of the Lord Jesus; Therefore, before this venerable name, “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11). We do well, my brothers, that out of a sense of reverence we do not give this name to anyone. Which Christian would dare to bear the name of Jesus? But the extremely bad thing is that this all-holy and sweetest name passes from the realm of reverence for many to the realm of inattention and oblivion. What do all the great names in the world mean before the one name of Jesus? For, let us repeat, the word of the apostle is true and worthy of all acceptance: “For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we all must be saved” except this divine name. And when our salvation is in him, how can we not love him and revere him? Loving, how not to repeat it often and with pleasure? Reverently before him, how can we not value him and inspire respect for him in everyone whom we can influence? The ancient Christians were so able to assimilate the sweetest name of the Savior that after the martyrdom of St. Ignatius found it visibly imprinted on his heart. If such perfection is beyond our weakness, then at least let us not be like the pagans who do not know the name of Jesus. c) The circumcision of the Lord is the visible beginning of His sacrifice on the Cross; for all other types of humiliation and suffering, which He will endure for us throughout his life, constituted a bloodless Sacrifice, and here - iron and blood, a visible harbinger of nails and the crown of thorns. You see how He Who is the most purity and holiness began His life and actions: with circumcision. Isn’t it all the more important for us, unclean and defiled by sins, to use the time given to us to perform spiritual circumcision in us, that is, to cut off all ungodly thoughts and prejudices, to eradicate all soul-crushing passions and desires, to blot out all spiritual and carnal defilements? Otherwise, it would be better for our life to be shortened than to continue in sins and iniquities. If, by the mercy of the Lord, it continues, then this is a sign that there is grief waiting for our repentance, they have been waiting for a long time, since we strayed from the path of righteousness and truth. III. Let us enter into the spirit and purpose of the New Year; let us understand the true and only benefit that we can derive from time, not just for a while, but for all eternity; Let us stop looking for salvation where it can never be found, and let us turn to Him who was then sent, for whom He came in the flesh, for whom He has now shed His blood in order to save us all. More than once, but many times this day, He has appeared to us with this atoning blood, with His touching example and salvation for us. Se paki appeared, and now appeared for some, in all likelihood, for the last time. Let us not close our eyes again, let us not turn away our ears as before; Let us also take the knife of Christian self-sacrifice, and in the spirit of faith in the omnipotent name of Jesus we will begin to circumcise everything that is found in us that is carnal and contrary to the law of God. (See “Sermons,” Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson, vol. I, pp. 198–208). III. Epiphany of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Epiphany with moral and dogmatic lessons I. Now Jesus Christ, having reached the age of thirty years by human nature (Luke 3:23), came to the Jordan River, where St. John the Baptist preached repentance, preparing the Jews to accept the promised Redeemer, and received baptism from John in the waters of the Jordan. When Jesus, having been baptized, came out of the water, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God, who descended like a dove and descended on Him. And here is a voice from heaven, saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:15–17). II. a) Jesus Christ, by baptism, that is, immersion in the waters of the Jordan, begins His service to the salvation of the human race openly, before the eyes of people. By His baptism He elevates the baptism of John into a saving Sacrament and by His example establishes that all who believe in Him are baptized and seal their vow with baptism - in the future to serve with all their might the one God, glorified in three persons. b) The Holy Spirit from the open heavens descended on Jesus in the form of a dove to testify that Jesus comes from God the Father - there is the promised Christ, “baptizing with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33), and as a sign that He, the Holy Spirit, descends on all who believe in Jesus Christ and receive baptism according to His commandment. c) A voice from heaven, the voice of God the Father, testified even more clearly about the One who received baptism from John. God the Father spoke from heaven: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God the Father testifies of Jesus Christ that He is not a prophet like the ancient prophets, and not an angel, but “the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” in Whom His Fatherly favor is found. Thus, God the Father testifies of Jesus Christ that He is the true God, that all people should believe in Him, love Him as the beloved Son of God, follow His teaching and place all their trust in Him: for in Him is the good pleasure of the Heavenly Father, and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). d) Jesus Christ has not yet begun His preaching, and meanwhile, during His baptism in the Jordan, the highest sacrament of the Holy Trinity is solemnly revealed: God the Son in human nature accepts baptism; God the Holy Spirit descends on the Son in the form of a dove; God the Father testifies of His beloved Son. Thus, the highest sacrament of the Holy Trinity, the basis of our faith and hope, was wonderfully revealed to people during the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan. III. Brethren! So this real great holiday reminds us of the great deeds of God on earth - the baptism of the Son of God in the waters of the Jordan, the descent of the Spirit of God on Him and the testimony of the Heavenly Father about Him. The Feast of the Epiphany reminds us of the great blessings of God received by each of us. Following the example and commandment of Christ the Savior, we were all baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, who deigned to appear on the Jordan on the day of the Baptism of the Lord. In the Sacrament of Baptism, the Spirit of God invisibly overshadowed us and reborn us into a life of grace. In this great Sacrament, we are also given the great right to be children of God, by the grace of the Lord the Savior, as the evangelist of Christ teaches: “To those who received Him (Christ, the Son of God), He gave the power to become children of God” (John 1:12). Remembering our baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, we must bring to mind what vows we made then before God and the Holy Church. Having rejected the devil and all his works, we promised all the days of our lives to serve with all our might the one God, worshiped in three Persons, and to always fulfill His holy will, which was revealed to us by Jesus Christ in the Gospel and His holy apostles in their Epistles. The Lord Savior said: “Jesus says to them: My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). So for us, fulfilling the will of God - keeping the commandments of Christ - is the true, necessary food for us, which nourishes our immortal soul, strengthens it in a pious and virtuous life, prepares it for eternal life in the mansions of heaven and on earth gives it true peace, as a guarantee of eternal bliss according to the word of the Lord Savior: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they will be satisfied." Amen. (Compiled from the “Sermon” of Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev, vol. II, ed. 1870). Appendix to conversation No. 1. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord 1) “Thus says the Lord to John: prophecy come, baptize you who created Me and enlightened me with grace, and do not doubt. Leave everything else now, for I have come to fulfill all righteousness” (Verse at 6 o’clock). The Lord Jesus Christ, having put on human nature, “becoming in appearance as a man,” was in every way similar to us sinners, except for the sin innate to us from the womb, and therefore He had no need to wash away this sin in the waters of baptism, but the Lord, as the Founder of our faith, needed to fulfill all righteousness on earth, and He, receiving baptism from John, in the waters of the Jordan, by His example establishes the holy Sacrament of Baptism and sanctifies with it all who enter the community of believers; then, in a conversation with Nicodemus, he commands: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Baptism is the door through which we enter the Church of God, created by Jesus Christ on earth. 1) Enlightened by the light of Baptism, as children of light, walk, “test what is pleasing to God,” teaches the Apostle Paul (Eph. 5:10). Those who are baptized, immersed in the waters, bury their old man in them and emerge from the water for a new spiritual life. “All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. So consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore let not sin reign in your mortal body, so that you should obey it in its lusts” (Rom. 6:3-4,11-12). We need to put off the old man with our old way of life, and be renewed in the spirit of the mind “and put on the new man, created according to God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24). 3. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30), i.e. Baptism. After Baptism, believers received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of apostolic hands on them. The laying on of hands has now replaced the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation, with which we are sealed immediately after Baptism and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Who does not need to be offended by vicious thoughts and deeds. Conversation No. 2. About worship on the feast of the Epiphany I. January 6th The Holy Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. The day of the Epiphany of the Lord is one of the great twelve holidays and is celebrated as solemnly as the day of the Nativity of Christ. All the time from Christmas to Epiphany is called Christmastide. According to the instructions of the Church, we should spend them in spiritual celebration, reflecting on the events in Bethlehem and the Jordan. The Feast of Epiphany is also called the Feast of Epiphany, Enlightenment and the Feast of Lights. It is called Epiphany because at the baptism of the Savior all three Persons of the Holy Trinity appeared to the world. From the open heavens “and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove” (that is, on the baptized Son of God - the second Person of the Trinity), and there was a voice (of God the Father) from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." It is also called the Epiphany because at baptism Jesus was revealed to His Forerunner and then to the whole world as the true Messiah. Saint John Chrysostom says: “It is not the day on which the Savior was born that should be called a phenomenon, but the day on which He was baptized. It was not through His birth that He became known to everyone, but through Baptism, which is why the Epiphany is called not the day on which He was born, but the day on which He was baptized.” This day is called Enlightenment and the Feast of Lights because through baptism the Savior appeared to the world as the true Messiah, God, who came to earth to enlighten “the people sitting in darkness,” and with His appearance “saw a great light, and to those sitting in the land and shadow of death did the light shine” (Matthew 4:16). In the ancient Church, on the eve of the holiday, the catechumens were enlightened, that is, they received Baptism. During the celebration of the Sacrament, many lamps were burning, and during the blessing of water they stood with lighted candles in their hands. This is where the names of the holiday “Enlightenment” and “Svetov” came from. II. The service on Epiphany is similar to the service on Christmas Day. a) Let’s first talk about the service on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany. On the eve of the holiday (nomad) there is a strict fast. aa) After Matins the royal hours are sung. At the first hour, according to the Lord’s Prayer, the reader reads three psalms: the 5th, 22nd and 26th, and according to the troparia he proclaims the prokeimenon: “And the Lord roared from heaven, and the Most High gave His voice.” This is followed by a reading of proverbs from the prophecies of Isaiah (chapter 35). The prophet foresees a time of abundant outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit, a time of renewal and rebirth of people by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What the prophet spoke about from distant times, John, the Baptist of the Lord, stood close to him, who told people about the Lord who appeared in the flesh. The Baptist is preached in the apostolic and gospel readings (Acts 13:25–32 and Matthew 3:1–11). At the third hour, the Psalms (28, 41 and 50) glorify the Lord, who has power over the waters. After the troparions, the prokeimenon is proclaimed: “I saw thee of the water, God, I saw thee of the water and was afraid,” and Isaiah’s prophecy about the grace-filled Kingdom of God is read, in which people receive cleansing and renewal. The reading from the Apostle points out the difference between John's baptism and Christian baptism (Acts 19:1-8). The Forerunner baptized with water into repentance, calling everyone to believe in Jesus Christ coming after him. Our Lord Himself who baptized with the Holy Spirit appeared. John pointed to Him. The Holy Gospel preaches about this (Mark 1:1-8). In the psalms of the 6th hour (73rd, 76th and 90th) God's greatness and God's power are sung, and in the proverb (Isa. ch. 12) salvation from the Lord is proclaimed. The Apostle calls on believers and those who have been baptized to live according to Christ, into renewal of life (Rom. 6:3-12). The Holy Gospel speaks of the baptism of Jesus Christ, His forty-day fast and the beginning of preaching (Mark 1:9-15). In the psalms of the 9th hour (92nd, 113th and 85th) the royal greatness and power of the Lord is sung, and in the proverb (Is. 49:8-15) God's love for the human race is proclaimed. The Apostle preaches about the manifestation of the grace of God, saving all people (Titus 2:11-14; 3:2-7), and in the Holy Gospel - about the baptism of the Savior and the Epiphany. bb) The Liturgy is celebrated with Vespers, if the evening of Epiphany does not fall on Saturday or Sunday. According to the Great Litany, after the stichera, I cried out to the Lord, and upon entering, the proverbs are read with the Gospel. The first from the book of Genesis (Genesis 1–13) is about the creation of the world, the second is about the miraculous passage of the Jews along the bottom of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15–28) and the third is about the transformation of the bitter waters of Marah into sweet ones (Exodus 15:22–27, 16:1). According to the third proverb, the reader proclaims the troparia: “Thou hast appeared in the world, who created the world, and enlightened those who sit in darkness, O lover of mankind, glory to Thee” and others, in which God’s favor towards people sitting in darkness and the shadow of death is sung. The fourth proverb tells of the miraculous passage of the Jews across the Jordan (Joshua 3:7–17), the fifth about the passage of the prophets Elijah and Elisha through it (2 Kings 2:6–15), and the sixth about the miraculous cleansing of Naaman the Syrian from leprosy after his immersion in the waters of the Jordan according to the word of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5). The reading is again interrupted by short troparia, in which the light of Christ is sung, shining on those who sit in darkness. The next seven proverbs recall the miracles performed on the waters for God’s chosen people. Following the proverbs, the Apostle reads about the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies on the face of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:1–4). The Holy Gospel sets out the sermon of John the Baptist about the approaching Kingdom of God (Luke 3:1-18). Then the Liturgy of Basil the Great or Chrysostom continues if the evening of Epiphany falls on Saturday or Sunday. cc) At the end of the Liturgy, the consecration of water is performed. It is called great, in contrast to the small one, which is performed very often in churches, in houses and at sources. The great consecration of waters was established in memory of the Baptism of the Lord. It also points to events from the ancient times of the Christian Church. In the first centuries of Christianity, on the eve of Epiphany, new members entering the Church were usually baptized; While they were preparing for Baptism, they were called catechumens, because they were announced, that is, they were taught the truths of the faith and the rules of Christian life. Just as today, at Baptism, lighted candles are given to recipients, so in ancient times those being baptized themselves held candles in their hands. Out of love for them, those present stood with candles. In remembrance of this, the church charter now orders Orthodox Christians to hold lighted candles in their hands when consecrating water. At the beginning of the great blessing of water, troparia are solemnly sung: “The voice of the Lord cries out on the waters, saying: come, receive all the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of reason, the Spirit of the fear of God, the revealed Christ,” etc.; then three proverbs are read, which describe the joy of people who have come to know the true God and have been reborn by God's grace (Isa. 35, 55 and 12). The reading from the Apostle preaches about the prototypes of the Old Testament, pointing to the face of the baptized Our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-4), and the Holy Gospel - about the baptism of the Savior and the Epiphany (Mark 1:9-11). In the Great Litany, the Holy Church prays “For this water to be sanctified, by the power and action, and influx of the Holy Spirit... For the grace of deliverance to be granted to them... For Satan to soon be crushed under our feet and to be ruined by every evil council that moves against us... For the life of this water, the gift of sanctification, the deliverance of sins, for the healing of soul and body, and for all sorts of benefits. About the existence of this water leading to eternal life. About those who draw and receive for the sanctification of houses,” etc. During the litany, the priest secretly prays that the Lord will heed our prayers and graciously do according to our request; and then loudly calls on the grace of the Holy Spirit: “Thou who lovest mankind the King, come now through the influx of Thy Holy Spirit and sanctify this water... Grant to all who touch and anoint with it sanctification, health, cleansing and blessing,” and he gave. Through prayer, the priest teaches peace to everyone and, upon exclamation, immerses the Honest Cross three times in the water with the singing of the troparion: “I am baptized in the Jordan (when You were baptized) to You, Lord, Triple adoration has appeared (the worship of the Most Holy Trinity has been revealed): For the Parents’ voice testified to You, naming Your beloved Son: and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, announced to Your words the affirmation (assured the truth of the Father’s words) appear, O Christ our God, and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.” The water was blessed. Take it with reverence, Orthodox Christian, and take it to your home. Keep it for a whole year, because it is very useful in various occasions in life. Since ancient times, Christians have had deep reverence for her. It was used when conjuring the possessed. It is drunk and drunk by those who cannot or are unworthy to approach the Sacrament of Communion: those who are insane and excommunicated from Communion for sins. The sick use it and by faith receive healing. It is sprinkled on fields, cattle and bees; it is also used when consecrating vessels that have been defiled in some way. Do you see what grace the Lord God gives to water? That is why it is called agiasma, that is, a shrine. Clergymen go with blessed water to the homes of Orthodox Christians to glorify the baptized Lord. Receive them with honor: they bring you blessing and sanctification in the name of God. b) On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, as well as Christmas, the service begins with Great Compline, at which the prophetic verses are sung: “God is with us.” Compline ends with the reading of the hymn “Glory to God in the highest.” This is followed by lithium and matins. The Morning Gospel preaches the baptism of the Savior and the appearance of the Holy Trinity. The liturgy on the feast of Epiphany, like the Nativity of Christ, is “wounded, labored for the sake of the vigil.” At the Liturgy, antiphons from Psalms 113, 114 and 117 are sung. They contain a prophetic indication of the baptized Lord and indicate the disastrous state of people before the appearance of Christ. Instead of the Trisagion, it is sung: “If you are baptized into Christ, put on Christ.” The Apostle from the Epistle to Titus (Titus 2:11–15; 3:5–7) announces the sending down to us through Christ of divine grace, saving for all people, and demands that “we live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age” and be “heirs of eternal life.” The Gospel preaches the baptism of the Savior (Matthew 3:13–17). After the Liturgy, a solemn procession of the cross takes place to the springs and water. The priest and deacon walk in full church vestments. The priest carries a cross on his head, and the deacon walks with a censer. In front they carry lighted candles, banners, an altar cross, the Holy Gospel, an icon of the Mother of God and the holiday. During the procession, the stichera placed for the blessing of water are sung, and bells ring. The rite of blessing the water is the same as on Christmas Eve after Vespers. The water consecrated for eternity in the church, and in rivers or wells on the holiday itself, has the same meaning and holiness. The post-festival continues until January 14. (See “Non-liturgical conversations about divine services,” part 2, issue VI, St. Petersburg, 1889). III. Here, Christian brothers, is a brief outline of that highly edifying service that takes place on the eve and on the day of the feast of the Epiphany. Remember the saving lessons that it teaches us all. A. Historical information about how water blessing was performed in ancient times in Rus' From the day of the adoption of Christianity to this day, nowhere has the feast of the Epiphany been celebrated with such solemnity as here in Russia. The celebration of this day reached particular solemnity and ceremony in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the period of the patriarchs. At that time, the festive celebration usually began the day before, on Epiphany Eve, or on the eve of the Epiphany. The celebration usually began with the departure of the Royal Hours, which were especially solemnly served in the Assumption Cathedral, in the presence of the Tsar himself. After hours in the same cathedral, the Liturgy with Vespers was served, with which the rite of consecration of water was inextricably linked. Both Vespers and the blessing of water took place in the presence of the sovereign. The clerics, having received the blessing of the patriarch to “put the outfit to the water,” placed two tables in the middle of the church: one for a bowl of water and other sacred objects, the other slate, for holy relics. On one table they placed “a silver tub, a silver bowl, three cornflowers, that is, sprinkles.” With the blessing of the patriarch, the bowl was filled with water, and near the bowl on the table “four chased silver shandalas (candlesticks) were placed, and on them the moldings were illuminated, and above the table for the festive occasion (an icon) they were placed.” After immersing the cross in water, the patriarch himself poured holy water into a bowl, with which he immediately walked to the altar for sprinkling, then poured it into mugs and “kratir”, he himself drank the water three times from the kratir, and then served it to the sovereign the same number of times, at which he sprinkled it with holy water and gave him the antidor. After this, the protodeacon proclaimed many years to the sovereign and the sovereign's family by name, after which the singers again congratulated the king by the patriarch, boyars and other persons, which ended the celebration of the Epiphany Eve. Epiphany Christmas Eve was celebrated very sacredly in the old days. Thus, many pious people on the eve of Epiphany did not eat food until the water was blessed. The food itself was very modest, so eating fish on this day was considered the greatest sin. On the table of the sovereign himself, from whom, according to the custom that existed at that time, dishes were sent to the patriarch and boyars, there should have been “nothing other than white bread - one loaf, raw and warmed cabbage, milk mushrooms, salted saffron milk caps, raw and warmed, kutya and berry dishes.” On the same day, following the example of the sovereign and the boyars, it was customary to distribute alms to poor people with food, clothing and money. On the very day of Epiphany, a celebration took place in Moscow at that time, which in its grandeur and splendor surpassed all other celebrations. On this day the king appeared to the people in the full splendor of his royal greatness. At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, the tsar, in his ordinary dress, made a procession to the Assumption Cathedral while the bells were ringing on Ivan the Great. In the cathedral, the sovereign assumed the “royal dignity” (that is, a large royal outfit with all the regalia), after which the Liturgy began. At the end of the Liturgy, the king exited the cathedral through the southern doors, and the patriarch through the western doors to “Erdan.” The “Jordan” itself was carved out of the ice on the Moscow River in the form of a cross, covered with a beautiful canopy, supported by four columns with cornices painted with paints, silver and gold, and decorated with a gilded cross at the top. Images of the four evangelists were placed in the corners, and inside - the apostles and other saints, and, finally, the image of the Baptism of the Lord. All this was decorated with silk and carved tin painted flowers and leaves. The “act of blessing of water” itself was performed in this way. First, the clergy approached the patriarch and the sovereign two in a row and bowed low, and then the patriarch distributed candles to everyone, starting with the sovereign. While the cross was being immersed in water, cannons were fired and the bells of all Moscow churches were ringing. Having immersed the cross, the patriarch drew water from the Jordan with a silver bucket and gave it to the cleric for sprinkling the troops and people. The patriarch himself crossed the sovereign three times, sprinkled him with holy water and congratulated him on the holiday. The celebration ended too late that day, so vespers on that day usually took place “without expense.” With no less solemnity, at the present time, in remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, both on eve and on the holiday itself, the consecration of water is performed, which in ancient Russian chronicles is called “water cross.” In the evening it is performed in churches, and on the holiday itself - on rivers, ponds and wells, which we call going to the Jordan. The consecration of water is now especially solemn in St. Petersburg (and partly in other provincial cities). Here, opposite the Winter Palace, on the Neva River, the magnificent Jordan is built. At the end of the Liturgy in the Winter Palace, a solemn procession, in which their imperial majesties and members of the august house, the bishops and numerous clergy present in the Holy Synod, take part, march to the Jordan, and at the moment when the Life-Giving Cross is immersed by the Metropolitan in the river, cannon shots are heard from the Peter and Paul Fortress. (See Missionary Review, 1897). B. Historical information about why on the feast of Epiphany water is blessed twice On the feast of Epiphany, water is blessed twice. Some of you will ask: why is water blessed twice on the feast of the Epiphany? It is known that in the place where Christ the Savior was born, lived and was baptized, the consecration of water on the Jordan has been carried out since ancient times and to this day takes place at midnight or at dawn, since according to legend, at this hour Jesus Christ was baptized. But later, when Christian services began to be held in different places not at night, but during the day, it was necessary to postpone the consecration of water to the day, but to what day? Is it on the very day of the holiday, or on the eve of it, that is, on the day before the holiday, since every holiday for us begins in the evening? But then this happened. In the first centuries, many pagans and Jews converted to Christianity; they were called catechumens (catechumens are those who have already been taught the Christian faith, but have not yet been baptized). Special days of the year were designated for their baptism (for example, Easter, Trinity); These days also included the day before the Baptism of Christ. And since consecrated water was needed for the baptism of the catechumens, it was decided to perform the consecration of water on the day before the feast of the Baptism of Christ - and not a small consecration performed according to the needs of Christians on all days of the year, but a great consecration for the eve of the holiday. Thus, it was decided to consecrate the water twice: before the holiday - for the baptism of the catechumens, and on the holiday itself - in remembrance of the Baptism of Christ. In our time, there are almost no catechumens among us, and therefore, apparently, there is no need to consecrate the water before the holiday. But the Holy Church withheld this consecration because the double consecration of water, i.e. on the eve and on the holiday itself, increases the triumph of the holiday and our sanctification and enlightenment. We should rejoice and triumph that our water is blessed not only once, but twice on the feast of the Epiphany. It can be said, however, that the current consecration of water and tomorrow’s have somewhat different meanings. Namely: before the holiday, the water will be sanctified specifically for our needs and for the needs of this very day, that is, it will be sanctified so that we can sprinkle and sanctify our homes, all our property, and, above all, ourselves with this water. It will be consecrated so that we, who have now fasted until the evening, will be honored for this to partake of holy water, to be sanctified, to prepare, and at the same time to anticipate the joy of the coming great holiday. On the day of the holiday, the water will be blessed in memory of the baptism of Christ the Savior. Then we will no longer prepare ourselves with holy water for the holiday, but will celebrate the holiday itself by consecrating the water. B. Some chants on the day of Epiphany with a brief explanation a) For the blessing of water. “The voice of the Lord upon the waters cries, saying: Come, receive all the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of the fear of God, (the spirit of) Christ revealed.” “Today (today) the waters are sanctified by nature, and the Jordan is divided, and its streams return, the Lord is baptized in vain.” “As a man came to the river, O Christ the King, and you strive (strongly desire) to receive servile baptism, from the hand of the Forerunner, a sin for our sake, Lover of mankind.” “To the voice (of the Forerunner) crying in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, you have come, O Lord, taking on the form of a slave, asking for baptism, knowing no sin: having seen Thee in the water, and being afraid; the Forerunner was trembling and cried out, saying: how the lamp of light will enlighten 23; how the slave lays his hand on the Master; Sanctify the waters for me, O Savior, take away the sin of the world.” b) Troparion. “In the Jordan I was baptized to You, O Lord, Trinitarian adoration appeared: for the voice of your parents testified to You, naming Your beloved Son: and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, made known to Your words the statement: Christ the God appeared, and the world of enlightenment, glory to You.” When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed, for the voice of the Father testified about You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, assured the truth of the word (Father); Christ God, who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to You! c) On lithium. “Dress yourself in the light like a robe, for our sake you were deemed worthy to be after us; you are clothed in the streams of the Jordan today, not demanding these for cleansing, but arranging for us to be born with Yourself. Oh miracle! He cooks without fire, and edifies without contrition, and saves those who are enlightened in Him, Christ the God and Savior of our souls.” He who clothed himself with light, as with clothing, deigned to become like us, and is now covered with the streams of the Jordan, not Himself needing them for cleansing, but in His person arranging for us to be reborn. Oh miracle! He refines without fire, and recreates without destruction, and saves those who are baptized in His name, Christ the God and Savior of our souls. d) On a poem. “On the Jordan River, when John saw Thee coming to himself, he said: “O Christ God, because Thou hast come unto a servant, without filthiness, O Lord; in whose name I baptize Thee; the Father; but Him thou bearest within thee. The Son; but Thou art incarnate. The Holy Spirit; and this Thou wilt give to the faithful through the mouth (John 20:22 ) God appear, have mercy on us." 1. “He opened the bottom of the depths, and with His dry land (people) draws, in it (the depths) having covered the contrary, the Lord mighty in battle was glorified." 3. “The Lord give strength to our King, and lift up the horn (dignity) of His anointed ones, who are born of a virgin, and come to baptism: to him faithfully we cry: none is holy, like our God.” 4. “Lord, when You heard Your voice, You were the voice of one crying in the wilderness, for You thundered over many waters, testifying to Your Son, having all the descended Spirit, cry out: You are the Christ, God’s wisdom and power.” I have heard, O Lord, (the Forerunner) Your voice, which You called the voice of one crying in the wilderness; when You thundered over many waters (of the Jordan), testifying about Your Son, He (the Forerunner), filled with the revealed Spirit, exclaimed: “You are the Christ, God’s wisdom and power.” 5. “Jesus, the Chief of the belly, to resolve the condemnation that is coming on the first-created Adam, but without requiring cleansing, like God, the fallen one is cleansed in the Jordan: in him, having killed enmity, he bestows peace upon all minds.” 6. “The voice of the word, the lamp of light, the star of the sun, the Forerunner, in the desert, repent, cries out to all people, and be purified: behold, Christ is coming, deliver the world from aphids.” The Voice of the Word, the lamp of Light, the dawn - the forerunner of the Sun exclaims in the desert to all people: “Repent, and be cleansed in advance; for behold, Christ is coming, redeeming the world from destruction.” f) Kontakion. “Thou hast appeared this day to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, has appeared upon us, in the mind (consciously) singing Thee: “Thou art come and thou hast appeared, an unapproachable light.” 7. “The pious youths, who partook of the furnace of fire, preserved the rustling spirit of the dew unharmed, and God’s angel of condescension: and in the same way, watered in the flames, we sang with gratitude: O Lord and blessed of the Fathers, art thou blessed.” 8. “The glorious mystery of Babylon was revealed by the cave, which emitted dew, as if with streams the immaterial fire was received by the Jordan, and embraced in the flesh of the baptized Creator: whom men will bless and exalt for all ages.” The Babylonian oven, having poured out dew, depicted that wonderful mystery, but the Jordan was able to receive into its streams the immaterial fire (of the Divine) and embrace the Creator who was baptized in the flesh, whom people bless and exalt for all ages. “Glorify, my soul, the most honorable of the hosts on high, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.” 9 . “Every tongue is perplexed to praise the blessings of our inheritance, but the mind and the worldly praise of Thee to the Mother of God are astounded: You are a good being, accept faith, for our divine love weighs: For Thou art the intercessor of Christians, We magnify Thee.” No language is able to praise you at your true worth, and even the angelic mind is perplexed (how) to sing You, Mother of God, but as good as You, accept faith, for You know our living love; You are a representative of Christians; We magnify you. “Oh, more wonderful than the mind of Your Nativity, O all-pure Bride, blessed Mother! Having received all-perfect salvation, we worthily praise him as a benefactor, bearing the gift of a song of thanksgiving.” Oh, how mind-boggling are the miracles of Your birth, most pure Bride, blessed Mother! Having received through You an all-perfect salvation, we worthily praise (You) as a benefactor, offering a gift of a song of gratitude. g) At the Liturgy. 1 Antiphon Ps.113:1–3.5. “In the exodus of Israel from Egypt, the house of Jacob became a barbarian people, and Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His province. The sea (Red) appeared (saw the people protected by God Himself) and ran (parted), the Jordan returned back (turned back). What is the sea to you, that you ran away, and the Jordan, that you returned back? 2 Antiphon. Ps.114:1-5. “I have loved (the Lord), for (because) the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer. For incline Your ear to me: and in my days I will call (Him). Having embraced me with mortal illnesses, the troubles of hell found me. I found sorrow and illness, and called on the name of the Lord. The Lord is merciful and righteous, and our God has mercy.” 3 Antiphon. Ps.117:1-4. “Confess (glorify) the Lord, for (for He) is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, therefore, that it is good... Let the house of Aaron say, therefore let all that fear the Lord say, that His mercy endureth forever.” D. About the sacred river Jordan 24 There is no river in the world of God more sacred to a Christian than the Jordan River. In the streams of this sacred river, our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to receive baptism from the Baptist John. On the Jordan, after the Baptism of the Lord, the New Testament worship of the Holy Trinity appeared to the world. On the Jordan, the greatest mystery of Epiphany was revealed to the people of God. “In the Jordan I am baptized to Thee, O Lord, Trinitarian adoration appears” (troparion of the Feast of the Epiphany). There is the deepest valley on earth - this is the Jordan Valley; There is no deeper valley on earth than this. Being such the deepest valley of the globe, this area did not know and does not know our Russian winter, our snows, our bitter frosts... The deep Jordan Valley is a natural and natural bed of the sacred streams of the sacred Jordan River. Never before have these streams been bound by ice and never seen the ice cover of the rivers of the north. The warmth of Jordanian waters is never less than 15 degrees Celsius. And the Jordan originates from the melting of the eternal snows of the heights of the Lebanese mountains. The sources of the Jordan River are formed in this way: during the days of the wheat harvest in the Holy Land, the snow and ice of the Lebanese mountains neighboring the Holy Land begin to melt. Near the ancient borders of the “tribe of Dan”, from Lebanon, the first small stream of the Jordan originates. (The name Dan is undoubtedly reflected here in the name – Jordan). The second, much larger stream originates near the city of Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13). Along the way, along its course, taking in many other mountain streams, this stream, merging with the first source of the Jordan, flows as a small mountain river into the small lake Samokhonitskoye (or now Merom). The lake is 6 miles long. From Merom the Jordan flows as a foamy river, similar to our Caucasian rivers - Rion, Aragva, etc. Having quickly covered a space of 15 miles, the Jordan flows into the Sea of ​​Galilee, or the Sea of ​​Tiberias - the sea on which the apostles of Christ, before they were awarded the call to be fishers of men, were engaged in catching the numerous fish of their native lake. Frequent, instant storms of this lake-sea knew the Divine commanding voice of our Savior, who forbade the winds and established silence in the midst of the storm (Matthew 8:26). From the Sea of ​​Tiberias, which is 25 miles long, the Jordan emerges as a beautiful, deep, fast-flowing river. Here the river, winding between the Moab and Judah mountains, receives the wide and fertile Jordan Valley. This valley is God’s wondrous garden! Here is the never-fading greenery of herbs, flowers, oleanders, coastal palms and other shady trees and cereals that caress the eye. But more on this later. Having passed the entire length of the Holy Land, the Jordan finally disappears into the still waters of the Dead Sea. In the dead embrace of this sea, the ever-murmuring Jordan, full of life, seems to freeze. If a small Jordanian fish is carried by fast-flowing river streams into the asphalt (resin) depths of the Dead Sea, the Sea of ​​Sodom, then it immediately falls asleep. So often the embrace of death unexpectedly snatches away even those who swim too quickly along the stream of everyday vanity! The Jordan Valley in its direct extent from the Sea of ​​Tiberias to the Dead Sea extends no more than 100 miles. But, meandering among the neighboring mountains, along their bends and slopes, this valley extends up to 300 miles. It was this space that our Lord Jesus Christ passed through when from Galilee He made His way to Jerusalem, not along a straight road through hostile Samaria, but along a roundabout road, through the country beyond Jordan. Christ the Lord walked this way on the third Easter to His free suffering on the top of Golgotha. And for us the path to the cross and salvation is not always close. The width of the Holy Jordan is not the same everywhere, of course. In other places, the mountains of Judah and Moab, converging on the right and left, compress the waters of the river into the narrowest passage. Here the river is only a few fathoms wide. And the Jordan quickly runs through these terrible passages! Here it bubbles and boils. In these places, compared to the prophet of God Jeremiah, the Jordan comes out like a lion from the high places (Jer.49:19). In other places, where the width of the valley is very spacious - 15-20 versts, the Jordan in its bed gurgles its streams measuredly and quietly. Its width in these places can be 20 fathoms or more. There were no bridges on the Jordan. They don't exist now. Just as the patriarch Jacob crossed this Jordan with his staff (Gen. 32:10), so now all pilgrims cross the Jordan by fording the water. The Jordan is generally a deep river. But along its course there are about 5 natural ford crossings. These crossings replace bridges on the river. There is an interpretation that such crossings were called vifavars. The Holy Evangelist John the Theologian, preaching the gospel of the baptism of the Forerunners of the Lord, says that “this happened in Bethabara by the Jordan, where John baptized” (John 1:28). It was already noted above that the holy Jordan, like a mountain river, flows very quickly, carrying away everything that comes in its way. How many “branches of Palestine” are carried away by the fast-flowing river into the still waters of the Dead Sea! From the bottom and sides, the Jordan carries away a large amount of silt and sand in its current. Therefore, the Jordanian water is muddy and muddy during its flow, like all the rivers of the mountainous Caucasus. But if this water settles in a clean vessel, it is transparent and pure, like the purest crystal. In a well-sealed vessel, this water never spoils. And how much Jordanian water was brought to Holy Rus' by our domestic pilgrims! The natural frame through which the Jordan flows is solemnly majestic: this is the Jordan Valley. This valley is wonderful! She is full of unceasing life. Here an incessant hymn of praise is offered to the All-Good Creator. The high mountains near the Jordan and all the hills praise the Lord here, the trees are fruitful (on the banks of the Jordan the carob tree grows in abundance, the fruits of which the Russian pilgrim Barsky called locusts), animals and all cattle (and to this day in the Jordan Valley there are leopards, lions, wild boars, hyenas, jackals and other wild animals); The birds also praise the Lord here: with the song of a nightingale, the cooing of a wild dove, reminiscent of the crying and laughter of a child, the cry of swallows fills the Jordan Valley day and night. And this is the incessant murmur of the waters of many sacred rivers!... Never forget this majestic picture for anyone who has seen it at least once... Many sacred events took place on the Jordan, both from the history of the Old Testament, from the history of the New Testament, and also from the history of the Universal Church of Christ. The ancestor of the 12 tribes of the Jewish people, Patriarch Jacob, crossed the Jordan River. Joshua miraculously translated the entire host of the Jewish people across the Jordan (Joshua 3:15). King David took refuge behind the Jordan, escaping the persecution of his beloved son Absalom (2 Sam. 17:22). According to the word of the prophet of God Elisha, Naaman the Syrian, having washed in the Jordan 7 times, received healing from severe leprosy (2 Kings 5:10). Beyond the Jordan was the temporary camp of Judah Maccabee (1Mac.5:52). They often crossed the Jordan and St. apostles, accompanying their Divine Teacher. And now the “wells of the apostles” indicate the way from Jordan to Jerusalem. Let's finish where we started. The most important sacred event on the Jordan is the Baptism of the Lord and the Epiphany of the Holy Trinity. But maybe someone will say: how unhappy I am that I was not on the Jordan River. Unfounded complaint! All of us Christians have been honored with the great and holy Sacrament of Baptism. The font of Baptism, having washed away our original sin, was for each of us the sacred Jordan. Conversation No. 3. About the meaning of the holy water of Epiphany I. What is special about the feast of Epiphany is that on this feast day water is blessed. The Holy Church has long used holy water, and one might think that the consecration of water began in apostolic times. Consequently, consecrated water is venerable due to its deep antiquity and longevity. When we sprinkle holy water on ourselves and use it for various pious works, we are doing what pious Christians of all times have done. II. But at the same time, it is quite true that holy water brings many different benefits to those who use it properly. a) Through holy water we receive the grace of God: it arouses in us repentance for our sins, it produces true reverence in us. And if you sprinkle yourself with holy water and at the same time have a feeling of repentance, then you receive forgiveness of sins; Holy water is also a real remedy against all temptations, especially those that come from the devil. Therefore, when temptation comes upon you, and you taste a few drops of holy water with reverence and hope, marking yourself with the sign of the cross, then you can be sure that God will give you the grace to overcome temptation and keep your conscience clear. The devil is afraid of holy water and runs away from it. All places that are sprinkled with faith, hope and reverence with holy water are inaccessible to the evil spirit: he does not dare to approach these places. b) Holy water can serve both for healing from illnesses and for liberation from many other evils and troubles. And we should not be surprised at this miraculous effect of holy water. This water receives its power from the prayers of the Church, and the Church prays when consecrating the water, so that God will grant it the power of His blessing, so that everything that is sprinkled with it will be free from all harm. c) The power of holy water extends beyond the grave. It also brings comfort, help and strengthening to the dead. She receives this power through the prayers of the Church; When the Church sprinkles holy water on the bodies of the dead or their coffins and graves, it prays to God that God may cleanse the souls of the deceased and soften their sorrows with the heavenly dew of consolation. Therefore, you do well when, following the example of the Church, you sprinkle the coffins and graves of the dead with holy water. Just as rain refreshes flowers faded from the heat of the sun, so holy water strengthens the souls of the dead with the power of the prayers of the Church and your prayers. III. Thus, you see, brothers, that holy water is a real means to remove many evils from us and to bring us many different benefits and mercies. Therefore, keep holy water in honor and use it, following the example of the ancient Christian Church, to awaken saving thoughts and feelings in yourself and to achieve various mental and physical benefits. Draw up holy water, bring it to your homes and store it in a clean vessel for pious use. Sprinkle yourself with it more often, especially in the morning and evening and when entering and leaving the house. But do this not out of mere habit and without any thought, but with reverence, with a feeling of repentance and with hope. Sprinkle it often on everything in your house and in your yard, so that the evil spirit cannot have access to you, so that all evil is diverted from you, and so that God dwells among you with the angels. If you use holy water with repentance, reverence and hope, then what the Saint prays for will be fulfilled. The church at the consecration of water with the words: “Great and Almighty God, who created heaven and earth and established all orders in the world, before Whom angels, archangels and all the powers of heaven tremble! Look down on this water from heavenly heights and sanctify it with Your Holy Spirit. May it be of great benefit to all who eat from it and anoint themselves with it. May it serve to cleanse souls and bodies, to drive away every opposing enemy, to attract Thy grace and mercies. May she soften our hearts and warm us with love for You. May she sanctify all our dwellings and all our earthly paths. And so, having been rewarded here with the communion of Your holy water, may we one day be rewarded with the communion of Your eternal glory and eternal joys.” (See “The Order of the Great Blessing of Water”). Amen. Appendix to conversation No. 3. About the holy Epiphany water “Today nature is sanctified by water” (Troparion for the consecration of water) How happy, listeners, are those Christians who, on this holiday at midnight, commemorated the Baptism of the Lord in Palestine, in the very place where the Savior was baptized. Who among us would not want to be in their place to drink from the holy river and bathe in it? Which of us does not value the salvation of our souls and the sanctification of our bodies with Jordanian water! To our consolation, on this holiday God sent us His Jordan, for which there will be a procession of the cross after the Liturgy. And on our Jordan - the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, depicting our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, is immersed in the water. And the same blessing and the same consecration descends on this water as was over the waters of the Jordan, in which the Savior was baptized. “Today nature is sanctified by waters,” sings the Holy Church. By immersing the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord in water, during the prayer of the Holy Church, the water is sanctified, made holy, miraculous, healing for souls and bodies, driving away evil spirits. After this, what a valuable gift the now consecrated water should be for all of us, and what a grave sin it is for us not to use this water, but to turn to spells, whispers and various other superstitions for healing from mental and physical illnesses! During the current sacred rite of consecration of water, the Holy Church asks the Lord to come by the influx of the Holy Spirit, consecrate this water and impart miraculous power to it. “And give her the grace of deliverance, the blessing of the Jordan,” the Holy Church prays, “create with her a source of incorruption, a gift of sanctification, a resolution of sins, a healing of ailments, a destructive demon, unapproachable to resisting forces, filled with angelic strength: that all who draw and receive communion may have it, for the cleansing of souls and bodies, for the healing of passions, for the sanctification of houses, and I will do a fair amount of good for any benefit.” And further: “And grant to all who touch it and partake and anoint themselves with it health, cleansing and blessing.” When the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord is immersed three times in the water - in honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity, while singing the troparion “I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord,” our Lord Jesus Christ crucified on this Cross sanctifies this water and imparts to it miraculous, healing and sanctifying power. Ordinary water, by its nature, is only healthy for the body, but through sanctification its nature changes, improves, elevates, so that it becomes saving for the body and soul. When we reverently taste consecrated water, it cleanses, revitalizes and renews our soul and body. By sprinkling this consecrated water, not only we are cleansed and enlightened, but also everything around us. Our houses, livestock and all things that belong to us are consecrated to her. The Holy Church wants not only us, but also everything that we have to be sanctified by the grace of God. She teaches us to believe that the now consecrated water has great, miraculous power. This holy water, due to the power of faith in its healing power, drives away evil spirits from us, it cleanses all filth, heals ailments, both mental and physical, especially those that arise from the harmful influence of the devil on our soul and body. The Epiphany water is so important and so necessary for all Christians that the very drinking of this water is called “communion” in church books. This does not mean that this water has the same divine power as the very Communion of the Holy Body and Blood of the Savior. No. Epiphany water is important and holy; but it cannot replace the Holy Communion of the Great, Holy, Divine Mysteries of Christ. It must be used in the confidence that it serves to remove sins, heal soul and body, and for all fair benefits, and to drive away all slander of visible and invisible enemies. Knowing the presence of the all-sanctifying power of God in the Epiphany water, the Holy Church itself uses this holy water as a valuable and incorruptible gift. She consecrates holy icons and all sacred vessels and garments used during worship. The Holy Church commands it to be used for the purification of various things that have been defiled in some way. Everyone can see the miracle of the all-sanctifying power and grace of God in this holy water and test it with their own experience. Simple unconsecrated water, stored in a warm place, soon spoils and acquires a bad taste and smell. This does not happen with Epiphany water: it remains incorruptible for a whole year or more. Isn't this a miracle? The miracle is the most obvious, open to everyone. St. John Chrysostom says that the water of Epiphany remains incorruptible for many years, it is fresh, pure and pleasant, as if it had just been drawn from a source just this minute. That is why this holy water, called “agiasma” in Greek, that is, a shrine, is prescribed by the Holy Church for certain persons who have been excommunicated from Holy Communion for grave sins. So: do we need to sanctify our homes, heal illnesses and passions, or drive away evil spirits from ourselves - here is a valuable and miraculous medicine for us - the Epiphany holy water. (See "Pastoral Interlocutor", No. 17-18, 1888, December). Conversation No. 1, which explains the history of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord with moral conclusions I. Let us convey the history of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the sacred words of the Gospel story about this event. “And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord, as it is prescribed in the law of the Lord, that every male child who opens the womb should be dedicated to the Lord, and to sacrifice, according to what was prescribed in the law of the Lord, two turtle doves or two chicks of doves. Then there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. He was predicted by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord. And he came by inspiration to the church. And when the parents brought the Child Jesus to perform the legal rite over Him, he took Him in his arms, blessed God and said: Now, Master, You are sending Your servant away in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel. Joseph and His Mother marveled at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His Mother: Behold, this One is destined for the fall and the uprising of many in Israel and for the subject of controversy - and a weapon will pierce Your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. There was also Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, who had reached a very old age, having lived with her husband for seven years from her virginity, a widow of eighty-four years old, who did not leave the church, serving God day and night with fasting and prayer. And at that time she came up, glorified the Lord and spoke about Him to everyone who was waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem. And when they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:22-40). Here is the Gospel story about the Presentation of the Lord. Let us explain this story in our own words. Even under Moses, the Jews established a law according to which a woman who gave birth to a male child was considered unclean for forty days. On these days, called days of purification, the mother in labor could not come to the church to participate in worship or touch anything sacred. At the end of this period, every mother appeared in the church and made a cleansing sacrifice there. A wealthy woman sacrificed a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young dove or turtle dove as a sin offering. For the poor, for whom it was dear to offer a lamb, the law allowed the sacrifice of two turtle doves or two young doves - one as a burnt offering instead of a lamb, and the other as a sin offering. In addition, if the baby was firstborn, then on the same fortieth day, along with a cleansing sacrifice, a rite of dedication to God was performed on him. The Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth “to fulfill all righteousness,” as the first-born and only-begotten, deigned to fulfill over Himself on the fortieth day after His birth the law of dedication to God. To fulfill both rites, Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, as faithful Israelis, on the fortieth day after the birth of the Savior, appeared in the Jerusalem Temple, at which all the rites of the Law of Moses were performed. Being poor, the Mother of God offered two turtle doves as a cleansing sacrifice. At this time, a pious old man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. Like all other Old Testament righteous people, the righteous elder Simeon had a living faith in the coming Messiah, whose appearance was supposed to bring joyful consolation (joy) to the Israelis. For his piety, Elder Simeon became the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit was upon him.” It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that He would not die until he saw Christ. Here we must step back a little to understand this promise to Elder Simeon. A few years before the birth of Christ, the Egyptian king Ptolemy Philadelphus wished to have the sacred books of the Jewish people translated into Greek in his royal library. According to the will and desire of the king, learned men were sent from Jerusalem, well versed in the Greek and Hebrew languages, so that these men would translate the holy books from Hebrew into Greek. Among these translators was a righteous and pious man named Simeon. While translating the sacred books from Hebrew into Greek, he was perplexed by the following words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14). Not comprehending the secret of birth from a Virgin, the pious old man had already taken a knife to scrape this place out of the sacred books, believing that this was a mistake; but the angel of the Lord who appeared to him stopped him and said: “Because you did not believe the word of God, you will not die until you see with your own eyes the fulfillment of that prediction. Believe that the Virgin will indeed give birth to the Savior of the world.” So what? Truly, “with God no word will fail” (Luke 1:37). Simeon was already old at that time, but by the will of God he had to live for many more years awaiting the joy of Israel. Simeon reached a ripe old age: according to legend, He lived to be 300 years old. And so Simeon, by the special illumination of the Holy Spirit, appears in the church at the very time when Joseph and Mary here performed the rite of dedication to God or setting before the Lord over the Infant God. Recognizing the promised Messiah in the brought child, the holy elder took Jesus Christ into his arms and exclaimed: “Now dost thou let thy servant go, O Master...” “Now I will die in peace,” Simeon seemed to say, “because my eyes have seen the salvation established by the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah. I will die according to Your word, that is, according to the prediction given to me through You by the Holy Spirit - “I will not see death until I see Christ the Lord...” The Savior is the light for the enlightenment of the pagans and all people. He will dispel the darkness of superstition and idolatry on earth, and teach everyone the true knowledge of God and reverence. At the same time, the Messiah is both the glory and glorification of the Israelis, since from the midst of this, and not any other people, the light of the universe shone - among the Jews the Savior incarnated, lived, taught and performed miracles. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, righteous Simeon foresees the entire future fate of the Savior on earth: His suffering on the cross and death. And calling on God’s blessing on the holy family, he, turning to the Mother of God, said: “Behold, this one is set for the fall and uprising of many in Israel and for the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Not all people will believe in Christ and take advantage of the salvation He brought to earth. The Savior will serve as the subject of contradictions and disputes among people: some will try to destroy and overshadow His Divine dignity, while others, on the contrary, will stand firmly under the sign of faith in Christ. The anger and unbelief of the former will reach the point that they will betray the Savior to a shameful and painful death; and then the sufferings and sorrows of the Savior, like a sword, will pierce the motherly heart of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the sight of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the ardent faith, sincerity and devoted love of some will be revealed - the malice, false piety and satanic vanity of others. Together with Simeon, the preacher of the coming of the Savior, the holy elder Anna appeared in the church. Having recognized, just like Simeon, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the promised Messiah in the Infant Jesus, Saint Anna approached the Savior, glorified God and preached about Him to everyone who was awaiting the coming of the Savior with faith. Having completed everything according to the law in the church, Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem. II. In memory of this event, on the 2nd day of February (i.e., on the 40th day from birth, December 25), the Holy Church established the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This holiday is very ancient. Fathers and teachers of the 3rd and 4th centuries AD mention him in their writings, such as: Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom and Methodius of Tire. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which was universally respected both in the East and in the West in the first centuries of Christianity, began to be celebrated especially solemnly from the 6th century on the following occasion. At the end of 541, a terrible pestilence appeared in Constantinople and surrounding countries, killing 5-10 thousand people every day. This terrible disaster, which lasted three months, was joined by a new one - an earthquake, which destroyed many buildings and even an entire city. At this time of heavenly wrath, God revealed to one pious man that the disasters that befell Greece would end as soon as the solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord was established. The word of God's revelation was accepted by everyone with faith and joy, and on the second day of February 542 a solemn celebration was held. On the same day, the disasters that befell Constantinople, Litiochi and other cities of Greece also ceased. The Greek Emperor Justinian ordered throughout his entire empire to classify this day as a major holiday of the Church of Christ. Thus, the Church, remembering the circumstances of the Presentation of the Lord, described in the Holy Gospel, also prays to the Lord to strengthen the emperor (verse on lit. February 2). By establishing the solemn celebration of the Day of the Presentation of the Lord, the Holy Church had our edification in mind. In the events and circumstances of the establishment of this holiday, everything is significant and everything is instructive for us. a) The first example is given to us by the divine Infant Jesus - an example of strict fulfillment of the requirement of the law, according to which all male infants on the 40th day after birth must be brought to the church for churching, and the firstborn - for dedication to God. As the Son of God, without beginning according to the Father, He was free from the law for the sons of men. And yet, like the Son of man, 40 days old from a mother born of a woman under the law, he fulfills what is lawful. The Creator of the law fulfills the law. For what? In order to teach us by our own example to obey all the statutes of the Church. How, after this, will we dare to evade the obligations of fulfilling the requirements of the law both for ourselves and for our children (as sectarians do)? b) And the Blessed Virgin Mary? Having become the Mother of the Lord, She was sanctified at His very birth and, without ceasing to be a Virgin, had no need for purification “as undefiled, unblasphemous, incorruptible and most pure,” but, no different from other wives under the law, She humbly submitted to the dictates of the law. And despite the distance of the journey, the Mother of God, accompanied by righteous Joseph, carries the Infant Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem - and not only the Infant, but also the sacrifice laid for this occasion - two dove chicks. How, after this, can our postpartum wives avoid fulfilling the law, which orders them with their newborn babies to come to the church of God on the 40th day after giving birth to receive a cleansing prayer, usually called the fortieth prayer, and to baptize the baby? The Lord requires an atonement sacrifice when a child is churched - and one must make a feasible sacrifice for the church of God. Let no one say that he is poor - poverty will not justify a lawbreaker before God: Joseph and Mary were also poor people, but driven by a sense of the need to obey the law, they fulfill it to the best of their means. In the Old Testament, rich people sacrificed a lamb to God, and the poor sacrificed two turtle doves or a chick pigeon. Both sacrifices were equally pleasing to God. Likewise, our sacrifices for godly deeds should not be expressed in their value. Your holy intention, brothers, is already a pleasant sacrifice to the Lord, who does not require our good things and looks not at gifts, but at our heart. The whole point lies in the constant readiness to fulfill the charter of rituals and laws of the Church. Complete submission to the law, to all the statutes and commands of the Church is the most pleasant and pleasing sacrifice to God, in which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Most Pure Mother give us an example. c) What can be said about Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, and righteous Simeon, who accepted into his arms the One whom the whole world cannot embrace? The life and deeds of these persons are also very edifying and instructive for us, brethren. The righteous elder Simeon was miraculously admonished because, perhaps once in his life, he doubted the true meaning of the words of Holy Scripture, which tells about the birth of the Savior from the Virgin. But among us, are we all always inclined to believe everything that is contained in Divine Revelation? Does it not happen that some, out of self-will, and others, out of thoughtlessness, either doubt or distort the true meaning of the clear words of Holy Scripture? Unfortunately and with great regret, this happens often. But let us listen to what one valiant shepherd and zealous preacher of the word of God says about this: “The teaching of our faith contains much that is mysterious and incomprehensible to our minds. But be afraid to doubt anything: as faith teaches, so believe. The incomprehensible cannot be comprehended and there is no need to comprehend. Let us not expect the miraculous appearance of some angel who would enlighten us and interpret to us what we do not understand; you have an angel, a faithful mentor and interpreter - the Holy Church. We will obey her, we will trust her in everything. Righteous Simeon, before his death, saw the fulfillment of an incomprehensible sacrament, which he once dared to doubt. Before death, brothers, our eyes will be opened, and we will know what we now doubt. Yes, before we die we will clearly know and then be fully convinced of everything that the Holy Church, to which we obey so little, teaches us; but - alas! “Perhaps our eyes will not be opened then to our joy” (See “Teachings” by Archpriest R. Putyatin). Perhaps more than one will be punished for doubts, arbitrary interpretation and understanding of the Word of God according to their extreme understanding, and not as the Holy Church teaches us to understand. But it will be too late, because after death there is no repentance. How, after this, do some self-willed people dare to interpret the Word of God according to their own understanding? Let this not happen! St. The Church has revealed to us everything that is necessary for our salvation, and therefore let us listen to her voice, for, as St. Cyprian of Carthage, “to whom the church is not a mother, God is not a Father” (See Missionary Review, 1897, February). III. So, brothers, this is what the events teach us, in honor and remembrance of which the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was established. They teach the exact fulfillment of the law of the Lord, all the decrees and rituals of the Orthodox Church, they teach to maintain the Orthodox faith in all its intact purity, to unconditionally believe everything that is contained in the word of God, and to understand it as the holy God-inspired fathers and teachers of the Church taught it to us; encourage you to avoid arbitrary interpretations, so as not to sin mortally and not fall into eternal condemnation for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; finally, the very reason for the solemn celebration of this day teaches us to honor this day primarily by deeds of piety, such as: fervent public prayer in the church of God and works of Christian love, mercy and charity to those in need, in order to thereby atone for their voluntary and involuntary guilt and prevent the terrible wrath of God to which the inhabitants of Greece were subjected during this time. Those who leave God's feasts completely neglected, continuing their everyday activities, sin gravely, and those who use them for deeds unworthy of a Christian incur the great wrath of God, for God cannot be mocked. A. Edifying thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord 1) “The old day, Who gave the law of old in Sinai to Moses, today the Child is seen, and according to the law, as the Creator of the law, fulfilling the law, he is brought to the church and given to the elder” 25. Following the example of the Creator of the law, the Lord Jesus Christ, Christian babies are brought to the church when they are forty days old from their birth. This sacred rite is called churching, according to which they, having become members of the Kingdom of Christ, must submit to the statutes of the Church and fulfill its commandments. “When you were a youth in the spirits, but aged in body, Simeon, you accepted a promise not to see death, until you saw the young Child, before the world was the Creator and God of all things, impoverished in the flesh, seeing you leaped and asked for permission from the flesh, you went to the divine village, rejoicing” 26 2) The dying prayer of the holy elder The Receiver of God is always repeated in the church during the evening service, so that the evening of every day reminds each believer of the evening of his life, that is, of the death that will befall him. This is the prayer: “Now, O Master, you release your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation,” and so on. The holy elder Simeon, freeing himself from the bonds of the flesh, joyfully passed into another world when he accepted the Divine Child, the Savior of the world, into his senile embrace. Thus, every believer in his dying moments, not having accepted the Lord in an embrace, but having most sincerely received the Holy Gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ, joyfully leaves this turbulent and vain world. With this divine farewell, He will fearlessly pass through the shadow of death. We believe that the resurrected body of Christ, as the seed of immortality, will raise our mortal remains from the graves on the day of general resurrection. B. Some hymns for the Day of the Presentation of the Lord with brief explanatory notes a) On lithium. “The ancient denmi (ancient of days, eternal), like the law of old in Sinai, was given to Moses, today the Child is seen, and according to the law, as the Creator of the law, fulfilling the law, is brought to the church, and given to the old man. The righteous Simeon received this, and seeing the fulfillment of the promises, he cried out joyfully: having seen with my eyes the hidden sacrament from the ages, which appeared in the last days: the light destroying the darkness of the faithless tongues and giving glory to the newly chosen Israel. Therefore, release Your servant from the sowing bonds of the flesh to the ageless and wonderful never-ending belly, giving mercy to the great world.” b) On a poem. “Adorn your palace in Zion, and welcome (receive) King Christ: kiss (greet) Mary the heavenly door: for the throne of Cherub will appear. She bears the King of glory: the cloud of light is the Virgin, carrying in her arms the Son before the Virgin, who was received by Simeon in his arms, preaching to people the Lord of this being of life (life) and death, and the Savior of the world.” c) Troparion. “Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has arisen the sun of righteousness, Christ our God, who enlightens those in darkness: rejoice and You are the righteous elder, received into the arms of the liberator of our souls, who gives us resurrection.” 1. “The sun sometimes invades the dry land of the deep earth, like a wall, for the water is thick, and people walk on the sea, and sing in a godly manner: Let us drink to the Lord, for gloriously we shall be glorified.” Once upon a time the sun walked over the dry earth, born from the depths; for the water became solid like a wall on both sides, when the people of Israel walked across the sea on foot and sang pleasing to God: Let us sing to the Lord; for He was majestically glorified. 3. “Confirmation of those who trust in You, Lord, establish the Church that You have acquired (which You acquired) with Your honest blood.” 4. “Thy virtue has covered the heavens, O Christ: from the ark, having passed through Thy holy thing, the incorruptible Mother, Thou didst appear in the church of Thy glory, like a Child holding His hand: and was filled with all Thy praise.” Your glory, O Christ, has covered the heavens; for, having come from Your consecrated ark, from Your incorruptible Mother, You appeared in the church of Your glory as a Baby carried in your arms; and everything was filled with Your praise. 5. “As I saw Isaiah, God was exalted figuratively on the throne, from the angels of glory he was brought forth, O accursed one, 27 crying out: I foresaw God incarnate, the light of the uneven and the ruler of the world.” When Isaiah saw God in a significant image, exalted on a throne, surrounded by angels of glory, he then exclaimed: “Oh, wretched me! I have already seen God, who will become incarnate and will rule over the everlasting light and peace.” 6. “Cry out to you, having seen with your eyes the salvation that came to people from God, Christ, you are my God.” d) Kontakion. “You sanctified the morning of the Mother of God with Your Nativity and blessed the hand of Simeon, as befittingly, having anticipated (hastened) and now saved us, O Christ God: but die in battle (give peace to society in the midst of battles) and strengthen the emperor, whom you have loved, the only Lover of Mankind.” 7. “The youths who blessed you in the fires, and in the incorruptible Virgin we sing the Word of the all-abiding God, piously singing: blessed is God our father.” 8. “To the unbearable fire united, piety, the upcoming youth, with the flame of unharmed, the divine song: bless all the works of the Lord the Lord, and exalt them to all ages.” The young men, the leaders of piety, being in an unbearable fire, but without suffering harm from the flame, sang the divine song: “Bless the Lord all the creations of the Lord and exalt them to all ages.” 9. “Virgin Mother of God, cover, protect and save the hope of Christians who trust in You.” “In the law of the canopy and the scriptures we see the image of the faithful: every male sex, opening the falsehood, is holy to God: thereby the first-born Word of the Father is without beginning, we magnify the Son of the first-born Matter without artifice.” In the rite and decree of the Mosaic Law, let us see, faithful, a prototype (of the celebrated event): every male child who opens the womb is dedicated to God: therefore, we magnify the first-born Word of the beginningless Father, the Son, without a husband, the first-born of the Mother. Conversation No. 1. About the service on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord I. Shortly before His suffering, Jesus Christ, while He was in Galilee, took from His disciples three witnesses to the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter: Peter and two brothers: James and John, and only with them alone he went to Mount Tabor, the highest in that place, to pray there. Having ascended to the top of the mountain, He began to pray, and His disciples, having sat down to rest, fell asleep from fatigue. During this prayer, the miraculous transfiguration of Jesus Christ took place, and His glory as the Only Begotten from the Father was tangibly revealed to His disciples. The appearance of His face changed: it shone like the sun. His clothes became as white as a bleacher on earth could not bleach: they turned white like snow - they sparkled like light. And from another world two greatest prophets appeared here: the lawgiver Moses and the zealot for God Elijah. They appeared in a glorified form; but they talked with Jesus Christ about the last days of His earthly life, which He must end in Jerusalem. The apostles also woke up and saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. Their hearts were filled with inexpressible delight: however, they watched and listened in deep silence. But when the prophets departed from Jesus Christ, Peter could not restrain the impulse of his enthusiastic soul; He exclaimed: “Mentor! Rabbi! God! How good it is for us here! If you want, we’ll build three canopies here, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” What Peter actually wanted, He himself could not explain to himself: they were in such a confused state of mind! But as He was saying this, suddenly a bright cloud appeared and overshadowed them. They felt fear as it surrounded them. And a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him." Hearing this voice, the disciples became even more frightened and fell on their faces. But Jesus Christ, approaching, touched them and said: “Rise and do not be afraid.” And immediately looking, they no longer saw anyone with them, except Jesus Christ alone. When they came down from the mountain, Jesus Christ ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man rose from the dead. Thus, the Lord Jesus showed His disciples the glory of His Divinity, preparing them so that when they saw Him suffering and mocked, they would not waver in faith and understand that His suffering was voluntary, that He is truly the Father’s radiance (Service of Transfiguration). (See “The Sacred History of the New Testament” by Archpriest Theologian). II. Since ancient times, the Church has honored such a solemn event in the earthly life of the God-Man with a special holiday, the beginning of which dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. St. Chrysostom, Ephraim the Syrian, Ambrose, Cyril of Alexandria and others left us conversations on this holiday, and Cosmas of Mayum and John of Damascus left us stichera and canons. a) The stichera of Great Vespers depict the glory and greatness of the transfigured Lord and in their sweet sounds raise the attention of the faithful to the mountain, “which is sometimes gloomy and smoky, but now it is honest and holy, on which stands the nose of the Lord, and the eternal and hidden sacrament is revealed”; they sing the glory of the transfigured Lord, over whom “a cloud spread like a shadow, and before whom the earth trembled, the heavens feared, the angels served with fear and trembling, and Mount Tabor was covered with light”; finally, they describe the delight of the apostles, struck by the greatness of the spectacle, “who is so fascinated by the radiance of the face of the Lord, unable to bear the radiance of His robe, covering himself prostrate on the face of the earth, who was also overcome with horror, seeing Moses and Elijah, saying with Him, wanting to be with Him, and a voice from the Father testifying to you saying: This is My beloved Son, about Him If you please, listen to him.” The Proverbs of Great Vespers present to us three great Epiphanies in the Old Testament, which were at Sinai and Horeb to the same great prophets who were honored to be witnesses of the Tabor Epiphany, and now to see face to face the One of whom they once saw only images, among storms, thunder and lightning. In the stichera litia and verses, the Church calls on the faithful to spiritually ascend to the mountain of the Lord and delve into the mystery of the glory of the transfigured Lord: “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of our God, and we will see the glory of His transfiguration, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, with light we will receive the light, and exalted in spirit, let us sing the Trinity of one substance forever.” b) The Matins of the holiday has even more solemnity, especially during Polyeleos, when the Church, with lamps lit everywhere, as if reminiscent of the light of Tabor, solemnly glorifies the “Glorious Transfiguration of the Most Pure Flesh of Christ” and then listens to the evangelist’s narrative about this event. Amidst the general prayerful silence, we hear the words of the God-speaking Luke: “And when He prayed, His face changed, and His clothes became white and shining. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah; appearing in glory, they talk about His exodus, which He had to accomplish in Jerusalem,” and so on. Following this, the Church glorifies the transfigured Lord with two canons, or poems, expressing the spirit of the celebration. “Moses the Seer of God, having seen Your glory of old in the cloud and the pillar of fire, prophetically cried out: Let us sing to our Deliverer and our God.” “Having clothed yourself in all of Adam, Christ, You have enlightened our nature, which was once darkened by sin, and deified it by changing the appearance of Your face on Tabor.” “Moses, who once saw You in the fire and bush on Sinai, and Elijah, who ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire, came together to You on Tabor, proclaiming the glory of Your cross.” “You, most beautiful of the kings and rulers of the earth, Lord! The only one strong and blessed and alive in the unapproachable light! The astonished disciples marveled at You on Tabor, and Moses and Elijah cried out: “Young men, bless” and so on. “Come, gather together, people, and having ascended to the holy mountain above heaven, let us stand immaterially in the city of the living God and see in our minds the immaterial Divinity, the Father and the Spirit, resplendent in the only begotten Son.” c) At the Liturgy in the antiphons we hear the prophetic verbs of the ancient seers, who call the entire universe to praise the Lord Messiah, clothed with light like a robe: “Shout to the Lord, all the earth, sing to Her name, give glory to His praise! You have clothed yourself with confession and greatness, and dress yourself with light like a robe.” They sing of the mysterious mountain of God, “Mount Zion, whom thou shalt love,” and on which “they have created His sanctuary,” and finally pour out in holy prayer, so that the Lord will illuminate the faithful from this mountain with His light: “Lord! Send Thy light and Thy truth, she will guide me and lead me to Thy holy mountain!” The Apostle Peter, a witness to the glorious Tabor event, urges those illuminated by the light of Christ’s teaching to affirm themselves by all sorts of virtues in their high rank and election and to stand firmly in the taught truth: “not by following cunningly woven fables,” he says, “but by being eyewitnesses of His greatness. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when such a voice came to Him from the magnificent glory: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice coming from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18). The same glorious event is later revealed more fully in the Gospel. With trembling joy, like Peter on Tabor, the Church cries out the sacramental verse at the end of the Liturgy: “Lord, in the light of Your face let us go, and in Your name we will rejoice forever.” d) The service on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord has the peculiarity that on this day, at the end of the Liturgy, tree fruits are blessed in the vestibule of the church. “This tradition,” says the charter, “is the imams from the holy fathers.” The custom of consecrating everything with the Word of God and prayer is, indeed, the most ancient custom of Christians, passed down to us from the Old Testament Church, and the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord was chosen to bless fruits, of course, because by this time they mostly ripen. The Church, blessing the fruits it bears, lifts our thoughts from material fruits to spiritual ones and prays to God that He would make us partakers of His true grapes and adorn our lives with His eternal and inalienable gifts. (See Trinity Leaf No. 279). III. As we offer the fruits of our fields and helisteads as a gift to the Lord, let us not forget that we should all be the most fruitful trees in the heliport of the Lord, which is the Church of God. It is not in vain that the holy King David likens a pious man to a tree planted “by streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season” (Ps. 1:3). It is not in vain that the Savior Himself compares His true disciples to bunches or branches of grapes, which, borrowing from Him, like a divine vine, the juice of life, should bear much fruit. Otherwise, that is, in the event of failure to bear the proper fruits, every sinful soul is threatened with eruption from the helicity and being thrown into fire, just as the heligraders do with barren trees. This is how it must certainly be, for if it is extremely unpleasant for an earthly heli-grader when his childhood labors on a tree do not bring him the fruit it deserves, then it is a hundred times more distressing for the Heavenly heli-grader when the human soul, which has cost Him so much care, remains barren. For what do earthly heli-graders do for their heli-grads? They depend on them only for their property and spend their cares, but the Heavenly Heli-Grader laid down His very soul for the heli-graduate. After this, how precious every tree should be to Him—that is, every believing soul! How pleasant is the fruit from Vertograd! and how bitter is the barrenness of the bad trees! What fruit will we now bring, brethren, to the Lord from the heap of our souls and hearts? This fruit is our spiritual transformation. Do not think that I am using this expression just to adapt to the present day: no, the matter itself requires it. Unfold the books of Holy Scripture, and you will see that the fall of the human race consisted in the fact that through sin He lost the image of God; You will also see that our salvation, accomplished by the power of Christ’s merits and the grace of the Holy Spirit, consists in the restoration in us of the primitive image of God, that is, in other words, in our transformation from children of sin, curse and wrath, into children of holiness, love and blessing. Such a transformation should be the first and last fruit from us to the Heavenly Vertogradar, who has acquired. (See “Sermons” of Innocent, Archbishop of Khersoi). So, Christian brothers, now looking with reverence at the face of the Lord, shining like the sun on Tabor, let us think that similar glory awaits us: for the righteous, it is said, will be enlightened like the sun in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father, and having thought about this, let us pay attention to our heart and our life, in order to see whether they have at least the beginnings of that purity and that perfection that are required for this glorious transfiguration Those who find in themselves a certain guarantee of this future bliss, let them hasten to offer it as a gift to their Lord and Savior as the fruit not so much of their own efforts as of His all-powerful grace. And those who find the image of their soul dark and not beautiful, let them not hesitate to be enlightened by the light from the face of the transformed Lord. Amen. A. Historical information about why the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated in our country on August 6 The Transfiguration of the Lord was a manifestation of the glory of God, revealing in the face of our Savior the beloved Son of God. But together with the manifestation of the glory of God, the idea of ​​the Cross of the Lord is also combined here. The heavenly witnesses of the Transfiguration of Christ, according to the evangelists, talked with the Lord Jesus Christ about what He had to endure for us. And some church writers (for example, Eusebius of Caesarea, John of Damascus) believe, based on the words of the evangelists (Matthew 16:21), that it was shortly before the most pure suffering of the Lord, precisely 40 days. In view of these sufferings, which could seduce the disciples who had not yet been strengthened in faith, the Lord was pleased to reveal to them Who He is and Whose He is, so that they would understand His free suffering when they see Him crucified. This means that the Transfiguration of the Lord took place in February, and not in August, as is celebrated here. Why did the Church move it from February to August? The reason for this is that without being transferred to another month, this solemn holiday would always fall on the days of the Holy Pentecost, and this would be incompatible with the Lenten service and the sad time of the Pentecost, which depicts a present, troubled life, while the Feast of the Transfiguration foreshadows the future century. On the 6th of August, and not at any other time, the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated for the following reason: on September 14, the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is celebrated, on which the celebration and remembrance of the Passion of the Lord takes place for the second time; and since the Transfiguration of the Lord took place 40 days before His crucifixion, the holy fathers, counting exactly 40 days from September 14 to August 6, established the celebration of the Transfiguration on August 6. B. From church hymns on the day of the Transfiguration with explanatory notes a) I cried to the Lord. “Before Thy cross, O Lord, a mountain akin to heaven, and a cloud like a canopy (like a tent) stretching out to Thee, I am transformed, and I testify from the Father: there was Peter with James and John, because they wanted (as they had) to be with Thee even at the time of Thy tradition: that having seen Thy wonders, they would not be afraid of Thy sufferings. We are worthy to worship him in peace, great for the sake of Your mercy.” b) On lithium. “Having sanctified the entire universe with Your light, You were transformed into the Greater One on the highest mountain, showing Your disciples Your power: for (that) You deliver (can redeem) the world from crime. We also cry out to You: Merciful Lord, save our souls.” c) On a poem. “Who of old with Moses spoke on Mount Sinai in images (in images): I am, saying, this day on Mount Tabor, who was transfigured before the disciples, showing 28 the beginning-like kindness of the eye, let us perceive in ourselves a human being: and such graces have we set up as witnesses, Moses and Elijah, partners in creating joy, proclaiming the glorious cross sake, and saving resurrection." d) Troparion. “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Thy disciples Thy glory, as unto a man (as far as they could see), so that Thy ever-drying (eternal) light may shine upon us sinners through the prayers of the Mother of God, Light-Giver, Glory to Thee.” e) Magnification: “We magnify Thee, O Life-Giving Christ, and honor Thy most pure flesh, the glorious transfiguration.” f) Prokeimenon. “Tavor and Hermon will rejoice in Your name (Your glory).” 1. “The faces of Israeltestia, with damp feet, pont Cherny and the wet depths, having driven away the horsemen of the three-statted enemies, seeing in it, immersed in joy: let us sing to our God, for we have been glorified.” Hosts of Israelis, having crossed the wet depths of the Red Sea with wet feet, and seeing enemy soldiers and horsemen drowned in it, sang in joy: “Let us sing praises to our God, for He is glorified.” 3. “The bow of the mighty is weak, and the weak are girded with strength; therefore let my heart be strengthened in the Lord.” 4. “I have heard Thy glorious vision (dispensation), O Christ God, that Thou wast born of the Virgin, that Thou mightest drive away (delusions) those who call: glory to Thy power, O Lord.” 5. “Cut off the original light from the light, as in the light of deeds they sing of Thee, Christ the Creator; direct our path in Thy light.” Having spread out the primeval radiances of light, so that in the light they sing praises to You - the Creator, Christ, Your creations - in Your light direct our paths. 6. “When I was in sorrow, (when I was in sorrow) I cried out to the Lord, and the God of my salvation heard me.” h) Kontakion. “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, and as the host of Thy disciples, they saw Thy glory, O Christ God: that when they see Thee crucified, they will understand free (voluntary) suffering, and the world may preach: for Thou art truly the Father’s radiance.” 7. “Sometimes (once upon a time) in Babylon the youths of Abraham quenched the flames of the caves, crying out in songs: Blessed are you, our father, God.” 8. “In Babylon, the youths were inflamed by Divine jealousy, they courageously crushed the tormentor and the flames of rebuke, and in the midst of the fire they cast their waists with water: bless all the works of the Lord the Lord.” “Glorify, my soul, the transfigured Lord on Tabor.” 9 . “Thy Nativity appeared incorruptibly: God passed from Thy side, like a flesh-bearer appearing on earth, and lived with man: Thee, Mother of God, with this we magnify all.” Your Christmas turned out to be virgin. God came from Your womb, appeared to bear flesh on earth, and lived together with people. Therefore, we all magnify You, Mother of God. i) At the Liturgy. 1st antiphon: “Shout to the Lord, all the earth, sing to His name, give glory to His praise” (Ps. 66:1,2). “The voice of Thy thunder in the wheel (under the vault of heaven), Thy lightning illuminated the universe, the earth moved and trembled” (Ps. 77:19). “Thou hast clothed yourself with confession and splendor; clothe yourself with light like a robe.” (Ps.103:1,2). 2nd antiphon: “Mountains of Zion, ribs of North, city of the great King” (Ps. 47:3). “And I brought (the Israelites) into the mountain of My holiness, this mountain, which is the south of His right hand” (Ps. 77:54). “Thou shalt love Mount Zion, and make Thy sanctuary like a unicorn” (Ps. 77:68–69). 3rd Antiphon: “He who trusts in the Lord is like Mount Zion; he does not move forever. The mountains are around it (Jerusalem), and the Lord is around His people from now on and forever” (Ps. 125:1-2). “Lord, who will dwell in Your habitation, or who will dwell in Your holy mountain?” (Ps. 14:1). Conversation No. 2. About what Christ’s Transfiguration teaches us I. Our Savior, having told the apostles that He should suffer and die in Jerusalem for our salvation, some time before the suffering, took with Him three apostles, Peter, James and John, and led them to a high mountain, where He was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun; His vestments were white as light; Then two prophets, Moses and Elijah, appeared to them in glory, talking with the Lord. Then a voice was heard from a cloud of light that overshadowed them: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). The apostles, hearing this voice, fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. II. By this saving action the Lord showed the apostles: 1) That He is the Father's radiance, God and Lord, and the King of glory, although He is covered with the humble image of humanity: in a visible image He appears as a man, similar to others, but inwardly there is God. The apostles had previously seen His glory from miraculous works, but here they saw His glory with their own eyes, when His face appeared to them like the sun, and His garments like light, as they testify: “And we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14). The glory of Christ was shown by His works, which no one but God can do. But here His Divine glory appeared in a visible way, when His Divine face shone like the sun, and His vestments shone like light, to which the voice of the Father testified. 2) This showed that He will willingly go to the suffering about which He predicted. He who knows that He is God, for whom all things are possible, can conveniently know that His suffering is voluntary. For who can convince God to suffer - God, who is above all and to whose word and wave everything obeys? His only love and mercy for us, the poor, prompted Him to do this. And thereby he exhorted the apostles so that when they saw their Lord and Teacher suffering, they would not be tempted and afraid, and would not lag behind Him, knowing that He would suffer willingly, that He could stop all the evil actions of His enemies, but He does not want to; but he wants to suffer and endure everything, so that from this the lost person may receive salvation. 3) The apostles saw both the Savior in glory and the prophets who appeared, partakers of that glory. From this we see that in eternal life the glory of the saints will be similar to the glory of Christ; will be “like Him, because we will see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Here the face of Christ shone like the sun: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43), “Who will transform our lowly body so that it will be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). We also see how much joy and sweetness there will be. Peter felt such joy and sweetness in himself when he saw the glory of God that he did not want to leave the mountain, but wanted to stay there: “Peter said to Jesus: Master! It is good for us to be here” (Luke 9:33). Only a certain part of the glory of God, and as much as they could see, they saw, but they came into such joy and sweetness: what joy and joy will there be where all the glory of God appears, “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). But whoever wants to be a participant in this joy and glory must experience the sorrow and reproach of Christ here. “We suffer with Him (Christ) so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). “Through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). You see that it is necessary to get there not only through sorrows, but also through many sorrows. 4) The voice of the Father: “This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him” - not only the apostles, but also concerns us all. Then God spoke from the cloud to the apostles, but through them this voice came to us; and God speaks to us: “This is My Beloved Son; listen to Him.” How many times we read or hear His holy Gospel, so many times we hear the voice of the Son of God speaking to us, teaching us about nothing else but the path of salvation, which everyone who wants to receive it must go to the glory of God, partially shown on the holy mountain. And whoever does not listen to the Word of God does not listen to man, but to God Himself; and whoever does not listen to the Word of God, and does not live according to the Word of God, does not listen to God, Who speaks through His Word. III. Let us listen to the Son of God, as the Heavenly Father exhorts us, and, leaving behind worldly desires, let us take up every cross that is imposed on us, and follow Him, that He may lead us to His Heavenly Father; let us flow and reach; let us suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him; Let us not be ashamed to bear His reproach, and He will not be ashamed of us when He comes in His glory. May the Lord remember us in His Kingdom. (From the Works of St. Tikhon, Bishop of Zadonsk). A. The instructiveness of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord through church hymns and readings a) By celebrating the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Church solemnly confesses and glorifies the union of Divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ and His voluntary and true suffering for us and our salvation. St. Ephraim the Syrian, in his conversation on the day of the Transfiguration, says: “The Lord led the apostles to the mountain in order to reveal to them who He is and Whose Son is (Matthew 17:5), in order to reveal to them the glory of His Divinity and to show that He is the very Savior of Israel Who was promised through the prophets.” Likewise, Moses and Elijah, by their appearance on the mountain, testified to the Divinity of the Transformed One, that He is the One Who spoke of ancient times to Moses and Elijah (canon of the holiday, hymn 5), and together they saw, according to the Church, in the face of the Lord on the mountain two natures. (Canon of the holiday hymn 5). b) Confessing and proclaiming the Divinity of the Savior, the Feast of the Transfiguration inspires that the suffering and death of the Son of God are voluntary and saving. “Yes, when (the apostles) see You crucified,” the Church proclaims, “they will understand free suffering, and the world will preach that You are truly the Father’s radiance.” c) By His Transfiguration, the Lord once deigned to protect His disciples from despondency and to lead them to the highest hope amidst the disasters that were to befall them in the world (Matthew 16:22,28): thus, the Church, by celebrating the Transfiguration of the Lord into heavenly glory, prepared for all of us, morally consoles us during our earthly journey, filled with hardships and sorrows, instilling that for through short-term sorrows the glory of eternal bliss will shine forth, in which our body will also participate. d) To those walking along the path of the cross, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord inspires that for our gracious transformation from the darkness of sin into the light of truth and virtue, which opens the doors of paradise, impartiality to the delights of the world and prayer are necessary - for the Lord, for His transfiguration, not without reason, ascended to a height that removed Him from the earthly world, and, having ascended His body to the mountain, from here prayerfully and in spirit ascended into heaven and was transformed into the glory that was hidden below. “Enlightened by the radiance of the virtues, let us ascend the holy mountain, so that we may see the divine transfiguration of the Lord. High mountain - the heart is cleansed from the passions of those who have it, we will see Christ’s transfiguration, enlightening our mind.” (August 5 on the stichera, and the three-song song 1). (Tale of a traveler in the Holy Land) From the last descent of the Nazareth Mountains, a charming view of the sacred Mount Tabor and the entire Ezdrilon Valley opens up. Mount Tabor appears as a huge cone, perfectly rounded from the base to the top. Completely separated from the entire chain of mountains, it seems destined for a great event. We reached its base after an hour and a half drive from Nazareth. On the right side, on the lower slope of the mountain, a village named Devora is drawn in the shadow of a tree. The entire battlefield of Barak and Sisera unfolds from here. Barak, accompanied by the prophetess Deborah, descended with ten thousand troops from Mount Tabor to the stream Kison, to meet Sisera, who had nine hundred chariots armed with scythes. Here, the inspired Deborah, after the victory, sang a high hymn to the Most High (Judges 4–5). Gideon's brothers died here (Judges 8). Climbing the mountain from half way up becomes extremely difficult. One could not help but be amazed at the ability of the Syrian horses on such steep slopes. Much of the mountain is clad in oak groves, which are filled with wild birds; rarely disturbed, they incessantly fluttered up from under the feet of our horses. The aromatic scent of herbs and flowers spread around. Approaching the top, the forest becomes denser and more picturesque. It took us almost an hour to reach the final peak. I was quite surprised to see vast clearings there, some of which were sown; they belong to the residents of the village of Devora. Through thick grass and closely intertwined tree branches, I finally reached the ruins, which are quite significant. I hurried there for shelter, I hurried to gather my thoughts, distracted by the variety of objects, in order to feel in the depths of my soul all the holiness of the solemn place where the voice of God the Father came to His Beloved Son: “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). Here, elevated above the earth, I read the Gospel in the open air, under the dazzling rays of the sun, less bright than the divine face of Jesus, transformed here, before Whom the terrified apostles fell on their faces. Here, the tireless companion of the faith of Christ, the pious Queen Helena erected a church with three thrones in the name of the holy apostles Peter, James and John, and according to other testimonies - Jesus, Moses and Elijah, according to the Gospel words of St. Petra: “Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). Some spiritual writers believed that, according to the custom of the ancients to make sacrifices in high places, Tabor was once doomed to idol sacrifices and that even human blood was shed on him, but that the Savior of the world, trampling on the demonic power, chose this place for His Transfiguration in order to sanctify it forever. Although Mount Tabor is not named in the Gospel, the holy singer David proclaimed the holiness of its name and, as it were, pointed to the great event of the Transfiguration: “Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name” (Ps. 89:13), and the most ancient Christian traditions call Tabor the Mount of Transfiguration; Blessed Jerome and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem were sure of this. The remains of the church erected by St. Helena still exist; under its lower arches, Christians of Nazareth serve mass once a year, on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the 8th century there was still a monastery here, erected by the Hungarian kings and inhabited by Hungarian monks of the Order of St. Paul, the first hermit, but the main ruins belong to the time of the Roman invasion. Tabor, named in the Greek translation of the Bible, and then by Polybius and Josephus, Ithavirion, was fortified by Josephus himself and the Jews for forty days against Vespasian. The ruins of the walls surrounding the peaks still exist in places, and at the eastern end the remains of a tower and gate can still be discerned; even the rain reservoirs that Joseph speaks of have been preserved until now. The view from the top of Tabor is enchanting. From there, for the first time, the snowy peak of Anti-Lebanon, spread out like a huge tent, appeared to me in the north; this is the Hermon mentioned in the Bible. In the east, the horizon is closed by the ridges of the coastal mountains of Lake Tiberias, a small particle of which sparkles from behind the black walls of the rocks. In the south, the entire magnificent plain of Ezdrilon unfolds from under the powerful heel of Tabor. Beyond this plain, which is soaked in blood and over which, like a tombstone, the gloomy Mount of Saul dominates, rise the various peaks of the mountains of Galilee, merged with the blue piles of the mountains of Judea; and in the west, through the coastal chains of mountains, from which the tip of Carmel is visible, the Mediterranean Sea illuminates. Here is the biblical picture of Tabor and Carmel: “As I live, says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts: like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so surely will he come” (Jer. 46:18). (The height of Tabor is 1000 feet from the surface of the valley, or about 143 fathoms). The air on Mount Tabor does not have the sharpness that is so noticeable on high mountains. Only at the end of January does snow appear for a short time on Tabor. Shady groves and flower-covered meadows make this holy place very picturesque. I spent some time at the highest point; there, sitting on the huge stones of the fortress gate, which the Arabs poetically call “windy gates,” I checked on the map over the vast expanse of the entire Galilee, which spread out below me, the indications of places of biblical history. The steepness of Tabor quickly brought us down. We met no one on this secluded path except flocks of birds living in the dense bushes. At the foot of Tabor they once showed a church built on the spot where, according to legend, the Savior commanded His disciples not to tell anyone about what they saw on the holy mountain until His resurrection from the dead. (See “The Travel of A.S. Norov”, 1854, part 2, vol. 4, p. 204). B. About the offering to the church for blessing of the firstfruits of fruits and vegetables, which occurs on August 6, on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31), St. commanded. Apostle Paul. Eating and drinking to the glory of God means eating and drinking with gratitude to God, who nourishes us, and with prayer, may He bless us with the reception of food and drink for mental and physical benefit. Everything we eat and drink is a gift from God, a gift from the ineffable goodness of the Lord. From Him alone living creatures are supported in life by food that is akin to them. “You give to them,” says the psalmist, “they accept; you open your hand, they are satisfied with good” (Ps. 103:28). Man, the main object of God's care among them, works harder than all of them to earn food for himself; but his labors are crowned with success only when they are blessed by God. Man sows, plants, waters, but “he who plants and he who waters is nothing, but God makes everything grow” (1 Cor. 3:7). He sends timely rains and solar warmth, and through them stimulates and supports plant life. But He sometimes punishes us with yearless rain and drought and makes all the labors of man that he undertakes to support his life fruitless. So, if food and drink are a gift of God’s goodness, then, obviously, a person should accept food and drink in no other way than with gratitude to the Giver; Every piece of food, every sip of drink should prompt us to confess the ineffable mercy of the Lord towards us, but, thanking the One who gives us food and drink, we must ask Him together, may He bless us to accept it for the benefit of our souls and bodies. An obedient son of the Church will always wish that the Holy Church sanctifies his very meal with her blessing and prayer. He rightly believes in the special holiness of this blessing; for its dispensers are the ministers of grace appointed and sanctified by God Himself and the builders of the Holy Sacraments. So, should the ministers of the Church bless our food and drink every time? No, the Church does not require that we turn to its ministers every now and then for a blessing. It requires that we at least offer for their blessing the firstfruits of the fruits and vegetables we eat. The blessing of the Church through its ministers, pronounced over these firstfruits, is communicated once and for all to all those types of food and drink, the firstfruits of which are blessed, and who among the obedient children of the Church will not value this blessing? Each fruit or vegetable, tasty and pleasant in itself, should become even more pleasant and tasty when it is served by the hand of the Mother Church, and when the ancient word of God is heard over it, blessing the food of the fruits of paradise: “You will eat from every tree of the garden” (Gen. 2:16). Bringing the firstfruits of fruits to the church was commanded in the Old Testament. The children of Israel who owned the fields were required by law to bring the first sheaf of the harvest on the Feast of Passover and the first two loaves of bread on the Feast of Pentecost. Over the loaves, the priest performed the rite of offering up before the Lord (Lev.23:10–17). In addition, each Israelite could not consume all the products of his land - tree fruits, oil, honey, bread, etc. - for food until he had first dedicated the firstfruits to his Lord (Ex. 23 et seq., Num. 18 et seq., Deut. 26 et seq., Proverbs 3:9). This dedication expressed gratitude to the all-good God, from Whom “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17), and the right to use His gifts was sanctified. Those who brought the firstfruits gave them to the priest to place before the altar, and at the same time they had to confess before the face of their Lord His great mercy, by which He led His people with a strong hand and a high arm into the promised land, flowing with honey and milk, and from this land He was vouchsafed to bring Him the firstfruits (Deut. 26:2-10). After being brought to the altar, the firstfruits were used to support the Levites (Num. 18:12), and the pious Israelite then calmly returned home and rejoiced over all the benefits that the Lord God had given him (Deut. 26:11). In the New Testament Church, the custom of bringing firstfruits to the church for blessing dates back to apostolic times. Thus, in the apostolic rules it is allowed to bring new ears of grain and vegetable fruits for blessing when they are ripe, so as not to eat them again without a church blessing (rule 3). The same is confirmed by the cathedral rules 29. Saint Gregory the Theologian said about the offering of firstfruits: “It is just and holy to offer as a gift to God, from Whom we ourselves and all ours are, the firstfruits and the threshing floor, and the grindstone, so that the part brought diligently as a gift will bring the rest to safety” 30 . The first fruits of fruits and vegetables are supposed to be consecrated when the time of their ripeness comes. On this basis, the church charter commands that grape fruits be brought to church for prayer and blessing on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. 31 This decree is valid, obviously, only for those countries where grapes are born. But in Great Russia, according to the Trebnik, due to the lack of grape fruits, apples are brought to the church on the aforementioned holiday, beginning to ripen by that time. Likewise, in the Trebnik it is permitted to bring the first fruits of vegetables to the church for blessing when the time of their ripeness comes 32 , and both over apples and over all vegetables in the Trebnik one common prayer is to be read - the prayer for those who bring the first fruits of vegetables 33 . In many places in our fatherland, the firstfruits of bread are also brought to the church for blessing on the day of the holy prophet Elijah and the firstfruits of honey on August 1st. In the rite of consecration of the firstfruits of vegetables and fruits, the Church, with the words of Psalm 66, invites Christians to thank and glorify the Lord for His mercy shown in the fruitfulness of the earth. “Let people confess to You, O God, let all people confess to You (glorify You); (for what?) For the earth will yield its fruit” (v. 6). In the prayer that follows, the Church asks the Lord that He may accept the firstfruits offered with the same favor; as he accepted the widow’s offering, may he bless and richly multiply the fruits of the earth, the firstfruits of which were brought, and grant spiritual and physical blessings with health to those who eat from them. Following this, the firstfruits are blessed and sanctified by the most holy name of God, glorified in the Trinity, and by the sprinkling of holy water. “These vegetables are blessed and sanctified,” says the clergyman, “by sprinkling sowed sacred water, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen" 34. VI. Exaltation of the honest and life-giving cross of the Lord Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the holiday of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord with moral conclusions I. On the 14th of September, the Holy Church celebrates, brethren, the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. From the very time when our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to accomplish our salvation by His death on the cross, from that time on the Cross of Christ became precious for Christians and became worthy of reverent veneration and worship. And how can Christians not revere the Cross of Christ, when our deliverance was accomplished on it, when with the Cross the Lord defeated our enemy, the devil, destroying his kingdom, and in the Cross he gave us an invincible weapon against our adversary. That is why the Holy Church, from the very first times, accepted the Cross of Christ as a precious shrine, as its precious decoration, as a necessary accessory to all its prayers and sacred rites. Everywhere in the holy church you see the cross of Christ - both on the holy throne, and behind the throne, and on the iconostasis, and on church vessels and vestments; not a single prayer is performed either in the church or in the home of an Orthodox Christian in which the sign of the Lord’s Cross is not used; The Holy Cross is placed on us immediately after baptism, and then the Holy Cross constantly commands us. The Church depicts the sign of the Cross of Christ - on the forehead and on everything: on the bread that we eat, on the cups from which we drink, to depict it on ourselves at entrances, at exits, when we go to bed and get up, when we are on the road and resting; and all this because in the Cross of Christ lies our salvation, our strength and at the same time a terrible weapon for driving away evil spirits (Cyril of Jerusalem “Catechetical Teaching” 13; see “Sunday Reading” for 1864–65, book 1, pp. 542–543). To express its special respect for the Cross of Christ, the Holy Church, from the most ancient times, appointed Wednesdays and Fridays for the remembrance of the sufferings of the Lord and the glorification of His Life-giving Cross, as well as other deliberate days, and established fasting on these days, because it is indecent for us Christians to indulge in intemperance on those days on which the sufferings of our Savior are remembered. But the main solemn celebration of the Cross of the Lord is celebrated by the Holy Church on September 14, and this celebration was established for the following two circumstances, in which the miraculous power of the Life-giving Cross of Christ was especially manifested. Although Christians, since the times of the apostles, have revered the Cross of their Savior, worshiped it and kissed it, they gave all this only to images of the Cross of Christ; For a long time they did not have the same Cross on which our Lord was crucified. This precious Cross, immediately after the burial of the Lord, was buried in the ground by Christ-hater Jews, and Christians did not know the place where this treasure of theirs was hidden. Three hundred years passed like this. Finally, the Lord Himself wanted His honorable Cross to be revealed to the whole world. In the Greek land, where now, by God's permission, the Turkish Sultan reigns, Constantine the Great reigned. This king was at first a pagan, that is, he did not believe in Christ, but God wanted Constantine to turn to Christ, and to admonish him he showed such signs through the Cross of the Lord. Once, when Constantine was going to war against his rival (his name was Maxentius), suddenly in the middle of the day he saw in the sky a cross made of stars, which shone brighter than the sun, and around the cross there was an inscription: “with this (cross) conquer.” Constantine and those who saw this with him were afraid of such a vision, because among the pagans the cross was a sign of trouble, since villains were hanged on it. On the following night, Jesus Christ Himself appeared to Constantine in a dream and, pointing to the sign of the cross, ordered the king to arrange a banner and depict a cross on it, and also depict a cross on weapons, on military helmets and shields. Constantine did so and ordered a banner with a cross to be worn among his regiments. When he later had a battle with his opponent, the enemy was defeated, and Constantine solemnly, like a winner, ascended to the capital of the empire. The winner could not help but believe that He defeated his opponent in the name of the Cross of Christ. Another time, when Constantine fought with his other rival (Licinius), and then with the Scythians, the Cross of the Lord again appeared in the sky, and once also with the inscription around: “Call Me on the day of trouble and I will deliver you and glorify Me.” Constantine, inspired by this sign, defeated his enemies and at the same time developed great love for Christians, whom he had respected and had mercy on until that time, and at the same time respect and reverence for the instrument of the suffering and death of the Lord. Without yet declaring himself a Christian, from that time on He began to openly patronize the Christian faith, and then openly became a Christian. After accepting Christianity, Constantine adopted the pious intention of finding the very Cross on which our Lord was crucified, and under the banner of which he won his glorious victories. At the request of Constantine, his mother, Queen Helena, who also converted to Christianity, went to Jerusalem to worship the holy places where the Lord suffered, and at the same time in order to find the desired treasure. At first, all efforts, all searches for Queen Helena were in vain; no matter how much they searched for the Cross of the Lord, no matter how much they dug up places, they did not find it anywhere; They asked the residents of Jerusalem - old Jewish people: if anyone could indicate from the stories where the Cross of the crucified Christ was hidden or buried - no one indicated the place. Finally they pointed to an old Jewish man named Judas as a man who knew where the Cross was hidden. For a long time this old man did not want to say anything; but when they put him in a deep empty well, he promised to show the place of the buried Cross and pointed out the mountain on which the temple to the pagan goddess was built. The church was immediately destroyed, they began to dig up the mountain and indeed they found not one, but three crosses, i.e. the Cross of Christ and the crosses of the two thieves who were crucified with Him. Which of the three crosses is the Cross of Christ? How was it possible to find out? According to God's providence, it happened that at the time the crosses were found, a dead man was being carried here for burial. The blessed Patriarch of Jerusalem Macarius, at the inspiration of God, ordered the dead body to be stopped and ordered that the found crosses be placed on it. And a wonderful thing happened: the crosses on which the robbers hung did not produce any effect on the dead man; when the Cross of the Savior was placed on him, the dead man immediately came to life. Thus, the miraculous power of the cross indicated the Cross of the Lord in him. The Patriarch, the queen and all those present here, amazed by the miracle, joyfully bowed to the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross and kissed it. But since there were extremely many people who wanted to see and kiss the Holy Cross and it was impossible to suddenly satisfy this desire, the pious Patriarch Macarius ascended to an elevated place and showed the people the Holy Cross, “raising it,” that is, raising it above their heads, and the Christians, seeing the Cross of the Lord, worshiped it and reverently cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” In memory of this miraculous discovery of the Cross of the Lord, which happened on March 6, 326 after the Nativity of Christ, the Holy Church established a festival in honor of the Holy Cross, and the holiday itself, both because the Honest Cross was taken out and “erected” from the ground, and because the patriarch showed the Holy Cross to the people, “erecting” or lifting it up, was called the “exaltation” of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord. So, now you know, brethren, when and why the feast of the exaltation of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord was established. However, this holiday, according to the original establishment, was celebrated not now, but on the second day of Easter, because the discovery of the Holy Cross, as I said, followed in the month of March, in which Easter mostly occurs. The transfer of the present holiday to September 14 and the final establishment of the holiday in all its solemnity, as it is celebrated now, dates back to the 7th century, that is, almost three hundred years after the first discovery of the Life-Giving Tree, and took place according to the following event, in which the miraculous power of the Cross of the Lord also shone. This event can be called the second discovery of the Saving Tree of the Cross. In 614, Khosroes, the Persian king, had a war with the Greek emperor Phocas. This war was very unhappy for the Greeks: Chozroes, in addition to other cities, took possession of the holy city of Jerusalem, took many Christians into captivity and, together with other treasures of the Jerusalem Temple, captured the Cross of the Lord. For fourteen years the Life-Giving Cross was in the hands of the pagans, and Christians were deprived of the happiness of worshiping and honoring their precious shrine. But when Khosroes was killed by his son Syroes, and in Greece Heraclius became king instead of Phocas, the Lord was pleased to return the Holy Cross from Persia to Jerusalem. Heraclius, with the help of God, began to win victory after victory over the Persians and take Persian cities under his rule. Then Siroy, the Persian king, begged Heraclius not to fight anymore, asked for peace and, among the rich gifts, sent Heraclius the tree of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. And King Heraclius rejoiced and thanked God for the mercy sent down to the Christians. The Tsar with great honor met and escorted the Life-Giving Cross to Jerusalem, and when he arrived at the city gates, he placed it on his shoulder to carry it to the Place of Execution. But here a new miracle happened: an invisible force did not allow the king to move. Then the Patriarch of Jerusalem, admonished by God, said to the king: “Our Lord Jesus Christ carried His Cross to Calvary, not in purple, not in rich clothes, not with grandeur and pomp, but in the form of a humble and humiliated slave, condemned to execution; if you also wish to bear the Holy Cross, then put aside your royal vestments.” The king obeyed the words of the patriarch, took off all the royal clothes, put on the simplest ones and barefoot carried the Life-Giving Cross to the church from which He was abducted. All Christians looked with indescribable joy at the triumphant return of their precious shrine; the patriarch commanded Christians to fast on this day and, according to ancient custom, again erected the Cross of the Lord, and the people again exclaimed in tenderness: “Lord, have mercy!” This second discovery and return of the Cross of the Lord took place on September 14, on the day of the church feast of the church that Constantine the Great built in Jerusalem specifically to store the Cross of the Lord in it, and from that time on, both the first discovery of the Life-Giving Tree and the second, that is, the return from Persia, the Holy Church united into one celebration and established to celebrate it on September 14. II. This is the history of the holiday - the erection of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Remember it, and to remember it better, listen also to how the Holy Church celebrates this holiday and what it commands us to do on this holy day. a) First of all, listen carefully to what the Holy Church sings in its holy songs. Glorifying the miraculous power of the Cross of Christ, revealed in various signs and wonders, the Holy Church transfers our thoughts and directs our gaze to the terrible picture of the Calvary event - to the very suffering and death of Christ the Savior on the cross. “Today the Lord of creation and the Lord of glory is nailed to the cross and pierced in the ribs, tastes gall and bitterness, is crowned with thorns, clothed with the garment of reproach, receives splashes, receives spitting and wounds, reproaches and strangulations...” With this remembrance of the suffering and death of the Savior, which permeates the entire service of the holiday, the Holy Church shows us that The Life-giving Cross is precious and holy for us because our Lord suffered on it, and on it He shed His most precious blood for our salvation. As a result of this, calling us to worship the Life-Giving Tree and kiss it, St. The Church teaches us to worship not only the image of the Cross, but, mainly, our Savior crucified on it, teaches us to imagine that by kissing the Cross we are kissing together with it the most pure wounds of the Lord, His most holy blood. And without these thoughts, our worship of the Holy Cross and kissing will not have a saving effect for us. b) Then, in order to more firmly imprint in our memory those sacred events in memory of which this holiday was established and about which I have already told you, the Holy Church, with the touching singing of the angelic song “Holy God,” wears out the Holy Cross, hidden from our eyes, from the altar and with the hands of the priest, following the example of how the Patriarch raised the Holy Cross when he found it, erects it four times on four sides for the veneration of all Christians present in the church; at the same time the clergy tenderly calls out: “Lord, have mercy!” After completing this ritual and after singing the verse: “Save, O Lord, Thy people,” as a sign that the Holy Cross is an invincible weapon against all our adversaries, we are all called to reverently worship the Life-Giving Tree and kiss it. “We bow to Thy Cross, O Master, and glorify Thy holy resurrection,” the Holy Church has decided to sing with emotion at this time, and thereby awakens in us the most vivid consciousness of all the greatness of the good deed given to us through the Cross of the Lord. These moments should be sacred, touching and instructive for us! We contemplate the Savior crucified for us, we contemplate His unbearable sufferings, endured for us. Let us fall to Him with tenderness, with contrition of heart for our sins let us touch His most pure wounds and from the depths of our souls we cry to Him: “Thou who has suffered for us, Lord, have mercy on us.” c) Finally, so that our celebration of the Life-giving Cross would be pleasing to the Lord and so that our very behavior on this day would remind us of the day when Jerusalem Christians fasted to worship the Cross and kiss it, and at the same time testify that we are truly imbued with thoughts of the suffering and death of the Lord and lament our sins, the Holy Church established that on the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross a strict fast and forbade everything entertainment. We must sacredly fulfill this charter of the Holy Church and especially guard our souls from all vice. “Now is the day of the Cross, and we all rejoice and fast from evil, cleansing everything inside and out. Everyone fasts for Christ’s sake, crucifying their passions by His power.” So, according to St. Chrysostom, ancient Christians celebrated this day; This is how we should celebrate it (See “Sunday Thursday” for 1864–65, book I, pp. 542–555). III. That’s all, my brothers, that I considered necessary to tell you about the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ. Knowing the highly instructive history of this holiday, let us, brethren, be imbued with those feelings and thoughts that are aroused in us by the touching service of the Holy Church on the day of this holiday. Then we will celebrate not only outwardly, which is not at all pleasing to the Lord, but with our minds and hearts, which is very valuable in the eyes of God and is soul-saving for us. Appendix to conversation No. 1. Miracles that happened and happened from the Cross and the Cross of the Lord 1. In the biography of St. Evangelist John the Theologian St. Prokhor - his disciple - reports that St. John once healed with the sign of the cross a sick man who was lying along the way (“Cheti-Minea” September 26). In the same life he writes: “There was a certain Christian who fell into such poverty that, having no way to pay off his debts, he decided to take his own life and asked a Jew to give him poison. The Jew prepared the mortal drink. The Christian, having crossed the mortal poison, drank - and remained unharmed. Surprised by this, the Christian asked the Jew for the strongest poison. He was surprised that the Christian remained alive and gave him the strongest poison; but the Christian, again making the sign of the cross over the cup of poison, drank it, and again remained alive, reproaching the Jew for ignorance of his business. The Jew, in amazement, asked the Christian what he was doing while he was drinking. The Christian answered: nothing more, just as he crossed the cup. Then the Jew learned the power of the Cross of Christ, believed and was baptized into the Christian faith by the Apostle John the Theologian. The apostle ordered the Christian to bring a load of hay, made the sign of the cross over it, from which the hay turned into gold, with which the miracle worker ordered the poor Christian to pay off the debt, and to support his house with the rest.” 2. In the life of St. Evangelist Matthew writes the following: “The prince, who wanted to take the apostle to torture, suddenly became blind and was looking for a guide. When he turned to the apostle with a prayer to forgive his sin and restore his sight, the apostle, making the sign of the cross in the prince’s eyes, granted him insight” (“Cheti-Minei” November 16). 3. In the biography of St. The Apostle Philip writes that he ordered a certain Christian, named Iru, to inscribe the image of the cross on the sick members of Aristarchus. When Ir did this, suddenly the withered hand of Aristarchus was healed, and the eye received its sight, and the ears heard, and everything became healthy (“Cheti-Minei” November 14). 4. In the life of St. Dionysius the Areopagite writes: “When St. The Apostle Paul was leaving Athens; a man known to all Athenians who was blind from birth asked the Apostle to grant him sight. The Apostle, having made the sign of the cross on his eyes, said: “My Lord and Teacher Jesus Christ, who anointed the eyes of the man born blind with clay and gave him sight, may he also enlighten you with His power.” The man born blind received his sight” (“Cheti-Minei” October 3). 5. The Holy First Martyr Thekla, having shielded the fire prepared for her burning with a cross, ascended and stood on top of it - and the fire did not touch her (“Cheti-Minei” September 24). Likewise, St. Martyr Vasilisa of Nicomedia, having made the sign of the cross on herself, went into the kindled oven, stood for a long time in the blazing fire - and remained without harm (“Cheti-Minea” September 3). 6. The holy Persian martyrs Avdon and Sennis, having been given over in Rome by order of Decius to be devoured by beasts, protecting themselves with the sign of the cross, remained inviolable from the beasts (“Cheti-Minea” July 30). 7. The holy martyrs - Zenon, Alexander, Theodore and others, tormented by Fortunatian near the idol church, when they made the sign of the cross on their foreheads and blew against the church - all his idols fell with a great thunder and crumbled to dust (Cheti-Minea, April 10). 8. The Holy Great Martyr Procopius forced the very angels who appeared to him in prison to cross themselves, and only then was he convinced that they were angels (“Cheti-Minea” July 8). 9 . When St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, on occasion went to spend the night in an idol church in which many demons lived - the evil spirits, frightened by the sign of the cross and the prayers of the saint, fled from the church (“Cheti-Minea” November 12). 10. In the life of St. The martyrs Cyprian and Justina write that Justina drove away the tempter demon from herself with the sign of the cross, and Cyprian himself got rid of him with the same weapon (“Cheti-Minea” October 2). 11. In the life of the monks Barlaam and Joasaph, the prince of India, it is written that the demons sent by the sorcerer Theudas to inflame the young Joasaph with carnal lust were unsuccessful, because the prince protected himself with the sign of the cross (“Cheti-Minea” November 19). 12. In the life of St. Hilarion the Great it is reported that this saint overthrew entire regiments of demons with the sign of the cross (“Cheti-Minea” October 20). He, having depicted three crosses on the seashore and prayed, rebuked the sea, which was rushing to drown the city of Epidaurus. 13. St. Anthony the Great, competing with demons, told them that the sign of the cross and faith in God are an insurmountable wall (“Cheti-Minea” January 17). He told the brethren that all demonic temptations disappear at the first sign of the cross. 14. One Christian, named Kleovius, with a triple image of the Cross of the Lord, healed Epiphanius of Cyprus, who had been broken by a ferocious donkey as a child (Thurs. Min. May 12). St. Epiphanius, when he was arguing with a certain philosopher Eudemon in Egypt, saw the son of this philosopher blind in one eye. Having depicted the sign of the cross three times on his blind eye, the saint completely healed the boy. 15. Venerable Macrina, sister of St. Basil the Great, had some kind of ulcer on her breasts and, not wanting to open it to the doctors, asked her mother to mark it with the sign of the cross. After this was accomplished, she was completely healed (“Cheti-Minei” July 19). 16. The Monk Zosima, seeing the Monk Mary of Egypt in the desert, considered her to be a ghost and was horrified; but having made the sign of the cross on himself, he calmed down. The Venerable Mary of Egypt, in order to assure Zosima that she was a person and not a ghost, made the sign of the cross over her forehead, eyes, lips, and chest. She, having made the sign of the cross over the Jordan, crossed its water as if on a dry path (“Cheti-Minea” April 1). 17. In "Limonar" St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, it is written that someone from the monastery of St. John the Baptist, presbyter Conon, who was entrusted with the baptism of men and women converting from paganism, was so tempted by the latter that he wanted to run away from this task entrusted to him. But St. John the Baptist, appearing to him, completely weakened his carnal lust through the Cross of the Lord (chapter 3). In the same “Limonar” (chapter 94) it is said that Bishop Julian of Vostra made the sign of the cross three times, with the words: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” the cup of poison was given to him, he drank it in front of everyone and remained unharmed. Likewise, the Venerable Abbot Benedict, when he made the sign of the cross on a glass vessel with poison given to him, this vessel broke from the power of the Holy Cross (“Cheti-Minea” March 12). 18. The devil once wanted to tempt our venerable father Simeon the Stylite. And so he presented him with a fiery chariot, supposedly to take him to heaven, like Elijah the prophet, for his feat. The monk was about to step onto the chariot; but at the same time he protected himself with the sign of the cross - and the devil’s obsession disappeared (“Cheti-Minei” September 1). Behold, Christian brothers, how many testimonies about the sign of the cross and the miraculous power of the sign of the cross! But in addition to the above evidence, many others could be given if space in this book allowed. Conversation No. 2. About how to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord I. On the day of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, let us remember and reflect, brother Christians, on that sorrowful event in the life of Christ, which is always remembered when we see the Cross. II. After the condemnation of Jesus Christ, the soldiers tied Him up and took Him to the Place of Execution, placing on His shoulders the same Cross, the discovery of which we now remember. The path to Golgotha, the site of Christ's crucifixion, was uneven and mountainous. Look, Christians, with your inner eyes at this path! Who do you see? The Divine Sufferer walks along it, exhausted, emaciated, with dried blood on his forehead from the injections of the crown of thorns and on his body from the scourging. The unevenness of the path, the weight of the Cross, and most importantly, the weight of the sins of the whole world, which He voluntarily took upon Himself, weakens His humanity, and He more than once falls under this burden, staining the places of His fall with drops of blood. Here are the city gates. The road goes uphill. Here our Lord Jesus Christ, innocent of anything, suffering for us, again falls to the ground in exhaustion; Blood appears in large drops on His Divine face and stains the earth. Whose heart will not shudder at the sight of the torment of the innocent Sufferer? The soldiers, accustomed to such spectacles, were moved and did not force Christ to carry the Cross: they took the Cross from Him and gave it to Simon of Cyrene to carry. Here is Golgotha ​​(peak)! The soldiers take the cross from Simon and dig it into the ground to crucify Christ on it, but not for His guilt, but for our sins, for Pilate, having washed his hands, said: “I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One” (Matthew 27:24). The Cross is ready - and a terrible crime is committed: they spread the most pure body of Christ on the Cross and nail the hands and feet of the Savior to it. Blood flows from the nail wounds and stains the Cross, sanctifies it, and at the same time washes away the sins of the whole world. Look, Christians, at the Cross of Calvary, weep, if not externally, then with internal tears, tremble with your whole being, crucify your flesh with its passions and lusts. After all, it is our fault - for our sins Christ was ascended to the Cross, we had to suffer, and suffer forever, but the merciful God the Father loved the world so much that he did not spare His Only Begotten Son for the salvation of ours, who completed it on the Cross, saying: “It is finished,” and before his death: “Father! “Into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46) and gave up the ghost. At this point nature itself could not stand in its natural order and shuddered. “The earth,” the Gospel says, “shaken; and the stones dissipated; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised again” (Matthew 27:51–52). Listen, Christians! The earth shakes, the stones fall apart at the death of Christ, and the centurion and the watchmen cry out with him: “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). Will we, redeemed and saved by the Son of God, remain cold, indifferent, indifferent with our flesh in His suffering, at the sight of the Cross with the image of our Savior on it? Do we really, at the sight of His tormented, emaciated body, allow ourselves today to be satiated with various foods and drinks and generally indulge our belly? Are we really on this day, remembering that mournful event when the sun darkened: “Now it was about the sixth hour of the day, and darkness fell over all the earth until the ninth hour” (Luke 23:44), allow ourselves to have fun and seek pleasure and entertainment in the streets and various gatherings and take on a cheerful and triumphant appearance? Will anyone really allow themselves to get drunk on this day, when they remember how Christ thirsted while hanging on the Cross? Will anyone on this day decide to commit a crime with their own hands and go to a lawless deed, seeing the hands and feet of the innocent Divine Sufferer nailed to the Cross for our lawless deeds? No, that won't happen. May each of you restrain yourself from all sin on this day. If we must always imitate Christ, then even more so on this day we must take part in His sufferings, crucifying our flesh with passions and lusts, must be abstinent in food and drink, must observe caution in words, modesty in look, decency in all actions, shamelessness in thoughts and feelings. Let there be fasting and abstinence in everything. This is how it should be, but, unfortunately, this is not how everyone does it. It was noticed that on this holiday there are things going on that you can easily abstain from. It is difficult for a person unaccustomed to abstinence not to eat anything on this day, but it is possible and feasible for everyone not to drink wine, much less not to get drunk. Meanwhile, even on this day - a one-day fast - some indulge in revelry and, what is most regrettable, others, having been in the church, consider it as if it is their duty to visit the house selling wine. One cannot help but be surprised and amazed, and at the same time not be sick in soul and heart, as this one, who calls himself a Christian, having heard at the Liturgy the Gospel about the suffering for our sins of Jesus Christ, an hour or two later goes to where he most likely can sin and, therefore, invisibly crucify Christ again. It is impossible without sorrow to see and hear how a Christian, having heard how the blood of Christ was shed for him an hour or two earlier, fearlessly pours into himself that drink from which the mind is darkened, the heart is corrupted and the result is an attraction to those sins that brought Christ to the Cross! What can we say about those who do not go to church on this day, but from early morning or the day before they go to the market, to the fair? Most of them do not even think about the Calvary event that prompts us to fasting and prayer. Therefore, some of them, early in the morning, become satiated and drunk; From their mouths pour idle talk and obscene language, through which they become like those who mocked the Crucified on the Cross, and although they utter words that are not the same as those uttered by the blasphemers of Christ, they no less dishonor the name of Christ and humiliate their title of Christian. Our Lord Jesus Christ served us all his life and laid down His life for our salvation, but such people do not want to fast even one day and spend it decently. If they cannot refrain from sin even during this strict fast, then can they be free from it on other days? They are not creating salvation for themselves, but preparing torment. (See Sunday Afternoon, 1893, No. 36). III. Remembering the discovery of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross and the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was read about in the Gospel, try, my brothers, to spend this day in prayer, fasting and as decently as possible. You begin it with prayer, and end it with the same, and throughout the day, engage in the story of the finding of the Cross and the suffering of Christ, reflect on the infinitely great mercy shown to us by the Lord through the Cross, honor this day, whoever can, and with charity to the poor for the glory of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Conversation No. 3. On the meaning of the rite of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross I. This holiday differs from other church holidays in that now, in the middle of the morning service, the rite of erection of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of Christ is performed (in holy monasteries and cathedrals). This was established by the Holy Church in memory of that worldwide exaltation, when the Cross, watered with the blood of the Only Begotten Son of God, after three centuries of burial in the ground by the hatred of Jews and pagans, was found by love for the Lord crucified on it and erected publicly for universal worship. The then Patriarch of Jerusalem, having fully verified the authenticity of the found Cross of Christ and the inscription of Pilate remaining on it, and the miraculous healing of an incurably ill person, and, finally, the resurrection of the dead from one touch of this Cross, ascended with it to an elevated place and, raising the mountain, showed it in countless numbers to the flocked people, who, bowing before the Life-giving Tree of the Cross Christ, cried out repeatedly: “Lord, have mercy!” II. What does it mean for us to imitate that action that took place many centuries before us, which at one time was, as if by chance, caused by the temporary need to show a large gathering of people the acquired treasure of the Cross of Christ? Why do we now continue to erect the Cross of Christ, when it has long been worshiped throughout the world by all tribes and languages? a) The Cross of Christ, my brothers, is an instrument and at the same time a symbol of our salvation, is the sacred banner of our faith, is a sign of a Christian and Christianity; therefore, its erection now taking place depicts to us the whole image of our salvation, the whole essence of our holy faith, our whole past and present fate and our whole future fate. b) The cross is brought down and the mountain is again lifted up: this is an image of our bitter fall in Adam and our exaltation in Christ. So, seeing the Cross of Christ brought down and lifted up, we must think about how the primordial man, exalted by the image of God, lowered in rank from the angels, crowned with glory and honor, bowing to the evil advice of the serpent, transgressing the commandment of his Creator, fell from the height of his greatness, lost glory and honor, happiness and bliss, and from the son of God’s love became a criminal, worthy anger and rejection from the face of God. But glory and thanksgiving to the ineffable love of the Heavenly Father! He “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In Adam the second - our Lord Jesus Christ - we were given more than what we lost in Adam the first. We have lost the name of children of God and have become children of perdition, cursed and rejected by God; The Lord Jesus Christ, having cleansed and sanctified us with His blood, justified us from the guilt of sin by His death, “that we might be called and be children of God,” not only to be called, but also “to be believers in His name.” We have lost the breath of eternal life, which the Lord breathed in the person of the first man, having breathed into ourselves the breath of death from the devil; The Lord Jesus Christ sent His All-Holy Spirit into our hearts, quickening, renewing and sanctifying us with His grace. We are removed from the tree of life and subjected to disease and death; The Lord Jesus Christ in His own body and blood teaches us the true bread of eternal life and the divine medicine of immortality. “For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:55,56). We were expelled from the paradise of sweetness, and became miserable not only for the whole of this life, but also for all eternity; the Lord Jesus Christ gives us His divine help and consolation in all sorrows and disasters on earth, and in heaven He has prepared His divine glory, in the eternal Kingdom of His Father. “Holy Father,” He prayed before His suffering, “keep them (that is, those who believe in Him) in Your name... so that they may have My complete joy in themselves... Father, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You gave Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:11,13,24). the immeasurable height of our exaltation in Christ from the depths of hell to the Kingdom of God and from death to an eternally blissful life in God! III. This, my brothers, is the spiritual meaning of the sacred rite of raising the Cross of Christ. For those who understand and believe, this sacred rite is an inexhaustible source of spiritual consolation, a strong incentive to tender prayer and reverent outpouring of one’s heart before God, the highest encouragement to deeds of piety and Christian love, a subject of God-thought reflection and thanksgiving to God for all eternity. For the distracted and frivolous, this is a simple spectacle that serves him as an object of criminal entertainment, and therefore as a grave sin and destruction of the soul. “Lord, have mercy!” - the Holy Church exclaims repeatedly, seeing the erected Cross of the Lord. This is how each of us needs to pray, seeing the Cross of Christ brought down to the ground and raised to the mountain. For was not each of us in the paradise of innocence, emerging from the font of Holy Baptism justified, cleansed by the Blood of Christ, sanctified by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God? Hasn’t each of us also been to spiritual paradise, when with contrition of heart we confessed our sins before God and reverently partook of the Divine Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of sins? But just as we lost the first gift of renewal and rebirth into a new life by transgressing the commandments of the Lord, so do we not immediately sell the second gift of justification and communion into eternal life for all the sweetness of sin? Are we not sinking even deeper into the mud of sin? Are we not becoming a laughing stock to the enemy of God - the devil? This humiliation in us of the heavenly honor and glory of the children of God by our sins, this sinful dishonor of ours, this descent from the heights of godlikeness to likeness to senseless beasts, may be imagined in our minds at the sight of the Cross of Christ being brought down to the ground. And may our heart be contrite, may our spirit and soul cry out with all its being: “Lord, have mercy!” Have mercy, O Merciful One, Thy fallen creation, raise up from the depths of sin and do not destroy with my iniquities, open the doors of repentance for me who have gone astray and lead them through them into the all-blessed Kingdom of Thy Father! Amen. (Comp. from “Complete Sermons” by Demetrius, Archbishop. Kherson and Odessa, vol. 1, ed. 1889). A. From the chants on the day of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross with some explanatory notes “We erect the cross, on it the ascended passion commands the most pure song of all creation: for this reason, having killed us, He has revived the slain, and fertilized (beautified), and made us worthy to live in heaven, as (as) He is merciful, with the abundance of goodness, thus (therefore) rejoicing, we will exalt His name, and Him we will exalt with extreme condescension.” “Come, all you nations, let us worship the blessed tree, in which was (by which is satisfied) eternal truth: for the forefather Adam, deceived by the tree, was deceived by the cross: and he fell, overthrown by a strange (extraordinary) torment, having conquered the royal building (royal creation, man): by the blood of God the poison of the serpents (sin) is washed away, and the oath the condemnation of the righteous was destroyed by the unrighteous judgment of the righteous who was condemned: for it is fitting to heal the tree with the tree and to resolve the passions of the condemned with the passion of the impassive one on the tree. But glory, O Christ the King, for Thy wise consideration of us, through which Thou hast saved everyone, for He is good and a Lover of mankind.” “Today, as if the truly holy word of David’s end has been accepted (fulfilled Ps. 98:5): behold, in the presence of Your most pure feet, we worship at the foot (i.e., the Cross), and in the canopy (cover) of Your wing, hoping, all-generous, we cry to You: let the light of Your countenance, Your Orthodox people, be signified upon us (may it illuminate us) Exalt the horn (dignity), by the exaltation of Thy Honorable Cross, O most merciful Christ.” “Rejoice, Life-Giving Cross, invincible victory of piety: the door of heaven, the affirmation of the faithful, the fence of the Church, by which aphids were ruined and abolished, and the mortal power was trampled upon and ascended from the earth to the heavenly: an invincible weapon, resisting demons: the glory of the martyrs, the saints, as truly fertilizer (decoration): a haven of salvation, grant the world great mercy." d) Magnification: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross, by which You saved us from the work (slavery) of the enemy.” e) Prokeimenon: “You have seen all the ends of the earth the salvation of our God.” 1. “Moses, having drawn the cross directly with the rod of the Red Cross, cut off the pedestrian Israel, also striking back at Pharaoh’s chariots, in spite of writing an invincible weapon: by this we sing to Christ, for we are glorified to our God.” Moses, having drawn a straight cross with his rod, divided the Red Sea for Israel on foot, and striking it against the Pharaoh's chariots in the width and thus completely depicting an invincible weapon (the Cross), he united the waters - let us sing to Christ our God, for He is glorified. 3. “The rod is accepted as an image of the mystery, because by vegetation it prejudges the priest: but the previously barren church, now the tree of the Cross has flourished into power and affirmation.” The rod (of Aaron) is taken to represent the mystery. For he foretells prosperity in Aaron as the priest chosen by God - and in the Church, previously barren, the tree of the Cross has now blossomed for its strength and confirmation. 4. “I heard, O Lord, Thy mystery, I understood Thy works, and glorified Thy Divinity.” 5. “O blessed tree, Christ, the King and Lord, was crucified on it; the deceive one fell on the tree, deceived by you, nailed to God in the flesh, who gives peace to our souls.” O blessed are you - the tree on which Christ, the King and Lord, was crucified, through which he who seduced (Eve) fell with the tree, being himself caught by the God nailed to your flesh, who gives peace to our souls. 6. “The watery beast in the womb, the hand of Jonah spread out crosswise, prefiguring the saving passion in reality: having thus (from there) gone three days ago, the supermiraculous (miraculous) resurrection has been depicted (prefigured) by the flesh of the nailed Christ of God, and by the three-day resurrection the world has been enlightened.” “Having ascended to the cross by your will (voluntarily), grant to your namesake (bearing your name) new residence (society) your bounty, O Christ God: with your power we made our blessed Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich glad, giving him victories for his adversaries, allowance for those who have your weapon of peace, an invincible victory (may he have your help, as the fence of the world and the banner of invincibility!).” 7. “The mad command of the wicked tormentor was shaken by the people, the breathing reproach and the godless blasphemy: yet the three youths did not frighten the brutal rage, nor the consuming fire, but the counter-breathing dew-bearing spirit, with the fire that exists at the waist: the revered fathers and us, blessed be God.” The insane command of the wicked ruler, breathing threat and ungodly wickedness, shook the people; but the three youths were not frightened by either brutal anger or destructive fire; being in the midst of the flames, against which the dew-bearing spirit blew, they sang: “Blessed are You, glorified of the fathers and our God.” 8. “Bless the youths, the Trinity of equal number, the Co-Creator of the Father God, sing the Word that descended and turned fire into dew, and exalt to all the life of the giving Spirit of the All-Holy for ever.” “Magnify, my soul, the Most Honorable Cross of the Lord.” 9 . “Thou art the Mystery of the Theotokos, the paradise that uncultivated the growth of Christ, through whom the life-giving tree of the Cross was planted on the earth: by this, now we lift up, worshiping it, we magnify Thee.” You are a mysterious paradise, Mother of God, who raised Christ virginally, by Whom the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross was planted on earth; therefore, at its erection, now worshiping it, we magnify You. “We worship Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your holy resurrection.” “Come, faithful ones, let us worship the Life-Giving Tree: on it Christ the King of glory willingly (voluntarily) spread his hand, lifting us up to the first bliss, which the enemy first stole with sweetness (the imaginary sweetness of the forbidden fruit), and created them expelled from God. Come faithfully, let us bow to the Tree, to which we have been vouchsafed by the invisible enemies to crush their heads. Come, all the tongues of the fatherland (all peoples), let us honor the Cross of the Lord with hymns: Rejoice at the Cross, perfect deliverance for fallen Adam, our most faithful kings boast about you, as through your power the people of Ishmael are solemnly retributive. Christians now kiss you with fear; we glorify God who is nailed to you, saying: Lord, who is nailed to you, have mercy on us, for (since) you are good and a lover of mankind.” “Today an inviolable being touches me, (now the Unapproachable - in His essence - becomes accessible to me for a sinful person), and suffers passions, freeing me from passions, giving light to the blind from lawless lips, spitting on them, and giving captives for wounds (giving shoulders for wounds to free captives from the power of the devil). Seeing this Pure Virgin and Mother on the cross is painfully prophetic: alas for Me, My Child, that you have done this; a man red with kindness above all others, breathless, sightless, appearing, without a form, below kindness: alas for Me, My light, I cannot see You sleeping, I am wounded by the womb, and the fierce weapon passes through My heart. I sing of Your passion, I adore Your compassion: long-suffering Lord, glory to You.” 1st antif. ( Ps. 22:2-4 ). 2nd antif. ( Ps. 74:1-2, 12 ). “What God have you rejected (your people) to the end.” “Remember Your host, which You acquired from the beginning (which You acquired from ancient times by liberation from the slavery of Egypt), this Mount Zion, in which You settled (left by You, may it again be Your dwelling). God our King has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth before the ages.” 3rd antif. (Ps.99:1-2,9). “The Lord reigns, let the people be angry (let the nations rebel against Him), (He) sits on the Cherubim, let the earth move (let it waver) (the Church of Christ remain steadfast). The Lord is great in Zion and high above all people. Worship the Lord in the mountain of His saints." Participated: “The light of Your countenance, Lord, has appeared upon us” (Ps. 4:7). B. The Fate of the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross of the Lord After finding the Life-giving Cross of the Lord on Golgotha ​​in 326, Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine the Great thought about what kind of majestic church to build on the site of the suffering on the cross, death, burial and resurrection of Christ. “Your foresight should so dispose and take such care of everything,” Constantine wrote to Archbishop Macarius of Jerusalem, “so that not only the church itself would be more magnificent than all the churches existing anywhere, but also the other buildings with it would be much more excellent than the most beautiful buildings in the cities” (“Ecclesiastical History”, Eusebius, vol. 2, book 31). The church turned out to be truly majestic. The emperor provided it with rich utensils and decorated it all with inexpressibly elegant treasures of numerous offerings, such as gold, silver and jewelry. “We would not have enough time to describe each of these artistically decorated utensils, in relation to their size, multitude and variety,” adds church historian Eusebius. But the most expensive shrine of this church was the found Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Returning to Byzantium, Empress Helena took with her four nails found at the Cross, a tablet with an inscription and a smaller part of the Life-Giving Tree, while the other, larger part remained in the Church of the Resurrection, under the protection of the Jerusalem high priests. It is difficult to trace in detail the history of the Life-Giving Tree until recent times. The part of the Life-Giving Tree that remained in Jerusalem could not be preserved intact. The Jerusalem hierarchs, condescending to the intense requests of some more or less important admirers of the Jerusalem shrine, sometimes separated for them the smallest particles of it, which were set in gold and silver, kept in churches, houses, worn on the chests of believers, etc. Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived barely 20 years after the discovery of the Life-giving Cross, says “that the whole earth was filled with particles of the Life-giving Tree.” But still, a significant part of the Tree remained inviolable in the Church of the Resurrection, where it was solemnly taken out for worship, especially twice a year - on the Feast of the Exaltation on September 14 (the day after the day of the consecration of the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection) and on the second day of Easter, since the Cross was found during the Easter holiday. For about three centuries, the Life-Giving Tree remained in Jerusalem as an object of universal Christian worship. But in 614 A difficult test occurred for the Christian world: the Persian king Khozroes took possession of Jerusalem and captured the Life-Giving Cross with Patriarch Zechariah. For 14 whole years, the Christian shrine remained in captivity in Persia, although it was kept in high esteem, in the royal treasury, and was even the reason for the conversion of some pagan Persians to Christ (Anastasia the Persian and others). In 628, thanks to the victories of Heraclius over the Persians, the Life-Giving Tree was returned to Jerusalem. Having met the Life-Giving Cross returned by the Persians in Constantinople, the emperor with the patriarch, clergy and people accompanied him to Jerusalem. Near the Mount of Olives, the emperor in magnificent royal robes lifted the Life-Giving Tree onto his shoulders and carried it to Golgotha; but at the gates of Golgotha ​​he was stopped by some invisible force; and only the next day, on the advice of the patriarch, barefoot, in modest clothes, the king brought the Life-Giving Cross into the Church of the Resurrection. The cross was again erected by the hands of the patriarch; At the same time, the people exclaimed in emotion: “Lord, have mercy!” After that time, Jerusalem was either under the rule of the Arabs or under the rule of the Turks; The Life-giving Cross, however, remained inviolable in Jerusalem, and was still solemnly honored by Christians. During the capture of Jerusalem, on July 11, 1099, the crusaders met the Life-Giving Cross brought to them, preserved by the besieged Christians as Himself Crucified on the Cross. Since that time, the Crusaders, during their battles with the Turks, always carried the Life-Giving Tree in the ranks of their troops and won brilliant victories thanks to the inspiration of the power of the godmother. But in 1187, on July 2, during the Battle of Tiberias, the Life-Giving Cross was again captured by the Turkish Sultan Saladin and remained in captivity for more than 30 years. In 1221, on September 8, upon the surrender of the conquered fortress of Damogity, Christians, by agreement, again returned the tree of the Cross from the Turks. Since that time, the tree has been kept in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, in the altar of the cathedral church, in a special ark, under the protection of the shepherds of the Jerusalem Church; only in a reduced form compared to its previous form (about half an arshin in length). Even less is known about the part of the Life-Giving Tree taken by Empress Helena than about the part of the Tree of Jerusalem. Tradition says that Helen took with part of the Tree a plank and four sacred nails with which the body of the Savior was nailed. She allegedly threw one of the nails into the Adriatic Sea, when a terrible storm threatened her with shipwreck, another nail was embedded by Emperor Constantine in his helmet, the third was donated by Constantine to the Georgian king Mirian (in 1686 it was brought to Moscow by the Georgian king Argil and is kept in the large Assumption Cathedral); and the fourth is supposedly attached to the bridle of Emperor Constantine’s horse. There is, however, a legend that one of the holy nails was subsequently embedded in the form of a hoop into the Milanese royal crown. The tablet with the inscriptions was sent by Emperor Constantine to Rome, where it is still kept in the Church of the Holy Cross in a rich ark. This tablet is made of beech wood, about half an arshin in length, it itself is white, and the letters on it are red, and both Greek and Latin are written, according to the custom of the Jews, from the right hand to the left. From the Life-Giving Tree, taken by Helen to Byzantium, according to legend, part of it was separated in the form of a thin tablet and left on the island of Cyprus in the village of Leikare, where she stopped during her voyage. The part of the tree brought to Byzantium was also split into four parts: one was put into the statue of Emperor Constantine, which stood at the top of a porphyry column in one of the squares of Constantinople, and the other three - into three crosses, which stood on high pedestals in the squares of the new capital in memory of the three glorious victories of Constantine by the power of the Cross. According to pilgrims, larger parts of the Cross are located in the following places: in Jerusalem in the Church of the Cross (about a quarter of an arshin in length); on Athos, in the monasteries of Vatopedi, Evsigmenskaya and Khilandarskaya; in the latter the Holy Tree is more than half an arshin in length and as thick as a finger. The Life-Giving Tree is kept in small particles in many cities of our fatherland: a particle of the Life-Giving Tree is in St. Petersburg, transferred here in 1799 from the island of Malta, and in Moscow, in the Assumption Cathedral, and in Kyiv, in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the Kiev-Sophia Cathedral, in Polotsk in convent of St. Euphrosyne, etc. In general, about the particles of the Life-Giving Tree, it must be said that if already in the middle of the 4th century, 20 years after the discovery of the Cross, “the whole earth was filled with them,” according to Cyril of Jerusalem, then it is not surprising if in our time, by the will of God’s providence, this precious Christian shrine is widespread throughout the Christian world for its sanctification. (Compiled from “Sunday Reading” for 1880). B. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord 1) Since on the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ suffered the most blasphemous death and thereby created our salvation in the midst of the whole earth, since on the Cross the enmity that existed between God and man was killed (Eph. 2:16), and the mediastinum of the fence that separated us from God was destroyed by the Cross, since by the most pure Blood shed on the Cross for the cleansing of the sins of the whole world, everything was reconciled - “both earthly and heavenly” ( Col.1:20), “For He (Jesus Christ) is our peace” (Eph.2:14), then Christians have always reverently worshiped the Honest Life-Giving Tree of the Cross of the Lord as a saving instrument by which our redemption is accomplished. “Today the ruler of creation, and the Lord of glory is nailed to the cross, and his ribs are pierced, he tastes gall and bitterness, the sweetness of the church is crowned with a crown of thorns, a cloud covers the sky, and he is clothed with reproach as a garment; and is strangled with a mortal hand, with a mortal hand he created man. When splashing happens, clothes the sky with clouds. Accepts spitting and wounds, slander and strangulation. And all the suffering is for the sake of the condemned man, may my Savior and God save the world from delusion. The voice of Thy prophet Moses, O God, is filled with the words: Behold your belly hanging before your hair. Today the cross is raised and the world is freed from flattery” 35. “The cross is raised today, and the world is sanctified: Who sits with the Father and stretches out the Holy Spirit on this hand: draw the whole world to the knowledge of Thy Christ” 36. 2) Every believer in Christ has his own internal cross, which he must bear following Christ. “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” the Savior commands His followers (Matthew 16:24). Raise up, believing soul, your own cross, which the Lord God was pleased to lay on you! If you are saddened by human untruths, from which you suffer all sorts of insults and oppression, do not be discouraged, but look with full faith at the Cross of your Forerunner of the Crusader, the Lord Jesus Christ, and sigh to Him. Tempted by suffering, your Savior will not leave you to be tempted in your sorrows more than you can bear. And then you will not bury it in the ground, but erect your cross. If you suffer shortcomings in the needs of life, if you suffer from losses, deprivations or other disasters of life and do not lose heart, but lifting up your thoughts to the Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the Cross, you strengthen yourself with faith and hope that “He who did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom.8:32), then you do not hide, but erect the cross of your misfortunes. If your sins confuse you, if a heavy burden of iniquity weighs on your soul, and you, looking with tears and tenderness at the Cross of Christ, believe that both for you and for your sins the sacrifice of the Cross was offered to God, then the cross of your sinful embarrassment, the cross of your sorrow for God, is erected, and not hidden. If you complacently, with faith and trust in the help of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the Cross, bear the cross of your responsibilities, both domestic and public, then your cross is erected and not hidden. “But I,” says the apostle, “do not want to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14), “But having suffered in it, kill the passions. Thus, we too, as we know, hold up the cross of the Lord, all praise: for we have this saving tree, a weapon of peace, an invincible victory” 37 . Holy Mount Calvary occupies the southeastern part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. During the time of the Savior, this sacred rock was located outside the city wall, as the apostle also says: “The Lord suffered without the gates” (Heb. 13:12). The garden of Joseph of Arimathea was located near the rock of Golgotha: “In the place where He was crucified,” as it is said in the Gospel of John, “there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb” (John 19:41), therefore now both the Holy Sepulcher and the Rock of Golgotha ​​are in the same Church of the Resurrection. The rock is lined with stone and is ascended by 28 steps. At the top of Golgotha ​​there is a church divided into two halves, like two churches. The first half from the entrance, the northern one, covers the place where the Cross of the Lord was erected; light penetrates here from the west, from inside the church; this part belongs to the Greeks. The other half, the southern one, is the place where our Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross. Latins serve here. Greek throne made of white marble; He stands open; a recess is made in the front side, so that a person, kneeling, can easily bend under the throne, where the very hole into which the Life-giving Cross of the Lord was installed is located. While singing sacred songs: “Come, faithful ones, let us worship the Life-Giving Tree, on which Christ, the King of Glory, willingly stretched out His hand... Today the prophetic word has been fulfilled, for we worship in the place where Your feet stood, O Lord...” pious worshipers ascend to Calvary, fall with fear and love to this sacred hole and with hot tears contrition of the heart kisses the edges of the sacred rock, lined with silver, with a minted image of the passion of the Lord... And how many of these sweet, saving tears of repentance were shed here, at the foot of the Cross of the Lord, for many centuries! How many sinful hearts have been relieved, how many heart wounds have been healed, how many times in the depths of a sinner’s conscience the mysterious, all-forgiving word of heavenly Love has been repeated: “Your sins are forgiven...”, “You will be with Me in Paradise!...” And how happy we, Orthodox, are that we have the great consolation of worshiping the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, and if not with body, then with heart and soul, falling to the sacred place of His saving passion! No, all those who, by their wisdom, have separated themselves from the Church of God, who do not want to honor the Cross of Christ, cannot have this consolation; They, poor people, do not know what kind of happiness, what kind of joy - to cry about their sins in the very place where the priceless Blood of our Savior was shed for these very sins!.. Behind the throne, on an elevated marble platform, stands the majestic, full-length crucifix of the Lord; the life-giving Blood flows, as it were, from the most pure wounds of the Lord onto Golgotha; Standing before the Cross, struck by deep sorrow, are His Most Pure Mother and his beloved disciple John... Behind the Cross, leaning against the wall is an iconostasis with the image of the Passion of the Lord, and on top hangs many unquenchable lamps, lit by the zeal of pious Christians and all countries and peoples of the earth... But, to the right and to the left of the Cross of the Lord, a little behind it, two black circles are visible on the marble: these are the places where they were The crosses of thieves crucified with Christ were erected. According to legend, the crucified Savior was facing west, so that the cross of the prudent thief crucified at His right hand was on the north side, and between him and the Cross of the Lord stood our intercessor and intercessor for all sinners, the Most Holy Theotokos. “This,” says Saint Demetrius of Rostov, “is the reason for the sudden change in the heart of the robber! It was she, the Mother of God, standing between the Lord and this sinner, who secretly petitioned the Lord for the special grace of correction for the sinner. The robber did not repent first until the Mother of the Lord stood between him and the Lord.” Truly, Her swearing prayer can do a lot for the mercy of the Lord! On the right side of the throne of Calvary, a deep crack is visible, formed during the earthquake, when the Lord gave up His spirit on the Cross. This crack runs through the entire Golgotha ​​rock and is remarkable in that the stone has settled not along the layers of the rock, but across them, which never happens during an ordinary earthquake. It is clear that the earthquake during the death of the Savior was not an ordinary act of nature, but a special miracle of God to admonish the hard-hearted Jews. But the sun darkened, and the earth shook, and the stones fell apart, and the coffins were opened, and the dead awoke from an eternal sleep, and the hearts of the proud leaders of the Jews did not soften, were not moved, but seemed to harden even more in evil!... A person can reach such a terrible state! There is a small cave church under Golgotha; Here, according to legend, the Jerusalem king Melchizedek, the Old Testament priest of the Most High God, was buried. In the depths of this cave there is a throne in the name of the Forerunner of the Lord and our forefather Adam; behind the throne, through the iron grating, in the light of an unquenchable lamp, the same cleft of the rock is visible; here, according to an ancient legend preserved in the writings of many holy fathers, the head of Adam was buried, which is why the rock itself received the name Golgotha, which means the Place of the Execution. “And so,” says the legend, “when the warrior hit the most pure rib of the second Adam, our Lord, with a spear, the holy blood and water flowing from the rib passed through the crack of the Golgotha ​​rock and washed the head of the primordial Adam.” According to this tradition in our Orthodox Church, when depicting the crucifixion of the Lord, a human skull is always depicted under the Cross, lying on two cross-shaped bones. This image tells us: “Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will live” (1 Cor. 15:22). The Lord Jesus Christ is the life and resurrection of Adam himself and the entire human race. From His most pure rib flows not only for Adam, but for all people: come, all sinful sons of Adam, come, taste this immortal source! This is why our Lord suffered, this is why He died on the Cross, in order to feed us with His Body, to feed us with His Blood, so that we would be bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh, so that, uniting with Him in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we would be worthy to reign with Him in the eternal days of the Kingdom of Heaven... (Extracted in abbreviated form from the “Trinity Leaf”, No. 415). VII. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem with dogmatic and moral lessons from the history of the holiday and its worship 1. The last days of the Savior’s earthly life were approaching. In order to support the faith of His disciples and to assure everyone of the future general resurrection, the Lord performed the greatest of miracles during these days, raising from the dead the already four-day-old Lazarus. One day, news of an unprecedented miracle that took place in Bethany spread throughout the Jerusalem area. Everyone wanted to see the great Wonderworker and everyone wanted to look at the resurrected Lazarus. As if responding to the desire of the people, the Savior Himself set out to go to Jerusalem. Having learned about this, the whole people then began to move; Many, out of impatience to quickly see the Galilean prophet and resurrector Lazarus, left the city to meet the Savior. Getting ready to set out, the Lord called two disciples to Himself and told them: “Go to the opposite village; when you enter it, you will find a young donkey, on which no man has ever sat; Having untied him, bring him. And if anyone asks you: why are you untying? tell him this: the Lord needs him” (Luke 19:30,31). The sent disciples went and fulfilled the command of their Teacher. Having brought a colt, they threw their clothes on it and sat Jesus down. When countless crowds of people, who so ardently wanted to look at Jesus, saw Him, a joyful cry was heard from the darkness of the people; “Hosanna,” that is, save us, “Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, King of Israel!” Hosanna in the highest! Many took off their clothes and laid them under the feet of the Savior, others cut date branches and covered the path with them or shook them in the air. But despite all the joy and rejoicing of the people, there was deep sorrow in the soul of the Lord. He grieved that the Jewish people did not recognize the hour of God’s visitation and soon instead of “Hosanna” they would cry out: “Crucify Him!” He foresaw the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. His holy gaze now clearly imagined how soon the walls of this city would collapse, how hundreds of thousands of now rejoicing Jews would perish from the sword of the enemy, and all Israel, like dust from the wind, would be scattered throughout the entire universe. The Savior’s grief over the coming disasters of Jerusalem, and with it all the chosen people, was so great that, unable to be contained in His loving heart, it poured out in copious tears. The Lord's solemn journey ended near the church. At the entrance to the Temple of Jerusalem, He, as the Lord of heaven and earth, expelled the merchants from it and sternly remarked that it was indecent to turn a house of prayer into a house of trade. In the church the blind and lame immediately came to Him; The Savior taught them all healing. Seeing such miracles, even babies, following the example of their fathers and mothers, praised the Lord and cried out loudly: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” This is the event that took place in Jerusalem six days before the Jewish Passover and five days before the atoning death of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the morning church service on this day, Christians stand with blessed willows and lit candles, which is why the holiday itself is called “Palm Sunday.” II. The history of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem is instructive and the service on this holiday is instructive. a) Through the history of the holiday, Jesus Christ teaches everyone humility and meekness, not only common people, but also those occupying high ranks. The Lord meekly and humbly enters Jerusalem on a colt, and not like a king - on magnificent chariots and excellent horses. Therefore, do not desire and do not seek worldly honors, virtues and glory. And if God has given this to someone without searching, then do not be arrogant and do not consider it eternal, but rather, change quickly and expect misfortune after happiness. Teaching humility and accepting honor from the people, the Lord also shows human fickleness - oh, people! Now you honor Me with the Vai, and a little later how you dishonor Me! Now you cry out for Hosanna, but then you will cry out: crucify, crucify! This is human fickleness! This is how fickle the glory and honor of this world are! (Is it therefore necessary, brethren, to achieve worldly glory? Should we adapt to public opinion in everything?) (Extracted in abbreviated form from the works of St. Demetrius of Rostov). b) The worship of this holiday through willows and lighted candles gives two lessons. aa) A lit burning candle means, of course, first of all, our joy, as in other cases, for example, on Easter Sunday, at marriage, at baptism. Why do we rejoice at this present occasion? We rejoice for the Lord our Savior that today the people of Israel bring Him a day of praise and thanksgiving - so publicly, solemnly, so unanimously they pay tribute to all His countless benefits shown to this people. It was pleasant for the Lord to see this expression of love for Him, and therefore it was pleasant for us too. But mainly, we rejoice in our own salvation. Why does the Savior go to Jerusalem? To suffer for us, so that through this suffering and death we may beg the Heavenly Father for forgiveness of sins. He now comes as a Lamb, appointed to the slaughter for the sins of the human race from the foundation of the world. He was depicted as the Passover lamb, eaten by Jews on Passover. He was also depicted in all the Old Testament sacrifices. But on the other hand, He walked as a King, through suffering, death on the cross and resurrection to subdue all our enemies under His feet in order to destroy hell, destroy the power of the devil, and so that those who believe in Him could be freely led to eternal peace in His Kingdom established by Him. He is that meek, saving King, who has taken the lot under the jugular, whom the prophet Zechariah saw several hundred years ago: “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem,” He said then (Zechariah 9:9). Here we are, holding a candle, and rejoice, seeing in Christ our Lord and Savior, our joy, our hope at death and after death. But, Christian, is your heart filled with true joy? The one who truly rejoices in Christ is the one who values ​​the salvation arranged by Christ, who thinks about this salvation, lives for it, and directs all his activities towards acquiring It. Is that the case with you? But what if you put earthly well-being above eternal salvation? What if the acquisition of this well-being occupies all your mind, all your time, all your strength? What if you are so busy with temporary, earthly things that you have no time to think about the soul, about God, about eternity? What if at the same time sins, grave sins lie on your soul? Oh, no, then you have nothing to rejoice in, first shake off the worldly vanity, first break off friendship with sin, flow to repentance, unite with the Savior - and only then will you rejoice in true joy. Until then, your joy will be false, visible, apparent. A burning candle also means our fiery love for the Savior. And is it possible not to love Him? He comes to lay down His soul for us - He, the sinless one, comes to suffer for us - sinners, and who will remain cold and insensitive towards Him? And what heart is not touched by the thought of those insults and beatings, those unbearably severe torments on the cross that He goes to endure for us? And what soul will remain ungrateful at the presentation of the benefits that He gives through these sufferings? “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him,” says the apostle (1 Cor. 2:9). But, Christian, holding a candle, have you thought about this: do you really have this love for Christ in you? What if she is more in words than in deeds? What if you have not given up a single sinful habit for Christ, have not given up any pleasure, have not made the slightest sacrifice to Him? What if, to please others, those you love, you do everything for yourself, but nothing for Him? He who loves someone speaks to him - he won’t say enough. But what if for you a conversation with Christ or prayer to Him is the most boring and most difficult thing? He who loves someone wants to know his thoughts, desires, greedily catches his every word, fulfills all his commands; but what if the word, the teaching of Christ is still not known to you as it should be, and you do not want to know it, you run, evade, when others, out of love for you, proclaim this word, His teaching, will? What if it is not this will, not the commandments of the Gospel that serve as the rule and law for you in life, but the example of others, the rules of the world, the customs of the world? He who loves someone wants to be closer and closer to him, he seeks the closest union with him. What if you are running away from this close union with Christ? Would you like to begin the Sacrament of Communion? Do you stubbornly refuse to unite with Him through accepting His Body and Blood? Oh, if so, then you still don’t have love for Christ - your love is in words, in vain you held a candle in your hands: this hot candle was in the eyes of God a denunciation of your coldness, a sign of your lack of love for Him! bb) In addition to the candle, we also hold willow - tree branches. We do this, first of all, of course, in imitation of the Jews who greeted Christ with date and palm branches. But in addition, there is a special thought hidden here. For a Christian, the tree points to the Tree of the Cross on which Christ is crucified, which means it should remind us of the Cross and the Savior’s suffering for us. The color of the bark of this tree is red: this tells us about the blood of Christ, which He shed for us on the Cross. So, by holding the branch, you, a Christian, can be said to be holding the Cross of Christ in your hands. This showed your readiness to share with the Savior his sufferings, to joyfully bear the cross sent to you from Him. But are you really happy to carry it? But, rather, aren’t you burdened by them? Don’t you wish, don’t you yearn for only joys, just to live and enjoy here, and when sorrow comes, loss of health, fortune, deprivation of loved ones, you become despondent and lose heart? But why not then say, as Christ, praying to the Heavenly Father, said before His suffering and as we all pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father! Thy will be done!” . This devotion to the will of God would calm you much more than all earthly consolations. Is it painful for you to endure? But the more painful you are, the closer you are to the Savior with your grief, and the more patiently and humbly you endure, the more kind to Him. But we hold a tree branch that is not dry, but revived and blossoming. This, of course, raises our thought even further - to what will follow the suffering and death of Christ - to His resurrection and to our own general resurrection. What happened to this tree during the winter? It, along with all nature, was as if dead. And now? Now it begins to live as before - here are the signs of life - these are the buds that appear on the tree. There is life on the tree, - after death - revival. So Christ, who died on the tree, will come to life and rise again; the same will happen to us. And we will die, we will be buried in the ground, which is buried under snow in winter, but this will not be forever. Years will pass, tens, hundreds, maybe thousands of years - and at the time appointed by God, according to the voice of the archangel's trumpet, through the action of God's omnipotence, all the dead will come to life, rise again, their souls will be united with bodies that will already be incorruptible and indestructible. This is the thought contained in this tree branch that we were holding together with the candle today. We said that the reviving branch tells us about the resurrection of the Savior and our general resurrection. It’s joyful to think and be sure of it! But in order for both to be for our benefit, for this purpose, while still here on earth, living in the flesh, we will try to come to life in spirit. Our soul is dead when it is, like earth, covered with a layer of sin - unclean thoughts, desires and deeds, when it does not produce the fruits of faith, love, abstinence, meekness, patience. But she will be alive when she hates sin and loves virtue. It is this revival of our dead soul that we need to worry about all our lives. Oh, when she would rise from the grave of wickedness, then we would joyfully begin to think about the resurrection of our Savior, with true joy of spirit and would celebrate this holiday. It will be a joy then to awaken after a long sleep in the grave; for we will not be resurrected for judgment, but for eternal life with Christ, for bliss with Him, with the angels and all the saints. But woe to unrepentant sinners! III. God! Who raised the four-day-old Lazarus, raise us also on the day of the general resurrection for eternal joys with You, but first of all, here also raise our souls, killed by sins, so that we may glorify You alone, both here and there for endless ages. Amen. A. From church hymns on the day of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem a) Troparion. “Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. In the same way, we, like youths, bearing signs of victory, cry out to You, the conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In the general resurrection, before Your suffering, confirming that You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God. Therefore, we, like children, bearing the signs of victory, exclaim to You, the Conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. b) Magnification: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, Hosanna in the highest and we cry to You, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” c) Prokeimenon: “From the mouth of a baby and of those who piss, you have made praise.” (In the mouths of young and infant children You have prepared a song of praise. Ps.8:3). 1 “The springs of the abyss of moisture that have appeared are not involved, and the seas that have opened up, the agitated foundations of the storm: for with mania you forbade him, but you saved a fair number of people, singing a victorious song to You, O Lord.” The springs of the abyss appeared devoid of moisture, and the bottom of the storm-swept sea was revealed; for You, with a wave, forbade his unrest and saved the chosen people, who sing a victorious song to You, O Lord. 3. “Sharpening the edge, by Thy commandment, the hard stone of Israel is the people: and Thou art the stone of Christ and life, and on it is established the Church calling: Hosanna, blessed art thou who come.” The people of Israel drank from the cut edge of the hard stone, which flowed water according to Your command; this stone and life are You, Christ, on whom the Church is founded, crying: Hosanna, blessed are You who comes. 4. “Christ, who is clearly coming, our God will come and will not hide from the mountain the shaded thicket, the unskilled maidens giving birth, the prophet of old says: to all of them we cry: glory to your power, O Lord.” Christ, coming solemnly, (is) our God. In ancient times the prophet said about him that without delay He would come from a mountain overshadowed by a thicket - from a Virgin who did not know a husband; Therefore let us all exclaim: Glory to Your power, O Lord. 5. “Go up to Mount Zion and preach the gospel, and preach to Jerusalem, lift up your voice in the fortress: the glorious saying is spoken about you, the city of God: peace on Israel and salvation on the tongue.” Go up to the mountain, you who preach good news to Zion, and lift up your voice loudly, preaching to Jerusalem: glorious things have been proclaimed about you, the city of God (from you) - peace to Israel and salvation to the Gentiles. 6. “The righteous souls cried out with joy: now a new covenant is bequeathed to the world, and by sprinkling, may the blood of God be renewed by the people.” In joy, the souls of the righteous exclaimed: now a new covenant is established for the world and may people be renewed through the sprinkling of Divine blood. Kontakion. “On the throne in heaven, carried on the earth by lots, Christ God, the praise of angels and the singing of children, you received those calling You: blessed are you who comes to call Adam.” 7. “You saved your youths in the fires of Abraham, and killed the Chaldeans, even when you grasped the truth righteously, blessed are you, O Lord God of our fathers.” Who saved Your Abrahamic servants in the midst of the fire and destroyed the Chaldeans, whom Your divine justice righteously punished, 38 Blessed are You, glorious Lord, God of the fathers. 8. “Rejoice in Jerusalem, rejoice ye who love Zion: for the Lord of hosts has come to reign forever, let all the earth stand in awe at His presence, and let them cry: Bless all the works of the Lord the Lord.” 9 . “God is the Lord, and having appeared to us, form a holiday, and come rejoicing, let us exalt Christ, with branches and branches, calling with songs: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord our Savior.” The Lord (our) is God, and He appeared to us; make a holiday and come in delight with the fronds and branches, let us exalt Christ, exclaiming in hymns: blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord our Savior. B. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the feast of the solemn entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem 1) “Praise the people and the nations accordingly: the King of the angels has now ascended to the lot, and he is coming, even though he will defeat his enemies on the cross, for he is mighty. For this reason, the children also cry out a song: glory to You, the conqueror who has come, glory to You, the Savior Christ, glory to You, blessed One, our only God” 39 . “The Seraphim, carried on cherubs and sung, sat on the lot of David, and the children sang praises to You.” “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion,” says the prophet Zechariah, “rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, riding on a donkey and on the colt of a donkey who is the son of the yoke” (Zechariah 9:9). In fulfillment of the indisputable words of God, the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem rejoiced at the last triumphant entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Many of the Jewish people, prompted by the vision of the divine miracle of the resurrection of the four-day Lazarus from the dead, others moved by other beneficial miracles and mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ, and children, out of simplicity and kindness of heart and out of sympathy for the loving and sweet Jesus Christ, came out to meet Him from the city with fronds in their hands and sang a victorious song: “Hosanna to the Son Davidov! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). With this celebration and joyful excitement of the people, “the whole city began to move” (Matthew 21:10) from the amazement of the solemn meeting. Thus, according to the word of the prophet, the daughter of Jerusalem rejoiced! Meanwhile, the Lord, at the sight of the holy city, amid the joyful noise of those celebrating, cries... as if a solemn meeting was not arranged for Him, as if such exclamations: “Hosanna!” Why does the Lord cry when others rejoice, when He should have rejoiced with those who rejoice in His glory? Because Jerusalem “did not know the time of your visit” (Luke 19:44). Because the ignorant people do not know what they are doing; according to his prejudiced ideas about the Messiah, He thinks to see in the person of the Lord he meets the king of the earth, a world conqueror who will subjugate the entire universe under his rule. Because the arrogant high priests and scribes, and the vain Pharisees, hypocrites, did not want to see that in Him, but on the contrary, out of envy and hatred of Him, at that very time they were ready to destroy Him as a disturber of public peace. This is how ancient Israel was mistaken! Only the inexperienced Jewish youths, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, foreshadowing the resurrection of Christ and the victory over the enemies of our salvation, sang with true joy the divine “Hosanna.” Like gentle Jewish children, the new Israel, the true sons of the Church of Christ, rejoices with true joy, remembering this sacred event; for He believes that the Lord is coming to Jerusalem for the free passion and death that He endured on our Cross for the sake of salvation. The Christian believes and confesses that Jesus Christ is the King of Heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, Who on earth was pleased to choose the Cross as His throne, on which, stretching out His most pure hands, He gathers all nations under His power, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). The Christian believes that Jesus Christ, as the King of Heaven, as the Conqueror of hell and death, the Lord “put all things in subjection under His feet, and placed Him above all, as the head of the Church” (Eph. 1:22). “Come this day, all the new Israel, even the church of the tongue, with the prophet Zechariah, cry: Rejoice, daughter of Zion, preach to the daughter of Jerusalem: for behold, your King is coming to you, meek and saving” 41, “though you may defeat your enemies on the cross, for he is mighty” 42. Such is the difference between the joy of ancient Israel and the new one when remembering the triumphal entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem! This is the reason for the Lord’s sorrow and weeping at the sight of Jerusalem! The next day (Matthew 21:17–18), entering Jerusalem again from Bethany, Jesus Christ revealed the reason for His sorrow for Jerusalem in the following touching words: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, I will leave you your empty land” (Matthew 23:37–38). 2) “Having sung from the branches first, from the trees afterward Christ God, ungrateful Jews. We, with immutable faith, ever reverence as a benefactor, we cry out to Him: blessed are you who comes to call Adam” 43. “Cathedral of the Godkillers, Jewish language. the lawless one frantically called to Pilate, and said: crucify the innocent Christ, but rather release Barabbas to us” 44. What feelings excited the holy soul of the Divine Teacher when He, deafened by the enthusiastic cries of the laudatory “Hosanna,” descended from the Mount of Olives, from which a small hill was revealed to His Divine gaze on the opposite side of the holy city? He will soon be brought up to this hill, under the weight of the cross He bears, with reproaches and insults, and all the signs of raging malice, by the same or similar detractors who now meet the Lord with such triumph and such joy. What a cross for His all-loving soul, when He foresaw that not more than five days later those very ones who so zealously sang the praises of Hosanna, gathered in a crowd near Pilate’s house, would furiously cry out: “Crucify, crucify Him!” “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25). Now they are greeting the Vaiyas as if they were a king, and five days later they will come with weapons and drekolmi to take the Lord of glory into custody, as if they were a villain. Let this one of many examples of the ingratitude of the Jewish people towards the Divine Teacher be a lesson to us not to rely on human laudatory judgments and glorifications, which dissipate like smoke and disappear like steam. At one time we are praised by some and blamed by others; the same people praise at one time and blame at another. Chasing these ghosts of human rumor, the soul becomes terribly tired, exhausted and suffers. But the opinions of people, sometimes caressing us with sin, and sometimes without right deeply hurting us, these weak supports on which sometimes all the virtue of some people rests and from which sometimes a sensitive but weak heart suffers very painfully, not strengthened in the exploits of Christian patience and self-sacrifice, cannot have their harmful influence on the souls of those people who trust their salvation and glory in God alone, and speak with St. Prophet David: “In God is my salvation and my glory” (Ps. 61:8). It is not our business to investigate and ask how, where, and what they said about us, how they judged and dressed up our behavior. Our business is to live and act as God and conscience require, and what others say about our actions is nothing to worry about. Everyone will be responsible for himself in the face of the Righteous Rewarder. And those who willfully rioted in speeches about our behavior, spoke slanderously about our actions, will, of course, give an account before God. The persecution of human glory and the search for it hinder the preservation of our faith. “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another, but do not seek the glory that is from the One God?” (John 5:44). The holy city of Jerusalem, once crowded and bustling, is now a dull, silent and completely dead city. Now it belongs to the Turks, a non-Christian people. The area around him is scorched, deserted, sad; no greenery visible. Neither outside the city nor in the city is there any noticeable movement of people, you can’t hear the noise that usually happens in cities. Jerusalem stands on four high hills and is surrounded by an old battlement wall with many towers. There are four gates in the wall, and at sunset they are all locked; Those who did not manage to get to the city had to spend the night in the open air. They are opened at sunrise, and on a Turkish holiday - in the afternoon, because the Turks then go to their mosques for prayer. Here there are three holidays in one week: the Turks have Friday, the Jews have Saturday, and the Christians have Sunday. There are about twenty thousand inhabitants in Jerusalem. There are Turks, Jews, Arabs, Greeks, Armenians here - some live permanently, and some only visit temporarily. Houses in Jerusalem are the same as everywhere else on that side - stone, with flat or round roofs. The streets are narrow, crooked, unkempt; at night it is not illuminated at all - whoever leaves the house at night takes his own lantern. Russian pilgrims stop either in the city at Greek monasteries, or outside the city in Russian farmsteads, which were built not so long ago, by order of the sovereign emperor. Here they don’t charge any fees, but in the city you have to pay for the premises. Having arrived in the holy city, our pilgrims consider it their first duty to visit the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and venerate the most important shrine in it. For this purpose they usually gather before Vespers, when the Turks open the doors for them. Having toured the holy places accompanied by local Orthodox monks, many of the pilgrims remain in the church overnight. Anyone who wants to pray more earnestly and attend Matins and Mass at the Holy Sepulcher must spend the night in the church itself, because Orthodox services are performed at night. Those wishing to rest are given places in the choir. This church has only one entrance on the midday side, large, decorated with various marble images on top. Immediately to the right of the entrance, two marble stairs lead up to the chapel, which is built above Golgotha ​​itself. In Hebrew, Golgotha ​​means a place of execution, a place of execution. Holy Scripture says that here, in this place, the Savior suffered the most terrible suffering, being crucified on the cross. The rock of Mount Golgotha ​​is covered entirely with marble slabs. Above the very place where the Cross of the Savior was placed, there is a marble cross, open in front. Below it you can see in the rock a round hole, or hole, into which the Cross of the Savior was inserted; the hole is covered with a gilded silver frame. To the right of the cross, a wide and deep crack is visible in the rock, also covered with a gilded frame. It happened at the time when the Savior died and the whole earth shook. The places where the crosses of the two robbers stood are marked on the marble covering the rock with black circles. The church is decorated with many expensive lamps of various sizes hanging above the altar and throughout the ceiling; they were donated by various zealous Christians and Christian kings. Among them there are also those sent from Russia. Under the porches leading to Calvary, at the foot of the Calvary rock, a lower chapel was made in the name of St. John the Baptist and in the name of the forefather of all people, the first man, Adam, whose skull is said to be buried here. Behind the throne of this chapel, through the iron grating, you can see the very rock of Golgotha ​​and its crack, which goes down four fathoms. If you do not climb the stairs, but go straight from the church doors, then you will meet a stone on the way. The body of the Savior was laid on this stone when they took Him down from the Cross and anointed Him, according to Jewish custom, with fragrant ointments; It is called the “Stone of Anointing”. This stone is covered with a marble slab on top, and this is because before the pilgrims spoiled it, little by little chipping off pieces to take them with them. In front of the stone, on the wall, a large painting depicts the removal of the Savior’s body from the cross. If you go from the “Stone of Anointing” to the left, then not far from it the pilgrims are shown the place where the Mother of God stood when the body of Her Son, Jesus Christ, was taken down from the cross and anointed on the stone. From this place She looked at Him with deep sorrow. The back wall of the church, at sunset, is drawn out in a semicircle. A few steps from it, inside the church, there is a kind of circle of 18 stone pillars connected by vaults. On these pillars and vaults there is a huge dome with a hole at the very top. Between the semicircular rear wall and the pillars there are choirs, or polati, arranged in two tiers. This circle is the most beautiful place in the church; but, most importantly, here is the Holy Sepulcher or the cave in which the Savior’s most pure body was buried. The Cave of the Holy Sepulcher is located in the middle of the circle, under the dome of the church. A small marble chapel was built above it, very beautiful, like a canopy, with a semicircular roof. On the sides the chapel is decorated with four carved pillars, as if twisted, and large candlesticks. Above the door is an image of the Resurrection of Christ. There is a canvas stretched over the roof, over the chapel; this was done in order to protect the holy place from rain. The door to the chapel is narrow and low. Inside, the chapel has two parts: the first part from the entrance is made like a cave and is called the angel's chapel. Here the angel of the Lord, having rolled away the stone from the tomb of Christ, sat on it. A fragment of this stone is embedded in a marble stand and serves as a throne for dining. Above him, along the ceiling of the cave, hang rows of expensive lamps. From the angel's chapel, a narrow small entrance without doors leads to another part - to the very cave in which the Savior's body was laid. You need to go through it bending over. The cave was carved entirely out of rock and is very small, about three arshins long and two wide. All of it, both outside and inside, is lined with marble slabs; A hole was drilled in the ceiling to allow air to pass through. Half of the cave, its entire length, is occupied by a stone ledge, carved, like a bench, from the same rock in which the entire cave was carved. This ledge is the coffin, or stone, in which the most pure body of Jesus Christ lay before His resurrection; It is located on the right side of the entrance to the cave. The feet of the Savior lying on him were at the exit of the cave, therefore, at sunrise; That’s how we, the Orthodox, put the dead in the grave. The Savior's tomb is lined with marble on the front and a marble slab is placed on top of it. On top of the wall is a carved marble image of the Resurrection of Christ. Along the vault of the cave hang many expensive lamps, which glow day and night over the tomb of the Savior. They were presented as gifts from various Christian kings, nations and benefactors to the Holy Sepulcher. Fresh flowers in porcelain jars placed at the Holy Sepulcher, and expensive perfumes sprinkled on the stone of the coffin, fill the entire cave with fragrance. It is impossible to describe with what love, with what zeal, with what joy the devout pilgrims who flock here from all over the world worship this invaluable shrine. Not with words, but with tears, they pour out their souls here before the Savior of the world, and these tears, of course, are more pleasing to our Savior than all precious gifts. At the Holy Sepulcher itself, every day there is an Orthodox Greek mass, and after it two masses are celebrated by non-Orthodox people. Orthodox mass begins at night, at the second hour; Matins and late mass are celebrated in a special chapel - the main one. Actually, for Russian pilgrims they sometimes serve in our language. Directly opposite the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, towards sunrise, in the very middle of the church, the main chapel in the name of the Resurrection of Christ was built. It belongs to the Greeks and is called the cathedral church. This chapel is very extensive and occupies the largest and main part of the entire church, with a large dome on four pillars. On the sides it is separated from the entire church by partitions on which holy icons are placed in rows, and on top of them and behind the main iconostasis in the altar there are choirs. The church is decorated very well. The images were mostly sent from Russia; large chandeliers were donated by our Orthodox kings. The main shrine in this chapel is a rather large part of the Life-Giving Tree, or the Cross on which the Savior was crucified. After mass, she is taken out of the altar, and pilgrims venerate her. In the wall at sunrise, there is a descent into the dungeon, along a staircase of about 30 steps. In this dungeon there is a large church in the name of the Holy Queen Helen, with a chapel in the name of the thief who repented on the cross. It belongs to the non-Orthodox. The church is all underground; only its round roof extends outwards. At the place where it was built, the holy Queen Helen sat when, at her command, the Cross of the Lord was dug out of the ground. The stone chair on which St. sat is also kept here. Elena. From this church, in the corner of it, there is a descent into another small dungeon, even deeper - 13 steps; here the Holy Cross of the Lord was found. (Compiled from “Readings about the Holy Land” by Priest Pevnitsky). D. God's Judgment over Jerusalem During His solemn entry into Jerusalem, the Lord, looking at him, Himself wept over him and said: “Oh, if only on this day you knew what serves for your peace! But this is now hidden from your eyes, for the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches and surround you, and press you in on every side, and ruin you, and kill your children within you, and will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:42-44). Four days after this, Jerusalem completes the measure of its crimes. On the rock of Calvary, outside the gates of the city (Heb. 13:12), a crime unprecedented in the world is committed: the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners, is nailed to the cross and crucified - the most holy sacrifice is made: the God-man dies for the human race! The execution of God's righteous judgment over the deicides does not delay long. The Jews rebel against the Romans, who treat them as slaves. The Roman commander Titus, during the reign of his father Vespasian, besieged Jerusalem and took possession of it (in 71 AD). Terrible disasters accompany this siege: 115,000 corpses were carried out through just one city gate; those besieged from hunger eat leather from shields and shoes, swallow rotten hay, and do not neglect carrion; a mother eats her child; 1,100,000 Jews die by the sword in Jerusalem itself, not counting the elders, women and children who died of hunger or were consumed by fire; 100,000 prisoners are doomed as slaves to work either to decorate the triumph of Titus, or to fight with animals in amphitheaters, for the idle amusement of the people. Maidens and boys under 17 years of age are put up for sale - 30 for one piece of silver! When our Savior was sold to the high priests for thirty pieces of silver, the people cried out before Pilate: “Let His blood be on us and on our children!” Another 50 years pass, and the devastation of Jerusalem is completed by Caesar Hadrian in a war in which more than 500,000 Jews die; 50 fortresses and 1000 towns were razed to the ground. On the ruins of the capital of David, Adrian builds a new city, a Roman city, which is given a different, pagan name - Elijah Capitolina. Entry to it is prohibited to Jews under the death penalty; with gold they must buy themselves the right to enter Elijah once a year in order to cry on the ruins of their homeland. The city of Hadrian was built on the very spot where present-day Jerusalem stands, and, according to the special provision of God, the Rock of Golgotha ​​entered its walls. Among idolaters and blasphemers of all kinds, the memory of Jewish Jerusalem seems to perish completely. (Extracted in abbreviation from the stories of P. Petrushevsky). VIII. Holy Resurrection of Christ (Easter) Synaxarion of St. Pascha, outlining the history of the holiday We call this holiday Easter, which, translated from Hebrew, means transition: for this is the day on which God first brought the world from non-existence (into being); on the same day, having led the people of Israel through the Red Sea, he snatches it from the hands of Pharaoh; On this same day, he came down from heaven and dwelt in the womb of the Virgin. And now, having plucked all human nature from the abysses of hell, he elevated it to heaven and brought it to the primitive dignity of incorruptibility. But having descended into hell, (the Lord) did not resurrect everyone, but only those who believed in Him; He freed the souls of the saints, forcibly held by hell from the beginning of the century, and opened the ascent to heaven for everyone. Therefore, filled with excessive joy, we brightly celebrate the resurrection, figuratively expressing the joy with which our nature has been enriched by the mercy of God. Likewise, expressing the cessation of hostility and union with God and the angels themselves, we greet each other with the usual kiss. The resurrection of the Lord took place like this: while the soldiers were guarding the tomb, around midnight, an earthquake occurred; for the angel who descended removes the stone from the entrance to the tomb. Struck by this phenomenon, the guards run away, and from that time on - from late on Saturday, around midnight on Saturday - the appearance to the wives occurs. And first of all, the resurrection becomes known to the Mother of God, who, as St. Matthew sat opposite the tomb, supported by Magdalene. But so that the natural closeness of the Mother (to the Risen One) does not give room for doubt about the resurrection, the evangelists say: first he appears to Magdalene Mary. She also saw an angel sitting on a stone, and then bending down (towards the opening of the coffin) she saw those inside (angels), who announced the resurrection of the Lord: “He has risen,” they say, “He is not here; this is the place where they laid Him.” Hearing this, she hurries to the fiery disciples Peter and John and preaches to them about the resurrection. When she returned with the other Mary, Christ met them and said: “Rejoice!” For the same race that had previously heard: “In tribulations you will bear children,” should have been the first to hear this joy. Under the influence of an uncontrollable desire to be more certain, they fall at His most pure feet. Then the apostles come to the tomb; Peter just approached the tomb and then left, and John goes inside it, examines it with great care, touches the shroud and headdress. Around dawn, Magdalena came again with other wives to more accurately verify what she had seen. Stopping near the coffin, she continued to cry; then, leaning inside it, she sees two angels, shining with lordship, who, as if reproachfully, turn to her: “Wife! Why are you crying, who are you looking for? You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, crucified; He has risen, He is not here." And immediately they stood up with trembling when they saw the Lord. As a result of this, the wife involuntarily turned back and sees Christ standing; but mistaking Him for a gardener (because the tomb was in the garden), he says: “Sir, if you carried Him out, then tell me where you laid Him, and I will take Him” (John 20:15). When she again leaned towards the angels, the Savior said to Magdalene: “Mary!” Hearing this sweet, familiar voice of Christ, she wanted to fall to Him; but He says (to her): “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, as you yourself admit, taking Me still for a man. Go to My brothers and tell them everything that you have seen and heard.” And Magdalene does it. At dawn, she again appears at the tomb with the other wives. Those who were with Joanna and Salome came at sunrise. In general, I must say that at different times wives came to the tomb, among whom was the Mother of God. She is the Mary whom the Gospel calls Josiah’s (mother) - and this Josiah was the son of Joseph. It is unknown, of course, at what time the Lord rose from the dead: some say that at the first rooster crow, others say when the earthquake occurred, and still others say otherwise. Meanwhile, some of the guards who were at the tomb came to the high priests and announced what had happened. The latter, having appeased the guards with money, persuade them to announce that His (the Lord’s) disciples came at night and stole Him. In the evening of the same day, when the disciples, fearing the Jews, gathered in one place and the doors were locked, Christ enters them, since he was in an incorruptible body, and, according to custom, preaches “peace” to them. Having seen the Lord, they rejoiced excessively, and through the breath (of Him) they perceive to the fullest extent the power of the All-Holy Spirit. How does the resurrection of the Lord turn out to be a three-day period, understand it this way: Thursday evening and Friday (for this is how the Jews measure the day) are one day; then night and all Saturday - the second day; the night of Saturday and Sunday (at the beginning of the part the whole is taken) another day: Here is the third day. Or even like this: at the third hour of Friday, Christ was crucified, then from the sixth hour to the ninth there was darkness - consider it night - and now from the third hour to the ninth one day (nightfall); then, after darkness, day again, and Friday night - two days; the day of the Sabbath and its night are three days. If on the third day, as He promised, the Savior did us good, then He fulfilled His good deed in the shortest possible way. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Conversation No. 1. About the service on the first day of Easter I. At the hour of midnight we are called to the church to meet the Lord, Who by His resurrection long preceded the rising of the sun. We still see the shroud here, we can still hear the same funeral songs that we heard yesterday. So, without a doubt, the whole night before the resurrection of the Savior, the lamentations and cries of the apostles and myrrh-bearers continued! II. a) But now the church is illuminated by many lamps, the whole is filled with incense - and the sweet premonition of the resurrection fills our hearts: in a few minutes Matins will begin. Finally, the royal doors open, and the clergy, like angels in shining bright robes, come out with the signs of the Conqueror of death, as messengers of heavenly, universal joy. Singing: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels are singing in heaven,” they go and with all the people leave the church, walk around the church, as if looking for the life-giving tomb of the Lord, and stop in front of the outer doors of the church, which at this time are closed, as if in front of the doors of a tomb from which the stone has not yet been rolled away. aa) Here, in the vestibule, Easter Matins actually begins. After the doxology of the Holy Trinity, the Primate three times proclaims life-giving joy to us, singing the troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead,” and excites us to repeat the same all-joyful song many times; then, as a sign that the Lord’s death on the cross has opened the doors of grace for us, he opens the doors of the church with the cross, and then the same joyful song resounds throughout the entire church and serves as the main basis for the entire service, the main tone of all Easter songs. This very beginning of the Easter service, so extraordinary and majestic, shows how different this service is from others. We see even more differences in the sequel. What high solemnity in everything! How sublime, sweet, expressive and joyful are the hymns with which David of the New Testament - St. John of Damascus, and what touching and magnificent sacred rites together! All prayers, all morning readings merge and turn into one, almost continuous singing of sacred joy. You can’t even hear (except in praise) the psalms of the Old Testament David, in which the Church so often instilled in us feelings of repentance. All you can hear is: “Christ is Risen!” Songs are heard expressing the joy and saving actions of the resurrection. bb) Even the Resurrection Gospel is not proclaimed at Matins - both because it is already proclaimed at the eve of the holiday, and because the entire Easter Matins is a living image and, so to speak, personification of the Resurrection Gospel. The solemnity is further elevated by the fact that the entire Easter service throughout Bright Week is performed at the open royal doors of the holy altar: we constantly contemplate here, as it were, an open sky, into which, following the Conqueror of hell, thousands of souls of believers entered, and “all with an open face, as in a mirror, looking at the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory” ( 2 Cor. 3:18). cv) Who doesn’t know the beautiful canon of Easter? Many people know Him and sing from memory: He is so sweet and easily imprinted in the memory! What lofty expressions of sacred delight! The holy singer calls on all creatures to celebrate the day of resurrection: “Let the whole world, visible and invisible, celebrate!” (canto 1). “Everything is now filled with light, and therefore let all creation triumph in the rebellion of Christ, by which it is established!” (canto 3). What can we compare our true joy with? “David played in delight in front of the ark - one canopy of Christ; but we see the very event typified by the glory of the ark - let us rejoice in the joy of the Divine!” (canto 4). “The present day is the king of Saturdays, the feast of feasts and the triumph of triumphs!” (canto 8). “Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, illuminated by the glory of the risen Lord!” (canto 9). But with such sublimity of expressions of delight, no less depth of thoughts and feelings. “Now is Easter, now is the passage from death to life!” (canto 1). “Come, let us drink a new drink, miraculously flowing not from a barren stone, but from Christ Himself, from the tomb who brought us the source of immortality!” (canto 3). “Behold, the prisoners of hell come to the light, praising the eternal Easter” (canto 5). “For You, O Christ, descended into the depths of the earth, broke the ropes of hell and opened the doors of paradise” (canto 6). “Now we celebrate the killing of death, the destruction of hell and the beginning of a new life, eternal” (canto 7). (Isn’t this the same triumph on earth now as in heaven?) “Behold, from all the countries of the world, your children come to you, Holy Zion, and glorify Christ forever!” (canto 8). But at the same time, another thought may arise: however, the Risen Lord is no longer with us! Saint Damascus anticipates this thought. He hears and tells us the divine and sweetest voice of the Risen One, Who promised to be with us until the end of the age, and together the singer prays, may the Lord grant us to truly commune with Him in the eternal days of His Kingdom (canto 9). d) After the canon, the choir sings a psalm of praise, in which the Angels and all the Heavenly Powers, the sun and the moon, all the elements and all people are called to praise the Lord, “for the name of Him alone has been exalted, His confession in heaven and on earth” (Ps. 149:13). Then - the Sunday stichera and the Easter stichera, which describe our new mysterious Easter, and finally, when, in the delight of sacred joy, the hymnist invites the faithful to embrace each other and forgive the enemies themselves everything for the resurrection, the whole church presents a touching and delightful spectacle. Both clergy and laity become like one joyful family and, kissing the cross and icons, kiss each other, exclaiming: “Christ is risen! “Truly he is risen!” Holy, incomparable spectacle! Thus, once upon a time, the most ancient Christians, confessors, hugged each other over the tombs of the martyrs, before the cup of the Life-giving Mysteries of Christ, vowing to live and die for the glory of the Lord. And so the faithful will meet again in the new heaven and on the new earth, greeting each other with endless new life! dd) But it’s time to give some calm to the enthusiastic feelings. And so, immediately after the joyful greetings, we stop in silence to listen to the brief, but filled with spiritual sweetness, word of Chrysostom, which so breathes with pastoral love and is so befitting of a truly high triumph of faith that the Church has made it one of the essential accessories of Easter Matins. The holy teacher calls for the triumph of the pious: “If anyone is pious and God-loving, let him enjoy this good and bright triumph!” He does not reject even the lazy and those who have not fasted from the general joy: “Abstinence and laziness, honor the day; those who fasted and those who did not fast, rejoice today!” He consoles all sinners: “No one weeps for sins, for forgiveness has come from the grave.” The very fear of death takes away: “Let no one fear death, for Savior’s death frees us. Christ is risen, and life abides; Christ is risen, and not one is dead in the tomb!” b) In some churches we also connect the Liturgy with Easter Matins; at least everywhere it is celebrated on the first day of Easter earlier than usual. So the Holy Church, like the mother of her children, hastens to reward us for the small feats of fasting and, as it were, suddenly opens to us all her treasuries of spiritual joy! Liturgy is the least susceptible to change. But the celebration of Easter here also puts its special stamp on almost all sacred rites. All the sacramental actions take place with the open gates of the altar, and we see the very communion of the clergy. The spectacle is sublime and touching! What happened in ancient times, when immediately after the clergy received communion, all the believers also received communion? Unfortunately, this sacred custom has ceased, although it was never prohibited. Nowadays, one communion remains a monument to him, sung on all the days of Easter: “Receive the Body of Christ.” (Testifying the pious zeal of our ancient brethren, does He not convict us of the impoverishment of piety?...) aa) The beginning of the Liturgy differs from the usual beginning in that after the Easter hours (which consist of Sunday songs) and the usual initial exclamation, the primate, holding a cross, a lighted candle and a censer in his hands, sings the song of resurrection three times with all the clergy and conveys the same song to the congregation; then, burning incense around the throne, throughout the altar and to the people, it spreads the stench of fragrance, like grace spreading everywhere from the life-giving tomb, now open and shining with the light of the resurrection. bb) High solemnity is also expressed in the Easter antiphons, borrowed from the psalms (65,66 and 67). The whole earth and all peoples are excited to glorify and honor the Lord Savior. “Shout to the Lord, all the earth! Let the whole earth bow and sing to You! Let people confess to You, O God, let all people confess to You!” Here we also hear the song of victory over the enemies of our salvation: “May God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered!” Lik quite appropriately adds New Testament prayer songs to the prophetic singing of the doxology: “Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior, save us. Save us, Son of God, risen from the dead, singing to Ti: Hallelujah!” And to the prophetic victory song - the victory song of resurrection: “Christ is risen from the dead!” cv) The Apostle is now reading from the book of Acts. The Church proposed to begin the circle of apostolic readings on the first day of Easter, and as a result, the first conception (the beginning of the book of the Acts of the Apostles) was to be learned on the first day of Easter. But it is not difficult to see that the narrative given to this holiday corresponds to its greatness. This is a description of the last appearance of the risen Lord to the disciples, when He promised to give them power to proclaim His resurrection throughout Judea and Samaria and even to the last of the earth. What else is our real triumph if not the product of this Divine power, which has spread faith in the Risen One to the last of the earth? d) Even more fitting for the celebration is the Gospel being read today - the initial gospel of the son of Thunder, John the Theologian: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Where is the Divinity of our Savior depicted more clearly and sublimely? John points to His glory, which He had before the world came into being: “All things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that was made” (John 1:3). He saw and will tell us the glory of His resurrection: “And we have seen His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). The reading of such a lofty Gospel in cathedral churches happens in different languages, to mean that the glory of our Lord has spread to all nations and is told in all the languages ​​of the world. In all churches, the reading is accompanied by the ringing of bells, which rings out after each section of the Gospel, as if announcing to all creation the same high gospel. dd) In the last part of the Liturgy, the peculiarity of the holiday is that instead of “Worthy” the Easter irmos of the 9th canto is sung (“Angel crying with more grace” and “Shine, shine, new Jerusalem”), and after the communion of the celebrants in the altar, to all the exclamations of the rector, the celeb responds with one song of resurrection: “Christ is risen from the dead”, and repeats the same song many times instead Psalm of dismissal “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Finally, the last exclamation of the priest (instead of: “Glory to Thee, O Christ our God”) is again the same song, which for a Christian never loses its pleasantness and beneficial power. The priest performs the dismissal with a cross in his hands, overshadowing the people with it and proclaiming: “Christ is risen!” . Thus, the image of the Lord, who suffered for us and rose again, is even more imprinted in the hearts of Christians going home. III. Now we, pious listener, lovingly greet you with the same joyful word: “Christ is risen!” , - and we desire nothing more than to imprint on our souls and yours the image of Him “who was delivered for our sins and rose again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). We are confident, beloved brother, that you, having spent the entire morning of this day in church in pious joy, will not be lazy to listen to the evening solemn singing of Easter. Then they will announce to us a new appearance of the Risen One - by the evening of the 1st day. Let us not miss this so instructive service, so that later we will not regret, as the Apostle Thomas once regretted, that we will not see the Lord who appeared to others. It is our duty, finally, to note that the ancient holy custom, preserved even today by the pious, is to not abandon a single church service throughout Bright Week. (Compiled from “Sunday Reading,” 1839–1840). A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the Easter service 1) “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and praise Thy holy resurrection: for Thou art our God; do we know no other to Thee” 45. “In the grave carnally, in hell with the soul like God, in paradise with the thieves, and on the throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirits, all burned and indescribable” 46. The glorious resurrection of Christ is the seal of the entire divine economy for our salvation, it is the crown and glory of all the saving actions of the Redeemer for the human race. The resurrection of Jesus Christ serves, firstly, as proof that He is the promised Messiah. A believer in the power of the resurrection of Christ will exclaim before the risen Lord, like St. to the Apostle Thomas: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), like St. to the Apostle Peter, confesses Him as the Son of God: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). Secondly, the resurrection confirms the truth of prophecies, types, and all the promises of God concerning our redemption. “Christ is risen three days from the grave.” This means that everything is true that He Himself and that His holy prophets previously predicted about His service to the human race - about His suffering, death on the cross and three-day resurrection, and all this came true in all detail and accuracy. “Do not be deceived by the Jews, become accustomed to the prophetic sayings and understand that He is truly the Savior of the world and the omnipotent” 47. Jesus Christ “was given over to be tortured and died on the cross for our sins and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). This means that without the resurrection of Christ our justification before God would not have been accomplished; but Christ rose from the grave - and the handwriting of our sins was torn: sinners received forgiveness and justification before God and all received adoption as sons to God. Christ was resurrected: this means that before the resurrection he died and suffered as a man. This means that He had true, and not illusory or imaginary human flesh, as some false teachers falsely thought and falsely taught; for in only true, or actual human flesh, a true, and not an imaginary, sacrifice could be made to God for the sins of the world; for the Divinity is impassive, and in ghostly flesh there could be no suffering, there could be no death on the cross, there could be no resurrection, for in ghostly flesh there is nothing to suffer, nothing to die, nothing to resurrect; Consequently, the universal sacrifice would not have been made to God, therefore, our justification before God would not have been accomplished and there would have been no atonement. But Christ has risen - and with Him our faith in our redemption and justification before God has risen. Christ was resurrected, and with that His humble state on earth ceased and His glorious dominion began in heaven and on earth: “Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every soul should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). Christ is risen; therefore, he will fulfill everything that he promised to the believers in His name by Divine grace, the sacred mystery communicated to us by the Church in the Holy Sacraments. The Heavenly King draws all believers into His grace-filled Kingdom and those who are obedient to the attraction of God’s grace, true sons of the Church of Christ, will be drawn into the blessed Kingdom of glory. “Consider, all of you, the joy of your Lord... No one weeps for misery, since the common kingdom has appeared. Let no one weep for sins, for forgiveness has risen from the grave” 48. 2) To those in hell Christ descended to proclaim the gospel: “Take heart in saying: now I am victorious, I am the resurrection, I will build you up, having destroyed the gates of death” 49 . “Thou hast descended into the nether regions of the earth, and shattered the eternal faiths that contain those bound, O Christ, and thou hast been born three days ago, like Jonah from the whale; thou hast risen from the grave” 50. Having made the universal great sacrifice by His death on the cross and redeemed us from the enemies of our salvation with His honest blood, our Lord Jesus Christ is looking for His children redeemed into His Heavenly Kingdom, and for this, first of all, according to the promise given to the universal Adam, He strikes the head of the serpent as the culprit of evil and all the troubles that came for sin to the human race, having the power of death and His dominion in Tartarus and hell, the devil kept the souls of all our brothers departing for the afterlife in hellish darkness. The King of Heaven descends into the underworld of the earth, destroys the kingdom of Satan, preaches salvation and redemption to the souls languishing in the captivity of the ruler of hell, and removes from it souls living by faith in the future and installs them in a land of peace and light. “The gates of death were opened to Thee, O Lord, with fear, and the gates of hell feared Thee, and Thou didst bring us out of darkness and these mortals, Thou hast torn our bonds to pieces” 51 . Thus, the victorious power of the Cross of Christ by the power of the Lord of glory crucified on it strikes first of all the prince of this world, and he is expelled from the grace-filled Kingdom of Christ. “Now everything is filled with light, the heavens and the earth and the underworld” 52. "Hell! Where is your victory? ( Hos. 13:14 ). “Before Christ and Abraham in hell, after Christ and the thief in paradise” 53. “Rejoice, people, and be glad: Christ is risen from the dead, Savior of the world” 54. 3) You destroyed the gates of hell, Lord, and through Your death you destroyed the mortal kingdom: “You freed the human race from corruption, giving life and incorruption to the world” 55. “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs” 56. “Now we celebrate the mortification of death, the destruction of hell, the beginning of another eternal life” 57. Our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us completely with His honest blood - both in soul and in body, He “saved me as a whole” man, and therefore it was necessary for “this corruptible,” that is, our mortal body, “to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal to put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). Having destroyed the dark kingdom of those who have the power of death, the Lord will destroy death itself by resurrecting the bodies of all those who have fallen asleep from time immemorial. He will perform the universal resurrection of the bodies of the departed for eternal, never aging and never ceasing life - just as “Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more: death no longer has power over Him” (Rom. 6:9), our dead bodies, having risen from the sleep of death, by the power of the resurrected Conqueror of hell and death will be clothed in the image of a heavenly man (1 Cor. 15:49), i.e. the resurrected one Christ, and will be incorruptible and immortal, not subject to mortal destruction. “The spiritual body is sown, the spiritual body is raised. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in humiliation, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness and raised in strength” (1 Cor. 15:44,42,43). But each body will be in accordance with the moral state of its soul, with which it will have to be united again for a new immortal life. “Not all flesh is the same flesh; but there is another flesh among men, another among beasts, another among fishes, and another among birds. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of those in heaven is one, and that of the earth is another. There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption” (1 Cor. 15:39-42). So the state of the resurrected bodies of both sinners and righteous people will be varied: “So that everyone may receive according to what he did while living in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). This worldwide miraculous resurrection of bodies will be accomplished by the power of the risen Conqueror of hell and death. He Himself, our resurrection and life, assures: “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,” announced on the last day by the trumpet of the archangel, “and having heard, they will live. And those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:25,29). “As in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall live, each in his own order: Christ the firstborn, then those who are Christ’s” (1 Cor. 15:22–23). “Christ is risen, and life abides. Christ is risen, and not one is dead in the tomb. For Christ, having risen from the dead, became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” 58. What joy, what peace pours into the soul of a believing Christian from this grace-filled Christian skill, which so radiantly illuminates the darkness of our tomb! Illuminated by this light of the Gospel, look, fellow believer, at the graves of our departed fathers and brothers, at the sacred Christian cemeteries as God’s fields, on which the bodies of the dead are sown and whose ashes are there, in the tombs, preserved for the future glorious universal resurrection. The cross that precedes the sacred conduct of the body to the grave, which in due time will be carried before my and before yours, brother, coffin - the crosses placed on the graves of our departed brothers, which a diligent hand, perhaps, will place over our ashes, serve as monuments of the glorious victory of the risen Lord over hell and death; these grave monuments seem to guard and watch over the remains of their dead for the day of the glorious universal resurrection. Let us keep in holiness and integrity both our soul and our body, which is the church of the Holy Body and Most Pure Blood of Christ and for which the resurrection is destined for eternal life. The body, as a constant companion and inseparable collaborator of the soul on earth, must share with the soul either eternal bliss or eternal torment in the afterlife: “So that everyone may receive according to what he did while living in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1). “Glorify God both in your body and in your soul, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). 4) “It’s Resurrection Day, and let’s brighten up the celebrations, and embrace each other. Let us cry, brethren, and forgive all those who hate us through the resurrection, and thus cry out: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.”59 The holiday of the Resurrection of Christ is called bright not only because of the glorious victory of the risen Lord over hell and death, but also because the Risen One was granted all-forgiveness and justification of all before the Heavenly Father, for “from the red tomb of righteousness the sun rose for us” 60. The fruits of the resurrection of Christ, like streams of grace, fall on the universal Adam, that is, on our living and dead brothers: on the rich and the poor, on the noble and powerful of the world, as well as on the inglorious and unknown to the world, on the virtuous and the vicious - the risen Lord calls everyone to enjoy the feast of faith. “If anyone is pious and God-loving,” St. proclaims in his ever-memorable sermon. Chrysostom - may he enjoy this good and bright celebration. If anyone has reached the point even at the tenth hour, let him not be afraid of delay: the God-loving Lord accepts the last as he did the first. And he has mercy on the last, and pleases the first, and gives to this, and bestows on this. And he accepts deeds, and kisses intentions, and honors deeds, and praises proposals” 61. With such an abundance of grace of the resurrection of Christ, pouring out all-forgiveness on all believers, believers must mutually declare all-forgiveness to each other. After the resurrection of Christ there should be no enemies in the Kingdom of Christ. Those who have received forgiveness must themselves forgive each other’s offenses. Everything that separates us from our neighbors and that arouses their envy and hatred towards us is very insignificant compared to the blessings that have been given to us by the risen Lord. And therefore love and unanimity should inspire all believers in the power of the resurrection of Christ. Console yourself, lesser brethren of Christ, with the grace-filled power of the resurrection, if the older brethren do not show you brotherly love and due attention. The risen Lord loves you; For the sake of the risen Lord, let us forgive everything to those who do not love us. Do not grieve, dear brother, over the loss of the love of those who will soon leave the earthly arena, but take comfort in the fact that you are loved by the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who lives forever in the unapproachable light. He found in your soul, as well as in those who do not love us, not our merit, but His old image, corrupted by passions, and He loved us and redeemed us. For you, for me, as well as for those who do not love us, the Lord suffered, died on the cross and rose again. It is not for nothing that our hearts burn with an extraordinary and inexplicable delight of joy when for the first time, on Easter Day, at Matins, we hear the grace-filled singing of the Sunday troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” 5) “Lord, the wives are going to the grave to see You, Christ, us for the sake of the sufferer. And when he came, he found an angel sitting on a stone, fear having fallen away, and he cried out to them, saying: The Lord is risen, shout to the disciples: for he has risen from the dead, saving our souls” 62. The holy myrrh-bearing wives, the most devoted disciples of the beloved Teacher, were not afraid of either the darkness of the night or the soldiers guarding His most pure body, and “while it was still dark” (John 20:1) they came to the tomb to perform the sacred rite of anointing the body of the Deceased with fragrant substances, but they did not find the most pure body in the tomb. An angel sitting on the tomb stone announces to them the good news that Christ has risen. That same morning, the risen Lord appears first to one myrrh-bearer, Mary Magdalene, and then to everyone walking back from the tomb to the holy city. So the first wife, seduced by the serpent, fell into sin, breaking the commandment of God, and for this brought condemnation on the entire human race, infected with original ancestral sin; and to the first wife the all-joyful resurrection of the Lord was announced, by the power of which our reconciliation and justification with God was accomplished and forgiveness and eternal life were granted from Him. Moreover, the first, before others, appearance of the risen Lord to the holy myrrh-bearing women shows that the Lord reveals the secrets of faith to the good feeling of a believing heart, and not to the cold reflection of an inquiring mind 63 . B. Historical information about the origin and significance of the church custom of starting worship on Easter Day at midnight The holiday of Easter in our Russian Orthodox Church has many features, compared with other holidays established in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The features relate to both the divine service, which sets this holiday apart from all other holidays, and some pious customs that are unique to this holiday. Our Church owes all these features, which give Holy Easter the character of high solemnity, to its spiritual mother - the Greek Church. At the head of Easter church features is the custom of beginning worship on this day at midnight. The question of exactly when Christians should begin celebrating Easter arose back in the 3rd century. The reason for raising such a question was the fact that in the Gospel itself there is no exact indication of the hour of Christ’s resurrection as the actual time of Easter. The evangelists described the visits to the tomb of the Savior in different ways, because both the disciples and the believing wives came to him at different times, and they all found the tomb of the Lord already empty and heard from the angels the news of the resurrection of the Lord. Thus, the evangelist Matthew says that it was “after the Sabbath”, “within the night”, that is, at dawn on the first day after the Sabbath (Matthew 28:1), “early, when it was still dark” - according to the remark of John the Theologian (John 20:1), “very early” - according to the remark of the Evangelist Luke (Luke 24:1) and “very early ... at sunrise sun” – according to the expression of the Evangelist Mark (Mark 16:2). Since the resurrection of Christ, according to His own prophecy, was supposed to take place over three days, it actually took place not before midnight, but in the first hours after midnight. Why didn’t the evangelists indicate exactly the time of the Lord’s resurrection? In response to this question, we will quote the words of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, who thoughtfully explained why the resurrection of the Lord took place invisible to anyone, but His ascension was visible to many. “No one living in the body,” says Filaret, “saw the resurrection of Christ in that secret moment of the night or deep morning when it took place. This was so, perhaps, by the very nature of this action, in which the visible body of Christ, transformed into spiritual and glorified, acted beyond the limits of the visible world. But it was arranged this way, probably also because faith was not yet ripe for this lofty contemplation; for the heavenly and Divine manifestation is for those who are prepared for it by faith an enlightening and life-giving light, but for those who are unprepared and unrefined it is striking lightning. This was probably how it was arranged in order to give place to the sublime feat of faith and the highest reward for it, according to the judgment of Christ: “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Conversation on the Ascension). Since the gospel narratives do not contain an exact indication of the hour of Christ’s resurrection itself, in the first centuries of Christianity not all churches began the Easter holiday at the same time. Some of the Christians, namely the Romans, stopped fasting and began the Easter holiday at the very midnight of the coming Easter; Some of the Eastern Christians began the holiday in the middle hours of the night before Easter, however, not before the first hour of midnight, and others - from the fourth watch, that is, from dawn. Regarding such diversity in customs, back in the middle of the 3rd century, Bishop Basilides of Pentapolis deliberately proposed a question to St. Dionysius of Alexandria about the hour at which fasting should end before the onset of the day of Holy Easter. In response to this, St. Dionysius wrote a rule in which he does not approve of those who excessively shorten the fast and end it before midnight, as Christians did in Africa, but approves of the abstinence of those who continue the fast until the end of the night, more precisely, until the fourth watch. Then, without determining the very hour of the onset of the Easter holiday, he only makes it a general rule not to stop fasting and not to begin the celebration of the resurrection before midnight (1st rights of Dionysius of Alexandria. “Experience in the course of church jurisprudence” by John of Smolensk, vol. 1, pp. 229–40). Disagreement on this issue continued for a long time, until, finally, the VI Ecumenical Council decided to stop fasting and begin the holiday in the middle hours of the night on Holy Saturday (69 rights). From this time on, a uniform custom was established everywhere to begin the celebration of Easter immediately after midnight. “On this solemn and significant midnight,” as Philaret of Moscow says in his homily for Easter, “the Church hastens to gather us to begin the celebration, thereby expressing our desire to capture the unprecedentedly high and miraculous minute of the resurrection hidden in these hours, so that the holiday, if possible, is one with the event being celebrated, since those celebrating are called to be one with the Creator of the holiday.” (See the Word of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, on Easter Day). Conversation No. 2. Homily at Matins for the Feast of Holy Pascha I. “Whoever is pious and God-loving,” says St. Chrysostom, who truly honors God and loves Him sincerely, “may he enjoy this good and bright triumph,” that is, the glorious resurrection of Christ, which we now celebrate and in which the Lord so wondrously showed His goodness to the human race, and wisdom in redeeming it from eternal destruction, and His power over the enemies of our salvation. II. a) “Whoever is a prudent servant,” who does not hide the talents given to him by God – time, strength and abilities – in vain, does not waste time on earthly affairs and pleasures, but wisely uses them to serve the Lord and acquire eternal bliss, “let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord,” may he be a participant in that spiritual joy that the Lord has prepared for His faithful servants, redeemed by the blood of the Savior (Matthew 25:21). b) “Whoever labored by fasting” - who during the past fast did not remain in idleness, but worked diligently on the work of his salvation, “and now receives a denarius” - will receive in the gracious fruits of the resurrection of Christ the reward that God promised to good workers (Matthew 10:10; 20:1-8). c) “Whoever has worked from the first hour,” fulfilled the will of God from childhood or from the time the Lord called him to His heirloom, that is, to the Church of Christ, “let him now receive the payment that is due to him in justice.” d) “Whoever came after the third hour” did not suddenly begin the work of God, but skipped a little time, “let him celebrate, thanking” God for his condescension to him. d) “Whoever managed to come at the sixth hour” came to the call of God even later, when half of his life had already passed, “let him not worry at all, for He will not lose anything” from the benefits that the risen Lord gives to everyone who wants to partake of them. f) “Whoever missed even the ninth hour,” slowed down even more and began to work on the work of God when the day of his life was already approaching evening, “let him approach without any doubt or fear,” for now “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Titus 2:11). g) “If someone managed to come only at the eleventh hour,” even one who entered God’s work very late, began to care about the salvation of his soul already in old age, “let him not be afraid of delay, for the master of the house, loving honor” and being generous, “accepts the last as the first, calms down the one who came at the eleventh hour, as if he had worked from the first hour,” giving everyone their due. “And he satisfies the first,” rewarding him with justice, “and he has mercy on the last” with condescension, “and he gives” what he deserves, “and he gives to him” according to His goodness; “and accepts good deeds” with joy, and “kisses” good intentions with love; “and the deed honors” as it should, “and the good disposition praises.” h) “Therefore, all of you, enter into the joy of your Lord. Both the first and the last receive bribes” from the merciful Lord! “Rich and poor, rejoice one another,” as children of one Heavenly Father! Those who labor and are lazy in the work of their salvation, “honor the present day” of worldwide triumph! “You who have fasted and those who have not fasted, rejoice now,” when heaven and earth rejoice and all creation celebrates! - “The meal is bountiful”; fill yourself with it, everyone. The “Taurus” slain for us is “large and well-fed”: no one should go away hungry! “Everyone enjoy the feast of faith” everyone enjoy the riches of God’s goodness! “Let no one complain of poverty,” for the Kingdom of Heaven has opened for everyone, in which a rich inheritance is prepared for believers. “Do not let anyone cry for your sins, for from the tomb” of the Savior “forgiveness has shone forth to all sinners” who wish to receive it. “No one should be afraid of death,” for Savior’s death freed us from it, unless we again become enslaved to it by our sins. “She was destroyed by the Life-Giver who embraced her - the Son of God who descended into hell “captured hell and grieved it.” “Having foreseen this long ago, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: “Hell hell has begun to move for your sake, to meet you at your entrance” (Is. 14:9). He was saddened because he was abolished,” he became empty; “he was upset: for he was ashamed” by the outcome of his struggle with the Savior; “he was grieved because he was killed”, he lost what constituted his life and strength; “he was grieved because he was deposed” from his throne and deprived of power over the human race; “I was upset because I was bound” and can no longer act with the freedom and strength as before. He took flesh and received God in it; took the earth and found heaven in it; I took what I saw and was subjected to what I did not expect. So God caught him with His wisdom! i) “Death! where is your sting? hell! where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55). Where is the sin with which you, death, hurt people? Where, hell, is your triumph over the human race? “Christ has risen, and the demons have fallen” - your servants, through whom you captured people. “Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice,” looking at the wondrous triumph of the Son of God and the salvation of men. “Christ is risen, and you are cast down” as a powerless enemy. “Christ is risen, and life is established” everywhere, even where previously there was an area of ​​death and corruption. “Christ is risen, and there is not one dead in the tomb, for Christ, raised from the dead, is the firstborn of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:20).” He was the first to rise as the head, and then all His members will rise, those who believe in Him and have His life-giving Spirit within them (1 Cor. 15:21–23; Rom. 8:11). III. Let “To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever!” Amen. (From the Words of His Eminence Plato, Metropolitan of Kiev). Conversation No. 3. About why on Easter the royal doors in holy churches are constantly open I. One of the features of the Easter holiday is that the holy gates leading to the altar, usually called royal, are open throughout Bright Week day and night, and the Christian sanctuary is open to the eyes of the entire Orthodox people. This is very unusual, majestic, and must be significant. Having entered the church, you are immediately amazed by this phenomenon and want to know what it means. II. What does this mean? Why are the royal doors always open? The Holy Church responds to this in its song: “Having kept the signs intact, O Christ, you rose from the grave and opened the doors of heaven to us” (6 hymn of canon trop. 1). This, brothers, is what the opening of the royal doors on Easter means. This means that Christ the Savior, having suffered for us, again opened the gates of heaven for us, and from the very moment of His glorious resurrection the entrance to heaven, to the Kingdom of God, was open for us. In commemoration of this opening by our risen Savior of the doors of heaven, the Holy Church opens the royal doors in churches on the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, so that every believer, seeing the open gates to the holy altar, knows that the Kingdom of God is now available to us and the entrance to the heavenly villages is open for us. a) Celebrating Holy Easter and looking at the open holy doors, shouldn’t we, brothers, rejoice that God’s paradise is again open for us? But you know that He was imprisoned by our sins, and we had to die without seeing the light and glory of God. God's mercy alone saved us. Only the Son of God, our Intercessor and Savior, opened the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven for us. “From now on you will see heaven open” (John 1:51), He said Himself, “from now on only, that is, from the time of His coming to earth, His suffering and resurrection. Yes, Jesus Christ - He alone opened the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven for us - and what a free, one might say - spacious entrance! Not only the righteous enter there, but also publicans, harlots, and repentant thieves. So great is the Lord in His mercy towards the human race! We know, brethren, that just as in the church on the days of the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ the royal doors are open, so during all the times of God’s grace, from the very minute of Christ’s resurrection from the tomb, the doors of the glorious Kingdom of God are open to us, the entrance to heaven itself is open for us, we know and thank our Benefactor God, we thank and heed ourselves. Listen, I say. b) The entrance to the Kingdom of God is open, but only those who are worthy enter - those who diligently, with living faith, accept the saving grace of God, who do not look only at the open gates of paradise, but also strive, go to paradise, follow the fulfillment of the holy law of Christ, good deeds, and an appropriate Christian life. We do not rely on the fact that we are called Christians and are among the believers. We remember what the Lord said: “Not everyone who says to Me: Lord! God!" He who does the will of My Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Let us not lose time precious for our salvation, in which we can earn and receive the Kingdom of Heaven given to us. After all, the celebration of Easter does not always continue. Bright Week will pass, and the royal doors will close. So are the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now they are open to us, and there will be a time when they will close, the doors of repentance and the doors of God’s mercy will close, they will close with the glorious coming of our Savior to earth or with each of us’s own death. III. Let us be careful, brothers, that even with the gates of heaven now open, we will not remain outside of paradise, deprived of the Kingdom of God. Let this be our constant care and concern. (Compiled from “The Sower of Piety” by Archpriest V. Nordov, vol. 2). Appendix to conversations No. 1–3. Stories of people being raised from the dead by the power of Christ's resurrection among the pagan world and Christians The power of the resurrection of the Lord, as the Gospel testifies, was apparently revealed on the first day of the resurrection, so that “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected and, coming out of the tombs after the resurrection of Him (the God-man), entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52–53). Then the same power inspired the apostles and other evangelists of Christ, through them it produced new miracles, revealed new life and new resurrections; then those extraordinary gifts were fully in effect, which were communicated to His chosen ones by He Who said: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). The Word of God testifies about the apostles that, while performing many miracles, they also raised the dead. Thus, the Apostle Peter in Joppa resurrected the charitable Tabitha and by this miracle created faith in the Lord in many (Acts 9:42), and the Apostle Paul in Troas raised Eutychus, who had fallen from a window, to life, and thereby encouraged many believers (Acts 20:9,11). Should we limit ourselves to just these examples? No! It is also fair to say about the miracles of the apostles described in the book of Acts what is said in the Gospel about the miracles of Jesus Christ Himself: “Jesus did many other miracles before His disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30), that is, He did not only before His disciples, but also through His disciples. Therefore, with full faith in the testimony of pious antiquity, we present here for believers several other examples of the resurrection described in the lives of the apostles and other great saints of God. It must be assumed that most of these miracles were performed to glorify the risen Lord among the unbelievers; but there are reliable legends showing that there were many such miracles for the glory of the Savior among the faithful themselves. Let us first give examples of the first kind. A . 1. There is a legend (from Hegesippus) that the Apostle Peter, while in Rome, put to shame the false wonderworker, the sorcerer Simon, with a true miracle. All the demonic power that was with the sorcerer could not awaken one dead young man to life; but the apostle, with his prayer, resurrected the dead man and made him a confessor of Christ: the resurrected one testified before everyone that He saw Himself, the Lord of the living and the dead, Jesus Christ, as He commanded the angels to return his soul to earth (“Cheti-Minea,” June 29). 2. There is also a legend about the Apostle Paul that in Crete he raised the dead son of the proconsul Rustil, a relative of Titov. Rustil previously did not believe the apostolic sermon and even laughed at it; but when he saw the power of Christ over his dead son, he immediately accepted Holy Baptism with his entire household. At the same time, many others were converted on the same island (Life of Apostle Titus, Aug. 25). 3. Ap. John performed many miracles on the island of Patmos, to which he was exiled by Domitian. They say that St. John resurrected a young man who had been strangled in a bathhouse by an evil spirit. This young man was the son of an idol priest and, having come to life in body and then in spirit, he aroused faith both in his father and in many others (Life of the Apostle John, Sept. 26). 4. Ap. Philip (of the 12), when he was still in Galilee, raised a dead child in the arms of a weeping mother, and then gave birth to her and him in the baptismal font. Later, when this apostle preached the Gospel in Hierapolis in Syria, and on the occasion of the burial of one dead man, the people shouted: “Let the teacher raise the dead, and we will all believe,” the inspired man actually performed this miracle. The dead man rose, told the people in what danger his soul was, which, he said, had already been dragged by two Ethiopians to Tartarus, and was the firstfruits of the Church of Christ in Hierapolis, who turned to the faith preached by St. Philip (Life of the Apostle Philip, November 14). 5. There is a wonderful story about the ap. Thomas, the Indian preacher, in which, in addition to other miracles, we find the miracle of the resurrection, the most instructive. The apostle, calling himself the builder of the royal chambers and squandering all the money received from the king in favor of the poor, fell for his wrath; but the Lord Himself, having brought the Tsarev’s dead brother back to life, through him revealed to the Tsar that the spiritual architect, St. Thomas had indeed prepared wonderful palaces in heaven, and all that was required was faith to enter them. After this, both brothers received from the same apostle (in Holy Baptism) the pledge of the Holy Spirit to receive the heavenly inheritance. About this same apostle in his life (Oct. 6) it is also written that in one city, when the Apostle Thomas was accused of murdering the son of a priest, He resurrected the murdered man, and the resurrected one pointed out the murderer in his own father. Now we will indicate several miracles of resurrection performed by the closest disciples of the apostles. 6. Saints Jason and Sosipater, disciples of St. Paul, on the island of Kerkyra (on the Ionian Sea) they confirmed the faith of many by resurrecting the dead son of the king (April 28). 7. St. Martyr Apollinaris, disciple of the ap. Petra, bishop of Ravenna, here raised the daughter of Prince Rufinus. The resurrected woman cried out: “Great is the God preached by Apollinaris, there is no other God besides Him!” And this miracle converted more than 300 people in the house of Rufinus and many other residents of the city to faith (July 23). 8. St. Julian, Bishop of Kenomania (in Gaul), also a disciple of the ap. Peter, carried out more than one resurrection in those countries. What was especially striking for the pagans was the resurrection of the son of one nobleman (Jovanian). When a young man prayed to St. Juliana was excited to life, he immediately began to denounce the wickedness of the pagans, testifying to them that the gods they bow to are none other than demons and that he saw them in hell (July 13). 9 . The Great Martyr Irene, daughter of Licinius, who owned the city of Magedon (adjacent to Macedonia), who was baptized by St., can be attributed to apostolic times. Timofey, Pavlov's student. They say that this holy virgin resurrected her father, who was killed by a furious horse, and thereby converted her entire house and up to three thousand of the people to Christ (May 5). Here are some more examples from subsequent times - martyrdom. 10. The Venerable Martyr Evdokia killed the daring, depraved young man with one breath, then with her prayer she returned him to life, and at the same time led him to the path of faith and virtue (March 1). 11. The martyr Christina, daughter of the Tyrian hegemon Urvan, suffered first from her father, then from another hegemon (under Emperor Severus). During her suffering, in addition to other miracles, she resurrected the dead - precisely the same sorcerer who brought poisonous reptiles to kill her and himself suffered from them. Then the resurrected sorcerer came to know the power of Christ, and with him many others turned to faith (July 24). 12. The Hieromartyr Charalampios, Bishop of Magnesia (who also suffered under Severus), performed many miracles in Antioch and, among other things, raised one dead man (February 10). 13. The Great Martyr Panteleimon (who suffered under Maximian in Nicomedia), when he was still a pagan and was studying the art of medicine, but from the Christian presbyter Ermolai heard about the true Heavenly Doctor, who could give life to the dead, he experienced the power of the name of Christ over a child bitten by a viper and a dead youth. This miracle of resurrection began a new life for Panteleimon: from that time on he became a free doctor by faith (July 27). 14. The glorious exploits of the Great Martyr George are known, who amazed Diocletian with both his patience with suffering and his miracles. It is also known that this great warrior of Christ, himself unharmed by the deadly poison, as proof of the even greater power of Christ, resurrected in front of everyone a dead man who had already been buried (April 23). 15. Let us conclude this series of life-giving manifestations of the power of the Lord with the example of the resurrection accomplished in countries close to us. Hieromartyr Vasily, Bishop of Kherson (exiled to Scythia under Diocletian), preaching the Gospel in Tauris, raised the dead son of a Kherson prince. They say that the deceased himself, appearing in a dream to his weeping parents, showed them a comforter in the holy bishop, and the saint brought life to the dead by pouring out sacred water on him, then in the water (of Baptism) he showed new grace-filled life both to the resurrected and to all who then knew the power of the One who gives spiritual and physical life (March 7). B. The resurrection of the dead, apparently, was needed for some infidels, for those pagans darkened by the meaning, to whom the doctrine of the resurrection, which exceeded all the concepts of their reason, seemed absurd. For such sensual people, these miracles were both sensual and spiritual evidence of the most important Christian truth. But why, it may be asked, such supernatural phenomena among the faithful? For believers, they say, extraordinary assurances are not needed. Do we know what exactly, to what extent and when is needed for whom? Is it not possible that among the most believers there is such a weak faith that to reinforce it sometimes requires no less force than to induce unbelief? Couldn't there be many other purposes of miracles that are very important in the order of God's providence? We cannot and should not determine these goals on our own, according to our own rules; But we will do best if we carefully look at the very manifestations of the miraculous power of God, and in them we recognize the purposes of Providence, which are always beneficial and instructive for us. With this intention, we reveal the legends about the saints of God and from them we extract the following examples of miracles of the resurrection performed among the faithful. What were the most common resurrections of the dead among believers, according to the ancients? Resurrection of children. Why is this so? We can see here the highest humanity and mercy of the Lord towards parents, who, mourning their children, are often close to despair. We can also see divine goodness towards the children themselves: for the Lord sees their future on earth, and if he returns them to this life, then, of course, because he foresees good here for them and from them, good that will prepare for them even better crowns in heaven than before - in their immature, infantile age. We cannot doubt God’s mercy towards our parents when we consider the cases in which they “received their dead raised again” (Heb. 2:35). The love of God, which always abides in the saints, moved their hearts at the sight of their crying parents and sometimes moved them as if involuntarily. 1. So, oh St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky we read how he, fearing vanity, for a long time did not agree to bend his knees to ask for the life of one baby held in the arms of an inconsolable mother, consulted with his deacon, and already convinced by his simple-minded advice, decided on such a high prayer. (See in the life of St. Spyridon, December 12). 2. Rev. Benedict of Nursia even wanted to flee when one father asked him to resurrect his son. “Let us run, brothers, we run,” the saint said to his disciples, “for the work of raising the dead is not ours, but the apostle’s.” Finally, when the mercy of God overcame his humble timidity, the man of God, kneeling with his brethren, cried out: “Look not at my sins, Lord, but at the faith of this man!” And this strong word suddenly moved the body of the deceased, and then completely restored his life. (See Life of Venedikt Ave. March 14). 3. The goodness of God moved the heart of St. even more wondrously. Sisoya. The father brought to him his son, who had died on the way, and laid him at the feet of the great elder, as if to worship him, and he himself, having received the saint’s blessing, walked away. Then the monk, with his usual kindness, said to the dead as to the living: “Rise, child, get out of here”; and the dead rose (Life of Sisoya Ave., July 6). The examples given show that it was not so much the will of the saints, but the very will of God, acting through them, that accomplished such wondrous deeds. Therefore, in those cases where we see the more active will of the miracle workers, let us remember that everything was done in them by the same all-good and all-powerful will of the Lord. 4. So, this will prompted St. Ambrose, who once lived in Florence with some pious spouses, rewarded them for their hospitality with a miracle similar to Elisha’s (2 Kings 4ff.), when they laid their dead child in the upper room where the great saint rested. (See his Life, December 7). 5. The same, of course, divine goodness bowed down Ambrosiev’s friend, St. Vassian, bishop of Laodicea, to resurrect a youth who had died from the bite of a snake. (His Life June 10). 6. This same divine goodness of St. She gave Simeon the Divnogorets such boldness that without leaving his pillar and without seeing the dead youth (left by his father in the house), he performed a miracle of resurrection, saying to his father: “Go in the name of the Lord, your son lives.” (His Life May 24). There were similar wondrous works of God’s mercy in our fatherland. 7. In the life of Rev. Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6) writes about his resurrection of one who drowned and another who died on the way to the monastery and that with his prayer he resurrected a youth whose father was taking him to him sick and brought back dead. 8. Rev. performed exactly the same miracle. Sergius of Radonezh, as narrated in his life (September 25). 9 . There are examples that dead children were resurrected with the relics of saints and even with some miraculous icons. Who would not believe the most enlightened shepherd, Blessed Augustine? (See De civ. Dei, LXXII p. 8). He testifies that in his time in Africa there were several miracles of resurrection at the relics of St. Archdeacon Stephen and that, by the way, one child was resurrected when they anointed him with oil from the holy relics, and another when they laid him on the hand of the first martyr. 10. We have reliable domestic legends about miracles at icons. So, in the monastery where the icon of the Mother of God of Tolga is kept, the four-year-old son of one Moscow dignitary Nikita, brought here dead, came to life while the funeral songs were being sung (see the legend in the “Cheti-Menaia” August 8), and John, the son of the Kazan king; who lived in Tver (under Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich), was resurrected when a copy of the Tikhvin icon was placed on him (The Legend of the Miracles of this Icon, June 26). We don’t know about all the children whose resurrection we saw in the examples given, what exactly they were like afterward. But we are completely convinced that their return from the realm of heavenly life to the earthly realm has always brought and increased good on earth. 11. As for the resurrection of the dead at the age of perfection, this shows the holy desire of the great miracle workers (and therefore the will of God) - to prolong the life of the dead for the repentance of themselves and to encourage others to do the same. This goal is especially visible in the resurrection of those dead whose death befell unexpectedly, for example, that shipman who was killed by falling from the mast and resurrected by St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (see in his life on December 6) and a worker who drowned in a well, resurrected by St. Diem. (See his Life on July 19). The revival of that unfortunate hypocrite, who thought to deceive St. with his feigned death, can also be attributed to this category. Jacob of Niziv in order to receive more alms from him, and meanwhile was punished for deception with actual death. (In the Life of St. James January 15). But this beneficial purpose is most obvious in the following examples. According to the legend of St. Gregory the Great, there was a presbyter Severus in Italy, who, when he did not find a sick man alive who demanded confession, was moved to such a strong, tearful prayer that the Lord immediately returned the soul of the deceased, and the resurrected one, having brought repentance, then lived for a whole week. (For the legend about this, see “Cheti-Minea”, January 27). In the life of Rev. Markella, abbot of the monastery of the never-sleeping, we read that this great saint of God, called to his sick brother and finding him already dead, resurrected him with his prayer. (See in the Life of Ave. Markella December 29). We find a similar example in the life of our Russian saint, Rev. Kirill Beloezersky (June 9). They say that when one monk, named Dalmat, died in the monastery without communion of the Holy Mysteries (the priest, called to the sick, could not leave the Liturgy), the monk asked for his life, and the resurrected one, having received communion, again fell into the sleep of death. 12. Close to the miracles of the resurrection is that some saints questioned the dead and they answered them. Yes, Rev. Macarius of Egypt asked the deceased husband of a poor woman about the pledge he had hidden, for the loss of which slavery threatened her and her children, he also asked one murdered man who his killer was, and received the desired answers (See his life, January 19). St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky forced his deceased daughter to say where she hid one jewel that belonged to another woman (December 12). 13. To save the pious from vain destruction, the Lord sometimes also uses the miracle of resurrection. So, when Rev. Palladius was threatened with execution on suspicion of murdering a merchant who had been planted in his cell. The Lord heeded the prayer of the righteous man and, to testify to the truth, resurrected the murdered man (January 28). About Rev. They write to Donata that he resurrected the deceased, whom the lender did not allow to be buried for non-payment of a debt - he also resurrected him to testify to the truth (April 30). All these examples in themselves serve as clear evidence of the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the dead. 14. But there were cases in which the miracle of the resurrection was performed directly in confirmation of the doctrine of the resurrection. The heretic Jerakith outraged many brethren in the Egyptian desert, rejecting the resurrection of the dead; but Rev. Macarius led the false teacher and the brethren to the cemetery and, in shame of heresy, called one dead man to life. Under Emperor Theodosius II, the same heresy spread in the East; then, as the ancient writers say, the Lord himself, as a testimony to the truth, raised seven youths in the cave of Ephesus, who had rested there during the times of pagan persecution (See the legend about this August 4). We believe that for the strengthening of the brethren in the hope of the future life and Rev. Patermufius resurrected his dead brother, who only answered the saint’s question: “Is it better for you to be there, with Christ, or here, with us?” and again went to the Lord (The Legend of this Patermufi, who was formerly a robber, July 9). (Compiled from “Cheti-Minea”), Conversation No. 4. About Easter greetings, about mutual kissing and about the custom of giving each other red eggs I. The nineteenth century has already passed since the resurrection of Christ; but the joy of this glorious event is still felt throughout the Christian world with the same vividness with which the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ felt it. “The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20), and what the Savior promised them before the onset of His suffering came true: “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). Now we do not see the risen Christ with our bodily eyes, but even without seeing Him, “you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). And how can one not rejoice at such joy! On the one hand, in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ His glory was revealed. Having triumphed over death by the power of His might, He showed the whole world that He was the Son of God, “I lay down My life that I may take it again.” (John 10:17). He performed many miracles during His earthly life; but the miracle of His resurrection is the crown of all miracles, the main support of our faith in the divine dignity of His person in the teachings. “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is in vain: you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). Through the resurrection He was revealed in all power to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). On the other hand, the triumph of the risen Lord is also our own triumph. For, according to the apostle, “Christ has risen from the dead, the firstborn of those who died... As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will live” (1 Cor. 15:20,22). Due to such extreme importance of the resurrection of Christ, the holiday in honor of the Risen One surpasses all other holidays in its dignity. He is “the King and the Lord in a series of Sundays, a feast of holidays and a triumph of triumphs” (Irmos of the 8th song of the Easter canon). Therefore, if every holiday disposes us to joy, then the Easter holiday disposes us to it primarily - according to this advantage, and congratulations on the Easter holiday differ from congratulations on other holidays by features peculiar only to this holiday. II. a) Greetings on Easter are usually expressed like this: “Christ is risen,” says one; “Truly he is risen,” replies another. On Easter week, this greeting is especially solemn: the holy churches during this week are repeatedly resounded with the exclamation of the clergyman: “Christ is risen!” and the unanimous and unanimous answer of all those present in the church: “Truly he is risen!” Sanctified by use in church, this joyful greeting is repeated in the hostel, during meetings with acquaintances and strangers, throughout the forty days of the celebratory remembrance of Christ's Resurrection. For the first time, the angel greeted the myrrh-bearing wives with the joyful words “Christ is Risen”... When the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb of the Savior with aromas to anoint His body, they saw there an angel whose gaze shone like lightning, and whose clothes were white as snow. They were horrified, but the celestial told them: “Do not be horrified! you are looking for Jesus crucified; He is not here, He has risen” (Mark 16:6). When we greet each other with the words: “Christ is risen,” we imitate this angel. And in answering this greeting: “Truly he is risen,” we become like the first disciples and disciples of the Lord, when, after His resurrection, they, talking among themselves about this event, said: “The Lord is truly risen” (Luke 24:34). Truly east! For the apostles and other disciples of the Lord, confirmation of the truth of His resurrection was the appearance to them of the risen Lord Himself, accompanied by many signs (Acts 1:3). This certification of the apostles is valid for all of us; but the Lord, who appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, is ready to rejoice us with the same happiness. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He makes His presence invisibly felt. His closeness to every believing soul who loves Him. For He Himself said: “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21). b) Believers seal the Easter greeting by kissing each other on the mouth, thereby expressing joy about the holiday and brotherly love. A feeling of joy always encourages friendliness and sociability. Anyone who is happy about something, who is in a cheerful mood, usually looks at everyone with love, is ready to do good to everyone, forgive an offense, press everyone to his heart. The Holy Church has in mind this very quality of joy when, on the holiday of Easter, she calls us all to embrace each other, to say to our neighbor, no matter who He is: “you are my brother,” and to forgive all those who hate us for the sake of the resurrection, when she invites us to kiss each other as a testimony of joy and love. Joy is always friendly, but it should be especially so on the Feast of the Resurrection. For the Savior Himself, on the day of His resurrection, was not ashamed to call His disciples His brethren as a sign that, despite His humanity glorified by His resurrection, His union with them, overlaid with still rough flesh, became even closer than before, akin, as if by blood. “Go to My brothers,” He said to Mary Magdalene (John 20:17). “Go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me” (Matthew 28:10), He said to the other myrrh-bearers. So, if the Lord Jesus, when His very humanity appeared glorified through the resurrection, did not disdain to call people His brethren, can we, remembering the Risen One, forget that we are all brothers? Can we rejoice in the resurrection and not share our joy with all our neighbors, as our brothers and friends? That is why the Holy Church, which always reminds us of brotherhood, on the Easter holiday mainly reminds us of it through the kiss, which, according to its charter, we must give to each other. It goes without saying, of course, that as a sign of brotherhood, this kiss should be purely brotherly, holy. “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16). Those who kiss should have one thought - about Christ. Whoever, under the pretext of declaring Christ, begins to kiss with an unclean thought, is guilty of the sin of blasphemy. c) The Easter greeting is also associated with the custom of giving each other eggs painted red. This custom has existed since the earliest times of Christianity, judging by the fact that it is preserved in all countries where there is an Orthodox Church, among all Orthodox peoples separated from each other by place of residence, language, mode of government and not always agreeing with each other in some particulars of Christian worship itself. It is remarkable that the same custom was preserved in those church societies that very early, in the 5th and 6th centuries, separated from the unity of the Orthodox Church, for example, among the Armenians, Maronites and others. There is no doubt that it was inherited by these societies from the Orthodox Church, before their separation from it, along with many other pious customs. According to legend, the custom of giving eggs on Easter dates back to Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene. After the Ascension of the Lord, says legend, Mary Magdalene traveled to different countries preaching the Gospel and came to Rome itself. Here she appeared to Emperor Tiberius and, presenting him with a red egg, said: “Christ is risen!” And then she began her sermon. Mary's example inspired other Christians to give each other red eggs on Easter. It should be noted, however, that the custom of giving red eggs came into general use not only due to imitation, but also due to a special, internal significance. Firstly, the Easter egg should remind each of us of the resurrection of the Savior and of our future resurrection; for just as from an egg, from under its dead shell, life is born, which was completely hidden by it, so from the tomb - the dwelling of death and corruption - the Giver of Life rose, and one day all the dead will rise to eternal life. Thus, by giving eggs to each other, we confess our faith in the dogma of the resurrection of Christ and the future general resurrection, the guarantee of which we have in Christ’s resurrection. Secondly, the egg serves as a sensory sign of our spiritual rebirth, or resurrection into spiritual life. All people in a natural state, alien to grace, until they are reborn by the grace of Christ, are like a lifeless egg. But just as a living creature is born from an egg hatched by a bird, so Christ, who compares Himself to a kokosh (Matthew 23:37), spiritually revives our nature, dead by sins, with His grace, warming it with its warmth, just as the kokosh warms an egg with its inner warmth. Thirdly, the color of the Easter egg itself is significant. With its red color, it reminds us of the blood of the Immaculate and Most Pure Lamb, Christ, shed for us on the cross, with which He washed away our sins and thereby delivered us from eternal death. (See “Voronezh Diocesan Gazette”, 1889, No. 7). III. These, my brothers, are highly instructive and at the same time deeply joyful lessons that our holy mother the Church teaches us by establishing the sacred rite of Easter Christhood. Let us imprint them not only in our minds, but also in our hearts and in our entire soul. Appendix to conversation No. 4 Explanation of some symbolic actions before the start of Easter Matins 1. At deep midnight we come to the church of God. Here the tomb of Christ still stands and the same funeral songs that were sung on Saturday morning can be heard: With a wave of the sea... But now this funeral singing falls silent, reminding us of the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers when they “early morning” went to the tomb of their Divine Teacher to anoint His life-giving body with fragrant substances. Candles and lamps are lit everywhere, pouring bright light into the church. 2. From the altar, as from a distant sky, one can hear the singing of an angelic song: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart.” The Resurrection of the Savior first of all became known in heaven, and this joyful news was brought to us from heaven: angels appeared as the first messengers of the resurrection of Christ on earth. When the myrrh-bearing wives, after the Sabbath, at dawn of the first day, came to the tomb of the Savior, they were amazed that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb and they no longer found the Lord in the tomb itself. Suddenly angels appeared to them and announced: “Why are you looking for the living with the dead? He is not here: He has risen." 3. Are these not the Angels, the messengers of the Resurrection of Christ, that we remember when we see priests coming out of the altar, dressed in white shiny clothes? 4. Singing an angelic song, the clergy leave the church and, together with all the people, walk around the churches. Doesn't this procession remind us of the earlier, still in the darkness, procession of the myrrh-bearing women to the tomb of the Lord? But the myrrh-bearers no longer found the Lord in the tomb: “He has risen,” the angels told them, and the Lord Himself appeared to the myrrh-bearers when they were returning from the tomb, and said to them: “Rejoice!” Stopping in front of the closed doors of the church, we ourselves are waiting for something extraordinary, as if we feel the appearance of the risen Lord. 5. “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs,” the priest sings. In this victorious song of the resurrection, we hear the voice of the Lord Himself, telling us, as the myrrh-bearing women once did - “Rejoice!” Singing this joyful song, we enter the brightly consecrated church. Out of completeness of feeling, this joyful song “Christ is Risen” is repeated several times. Conversation No. 5, in which the Paschal troparion is explained “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.” I. Has it ever occurred to anyone to ask: why does the Holy Church repeat this song so often and repeatedly? There is no doubt that, having carefully delved into the content of the song, everyone will understand the reason for this - they will understand that this song so clearly reveals the reason for our real joy, the reason for worldwide joy and bright triumph. II. a) “Christ is risen from the dead.” Few words, but how much they tell us! How much content they contain for thought and feeling! They remind us of that great event that preceded the resurrection of Christ and which, in the past days of Holy Week, the Church so touchingly and instructively reminded and revealed to us and so carefully affirmed in our thoughts and memory. Christ, the Son of God, took on human nature, just as weak as ours, except that it was alien to sin. Christ, the Son of God, having taken on our nature for our salvation, lived on earth among men, as a man endured human needs, hungered, thirsted, was exhausted from exploits, endured insults and persecution from enemies, and finally suffered and died on the cross. Think that all this happened for us, for our salvation. For our salvation, the Son of God became man; To appease the righteous God, angered by the sins of people, Jesus Christ in our nature endured labor, sorrow, suffering and death. But death could not long keep in its domain the Author of life, from whom all things came and who contains all things in being, “holding up all things by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). Therefore Christ rose from the dead on the third day. But why was it necessary for Christ, the only begotten Son of God, to suffer death along with the dead? Listen, beloved, to the songs. b) “Trample death upon death.” Christ suffered and died in order to trample underfoot our death, which from the time of Adam’s crime had dominated over all the descendants of Adam, as the apostle teaches: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned in him” (Rom. 5:12). Christ died to take away the power of death, which before the death of Christ was terrible and terrible, because it brought everyone down to hell. Christ, while His human soul was separated from the body and the body, taken from the cross, was laid in the tomb, with His soul descended into hell and announced there His victory over hell, that is, this joyful and longed-for news that He, with His suffering and death on the cross, satisfied the truth of God, appeased the angry God, and to all who, by faith, expected deliverance from Him, the promised Savior of the world, grants freedom from death and eternal life. This is what the words mean: “Trampling death upon death.” c) “And to those in the tombs he gave life.” This great blessing of God belongs not only to the dead, who expected salvation by faith in the promised Savior, but also to all of us, the living, who believe in Jesus Christ. “How can this be?” - someone will ask. Are we really alive - in graves? Yes, yes. There is no doubt about this that whoever does not believe in Christ does not have true life in himself, he is dead, that is, he is deprived of the saving grace of God, without which the soul is dead and cannot have true peace and joy, he is under the wrath of God and is subject to eternal condemnation. Christ the Savior teaches us this great truth, saying: “He who believes in the Son, that is, in Him, the Only Begotten Son of God, the Savior of the world, has eternal life, and he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36), i.e., that wrath of God, which is inherited from Adam to all his descendants, that righteous condemnation that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are kept in the realm of death. The Lord also says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life” (John 5:24). What does it mean to “have eternal life?” Jesus Christ explains this in prayer to God the Father: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). III. So, brethren, you see how significant the church hymn is: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” She briefly reminds us of the entire gospel teaching. It elevates our mind and heart to Jesus Christ, the Son of God for our salvation, who assumed human nature; recalls His greatest and indescribable blessings, His exploits in the flesh, His suffering and death on the cross as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world. His presence in the region of the dead - body in the tomb, and soul in hell - His victory over death and hell, the destruction of the dominion of death by His resurrection from the dead, the granting of life to the dead - “those in the tombs”, the granting of eternal life to all who believe in Him, and therefore to us. (Compiled from the “Sermon” of Eusebius, Archbishop of Mogilev). A. Explanation of the Easter Song Resurrection day, let us enlighten people, Easter, the Lord's Easter! from death to life and from earth to heaven, Christ our God has brought us singing in victory. In this hymn, the sacred hymn writer John of Damascus calls believers to the joy of the resurrection. “Let us be enlightened, people,” he says, that is, let us rejoice and be glad. Cheerfulness is called light because, when reflected on the face, it makes it bright, radiant - in contrast to sadness, which, like a gloomy mood of the soul, covers the face with darkness and makes itself felt by a gloomy expression in the eyes. And when should we rejoice more than on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ? This is truly a bright holiday, the brightest of all Christian holidays, this is Easter, the Passover of the Lord, as great a holiday in the New Testament Church as the Easter holiday was in the Old Testament Church. The latter was installed in memory of the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. This slavery, or slavery, was hard. The Egyptians imposed backbreaking work on the Israelis, field and construction, severely punished them for failure to complete assigned work, killed newborn male babies - all this in order to reduce their numbers, kill their dreams of freedom, their inclination to revolt. The Lord took pity on the oppressed Israelites and demanded that Pharaoh let them go into the desert, even for a short time, to serve the Lord. Pharaoh did not listen. The Lord sent ten miraculous plagues on Egypt and the last of them - by beating the Egyptian firstborns from man to cattle in one night through the destroying angel - forced Pharaoh to release them from Egypt. On the night of this event, the Jews had to sacrifice an immaculate lamb, smear its blood on the doors of their homes and then eat it. The Lord commanded to call this sacrifice and supper the Lord's Passover. Easter means passing by. This institution was so named because on the night of this sacrifice and supper, the destroying angel, who struck the firstborn of Egypt, passed by Jewish dwellings marked with the blood of a lamb and left the firstborn living in them untouched (Ex. 12:12–13). From then on, the ritual of the Passover sacrifice and supper, by command of the Lord, was to be performed annually, and the time of its celebration became the most important Old Testament holiday as a celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. The Lord commanded to celebrate it forever, throughout all generations (Ex. 12:14), - not until the end of the age, but throughout the entire existence of the Old Testament law, that is, until the coming of Christ, for “the end of the law (of the Old Testament) is Christ” (Rom. 10:4). The law on the Old Testament Easter has lost its binding force since the new Easter, the new Easter sacrifice, which was prefigured by the Old Testament Easter sacrifice, appeared in the person of Christ. This prototype is indicated by St. John the Theologian, when speaking about the fact that the soldiers did not break the legs of the crucified Jesus, notes that “This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Let not His bone be broken” (John 19:36). The evidence of this Scripture is contained in the Old Testament commandment given by the Lord and written down by Moses, so that when eating the Passover lamb, its bones should not be crushed, that is, not separated from the body (Ex. 12:10). Therefore, the Paschal lamb in this regard was the image of Christ, Who is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, destined to be slain for us before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8) and actually slain on the cross for us, as a sacrifice similar to the Old Testament Paschal sacrifice, as St. Apostle Paul: “Our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). Christ is called Easter here in the sense of the New Testament Paschal lamb, as the Church sings: “Christ is the new Paschal, living sacrifice, Lamb of God, taketh away the sins of the world” (chorus to the 9th song of the Paschal canon). In the same sense, we should understand the exclamations of the Easter song we are considering: “Easter, the Lord’s Easter!”, that is, the day of resurrection, which arouses spiritual joy (let us be enlightened), is the day of celebration in memory of the new Easter sacrifice in the person of Christ, the Lamb of God. This sacred memory is celebrated with touching solemnity during the days of Holy Week, which was therefore called “Easter of the Cross” in the ancient Christian Church, as dedicated to the glorification of the Easter sacrifice on the cross. But if the day of the Bright Resurrection is also called Easter, this is explained by the fact that Christ was crowned with the glory of the resurrection from the dead and honor, according to the word of the Apostle, for accepting death (Heb. 2:9), that is, for making the sacrifice of the cross, prefigured by the sacrifice of the Old Testament Paschal lamb. Therefore, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ is inseparable from the celebration of the Cross. And if at the service of every Sunday the Church commands us to glorify the Resurrection of Christ together with the Cross: “Glory, Lord, to Your honorable Cross and Resurrection,” then isn’t it most appropriate to glorify Christ on the bright day of Resurrection, which takes precedence among all Sundays, to glorify Christ as the Lamb of God, who died on the cross and rose again? The Resurrection of Christ is worthy of glorification in itself, as an amazing miracle, as an extraordinary action of divine omnipotence; for it is unheard of for anyone to resurrect himself, as Christ resurrected Himself, according to His prediction (John 10:18). But the greatness of this miracle should be judged mainly not by its amazingness, but by its saving power for us. And in this respect, the New Testament Passover, or Paschal sacrifice, immeasurably surpasses the Old Testament. The Old Testament Passover sacrifice was saving because by its blood the firstborn Jewish children were saved from death and that this was immediately followed by the salvation of the entire Jewish people from Egyptian captivity. But Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for us and resurrected, gave people incomparably greater benefits, and if the Jews rejoiced at the salvation of their firstborn and their immediate exodus from the land of Egypt to the land of Canaan, then we, Christians, have incomparably more reasons to rejoice at our Easter. What are these blessings for which we should glorify Christ with great joy on Easter? “From death to life and from earth to heaven, Christ God has led us in victory, singing”: these are the blessings that Christ, our Easter, has given us, and to the joy of which the Holy Church so enthusiastically invites us through the mouth of the hymnist: “Let us be enlightened, people,” the Jews rejoiced that by the blood of the Paschal lamb their firstborn were delivered from death. But the blood of the New Testament Lamb Christ saves all people from death. 1) Christ not only triumphed in His person over death, rising from the dead, but with His resurrection laid the foundation for the general resurrection. “Christ rose from the dead, the firstborn of those who died. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will live” (1 Cor. 15:20,22). 2) Having defeated death, Christ at the same time defeated the devil, who had the power of death, who was the author of death in the human race, inspiring our first parents to neglect the threat of death spoken by the Lord to warn them from disobeying His commandments. By His death and resurrection, Christ gave us the guarantee of deliverance from not only physical, but also spiritual death, which consists in the fact that the soul is deprived of the grace of God and at the same time spiritual light, joy and bliss. This grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Baptism. A person who has died in sin for spiritual life comes to life in the Sacrament of Baptism, which is spiritual birth (John 3:5). The regenerating power of the Sacrament of Baptism depends on the death and resurrection of Christ. “Do you not know,” says the apostle, “that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Therefore, Christ gave the commandment to perform baptism after His resurrection, saying to the apostles, to whom He appeared after the resurrection: “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). 3) Christ, by His death and resurrection, granted us deliverance not only from physical and spiritual death, but also from the second death (Rev. 20:6), or eternal destruction - from eternal hellish torment. In the hope of this deliverance, we are strengthened by the fact that Christ has conquered hell. Lying body in the tomb, He descended with His soul into the region of eternal death, into the prison of hell, and brought from it not only the souls of the righteous, but also great sinners, such as Noah’s contemporaries who perished in the waters of the Flood. For their untruths, they suffered in hell, but for their repentance, which began at the moment of drowning, they were honored to hear the sermon of the Savior who descended into hell, and without a doubt they were pardoned. Likewise, Christ the Savior, as having the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18) and possessing the living and the dead, opens the gates of hell and, through the prayers of the Church, frees from there sinners who, during their lifetime, at least in their dying hours, began to repent, and who departed to another world with faith in the priceless merits of the Redeemer, who by His descent into hell abolished the power him. 4) A new advantage over the Old Testament and New Testament Easter, the Easter hymn under consideration indicates that Christ has taken us from earth to heaven. Celebrating their Passover, the Israelites celebrated their transition from one land to another, from Egypt to Canaan, to a land boiling with honey and milk, and in general an abundance of earthly goods. But Christ led us not from one earth to another, but from earth to heaven: “By His resurrection He renewed our ascent into heaven,” as expressed in one of the Sunday stichera (4th tone). Just as He Himself, after the resurrection, ascended into heaven and glorified human nature in His Person by sitting at the right hand of God the Father, so He prepared for us a dwelling in heaven, according to His promise. Talking with his disciples about His departure to the Father, He told them a promise; “I’m going to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be” (John 14:2–3). He, by His ascending into heaven, appeared for us as a forerunner (Heb. 6:20), and paved the way for us from earth to heaven. Until the general resurrection, souls enjoy bliss in heaven, and after the resurrection, bodies will also participate in this bliss. These are the great benefits Christ gave us through His death and resurrection - our Easter. It remains for us to accept these gifts from Him not only with gratitude, but also with care to become worthy of them, so as not to lose them otherwise. Christ, our Easter, “has brought us from death to life”; – By His resurrection He gave us hope of resurrection. Indeed, everyone will one day be resurrected, but not all to bliss. “Truly, truly, I say to you,” said the Lord, “the time is coming, and has already come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live... And they who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:25,29). So, in order to be worthy of the blessed life after the resurrection, one must prepare for it by doing good, and one can successfully practice doing good only with the help of the grace of God, which is communicated in the Sacraments. About one of these Sacraments as a necessary condition for achieving the blessed resurrection, the Lord Jesus said: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54). Christ “brought us to life from death,” not only physical, but also spiritual, by regenerating us in the Sacrament of Baptism. But woe to those who did not retain the grace of Baptism and who defiled themselves with sins and unrepentance after Baptism! “They,” let’s say in the words of the Orthodox Catechism (about Baptism), “are more guilty of their sins than the unbaptized, because they had special help from God for good and rejected it.” “For if, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome by them, then the last thing for them is worse than the first” (2 Peter 2:20). Но как ни жалко положение таких людей, оно не безнадежно. Those who have defiled themselves with sins after Baptism can be cleansed through repentance and be reborn again to spiritual life - pass from death to life. Christ - our Easter - delivered us from eternal death in the torments of hell, or from eternal destruction. To avoid destruction, we just have to avoid the paths leading to it. These paths, according to the Savior’s word, are wide and many follow them, moving away from the narrow and regrettable path leading to life (Matthew 7:13–14), that is, to the Kingdom of Heaven. “Christ brought us from earth to heaven,” - with His resurrection He opened the entrance to heaven to all who desire salvation. What does it take to enter the Heavenly Kingdom following Christ? We must follow the apostle’s instruction: “Seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God; Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1–2); we must remember that while we live on earth, we are all strangers and strangers, that our fatherland is in heaven, that we do not have an abiding city on earth, but must seek the one to come (1 Peter 2:11; Heb. 13:14), that, consequently, we must in every possible way refrain from attachment to earthly goods, not attach our hearts to them for fear of losing treasures in heaven, prepared only for those who, living on earth, value them most of all and strive zealously to achieve them. (Extracted in abbreviation from “Soulful Reading” for 1893, April). B. Explanation of the Easter stichera: “The sacred Easter has appeared to us today, the new holy Easter, the mysterious Easter, the all-honorable Easter, the Easter of Christ the Redeemer, the immaculate Easter, the great Easter, the Easter of the faithful, the Easter that opens the doors of heaven to us, the Passover that sanctifies all the faithful.” Few Christians do not know this stichera by heart. Not only older people, even many young children can “sing Easter.” But it is very far from being able to sing to understanding what is being sung. From young children, a clear understanding, given their early age, cannot yet be demanded; it is also commendable that they, even with their lips, only glorify the risen Lord and thereby become like the infants who sang the glory of the Lord at His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and denounced with their song the proud and arrogant Pharisees with their imaginary righteousness (Matthew 21:15-16). Unfortunately, many of those of age are not very good in understanding the stichera of Easter, and others are even no different from senseless babies. Meanwhile, in these stichera, for all their brevity, the most majestic features depict the celebrated event and the fruits of redemption. The stichera of Easter that we have cited is replete with the depth and significance of the thoughts contained in it. Every word in it is a new thought. Therefore, for the glory of the risen Lord, we offer a feasible explanation of it to the attention of right-thinking readers. Easter. The Hebrew word "passover" is used in more than one sense in the Holy Scriptures. Then it means the “passing” of the 64 destroying angel, who passed through the houses of the Jews in Egypt without destroying the living (Exodus 12:11–13,26–27); then in general the word “Easter” means the continuation of the entire holiday of the Jewish Passover (Lev.23:4–5; Luke 2:41;22:1; John 2:23); then this word means the Passover lamb, for example: “And Moses called all the elders (sons) of Israel and said to them: choose and take for yourselves lambs according to your families and kill the Passover” (Ex. 12:21). About the Passover before the suffering of Jesus Christ it is said in the Gospel: “On the first day of unleavened bread, when they buried the Passover lamb” (Matthew 26:17–19; Mark 14:12,14–16; Luke 22:7–15). In the stichera we are explaining, the word “Easter,” judging by the qualities attached to it, for example, “immaculate Easter,” must be understood in the last of the senses shown by us, that is, in the sense of the Passover lamb. Only here we are not talking about the Old Testament Paschal lamb, but about the New Testament, Divine Lamb, slain on the cross for the sins of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the sense of the Paschal lamb, the name Easter applies to the Lord Jesus Christ and St. Apostle Paul. “Our Passover,” He says, “Christ was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). In the same sense, the name Easter is applied to Jesus Christ in the Easter canon, for example: “Christ is the new Easter, living sacrifice, Lamb of God, taketh away the sins of the world” (Song 9th chorus). Sacred. The concept sacred, when applied to an object or thing, marks their separation or withdrawal from similar ones or from ordinary use and their definition as a holy, divine matter. In this sign, persons dedicated to the service of God, churches of God, books of the Word of God, and church vessels are called sacred. In the same sense, this name was characteristic of the Old Testament Passover lamb, which was intended for a special, holy, divine work - to preserve in the Jewish race the memory of its miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12:26-27), and most importantly - to symbolize the Divine Lamb of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore a few days before the slaughter we chose and separated it from the flock ( Exodus 12:3–6). But to an incomparably greater extent the name sacred belongs to the New Testament Lamb, our Lord Jesus. From eternity he was chosen in the council of God to be slaughtered (Heb. 10:5-7), and therefore is called in the word of God the Lamb, predestined before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20), also slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). He is not only a sacrifice to God, but also God Himself; He was not only sacrificed for the sins of the world, but He Himself is a priest, or high priest, who offered Himself on the cross and still offers Himself in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He is the sacrifice from which all the Old Testament sacrifices received their power and without which they would have no meaning. Show us today. “Today appeared” - this means that the Paschal Lamb of the New Testament, who died on the cross and was laid in the tomb, in the glory of the resurrection appeared before us now from the tomb, like a bridegroom from the palace, and thereby made us understand the saving power of His suffering and death for us. They became saving for the human race precisely as a result of His resurrection from the grave. If it were not for His resurrection, then His death on the cross would have no value or dignity (Luke 24:19-24), then faith in Him itself would not exist (1 Cor. 15:14,17). New saint. This concept is applied to the Divine Lamb mainly to show His superiority over the Old Testament lamb. And the latter could be called holy in the sense of sacred, sanctified, destined for a holy cause. But the Old Testament Passover Lamb, as a simple animal, was not morally holy. This is not at all like the New Testament Passover Lamb. As not only man, but also the true God, He Himself is holy and righteous and at the same time is the source of sanctification for people. Easter is mysterious. Jesus Christ is called the mysterious Paschal Lamb in the sense that the work of our salvation through His blood is “a mystery hidden from ages and generations, but now (and only now) revealed to His saints” (Col. 1:26). Not a single wise man could have imagined that for our reconciliation with God, the Son of God Himself had to suffer and die in the flesh that He assumed - that the instrument of our salvation could be the instrument of a shameful death penalty. This means of our salvation could only be conceived by the wisdom of God; it cannot be accommodated by carnal minds: the word of the cross “is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks” (1 Cor. 1:23). In addition, the New Testament Lamb is called mysterious because in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which received its origin from Himself, He is savored mysteriously, under the forms of bread and wine, and will be eaten until the end of the age by believers (1 Cor. 11:26). All-honorable Easter. Great was the humiliation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but great was the honor He deserved. The New Testament Passover Lamb became the subject of universal honor, glorification and worship, both in heaven and on earth. He “humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil. 2:8-10). The holy seer John the Theologian saw four mysterious animals giving glory and honor and thanksgiving to the Lamb who sits on the throne, who lives forever, and also saw how twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, worship Him and, laying their crowns before the throne, say: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” (Rev. 4:7-11). Easter Christ the Redeemer. Just as the Israelites were saved from the destroying angel by sprinkling the blood of a lamb on the doors of their houses, so Christians are delivered from eternal destruction by the blood of the New Testament Lamb, who suffered and died for us. The Fathers of the Church speak about it this way: “The sprinkling of blood on the doors saved the Israelites; so the blood of the true Lamb of Christ delivered us from the curse of the enemy and eternal death. For us, the saving blood shed by Christ on the cross served as life and redemption, but for the Egyptian demons it caused sorrow and death. The doors of houses signify our feelings, through which countless sinful lusts pass into the soul. Therefore, the prophet Joel says: “They enter through the windows like a thief” (Joel 2:9), that is, the sins of such people are not sealed with the blood of Christ. So, Christ blocked the path of death, and we, anointed with His honest blood, will become conquerors of death and freed from the fear of the all-destroyer” (see “Prefiguration of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament,” pp. 181, 182). The miraculous salvation from death that struck the firstborn in Egypt was followed by the miraculous deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery and their exodus from Egypt to freedom. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ delivered us from under the long-term dominion of the devil (Heb. 2:15–16) and through this became for humanity “the passage from death to life and from earth to heaven” (Canon for Easter, song 1 irmos), the “firstfruits” of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20–22). In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, where, under the guise of bread and wine, believers partake of the Divine Lamb, lies the surest guarantee, the most effective guarantee of His deliverance of humanity from the sting of death. Can someone who partakes of True Life in the Most Holy Sacrament fear death (John 6:54)? Can he not be confident that the Lord will deliver him from under the dominion of Satan, who abides in the Lord and at the same time the Lord in him (John 6:56)? Easter is immaculate. Just as the Old Testament lamb was supposed to be without blemish, that is, without any physical defect, so the New Testament Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, although He took upon Himself our sins and bore our illnesses, He Himself did not have anything requiring healing - due to the communion of His humanity with the Divinity, He had no sin or blemish (Is. 53:9; Heb. 9:14), was the Lamb blameless, most pure, separated from sinners (1 Pet. 1:19; Heb. 7:26). His redemptive suffering and death for us are therefore pleasing to God the Father and saving for us, because He Himself was not involved in sin, did not deserve them, and accepted them solely for our guilt. Easter is great. By His victorious triumph over sin and death, the Lord Jesus Christ acquired for Himself, according to His humanity, royal power over everything in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18; Rev. 5:9–14; 14:6–7), and as a result became for those who believe in Him the Passover Lamb “Great,” Royal, severely punishing unworthily, without reverence and proper preparation approaching his Divine Communion. “Let man test himself,” writes St. Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians - and thus let him eat from this bread and drink from this cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation for himself, not considering the Body of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:28-29). Easter of the faithful. The Lamb of the Passover of the Jews could only be eaten by those who entered into a covenant with the Lord through circumcision (Ex. 12:48); also, the Lamb of the Passover of the New Testament can only be eaten by those who have entered into a covenant of faith with the Lord through circumcision made without hands - baptism (Col. 2:11-12). However, not all believers eat the New Testament Lamb for the benefit of their soul - for salvation - many of them eat Him only to greater condemnation for themselves. Only those are worthy of the benefits delivered through His redemptive merits to the human race who not only believe in the Lord, but also remain faithful to the Lord, that is, faithfully preserve and observe the conditions under which they entered into the Sacrament of Baptism, into a covenant with the Lord. Those who believe in the Lord, but neglect their faithfulness to the Lord, are all the same as completely unbelievers, unbaptized, even in many respects, as those who have known the truth and willfully rejecting it, as those who trample on the merits of the Son of God and do not consider the covenant Blood as sacred (Heb. 10:29), much worse than these latter (2 Pet. 2:20). Easter opens the doors of heaven to us. The New Testament Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, while His body was in the tomb, His soul descended into hell and from here He brought all the Old Testament righteous people who waited with faith for His coming to the blissful dwelling of paradise (1 Peter 3:18–19). And by His ascension into heaven in a glorified body, He opened for all people free entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, thus becoming for everyone, as the Apostle put it, a forerunner in heaven (Heb. 6:20). Easter sanctifying all the faithful. By offering Himself once as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ brought sanctification, cleansing from sins, renewal to all who truly believe in Him (Heb. 10:10,14; Col. 1:21,23), so that, worthily communing with Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, they draw from Him the power to “walk in newness of life...”, to be “dead to sin, alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:4,11). “O great and most sacred Easter in Christ! O Wisdom, Word of God and Power! Make us worthy to more fully commune with You on the eveningless day of Your kingdom” (Canon for Easter, hymn 9, troparion 2). (Compiled from “Soulful Reading”, 1867, April). B. The meaning of the chorus “An angel crying with more grace” The angel cried out with more grace: pure Virgin, rejoice, and again the river rejoice; Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised the dead, people rejoice! Which Orthodox Christian does not know by heart the chorus to the ninth song of the Easter canon, “The Angel Crying with Grace?” Which of us, following the clergy, does not sing it, if not with our lips in a low voice 65, then with our hearts? And yet, is everyone able to understand and correctly interpret its hidden meaning? No one, without a doubt, will have any difficulty in saying that in the first half of the chorus the songwriter is talking about the Annunciation and means precisely the words: “Rejoice, O Blessed One! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women” (Luke 1:28), with which the heavenly messenger, sent to announce to Her the secret of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her, greeted the Blessed Virgin Mary. But what is said further in the song that interests us? In view of the grammatical connection of the second half of the chorus with the first (and again the river - καὶ πάλιν ἐρῶ) it is very easy to think that the greeting of the same Archangel Gabriel is further reproduced, but only addressed to the Mother of God already on the morning of the day of the resurrection of Christ. This is what they think, not to mention ordinary people - not bookish, but many scientists and even authority figures. Revealing the idea that an angel, and not anyone else, was commanded to tell the Mother of God the first joyful news about the rise of Her Son from the tomb, the latter refer specifically to the words of the chorus of the ninth song of the Easter canon that we are examining. This reference seems to us to be a matter of misunderstanding, but the idea it confirms agrees with pious, time-honored Tradition. Nowhere in Holy Scripture is it said about the appearance of an angel to the Most Holy Theotokos with the news of the Resurrection of Christ; There is no mention in it of the Mother of God seeing Her risen Son first. Meanwhile, to whom else could the primary joy of the resurrection of the Lord belong, if not She who was most worthy of all to receive it? The Mother of God was the closest of all earthly beings to Jesus Christ, and Her heart, more than others, was struck with inexpressible sorrow at the sight of the suffering and death of the Lord. The latter saw from the cross the torment of His Mother and, in tender filial care for Her, in the dying minutes, entrusted Her to the care of His beloved disciple. Is it possible to allow this extraordinary Son of an extraordinary Mother to forget about Her at the time when the hour of His glory came, when He appeared on earth as the conqueror of death and hell? Is it possible to think that He would want to prolong the suffering of She from Whom He took His flesh, Who lived by Him and whose heart, pierced by a weapon at the crucifixion of the Son and Lord, needed consolation more than anyone else? That is why, despite all the silence of the evangelists, you willingly agree with St. Gregory Palamas, that the Mother of God, first of all, as it should have been, learned from the Archangel Gabriel about the resurrection of Her Son 66 that She was the first of earthly beings to be honored not only with beholding the risen Savior and talking with Him, but also with touching His most pure feet 67. In the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, not far from the Holy Sepulcher, they still show the place of the appearance of the Risen Mother 68, and the Holy Church repeatedly returns to the last event in its Easter chants. “Having seen your Son and God risen, rejoice with the apostles, God-gracious pure one, and rejoice first, for you have received all the joys of wine, the all-immaculate Mother of God... God, whom you saw in the flesh, from the dead, just as he said, having risen, having seen, pure rejoice!” 69 – in these and similar expressions she recalls the appearance of the resurrected Savior to the Mother of God. All this is undoubtedly true, the legend about the appearance of an Angel with the good news of the resurrection and the Risen Mother of God Himself, sanctified by centuries, must be based on an undoubted event, but this is not the event that the songwriter meant in the second half of the chorus to the ninth song of the Easter canon. It was not to the angel who preached the good news to the Mother of God about the resurrection of Christ that He referred the words: “And again I rejoice: Your Son is risen three days from the grave, and having raised up the dead, people rejoice”; he spoke them on his own behalf. It was quite natural for the compiler and singer of these words to call on the Mother of God, and after Her and all people - the entire Church, to spiritual joy and joy, but the Angel, who announced to the Mother of God about the rise of Her Son from the tomb, late at night or early in the morning, at the tomb of the Risen One, had no visible reason to add to his gospel the words: “people rejoice,” for there was no one to invite to joy at Our Lady of Sorrows. So, the internal meaning of the chorus in question, as it is set out in Slavic liturgical books and sung by us now, should be the following: “The angel (at the moments of the Annunciation) cried out with more grace: pure Virgin, rejoice! and I (the creator of the song) will say again, rejoice: Your Son has risen, three days old from the grave, having raised the dead, rejoice, people!” That this is the true meaning is partly supported by other choruses to the same ninth song of the Easter canon. For example: “Rejoice, Virgin, rejoice, rejoice, blessed one, rejoice, most glorified one: Your Son is risen three days from the grave.” Just as in these words the songwriter speaks to the Mother of God on his own behalf, so he did in the second half of the chorus: “An angel crying with more grace...” (See “The Joy of a Christian in Reading the Bible as the Word of Life,” 1894, V.). I. Having fed us with all abundance throughout this week with the immaterial bread of the Word of God and sweet hymns, the Holy Church, out of condescension for our weakness, has now gathered us to break material bread for us. It is not for nothing that images of sacred objects are visible on the crushed bread; this indicates to the most myopic in spiritual understanding its spiritual meaning and importance. II. Why is it being fragmented now? The fragmentation of St. bread, as is clearly indicated by the Church itself in the prayer read at its consecration, is now performed in memory of the resurrection of Christ. Why the concept of bread was combined with the memory of the resurrection, when at the resurrection itself there was and could not be any bread - there are many reasons for this. And, firstly, the Old Testament Jewish Passover, established during the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and serving as a prototype of our Passover, was combined with a seven-day eating of special, sacred bread called unleavened bread. During Easter, Christians also had to be reminded of this meal, which among the Israelis contained many instructive things. The bread that is most blessed today is in memory of the resurrection of Christ because in the stories of the evangelists we more than once see the risen Lord either eating or blessing the eating. So, in the evening of the very day on which He was resurrected, He breaks bread in Emmaus, and is recognized in this breaking by two of His disciples, who did not recognize Him throughout the entire journey with Him. In the evening of this same day, in Jerusalem, among His disciples, the Lord Himself deigns to eat fish and honey as proof that they see before them not a ghost, but their true Teacher, truly risen from the dead. Then in Galilee, by the Sea of ​​Tiberias, the risen Lord miraculously prepares a whole meal for His disciples, who are weary of the all-night vigil and in vain fishing, and at this meal three times in a friendly manner tortures Peter’s love with the question: “Do you love Me?” This is how many events are remembered by the holy bread, now being crushed. And so, Christian, think about why and how we eat, or bless the bread of the risen Lord, and learn to eat it yourself in this way. a) Two of Jesus’ disciples do not know their Lord throughout their journey with Him. Doesn't the same thing happen, beloved listener, to us on the path of our lives? It is impossible that Jesus would not be with each of us on this path, for He promised to be with those who believe in Him all the days. But is He known to each of us as He should be? Did we recognize our Savior and Lord in Him? Are you completely convinced that there is no other name... by which we must be saved, either on earth or in heaven, except the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12)? That without Him every person is an enemy of God, a dead rod, fit only for burning? And your day of life, beloved brother, has either already bowed down or will bow down: it will be bad to reach the west of life without a heavenly Companion; It’s terrible to go through the shadow of death alone - without a Savior! Hasten to know Him, even in the breaking of bread, by those sensory signs in which He was pleased to reveal His presence in His Church; – try to partake more often of the Lord’s Table, which is offered to all believers: the abundance of Christ’s love, revealed in it, will warm your cold heart, and little by little, as you eat, you will begin to know how good the Lord is (Ps. 33:9) and how close he is to all who call on Him in truth. b) Before the disciples, in Jerusalem, the Lord eats food to confirm that they see before them not a ghost, but the real body of their Teacher. Look, beloved, and you, whether your whole faith is not a ghost, whether it consists of only idle concepts that have no influence on your life; Are you not limiting yourself to one form of piety, neglecting its power, so as not only to appear honest before people, but also to actually be so before God, in your conscience? The sign and proof of true Christianity is not contemplation and an abundance of knowledge, not much talking and questioning, not the cleansing of external glassware and dishes, but the putting off of the old man with his passions and lusts, rebirth in the spirit, walking in the image of Christ and the inner cross. If you have all this, then Christ has truly risen in you, and you can indulge in all the joy of His resurrection: otherwise, you still need Peter’s tears and the publican’s contrition. c) There is something to learn from the supper that took place on the shore of the Sea of ​​Tiberias. The chief of the apostles worked all night without success in catching fish, until the Savior Himself, suddenly appearing, commanded them to leave the sea again. aa) Don’t think that you, no matter who you are, will succeed in the matter of spiritual perfection without God’s blessing. You can acquire all the blessings of the world, but without Him you cannot acquire that pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46), which is more valuable than the whole world. You can adorn yourself with several virtues, which many of the pagans were adorned with, but you cannot, you cannot in any way change your evil heart, pluck out the root of sin from it. This is beyond your strength, beyond the strength of all the angels; this is His work, His alone. Turn to Him for this, pray to Him for this. When He closes the fountains of the deep within you (Gen. 8:2), the abysses of natural evil, then nothing will open them. When He opens in you the source of goodness - love for God and neighbor, then no power of hell will imprison it: It will flow into the eternal belly. bb) But do you hear, beloved brother, what question is proposed at the God-established Supper of Tiberias? “Do you love Me? Do you love Me? - says the Lord. If Peter, having once cheated, heard this question three times, then how many times should he make our ears heard? Let us not, however, rush to answer it in Petrov’s language; Let us first take hold of Petrovo’s heart: it is not words that are required, but deeds. If anyone loves Me, says the questioner Himself, he will keep My word (John 14:23). This is a sign of love! Do you have it? “It is good for you if you have it: for in this case you can see the Lord and dine with Him even before death.” “Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves Me,” He says, “will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). cc) Remembering in this way, with the present eating of holy bread, all these gospel suppers, is it possible, finally, to forget that blessed supper, which, although it was not instituted by the risen Savior, since it could not be instituted on earth, was nevertheless promised by Him to all His followers in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 26:29)? And remembering the supper that awaits us in this Kingdom, can we not bring to mind the wedding clothes that will be required of everyone there? Terrible is the fate of the slave, cast out into utter darkness because of the lack of this clothing! Let us hasten, brethren, to acquire in advance the precious garment of good deeds and to cover and adorn it in advance with the merits of Christ, so that at the first call we may be ready for the marriage of the Lamb. Let's hurry; for both on earth and in heaven, the royal doors are not always open: there will be a time when they will be closed forever, and those who open them will say: “I don’t know you!” (Matthew 25:12). (See “Sermons” of Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride, vol. IV). III. Behold, Christian brothers, how many thoughts and feelings arise in Christians at the sight of the holy bread (artos), now being crushed for the consumption of the faithful. A. Why is holy bread, or artos, placed in churches on Easter? Our Lord, preparing for free suffering and death, said goodbye to His disciples at the mystical supper, at which he instituted the Sacrament of Communion of His Flesh and Blood, and after His resurrection, appearing again to the disciples, He either Himself ate food before them, or blessed the meal for them. So, before the evening of the day of His resurrection, He, unrecognized by His two disciples, blessed them with the evening meal at Emmaus, and was recognized by them in the breaking of bread. In the evening of the same day, He again appeared to His gathered disciples in the Zion upper room, and to assure them of the truth of His resurrection, He ate fish and honey. Or in the Sea of ​​Tiberias He Himself later prepared bread and fish for His disciples, tired of unsuccessful fishing. In memory of these apparitions, St. The apostles, as the pious tradition says (see “Cheti-Minea” Aug. 15), when they ate food, had the custom of leaving the middle place at the table empty and placing part of the bread in front of it, as if the Lord Himself was invisibly present among them. Imitating them, the God-bearing Fathers of the Church established that on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, bread should be placed in the church (the name of which, along with faith and worship, we took from the Greeks) in memory of the repeated appearances of the Risen Lord to His disciples, and also in memory of the fact that the Lord who suffered for us became for us the true bread of life. The Holy Church, in order to help us understand her intention in establishing this rite, has since ancient times depicted on this bread or cross, on which only the crown of thorns is visible, but not the Crucified One - as a sign of Christ’s victory over death or an image of the Resurrection of Christ. In this monastic monastery, St. bread, during Bright Week, is brought every day to the meal and placed among it on a special table, following the example of the apostles; and on Saturday it is solemnly blessed with prayer and distributed to believers. B. Paschal Canon at Matins 1. “Resurrection day, let us enlighten people, Easter, the Lord’s Easter: from death to life, and from earth to heaven, Christ God has led us, singing in victory.” Resurrection Day! Let's light up with joy, people! Easter! The Lord's Easter! For from death to life and from earth to heaven, Christ God brought us, singing (the song) of victory. 3. “Come, we drink new beer, it is not from the barren stone that the miracle works, but from the incorruptible source from the tomb of Christ, who waits on Christ, and in Him we are established.” Come, let us drink a new drink, miraculously produced not from a barren stone, but from the source of incorruption of the tomb of Christ, on whom we are established. Ipakoi. “Having foreseen the morning of Mary, and having found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I hear from the angel in the ever-present light of Being, with the dead, that you are seeking like a man; you see the graveclothes: speak and preach to the world, for the Lord has risen, the one who put to death, for he is the Son of God, who saves the human race.” The myrrhbearers who were with Mary, having preceded the morning and found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, heard from the angel: what are you looking for among the dead - as a simple person - for Him who lives in the eternal light, look at the funeral clothes, go and preach to the world that Christ has risen, having put to death - because He is the Son of God, who saves the human race. 4. “On Divine watch, may the God-speaking Habakkuk stand with us and show us a luminous angel, clearly saying: today is salvation for the world, for Christ is risen, for he is omnipotent.” May God-inspired Habakkuk stand with us at the Divine guard (service) and show a luminous angel clearly exclaiming: now is salvation for the world; for Christ has risen as omnipotent. 5. “Let us deepen the morning, and instead of peace we will bring a song to the Lady, and we will see Christ, the Sun of truth, life shining for all.” Let us rise in the deep morning, and instead of peace we will bring a song to the Master, and we will see Christ - the Sun of Truth, enlightening everyone with life. 6. “Thou hast descended into the nether regions of the earth, and shattered the eternal faiths that contain those bound, O Christ, and thou art born of three days like Jonah from the whale, risen from the whale, and risen from the tomb.” You descended, O Christ, into the underworld (places) of the earth, and destroyed the eternal gates containing prisoners, and on the third day, like Jonah from the whale, you rose from the grave. Kontakion. “Even though (though) you descended into the grave, immortal, you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as a conqueror, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to your apostles, grant resurrection to the fallen.” Ikos. “Even before the sun, the sun sometimes set in the tomb, leading to the morning, looking for the myrrh-bearing virgin at the day, and crying out to friends: O friends, come, let us anoint the life-giving and buried body with stinks, the flesh of the resurrected fallen Adam, lying in the tomb. We come, sweating like wolves, and let us worship, and bring peace like gifts, not in swaddling clothes, but wrapped in a shroud, and we weep and cry: O Master, arise, grant resurrection to the fallen.” Once upon a time, the Sun, which set into the tomb before sunset, even before morning came, they were looking for the myrrh-bearer as the light of day, and they said to each other: friends! Let's go, let's anoint with incense the body that exudes life and is buried, the flesh of the One who resurrected the fallen Adam, lying in the tomb. Let us go, let us hasten, like the Magi, let us bow down, and bring myrrh as gifts, not in shrouds, but in a shroud entwined; let us shed tears and shout: O Lord! arise, grant resurrection to the fallen. 7. “He who delivered the youths from the cave, having become a man, suffers as if he were mortal, and with the passion of death he clothes the mortal in incorruptibility with splendor; God alone is blessed and glorified by the fathers.” He who delivered the youths from the oven, having become man, suffers like a mortal, and through His suffering clothes mortals in the beauty of immortality, the one God of the fathers, blessed and glorified. 8. “This is the appointed and holy day, one Sabbath is the king and the Lord, a feast of feasts, and a triumph is a triumph: on it we bless Christ forever.” This chosen and holy day, the only one, the King and Lord of the Sabbaths is a holiday of holidays and a triumph of celebrations; On such a day we will bless Christ forever. 9 . “Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you, rejoice now and rejoice in Zion. You, pure, show off to the Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.” Lighten up, light up (with joy) the new Jerusalem; for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you; rejoice now and rejoice Zion; and You, pure Mother of God, rejoice in the resurrection of the One born of You. “Having fallen asleep in the flesh as if dead, O King and Lord, you have risen for three days. He raised Adam from aphids and abolished death: the Passover of incorruption, the salvation of the world.” King and Lord! Having fallen asleep in the flesh like a dead man, You rose again for three days, raising Adam from the destruction and destroying death; You are the Easter of immortality, the salvation of the world! B. Historical note on the origin of the Easter canon The Easter canon, which so delights us, was compiled by St. John of Damascus, who, to compile his wonderful canon, borrowed images and expressions from the beautiful Easter word of St. Gregory the Theologian, which begins like this: “I will stand on my guard,” which, according to the church charter, is supposed to be read from the 3rd song of the canon. This word served as the seed from which the great creation of the Easter canon grew and perfected; those images with which the song of Damascus flaunts, starting with the “Divine Guard”, are found for the first time in the word of St. Gregory, and all of them, without a doubt, inspired St. John of Damascus in his wondrous creation. Conversation No. 7. About how to celebrate Easter I. When they want to celebrate in honor of some high and important person, they usually try to find out what he especially likes and what is disgusting to him. We, brothers, celebrate in honor of our Lord and Savior, who suffered for us and rose again for us. Therefore, it is all the more necessary for us to know for sure what may be pleasing to Him in our celebration and what may be contrary to Him. Who will reveal this to us? The habits and inclinations of great people are learned from those close to them. Those who are closest to our Lord are those who always do the will of His Father. One of these was St. Paul, who for this reason enjoyed such constant and great closeness to the Risen One while still on earth that he could say about himself: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Tell us, divine apostle: how best to celebrate Easter - to celebrate in such a way as to please the risen Lord with this celebration? He suffered so much for us that it would be the greatest misfortune for us if our celebration also upset Him. When you really want, the apostle answers, to celebrate Easter in a worthy manner, then celebrate it “not with old leaven, not with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of purity and truth...: for our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7-8). So, this is what our Lord does not like, and which, for that very reason, under no circumstances should we have among the present celebration in His honor: this is old kvass, this is the leaven of malice and wickedness! This is what pleases Him and what, therefore, each of those celebrating should stock up on as much as possible: - this is the unleavenedness of purity and truth! Giving advice on how Christians should celebrate their Easter, the apostle had in mind the Jewish Passover. During the celebration of their Passover, the Lord commanded the Jews, under fear of death, to beware of all leavened foods (Ex. 12:15). Bearing in mind such a custom and such strictness of the Old Testament Church, the apostle advises Christians to do the same during the celebration of their Easter - that is, to observe lack of leavening. But the Jew wasware of material kvass, and the Christian must beware of spiritual kvass - that is, malice and deceit. During the Passover, the Jew ate unleavened bread, which was only a symbol of purity, but a Christian must have the very purity of spirituality. That is why the apostle, discussing how Christians should celebrate Easter, mentions leaven and tells us to beware of it. II. a) So, the apostle demands that those celebrating Easter not have, firstly, malice. And why would she be here? Let it remain in the heart of the enemies of Jesus, in the heart of Judas, Pilate and others like him (oh, if only it were not there too!), but why should there be anger in the heart of a Christian? Who to be angry at? Didn’t Christ die for everyone, and didn’t He rise again for everyone? He died and rose again for everyone, and we will not be able to endure any insult, any word for His sake? What kind of followers are we? If someone offended us with the most cruel offense, then we must forgive him now, for the sake of the Risen One. For with such joy there is no time to consider offenses. No one has angered the King of Heaven more than ourselves; but the risen Lord sought forgiveness for everyone. Should we, those who have been pardoned, continue our malice? Should debts be considered forgiven? On the contrary, if someone had the most cruel enemy, then deliberately make every effort to reconcile with him in these days: by turning his anger into love, you will greatly please the Risen One and create the brightest celebration for Him. “But how,” let’s say, “appear to such an enemy?” And how the Lord appeared to His enemies for your sake! Appear in the name of Jesus, say: “Christ is risen” and prove it in action; declare that the Risen One did not order to harbor enmity, that you are fulfilling what was commanded from Him, say this and demand peace and love. He listens - you acquired a brother, took him away from Satan and gave him to the Lord. If he doesn’t listen, you yourself have left the realm of death, for hatred, according to the word of the Apostle, is death (1 John 3:14). b) The second requirement of St. Paul's message is that those celebrating Easter should not have guile. Deceit is never proper for Christians; for why should those who should all be brethren, all created for the truth, fight the same enemies, use the same means of salvation, for whom truth is as necessary as air? But even more so, in these days it is indecent for a Christian to have the slightest appearance of wickedness. For what does he now say to others and what does he hear from others when he meets them? He says: “Christ is risen!” He hears: “He is truly risen!” That is, we all, Christians, are now becoming witnesses and evangelists of the truth of the resurrection of Christ, and therefore we repeat it a hundred times, contrary to the Jews who slandered and are now still slandering the apostles of Christ, as if they stole the body of their Teacher while the soldiers were sleeping. But what is most needed in a witness is love for the truth: those who often tell lies are not believed when they speak the truth. Therefore, by indulging in deceit and lies in these days, we thereby deprive ourselves of all trust not only of the enemies of our faith, Jews, Mohammedans and others, but also of our closest ones; - for “from what is false,” everyone will say, “what can be true?” (Sir.34:4). In this case, it is better not to say: “Christ is risen!” and not answer: “Truly he is risen!” , but remain silent, knowing your unworthiness. But how can you remain silent when everyone is talking and testifying about the resurrection? Such silence would be worse than death. This means that we must love the truth and remove from ourselves every form of double-mindedness, insincerity, cunning and deceit in order to become a worthy witness to the truth of the resurrection of Christ. c) Finally, the apostle demands purity and truth for a worthy celebration of Easter. We cleanse our houses and clothes for the holiday, we wash ourselves away. But the Risen One does not need this purity. He is ready to receive us in rags, ready to seat us naked at a meal with Him, as long as our soul is pure. Therefore, when celebrating Easter, one must take care not only about the cleanliness of houses and clothes, but even more about the purity of the soul and heart. Without this purity, how can we dare to come to church? For in these especially days there are many angels in the church: how can one stand among these purest spirits with an unclean soul? In addition, on these days one must often kiss the cross, the icon of the resurrection and the sacred bread; how to approach this shrine with a blackened conscience, with the stench of sin? Even if you did not want to approach the cross and the bread because of your uncleanness, but were content with just standing in the church, then you still cannot calmly look at the sanctuary. For, look, the royal doors are open all week! This means that the King of glory Himself is constantly looking at you from His throne. Will it be hidden from His eyes if there is any sinful impurity in you? And what audacity to stand in front of the Tsar in the rags of sin, with wounds of conscience! Magdalene went with fragrant myrrh to the tomb of the Risen One, but even here she was told: “Do not touch Me!” What will they tell us if we are filled with evil thoughts and lawless plans? III. Ah, brothers, how far our Easter celebrations are from the true celebration required by the Apostle! You know the customs of the world these days, tell me yourself: when is there less purity and holiness among people than in these days? When do they slander, lie, and blaspheme the most, if not in these days? With the end of Lent, all good things seem to end for many; Christ rises, and they die in spirit! And for people with Christian feelings these days it’s hard to look at the crazy games, at the oblivion by many of all abstinence, at the obvious triumph of unclean passions: what should it be like for the risen Lord - the One who died for us for this purpose, to make us all pure and holy people? Therefore, brothers, have you noticed what request was offered to us in the name of the Risen One? – “Be patient with Me, says the Lord,” it was read last Saturday at the Liturgy, “be patient with Me on the day of My resurrection, as a testimony” (Zeph. 3:8). I confess, brothers, that when I hear these words, I am always filled with shame and contrition. This is what I think Christians have come to, that they need to offer such a request! The Savior no longer demands anything for Himself from those who have been redeemed by His blood; does not say: glorify Me or bring Me something as a gift: no, this is a lot for His followers. He seeks less, asks not for duty, but for mercy, not for justice, but for indulgence: “Be patient with Me!” “You,” He seemed to say, “do not want to serve Me, although you were bought by My blood, you do not want to follow Me, although you swore to be My follower. Show me at least one mercy: be patient with Me, do not indulge in vices in front of Me, do not drive Me out prematurely... Be patient with Me, although not for long, even on the day of My resurrection, on the day when prisoners are given freedom and enemies are treated friendly. Let My celebrations pass, let the praises fall silent, let the doors be closed: then, if you want to destroy your soul, then do what pleases you, and now do not change so brazenly, do not dishonor My Cross, do not defame your faith and My Church. Be patient with Me, be patient for My testimony! Otherwise, the Jew will mock Me for you; otherwise the Mohammedan will blaspheme My Cross for your life; the devil himself will laugh at My triumph: I will show the plagues suffered for you, and he will show the plagues suffered by you for him; I will bring souls out of hell, and he will drag your soul to hell; I will spread life and resurrection, and He will spread death and corruption through you. Be patient with Me on the day of My resurrection! It is necessary, brothers, to have a heart of stone so as not to be moved by this voice of the risen Lord. Therefore, I do not consider it necessary to add anything to it, except advice and prayer, so that you think about it yourself, in freedom, at home. Whoever does this will probably be so moved in heart that he will try to spend a real holiday as the apostle advises, and not as flesh and blood demands, that is, “not with the old leaven, not with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and truth.” - Amen. (Compiled from the “Sermon” of Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson). A. Historical information about how Easter was celebrated in the ancient Christian Church How the great holiday of Easter was celebrated in ancient times in family, social and civil life, and how it should be celebrated - this can be seen from the remarkable power of animation of the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, spoken by him on this holiday. “Today,” said St. Gregory, - the whole universe, like one family gathered for one activity, leaving ordinary affairs, as if at a given sign, turns to prayer. There are no travelers on the roads today; no sailors are visible at sea; the farmer, leaving the plow and spade, decorated himself with festive clothes; the taverns stand empty; noisy gatherings have disappeared, just as winter disappears with the advent of spring; The worries, confusion and storms of life were replaced by the silence of the holiday. The poor man adorns himself like the rich man; the rich dress more splendidly than usual; the old man, like the young man, rushes to take part in the joy, and the sick man overcomes his illness; – a child, having changed clothes, celebrates sensually, because he cannot yet celebrate spiritually; the virgin rejoices in her soul because she sees the bright, solemn pledge of her hope; The mother of the family, triumphant, rejoices with all her household, and she herself, and her husband, and the children, and the servants, and the household, everyone is having fun. Just as a new, just formed swarm of bees, flying out of the beehouse into the light and air for the first time, all sit together on one branch of a tree, so on a real holiday, all members of families from everywhere gather in their homes. And truly they rightly compare the present day with the day of the future resurrection, which is why here the other gathers people; only then will everyone come together, but now they are gathering in parts. As for joy and joy, in all fairness we can say that the present day is more joyful than the future: then, of necessity, those whose sins will be exposed will cry; Now, on the contrary, there are no sad people among us. Now the righteous man rejoices, and he who has not cleared his conscience hopes to be corrected by repentance. This day eases all sorrow, and there is no person so sad who would not find consolation in the celebration of the holiday. Now the prisoner is being released; the debtor is forgiven the debt; the slave receives freedom, according to the good and humane appeal of the Church, not with dishonor and strangulation, not with wounds, as happens during popular festivals, at which slaves, exhibited on an elevated place, redeem their freedom with shame and disgrace, but is released with honor, as you yourself know, now the one who remains in slavery receives joy. Even if the slave had committed many important offenses that could neither be forgiven nor excused, then his master, out of respect for the day, which is conducive to joy and philanthropy, accepts the rejected and shamed one, like Pharaoh who brought the cupbearer out of prison; for he knows that on the day of the future resurrection, in the image of which we honor the present day, He himself will have a need for the long-suffering and kindness of the Lord and therefore, showing mercy now, expects reward on that day. You have heard, gentlemen, do not shame me before the slaves, as if I were falsely praising this day; take away sadness from souls oppressed by sorrow, just as the Lord took away mortification from our body, restore honor to the shamed, bring joy to the saddened, encourage those who are discouraged, bring to light those prisoners, as if in a tomb, in the dark corners of your houses; Let the beauty of the holiday bloom like a flower for everyone. If the birthday of an earthly king opens prisons, then surely the victorious day of Christ’s resurrection will not console those who mourn! Poor people, accept with love this day that nourishes you! Weakened and crippled, welcome this day that heals your illnesses! The hope of your resurrection is hidden in it, which prompts you to be zealous for virtue and hate vice; for with the destruction of the thought of resurrection, everyone will have one dominant thought: “Let us begin to eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die!” (1 Cor. 15:32). B. Holy Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem Long before midnight, Jerusalem takes on a solemn, festive appearance. Along all its streets leading to the Church of the Resurrection, there are flaming torches and bathe all surrounding objects in their crimson light. With their brilliance, pilgrims in various festive attire moving to the church seem like some kind of fantastic creatures. The church itself is magnificently illuminated, both inside and outside, it is flooded with the light of thousands of multi-colored lamps, lanterns, and bowls. The mass of brightly burning candles in the hands of pilgrims further increases the effect. Everything shines, everything sparkles. The church seems to be a real church of light and radiance. Everyone is looking forward to the start of the joyful Easter service. But now the shots fired by the Arabs from rifles and pistols around the church herald the onset of the holidays, and at the same time a mass of clergy in shiny white vestments, drenched in gold and silver, with the majestic patriarch at the head, with a whole forest of banners, begins a solemn procession near the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher. Easter Matins begins; it is served in Greek, but the blessed patriarch makes many exclamations in Slavonic; Litanies are also pronounced in Slavic and some Easter songs are sung. Native sounds deeply touch the already touched soul of the Russian pilgrim. At the end of Matins, the bell solemnly strikes, and the joyful words “Christ is risen” fly around the entire church. A feeling of boundless joy covers those praying. Everyone is having fun, everyone is smiling joyfully, everyone is sharing Christ with each other, without distinction of nationalities. The Patriarch, sitting on a rich seat, accepts congratulations and shares Christ with the clergy. This spectacle of brotherly kisses between Russians and Greeks, Arabs and Eastern Slavs, rich and poor is deeply moving; it seems that the kingdom of love has come, that all people, according to the commandment of Christ, have become brothers. Soon the Easter Liturgy begins, during which each pilgrim rushes to partake of the Holy Mysteries. Honorary pilgrims receive the Holy Gifts from the hands of the patriarch himself in front of the Edicule, and the rest of the mass - in the Church of the Resurrection, from the hands of one of the bishops. At the end of the Liturgy, all pilgrims go home and begin to break their fast, what God has sent to whom. Having broken their fast and rested after the night vigil, pilgrims on the first day of Easter go back to the church to attend Sunday Vespers. In our country it passes almost unnoticed, but in the East this “Deutera Anastasis,” that is, the second resurrection, as it is called, enjoys special respect and attracts masses of people. Around eleven o'clock all the clergy and honorary pilgrims usually gather at the Patriarchate. Here the patriarch shares Christ with everyone and treats those gathered. Exactly at twelve o'clock, the clergy put on magnificent vestments and, in a solemn procession, with banners and burning candles, headed by the patriarch, marches to the Church of the Resurrection. Masses of people join the procession. Upon arrival at the church, Vespers begins here. At first it is served in Greek and does not represent anything special. But then the deacon says: “And that we may be counted worthy to hear the Holy Gospel, we pray to the Lord God... Reading from John the Holy Gospel...” “Let us listen!” the patriarch exclaims from the depths of the altar, and amid the ensuing dead silence, the words of the Gospel in the Slavic language begin to be heard clearly and distinctly. Our pilgrims listen with tenderness and intense attention to these holy verbs in their native language. At the end of the Gospel, a loud and sharp sound of the bell breaks the silence. “And be honored with us,” the deacon begins again, and the same Gospel is read in Greek. As soon as it ends, the bell strikes twice and the reading of the Gospel begins in a different language. One after another, from different sides of the church, the monks read the Word of God in more than ten languages. The dialects Slavic, Greek, Arabic, Latin, Hebrew, Turkish, French, Italian and others alternately sound in the huge church, and they are silently listened to by the people of all languages ​​and tribes nearby. Each reading is accompanied by loud bell sounds. The impression made is strong; That’s why people love this Vespers so much. The Gospel, read there in different languages, tells of the second appearance of the risen Lord to His disciples, which is why the service itself is called the “second resurrection.” At the end of Vespers, the patriarch leaves the altar, sits on a large gilded seat and shares Christ with all the people. At the same time, pilgrims receive a blessing from His Beatitude on their return journey, because many of them leave Jerusalem already on the first day of Easter. Throughout the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, Jerusalem is a predominantly Christian city. Muslims, although they make up the majority of its population, are somehow faded these days. Decorated crowds of Orthodox natives with joyful, bright faces fill all the streets of the city; Here and there groups of them can be seen around the walls of Jerusalem. The greetings “Christ is Risen” are heard everywhere, and brotherly hugs are visible everywhere. Let’s not even talk about Russian buildings, where everything is so solemn, so joyful that you involuntarily transport your thoughts to distant Russia. (“Russian Pilgrim”, 1885, No. 15). V. Easter in the Moscow Kremlin In the Metropolitan’s home church, I listened, says A. Muravyov (author of “Letters on Divine Services”), to the Liturgy of Great Saturday, half-funeral, half-Sunday, with the change of black vestments to light ones and the proclamation of the first Gospel about the rise of the Lord even above the shroud, where He apparently rests in front of the entire Church. It was already the dawn of that royal Saturday, which, like the triumph of triumphs, was to shine upon us the next morning. Then everything fell silent according to the commandment until the joyful morning, just like once upon a time the pious women who prepared aromas for the Divine Dead; They went to look for Him early in the tomb and bowed, rejoicing, to the living God and announced the secret Easter to His disciples: and that same night the joy of the myrrh-bearing women awaited us, and indeed some mysterious expectation, not earthly, but heavenly, filled everyone. An inexpressible feeling told the heart that the coming day stood out among human days by the immensity of the event itself, and deep silence settled not only in the heart of everyone, but also in the whole city, awaiting the eternal Easter of its Lord. The capital of the Mother See was preparing to welcome the Risen One inside its churches; only some movement was visible there: the clergy were reading the book of “The Acts of the Apostles” over the shroud; the pious stood around and silently listened. The cherished midnight is approaching! I wanted to enjoy it in all its grandeur, external and spiritual, and hurried to the Kremlin. Together with the former sovereign prince of the Serbian Mikhail, who visited our ancient capital with the same church purpose and was consoled by the triumph of Orthodoxy, we went up to the balcony of the small palace to look around at all of Zamoskvorechye. This picture was worthy of amazement. The crimson moon, which had just risen from the sky, hung like a cloud on the south-eastern tower of the Kremlin, faintly illuminating the vast panorama that developed before us; in the darkness it was impossible to clearly distinguish objects, but the dark loopholes marked the Kremlin fence. On the countless bell towers of Zamoskvorechye, lights began to light up little by little, signaling a bright triumph; on each of them, even to the distant Simonov bell tower, these Easter corollas shone, capriciously scattered in the air along the varied heights of the towers. From the elevation where we stood, our eyes ran in all directions, and it was impossible to determine what element actually wavered in front of us in the darkness, all permeated with bright lights. It seemed that thousands more stars lit up in the air, and only the crimson fire distinguished them from the heavenly light of the real luminaries. In the midst of the mysterious silence of this many-verb night, suddenly from the heights of Ivan the Great, as if from the depths of the sky, the first sound of the gospel was heard - prophetic, like the call of the Archangel's service, proclaiming the general resurrection; but now she announced only the uprising of one Divine Dead, Who trampled down death with death. And at the first sign given from the Kremlin, thousands of bells obeying him were instantly heard, and their copper roar filled the air, floating over the entire capital; she was enveloped in this solemn ringing, as if by a certain atmosphere peculiar to her, imbued with the sacred awe of the shaking copper and the joy of the heralded triumph. The ear heard it and could not get enough of this wondrous harmony as if from another, above-the-cloud world; the eye looked and could not get enough of the spectacle of the sacred lights burning in the sky, and the human heart could not contain all the spiritual joy - the reconciliation of heaven and earth. But it was time to rush to the Assumption Cathedral for the divine service. The death shroud had already been brought into the altar during the singing of the funeral canon of Holy Saturday, and now the saint in bright vestments comes out of the altar with a host of clergy singing: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth with a pure heart to glorify Thee.” The angels are already singing the resurrection, but the earth is still silent, for this joyful news came to us later from the angels. As if filled with their vision, in the altar, where the shroud was placed on the throne instead of a new coffin, the clergy proceed in the rank of the early myrrh-bearers; outside the church, the great mystery will be resolved through their lips: for now the mysterious descent into hell of the Lord is still being heralded in darkness to drive away the souls of the forefathers. At the sound of all the bells of the Kremlin, with all the treasured shrine of the cathedral and with the Life-Giving Cross in his hand, the Metropolitan walked around the cathedral church, and the entire square around it, filled with people, turned into one church: as if the centuries-old walls of three adjacent cathedrals had parted, and they had united into one sanctuary, overshadowed by a starry sky instead of a dome. At that same moment, a procession took place around the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedral in the same square, burning with countless lights, and not a single candle in the hands of the people went out - such silence reigned in the air. There are no words in the human language to express this mysterious silence, filled with the longing for a reviving earth. When, on the sign of the Holy Resurrection, the bishop distributed candles to his co-servants at the western gates and, overshadowing the gates with the sign of the cross, for the first time exclaimed: “Christ is risen!” and with the loud singing of this solemn hymn, the closed gates opened, it seemed that the East from above shone upon everyone from within the brightly consecrated church, everyone rushed inside it, as if into the narrow gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, already opened for us on earth; silent delight spoke with tears, and only two divine words: “Christ is risen!” could express the mystery of heaven and earth. Anyone who has not seen Easter Matins in the Kremlin Cathedral cannot imagine the full grandeur of this church service, no matter how sublime it is in itself and with the slightest splendor. The Kremlin was created for her, and she is for the Kremlin, for here the terrain, the shrine, and the very voice of Ivan the Great, sounding unearthly, are favorable. The incense of the Metropolitan and after him of the twelve archimandrites and presbyters was solemn at each song of the Easter canon with the incessant greeting: “Christ is Risen”; their kissing with the authorities and the people is touching, and the words of Chrysostom, inviting them to common joy, which the Bishop said instead of John himself, are edifying: “If anyone is pious and God-loving, let him enjoy this good and bright celebration; If anyone is a prudent servant, let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord.” Where, in what Church, is there anything similar to this triumph, completely worthy of a wondrous event? Rome is pale with its external picturesqueness of papal services, from which Easter Matins is excluded. And Protestants, alienated from everything external in the Church, feel their orphanhood on this great night of Easter and flock to our churches to seek that consolation that they have deprived themselves of. Three hours after Matins, the Liturgy began, no less solemn for the splendor of the church utensils and the number of clergy and the zeal of the people filling the church. At the sound of the bell, the Gospel was proclaimed in the altar by all the archimandrites and presbyters and the four deacons in the church in the four corners of the world, as if in the hearing of all Rus' from its mother-throne cathedral; it was read in Greek and Slavic as a sign of the kinship union of the Churches. For Vespers they again gathered in the Assumption Church, and the service was even more solemn due to the number of archimandrites, for everyone in Moscow united to participate in the common joy of the great day. It was a magnificent sight to see this mitered host as it surrounded the ambo from which the saint, facing the people, read the Gospel of John about the appearance of the risen Lord to His disciples. It was also touching to see his public embrace of Christ with his entire flock, for despite the weakness and fatigue from the triple service, Matins, Liturgy and Vespers, the Bishop did not deprive any of those present in the church of a fraternal kiss, and everyone sought to kiss their archpastor. I ask again where, in what Church can one find such a touching custom, uniting in Christ the shepherd with his flock in true brotherhood based on reverent love? Can the cold genuflection of the Romans before their high priest, carried on a throne above the heads of a people to whom He is inaccessible, compare with this? (From the Works of A. Muravyov). Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ with dogmatic and moral conclusions I. Our Lord’s ascension into heaven took place on the fortieth day after His glorious resurrection. During the time from His resurrection to His ascension into heaven, the Lord was no longer constantly with His disciples, but only appeared to them from time to time. During these appearances of His, He first assured the disciples of His resurrection, for which purpose He repeatedly ate food with them - “eating and drinking with them, and thereby representing His most famous resurrection” (Synax.); and then he taught them instructions about the upcoming structure of His Church on earth, which was to be formed from those who believed in Him (Acts 1:3). During one of these apparitions, there were more than five hundred people on the Galilee mountain - the apostles and many of the believers. Having seen the Lord, they worshiped Him, and some even now doubted whether it was really He. The Lord, approaching, said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:17–20). On the fortieth day, the Lord appeared to His disciples, when all of them, with His Most Pure Mother and other wives, were, no doubt, according to His preliminary instructions, in Jerusalem. Here for the last time the Lord spoke with His beloved disciples - for the last time he again commanded them to go into the whole world to preach the Gospel; and, commanding them not to leave Jerusalem until they received the promised Comforter - the Holy Spirit, he left Jerusalem with them to Bethany. At the last words of St. The apostles, still not free from the thought of the earthly reign of Jesus Christ, asked Him: “Is it not at this time, Lord, that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them: It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has appointed in His authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6–8). Having ascended to the top of the Mount of Olives, the Lord raised (raised up) His hands and began to bless the disciples and, behold, at this very time, when He blessed them, He began to rise higher and higher from the earth and ascend to the sky, until a bright cloud completely hid the Divine Teacher from the eyes of His beloved disciples. The Lord ascended into heaven... and sat down at the right hand of God the Father. The holy apostles, in bewilderment and fear, were still looking with their eyes for their Teacher and Lord, who had hidden from them in the heavenly heights, when suddenly two men in light clothes appeared before them and said to them: “Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven.” The holy apostles, consoled by the words of the heavenly messengers (these were angels), returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and continued unceasingly in prayer and praise to God, waiting for the promised Comforter, the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8-14). II. The Holy Church calls the Ascension of the Lord into heaven the fulfillment of His regard for us, that is, His last action in accomplishing our salvation, through which the earthly is united with the heavenly (Cond.). This is what it means. By His suffering and death on the cross, the Lord satisfied the righteousness of God for our sins, by His resurrection He destroyed the kingdom of death and the devil and resurrected us with Himself, - by His ascension into heaven He opened the entrance to paradise for all of us, He Himself appeared as a forerunner for us in the face of the Heavenly Father and presented to Him in His person a redeemed and restored man (Heb. 6:20; 9:24), He vouchsafed our glorified nature of honor above the Cherubim and Seraphim - abides with him at the right hand of His Father. “Today,” says St. Augustine in his homily on the Ascension of the Lord, “has dawned for us the holy and solemn day of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Christ descended into the tomb, the underworld was opened; Christ ascended to heaven, the heavenly ones were glorified. The Resurrection of the Lord is our hope. His ascension is our glorification. The earthly body is taken to heaven, the bones, recently enclosed in a cramped coffin, are lifted up by a host of angels. Mortal nature is transplanted into the depths of immortality. So, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ formerly hung on the cross, and now he will sit at the right hand of the Father. When he was on the cross, he gave the price of redemption for us; when he ascended, he attracted to himself what he had acquired” (Homily 177). “Now - on the day of the Ascension,” according to St. Chrysostom, - the human race is completely reconciled with God, the ancient warfare and enmity are consumed, and we, who are unworthy to live on earth, are ascended to heaven. Now we inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, we, who are not worth even earthly things, ascend to heaven, inherit the throne of the King and Lord, and human nature, which the Cherubim forbade entry into paradise, is now exalted above every Cherubim” (Conversations 35 on the Ascension). “I am going to prepare a place for you,” the Lord Himself said to His disciples, predicting to them about His ascension into heaven, “and when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that you too may be where I am” (John 14:2,3). According to these greatest consequences of the Lord’s ascension to heaven in the divine economy of human salvation, the day of the Lord’s Ascension has been since the very time of St. The Apostles is a subject of reverent, solemn celebration for all Christians, and thus represents an inexhaustible source of joy and consolation for all of us. Heaven has been opened for us by the Ascension and heavenly abodes have been prepared there by the Lord; He Himself, our Savior, sitting on the throne with His Father, always intercedes for us, so as to “always save those who come to God through Him” (Heb. 7:25). We can only always remember that our true life is in heaven with Christ (Phil. 3:20), that present earthly life is only a preparation for that future heavenly life, and that, therefore, all our concern should be how to make ourselves, through a good life and good, godly deeds, worthy of reigning together with our Savior in heaven during our earthly life. III. Listen to these prayers of the Church when you pray at a holiday in church and pray from the depths of your soul with tenderness: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor the Divine Ascension into heaven with Your most pure flesh.” “Having ascended into heaven, from which you have already descended, do not leave us orphans, Lord: may Your Spirit come, bearing the world’s peace” (stichera on Ascension Day, Vespers). “Thou art exalted in glory, O Christ God, have mercy on us” (Synax.). (Extracted from Sunday Reading for 1865–66, book 1, pp. 139–143). Appendix to conversation No. 1. Mount of Olives We often, at least mentally, visit a place beloved by a friend, a benefactor, a father, where we said goodbye to them for the last time, accepted a friend’s will, a parent’s blessing. The very sadness during this visit is joyful, the sorrow is delightful. Let us mentally visit the Mount of Olives, which the Lord our Savior loved; on which He said goodbye to us for the last time in the person of His disciples and, having blessed them, ascended into heaven. Holy Scripture, Tradition and eyewitness accounts will depict to us the mountain of God. they will recall the events that took place on it, and indicate many places that serve as monuments of the event. “Then the Lord will come out... and His feet will stand that day on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem to the east” (Zech. 14:3-4), “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath’s journey away” (Acts 1:12). This is the area of ​​Olivet, according to St. eyewitnesses: the prophet and evangelists. Separated one mile from Jerusalem by the stream of Cedars and the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the Mount of God rises above the holy city - like its guardian and spectator. People who were looking for one thing they needed retreated here from the once noisy Jewish capital for prayer and solitary conversations; here our Lord pronounced His merciful and terrible judgments. In the ancient times of the Old Testament, among divinely inspired writers, the Mount of Olives was mentioned, and in such cases, which had an influence on the Church of God. The disastrous son of David, Absalom, rebels against his father, and the holy king of Israel retires to the middle hill of Olives, with a small number of those who adhere to him, he crosses the Valley of Jehoshaphat and the stream of Cedar, with bitter tears, with his head uncovered and bare feet. The sad event foreshadowed that the once Divine descendant of David, with a soul sad even to the point of death, would pass along the same path, with a small number of apostles, before the onset of suffering from the firstborn of God - Israel. The surroundings of Olivet still show traces of two deplorable passages: from the fast, clear water stream of the Kedrsky stream, one deep channel has survived; in the luxurious valley of Jehoshaphat one can see only unsuccessful crying and sorrow: it has turned into a gloomy, vast cemetery. The southern Hill of Olives - the mountain of temptation, desecrated by pagan wickedness, turned into eternal desolation along with its surroundings. The middle hill, protected by heavenly Providence, is designated for pious deeds and great events. Foreseeing in their contemplations that Olivet would be the Savior’s favorite place, the prophets, at the very sunrise of the mountain, from the southwest of the Cedar ravine, chose places for their holy remains, as if they wanted to meet with them the hope and joy of Israel: in deep caves, pious travelers are shown the tombs of the prophets. With the coming of the Savior, the Mount of Olives was invested with unfading glory. The Lord honored her with His frequent visits; He entrusted His mysterious conversations with the Father to her deep silence and solitude; there he revealed heavenly secrets to His disciples; there he uttered the eternal heavenly definitions. In the direct direction to the north of the prophetic tombs one can see the rock from which the Savior, looking at Jerusalem, cried about his impending death: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:37–38). Higher up, towards the top of the ascension, from the same coffins, indicate the ruins of a building divided into several cells, of which they say there were twelve. Here, according to legend, the apostles composed the Creed for the guidance of the emerging Church. Even higher, in the same direction, a fragment of a column standing on the ground signifies the place where the Lord taught the Lord’s Prayer... Somewhat higher and to the right, Jesus Christ, talking for the last time with His disciples, predicted the end of the world and His second coming. From here to the north on the slope of the holy mountain, in sight is the Garden of Gethsemane and the place where there was the village of Gethsemane, from which the Most Holy Theotokos loved to retire to the Mount of Olives, beloved by Her Divine Son, - especially to visit the place from which He ascended into heaven. On the way from Gethsemane to the Mount of Ascension they point to the rock where the Most Holy Virgin rested, and after Her holy Dormition she was worthy to console the Apostle Thomas with Her appearance. Near the very top of the ascension, during Her prayer, She received from the Archangel Gabriel a notification of Her imminent repose and a branch of paradise as a sign of blessed death, immortality and glory. Intercessors of the Christian family. The monuments of the Garden of Gethsemane remain eight wide-branched centuries-old olive trees - shoots of those trees that hid the Savior when here, before the onset of suffering, He grieved, grieved and prayed until he sweated blood, under which an angel descended to strengthen the human nature of the Son of God, and among which He was betrayed by Judas. The cave where the Savior prayed before the onset of suffering is separated by one wall from the burial den of His Most Pure Mother. The place where the apostles rested during the Lord’s spiritual struggle before death is indicated from the Savior’s prayer den at a distance of a stone’s throw (Luke 22:41). At the very top of the middle hill was the last path of the Savior on earth; from here Christ our God ascended into His glory. In the 4th century, Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen, decorating the holy places of Palestine with churches, built a magnificent church on the site of the ascension. When the Lord gave the holy land to the power of the Hagarians, Mohammedan superstition spread to the Mount of Olives: a mosque appeared on the site of the Temple of the Ascension; in the middle of the courtyard, in a small building, they show a sacred monument to the cohabitation of the Son of God with people - the footprint of the left foot, imprinted on solid natural rock at the moments of the ascension. The northern Hill of Olives is called the Mount of the Men of Galilee. Here, when the Lord arose in the eyes of the apostles and a cloud took Him out of their sight, two angels appeared to them and said: “Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11). At this site of the appearance of the celestials there once stood a large church; but now there are only ruins there, with two wells inside; and at a distance of half a mile, a mosque replaced the ancient Monastery of the Ascension. From the Mount of Olives our Lord ascended into heaven; on it he predicted His second coming into the world; the angels confirmed His word on it. Will not the Judge of the living and the dead descend to earth along the same path by which he ascended to heaven? In Palestine all the plans for our salvation were fulfilled; Is it not there that the end of everything that must happen on earth will follow? Will we not all see the Olivet? (“Sunday Reading” year IV, p. 159). Conversation No. 2. About the service on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord I. The fourty days of Holy Easter are bright and solemn in the Christian Church, dedicated to the memory of the fourty-day stay on earth of the risen Lord. The heart of a Christian, not without sorrow, parts with the solemn rites and songs with which the Church surrounded the abolished tomb of the Savior these days, and would like to continue them for many more days! But just as the Lord Himself, departing into heaven, once filled the hearts of the apostles with lofty promises, and the bright angels heralded His second glorious coming, so now the Church hastens to repeat before us the same promises of the ascended Lord, to console us with His same glory. II. a) At Vespers, the Church sings in stichera: “The Lord has ascended into heaven, that He may send the Comforter to the world: the heavens have prepared His throne, the clouds His ascension; the angels marvel at man, seeing him above himself; The Father is waiting, It is co-essential to have Him in the depths; The Holy Spirit commands all His angels: take up your gates, O princes, and make all the nations cry with your hands, for Christ has come forth, where He was first.” So joyfully and solemnly the Church begins her evening praises to the ascended Lord! Five other stichera of an unknown writer follow this one, I cried out to the Lord, and depict partly the history of the event itself, partly the heavenly glory of the Redeemer. After the entrance, three readings from the books of the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah are offered: the first of them, under the image of the mountain of the Lord and the house of God on it, represents the New Testament Church, in which the Founder and Head Himself teaches the peoples flocking to Him from everywhere the path along which they should ascend after Him to heaven (Is. 2: 2–4); the second, from the book of the same prophet, - about preparing the way for the Lord, Who has trodden the winepress alone and is now coming in robes, like the one who trodden in the winepress (Isa. 62:10; 63: 1,3 ff.), - an allegorical image of the Savior, Who, having alone satisfied the justice of God on the cross, now ascends to heaven, clothed with His wounds, like a certain scarlet, - as God Almighty eliminates the Cherubim and his flaming weapons, which had hitherto prevented man from entering heaven, - as a forerunner of us, he commands the heavenly powers to prepare the way for His people: “Make a way for my people and place the stones of the way”; - dissolves the gates of Eden, closed by sin for man and shows His faithful the path along which they can ascend to God: “Go and enter my gates.” The third, from the book of the prophet Zechariah, depicts the blessed fruits of the Ascension of the Lord - the spread of the Gospel teaching throughout the world and the unification of all people under one king and Lord: “Thus says the Lord: Behold, the day is coming, and on that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives straight from Jerusalem, from the east of the sun, and on that day the living water will come out of Jerusalem, the first half of it in the sea, and the first half of it in the sea. the last sea, in the harvest and in the spring it will be so, and the Lord will be King over all the earth, on that day the Lord will be one,” and so on. (Zechariah 14:4,7,8ff.). In the stichera of litia and verse, as solemn as the stichera of Vespers, the amazement of the angelic world and the horror of the underworld at the sight of human nature exalted in the person of Jesus Christ above all beginning and power is expressed, and the Savior’s promise about His future glorious coming to earth is repeated. b) At Matins, after the Gospel, which tells of the last appearance to the disciples of the risen Lord and of His ascension into heaven, the Church glorifies the ascended Lord with two canons, or poems. The first of them belongs to John of Damascus, who hid his glorious name under the modest name of John the monk, the other - to Joseph the Studite. “Sing, all men, a song of victory to Christ, who ascended in glory into heaven and has seated us at the right hand of God the Father, for He has been glorified” (Song 1). “Those above said to those above: Take the gates of heaven, behold, Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation, clothed in human nature, will pass through” (Song 3). “Now the whole world, visible and invisible, celebrates, angels and men rejoice and glorify Him who, by His goodness, was united with us in the flesh” (Song 4). “Strange is your birth, Giver of Life, strange is your resurrection, strange and terrible is your divine ascension from Olivet! He was once typified by the fiery charioteer Elijah, who ascended with praise to You, O Lover of Mankind” (Song 5). “May the clouds from above drop eternal joy upon us! Now Christ ascends to the Father, carried on the clouds as on cherubim” (Song 6). “Thee, O Lord, the holy light, a bright cloud, lifted up from the earth, and the cathedrals of heaven praised Thee, crying together with the apostles: Blessed are Thou, O Lord God, unto the ages” (Song 7). “Let us give God greatness, let us exclaim a victorious song to Him, we rejoice, we sing, we applaud Him! Our God ascends from earth to heaven, angels and archangels greet Him there as their Creator and Master” (Song 8). “We magnify You, Who descended even to the last of the earth and saved man and exalted him in Your divine ascension” (Song 9). The morning service of the holiday consists of a special dismissal, in which the Church blesses all those present in the name of God the Father who ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand. c) At the Liturgy, instead of the usual ones, special antiphons of the holiday are sung, borrowed from Ps. 46, 47 and 48, in which the holy prophet David so vividly and majestically depicted the divine glory of his descendant in the flesh, ascending to heaven with exclamations and the sound of a trumpet. The iridescent faces in these antiphons resemble the choirs of Seraphim in the lofty vision of the prophet Isaiah. They then glorify the greatness of the ascended Lord and His sovereign dominion over all languages ​​- “Great is the Lord and greatly praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His saints, subject the people to us and the languages ​​under our feet”; then they call on all nations to rejoice and praise - “All nations clasp their hands, shout to God with a voice of joy, for the Lord on High is awesome, King over all the earth”; then they imagine the Savior, as if from the heights of heaven, extending His last sermon to the earthly: “Hear this, all the nations, inspire all who live in the universe, the earthly and sons of humanity, together the rich and the poor! my mouth shall speak wisdom and the teachings of my heart." Following this, the inspired evangelist Luke tells us about the last minutes of the earthly wandering of the Son of God, about the time when the apostles surrounded Him and asked: “Is it not at this time, Lord, that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them: It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has appointed in His authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6–8). “And He led them out of the city as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them. And when he blessed them, he began to move away from them and ascend into heaven” (Luke 24:50–51). “And as they looked at heaven, during His ascension, suddenly two men in white clothes appeared to them and said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:10–11). At the end of the Liturgy, the appropriate communion for the day is sung: “God has risen with a shout, and the Lord has trumpeted,” and when then, at the opening of the royal doors, St. The gifts are transferred from the throne to the altar (this action in the Liturgy marks the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven), the face exclaims the psalm verse, adopted only for this holiday: “Ascend into heaven, God, and throughout all the earth is Your glory!” The church celebration of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord lasts eight days and ends on the Thursday before Pentecost. III. So, brothers, with love and thanksgiving, with songs and praises, the Church accompanies her Lord from earth to heaven! She does not indulge in sorrow or despondency because the Lord has hidden himself from her sensory gaze: for she knows that He is with her always, even to the end of the age,” and that He ascended on high in order to intercede for His faithful before the Heavenly Father and pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17). (Compiled from “Letters on Divine Services” by A. Muravyov). A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord 1) “The descended nature of Adam, into the further countries of the earth, God, who created new things with Himself above all beginning and power, you raised this day: for having loved, you have planted it, as if you had mercy on the uniting one, you have suffered, as you have suffered without passion, and you have spared it. But without flesh, who is this, verbahu, red man; but not man exactly, but God and man, collectively and manifestly” 70 . “You have not been separated from the bosom of your fathers, sweet Jesus, and having lived with those on earth as man, today you ascended from the Mount of Olives in glory, and you mercifully lifted up our fallen nature, and you have placed it with the Father.” 71 “That Your robe is scarlet, O Lover of Mankind, to the divine powers inquiring: the winepress is now exiled, Christ ascending crying” 72 . The Lord Jesus Christ, as the purest Spirit, descended from heaven into the womb of the everlasting day, mysteriously and invisibly, with the influx of the Holy Spirit onto the Blessed Virgin Mary; but having received human flesh from Her and in it having accomplished on earth the great work of redemption of the human race, He ascends into heaven in a clear and solemn way with His most pure flesh in glory to His beginning and light Father 73 . Oh, how our mortal human nature is exalted in the Lord’s ascension to heaven! Our human nature, which had retreated from God into the jungle of vices, the Lord, in His mercy, found it like a lost pea-raising sheep, took it into His pure shoulders and brought it to God the Father. This means that the Lord, in His glorious ascension, deified our human nature, which He assumed, and honored it by sitting at the right hand of God the Father. On this most pure flesh of Christ, glorified by the resurrection, however, the nail wounds on His most pure hands and feet remained ineradicable as evidence of the Lord’s death on the cross and as eternal, indestructible monuments of our redemption and justification before God. With these nail wounds on his most pure flesh, our Redeemer ascended into heaven, with them he sits at the right hand of God the Father, and with them he will appear at His second glorious coming to earth to judge the living and the dead. The holy prophet in his secret vision saw the most pure flesh of Jesus Christ with the saving signs of His sacrifice on the Cross, offered for the sins of the whole world, under the image of a scarlet robe. “Who is this who comes from Edam, wearing scarlet robes from Bozrah, so majestic in His robe, appearing in the fullness of His power? I am one who speaks truth, strong to save. Why is Your robe red, and Your garments are like those of one who has trodden in a winepress? I trodden the winepress alone, and none of the nations was with Me; and I trampled them in My wrath, and trampled them in My wrath; their blood spattered on My garments, and I stained all My clothing” (Isaiah 63:3). The holy hymn writer in the church service, appending prophetic words to the Ascension of the Lord into heaven, depicts the faces of angels, amazed at the sight of the scarlet robe in which our Savior was clothed. The symbol of the scarlet robe means the most pure flesh of the Lord, stained with His most holy atoning blood, shed on the cross for the life of the world and salvation. Rise up, sinful soul, from despondency and sinful drowsiness, take courage and lift up your gaze, downcast, to the ascended Lord, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. This is your Divine Intercessor, this is the High Priest, who “not into the sanctuary made with hands, after the image of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear for us in the presence of God” (Heb. 9:24) to intercede for our salvation. “He, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12), “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8), and therefore always, until the end of the age, can “save those who come to God through Him” (Heb. 7:25). Confident of these holy promises, do not despair, sinful soul, of your salvation under the burden of your iniquities. With tenderness and tears, lift your mental gaze to the throne of God. There, surrounded by a host of angels, in the glory of the Divine, your Savior sits at the right hand of God the Father, a friend of sinners, who came into the world to save sinners. Being burdened with the infirmities of our flesh, in addition to sin, He sympathizes with our mental and physical weaknesses and is always able to deliver us from all our troubles. In the sorrows of your heart, sigh to your Sweetest Savior, and He will always have mercy on you. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). The Most Holy “Blood of Christ, Who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself blameless to God, will cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living and true God!” (Heb.9:14). 2) “Today, in the heavens of the sky, our nature is seeing, marveling at the strange image of the sunrise, wondering to each other, saying: Who is this one who has come” 74. “And he says to them: This is sovereign and strong: This is mighty in battle: This is truly the King of glory, and why are His robes in scarlet? From Bosor comes the hedgehog of flesh" 75 . “The face of the angels rejoiced with joy, calling to the highest powers saying: lift up your gates, O princes, and the King of glory will come in” 76. It was indecent and unworthy of His divine glory to remain on earth and visibly rule the grace-filled Kingdom, like the rulers of the earth, for the King of Heaven, whose Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, “and His dominion endures throughout generations and generations” (Dan.3:100). And He, by the power of His deity, ascended into heaven, “to where He was before” (John 6:62), and from there, from heaven, He rules His Kingdom on earth and invisible in heaven, members of the Church militant on earth and the Church triumphant in heaven. The world has seen and the church chronicles convey to distant descendants the sovereign power of the King of the reigning, with which He watches over and preserves His Church unshakable and indestructible among the many enemies attacking it and the disasters besetting it. Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages, established “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). It, the blessed one, is ending the nineteenth century of its earthly existence, stands unshakably among the many upheavals and falls of the kingdoms of the earth and will stand firmly until the end of the century, like a tree planted by streams of water, forever green, expanding and spreading its blessed-leaved branches far. “The gates of hell will not prevail against her” (Matthew 16:18), according to the immutable vow of the King of kings, our Lord Jesus Christ. Give thanks, believing soul, to the merciful Lord that you too belong to the members of the blessed Kingdom of Christ. Under the sovereign dominion of the Heavenly King, you will safely pass the thorny path of your earthly journey. If you suffer troubles and misfortunes and all kinds of persecution from human untruths, then ascend in your spirit to the ascended Lord, the Heavenly King: He, the All-righteous and All-merciful, will not allow you to be tempted by more misfortunes than you can bear. He allows evil people - the minions of Belial - to cause evil to their neighbors and endures, and endures, their atrocities for a long time, waiting for their conversion to the path of salvation. He gives strength and fortitude to all who suffer troubles and misfortunes from human injustices to endure the temptations that come upon them. The Heavenly King, like the All-Wise Architect, allows troubles in His blessed Kingdom so that “let the unrighteous still commit unrighteousness; let the unclean one still become unclean; Let the righteous still do righteousness, and let the holy one still be sanctified” (Rev. 22:11). The Holy Master allows the tares to grow along with the wheat until the harvest. It is, of course, difficult to look at human injustices, at the insults and oppression of the weak from the strong; It’s even harder to endure all kinds of misfortunes from human untruths; but in such difficult circumstances, console yourself, believing soul, with the fact that the Heavenly King from the height of His holy glory sees everything - both those who offend and those who are offended, and the insults of some and the patience of others; reassure yourself that the feat of earthly testing will not last long, shortly our generation will pass to our fathers and forefathers, and there the Heavenly King, who searches hearts and bellies, will “reward everyone according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27), and for your patience he will dwell you in a land of peace, light and tranquility. 3) “Come, let us ascend the high Mount of Olives, like hundreds of tables ascending: and lifting up our hearts and thoughts to the heights, let us see the Lord now carried” 77 . “Even as you have left earth on earth, even as you have yielded to the ashen dust, come, let us rise up and raise our eyes of thought to the heights, let us gaze at the views, together with our feelings, at the heavenly gates of death, impervious to be in the Mount of Olives, and look at the one who delivers on the clouds.” 78 On the bright feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the Holy Church teaches believers to ascend in mind and heart after the ascended Lord into heaven, “Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2). since those who believe in Christ are members of that Kingdom of Christ, which is “not of this world” (John 18:36); since everything in the world is subject to change, transitory and decay, except for our immortal soul as the image of God, and since the aspirations and desires of our heart cannot be satisfied by the whole world with all its transitory blessings, then believers should not attach their souls to earthly goods - transitory, but should, according to the teachings of the Lord, take care to acquire treasure for themselves in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not they break in and do not steal” (Matthew 6:20). “Our citizenship is in heaven,” says the Apostle Paul, “from where we look for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ,” that is, believers are destined for heavenly life (Phil. 3:20). Real life is a place of sojourn, a place of our pilgrimage to heaven. But this pilgrimage should not be an idle wandering along the crossroads of the world, but at the same time it should be asceticism, the struggle of wanderers against the enemies of our salvation. In the real world there are many attractive objects on which careless travelers stop and forget about their heavenly fatherland; some travelers - lovers of peace - burden themselves with unnecessary worldly worries; but all the red of this world is not worthy of the human soul: “What good is it to a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). In warning against attachment to earthly things, the Lord commanded His followers to have self-sacrifice; For the same purpose, He took away all value from worldly honors, from the glory and wealth of this world, so that those who have these blessings of the world gain nothing for the Kingdom of God and those who do not lose nothing, except that the former encounter more obstacles and more difficulties on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord indicated the objects of human desires and quests in the search first of all and above all for the Kingdom of God: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And therefore, let us say in the words of the Apostle, “do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). “Seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). “For we have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future” (Heb. 13:14). “Having ascended into heaven, from there you also came down, do not leave us orphans, Lord: may Your Spirit come bearing the world’s peace” 79. B. From church hymns on Ascension Day a) I cried to the Lord. “The Lord ascended into heaven, so that he would send the Comforter to the world, the heavens prepared (formed) His throne, the clouds - His ascension, the angels marveled, man was seen above himself. The Father is waiting, which in the depths is co-essential (co-eternal), but the Holy Spirit commands all His angels: take up the gates of your princes (tops), clasp all the nations with your hands, as if Christ has come forth, where (where) was first (before).” b) On lithium. “Having ascended into heaven from where you came and descended, do not leave us orphans, Lord: let Your Spirit come, bearing (bringing) peace to the world, show the sons of men the works of Your power, O Lord, Lover of mankind.” c) On a poem. “Thou wast born, as Thou Thyself willed, Thou didst appear as Thou didst will: Thou didst suffer in the flesh, Thou didst suffer in the flesh, Thou didst rise from the dead, trampling death, trampling down death, Thou ascended in glory, fulfilling all things (filling everything), Thou didst send us the Divine Spirit, to sing and glorify Thy Divinity.” d) Troparion. “Thou art exalted in glory, O Christ our God, having brought joy to the disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit, informed by the former blessing, for Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.” Christ our God! You ascended in glory, filling Your disciples with joy through the promise of the Holy Spirit, in Whom You assured them of Your blessing, because You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. d) Magnification. “We magnify Thee, Life-Giving Christ, and honor the Divine Ascension into heaven with Thy most pure flesh.” Prokeimenon: “God arose with a shout, the Lord with a sound of a trumpet.” God ascended with shouting, the Lord with the solemn praise of the angels (Ps. 47:6). 1. “To the Savior God, who guided people through the sea with wet feet, and drowned Pharaoh with all his hosts, let us sing to Him alone: ​​for He was glorified.” To the Savior God, who led the people across the sea with wet feet and drowned Pharaoh with all his army, let us sing to Him alone: ​​for He is glorified. 3. “By the power of Thy Cross, O Christ, strengthen my thoughts to sing and glorify Thy saving ascension.” By the power of Your Cross, O Christ, strengthen my thoughts to sing and glorify Your saving ascension. 4. “I heard the sound of the power of the Cross, as if paradise had been opened to them, and I cried out: Glory to Your power, O Lord.” I heard a rumor about the power of the Cross (Thy), that paradise was opened to them, and I exclaimed: glory to Thy power, Lord. 5. “We cry out in the morning to Thee, O Lord, save us: for Thou art our God, for we know no other to Thee.” Rising in the morning, we cry to You, Lord: save us; for You are our God: we know no other but You. 6. “The abyss has overtaken me, the grave has become my grave, but I cried out to You, Lover of Mankind, and Your right hand saved me, O Lord.” The abyss embraced me, the whale became a coffin for me; but I cried out to You, O Lover of Mankind, and Your right hand saved me, O Lord. g) Kontakion. Tone 5. “Having fulfilled your care for us (having completed the economy of our salvation), and having united us on earth with the heavenly (and uniting earth-born with the inhabitants of heaven), You ascended in glory, Christ our God, in no way departing (not leaving the earth), but remaining persistent (inseparable from it by the omnipresence of Your Divinity) and crying out to those who love You: I I am with you, and no one else is against you.” 7. “In the fiery furnace of hymns you saved the youths, blessed be God our father.” He who saved the singing youths in the fiery furnace, blessed is the God of our fathers. 8. “From the Father, before the ages, begot the Son and God, and in the last years, incarnate from the Virgin Mother, sing to the priests, exalt the people to all ages.” From the Father before the ages the Son and God was born and in the last times incarnate from the Virgin Mother, priests, praise, people, exalt to all ages. 9 . “More than intelligence and words, the Mother of God, who in the yearless summer ineffably gave birth to you, we magnify you with the same wisdom.” You, who incomprehensibly and inexpressibly became the Mother of God, who ineffably gave birth in the time of the Eternal, we, the faithful, unanimously magnify. h) At the Liturgy. 1st Antiphon: Ps.46:2–6. “All the nations clasp their hands, shout to God with a voice of joy, for the Lord on high is awesome, the great King of all the earth. Subdue people to us and languages ​​under our feet. God has risen with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.” 2nd Antiphon: Ps.47:2–5. “Great is the Lord and greatly praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His saints. Mountains of Zion, ribs of the north, city of the great King. God is in trouble (in the palaces) We know He is there, when He intercedes and... As if all the kings of the earth had gathered and descended together. 3rd Antiphon: Ps.49:2–5. “Hear this all the nations, teach all who live throughout the world, the earthly and the sons of mankind, the rich and the poor together. My mouth will speak wisdom, and my heart will teach the understanding. I will incline my ear to a parable, I will open (set forth) my fortune-telling (riddle) in the psalter.” Prokeimenon: “Ascend into heaven, O God, and Thy glory be throughout all the earth. (Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory be throughout all the earth). Ps.56:6,12;107:5. Participated: “God comes up with a shout, the Lord with a sound of a trumpet.” X. Feast of Pentecost Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the holiday of Pentecost, or Trinity Day, with dogmatic and moral conclusions I. The time from the first day of Bright Week after Easter is called Pentecost in the Church. The last, fiftieth day of this circle is called the Feast of Pentecost. This holiday, reminiscent of a similar celebration of the Old Testament Church, is one of the most important holidays of the New Testament, along with the sacred days of Easter and Christmas. Here we are also reminded of one of the greatest mysteries of our salvation: the sending of the Holy Spirit to believers. Ten days before the Jewish holiday of Pentecost, on the very day of His Ascension, Jesus Christ commanded the apostles not to leave Jerusalem and to await the descent of the Holy Spirit on them. The apostles, having returned from the place of the Lord’s ascension into heaven, gathered in one house in Jerusalem and remained in prayer for all ten days, waiting for the fulfillment of the great promise of the Lord... Ten days have passed since the day of the ascension. The great Jewish holiday of Pentecost has arrived, that is, the fiftieth day from the Jewish Passover. The holiday of the Jewish Passover was established in remembrance of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and the fiftieth day from the day of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt was the day on which the Jews received the law through Moses from God in the desert at Mount Sinai. The Jews remembered and celebrated this day with great triumph. By this day, Jews came to Jerusalem - to the church, not only from the land of Judea, but also from all countries where they lived in dispersion, and brought sacrifices to God at the church. That is why there was always a large crowd of people in Jerusalem on the Feast of Pentecost. The Lord God was pleased to grant His Life-giving Spirit to the New Testament Church on the very day on which the law was given to the Old Testament Church. This showed that the old law was being abolished and a new one was given, that under the old covenant it was no longer possible to be saved, but one must be saved under the new covenant given to the Church by our Savior Jesus Christ - that the Holy Spirit would pronounce this law through the mouth of the apostles and their successors and would preserve it in the Church of Christ until the end of the age. When the day of Pentecost arrived, all eleven apostles and the apostle who was numbered with them in the place of Judas. Matthias were unanimous together. It was still early, only the third hour from the beginning of the day (in our opinion, nine in the morning). “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues appeared to them, as if inveterate, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). Just before His ascension, the Lord said to the apostles: a few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). And at this solemn moment, when tongues of fire descended on them, the sacrament of baptism with the Holy Spirit took place over them: they were reborn and enlightened. Uneducated, simple fishermen, who until now had not been able to understand everything in the teaching of Christ about the mysteries of faith and our salvation, now, filled with the Holy Spirit, became completely different people. The first fruit of the Holy Spirit in the apostles was the ability to speak in different languages, which they had never learned. Then, as we will see now, they are people who know all the secrets of the teachings of Christ, His divinely inspired preachers, and, moreover, such preachers who are ready to sacrifice their very lives for the truth of Christ. So at the moment of baptism, or rebirth from the Holy Spirit, the apostles instantly became different people. When there was a noise from the stormy movement of air over the house where the apostles were, and when they spoke in the languages ​​of different nations, a great multitude of people then gathered around that house, and those who listened carefully to the preaching of the apostles were amazed and could not explain to themselves what they were now seeing and hearing. They were surprised by the fact that the apostles, these simple Galilean fishermen, spoke in the languages of different nations, which they not only did not study, but which they had not even heard of, and that they spoke about the great works of God, that is, about those great ways of God, according to which the salvation of man was arranged and arranged through the incarnation of the Only Begotten Son of God, and they speak about this without studying the books of Holy Scripture and without studying in schools where the Holy Scriptures were explained and interpreted and various wisdom was taught. These people, listening to the multilingual preaching of the apostles, were amazed and perplexed and said to each other: what does this mean? There were also those among them who were only going to stare where they saw a lot of people: these, not listening to what the apostles preached, mocked them and said: “They are drunk on wine and do not know what they are saying.” When the apostles heard the bewilderment of some and the ridicule of others, then St. Peter, having approached the other apostles closer to the people, raised his voice and began to speak to the people: “Men of the Jews and all who dwell in Jerusalem! Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. They (the apostles) are not drunk, as you think, for it is only the third hour of the day. But what you see and hear was predicted by the prophet Joel, so it will be in the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... This prophecy about the sending of the Holy Spirit has now been fulfilled by the power of merit and the intercession of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom you took and nailed with the hands of the wicked, killed, but whom God raised up, to which we are all witnesses.” Those who listened attentively to this apostolic sermon now understood the meaning of the miraculous event that had taken place. After listening to the explanation of Ap. Peter, “they were touched in heart and said to Peter and the other apostles: What should we do, men and brethren?” Peter said to them: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying: Save yourself from this corrupt generation. So those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added” (Acts 2:14-42). II. This is what happened on that great day in the Apostolic Church, which we remember and celebrate every year, and which is called Pentecost. On this day the whole mystery of our redemption was completed. With the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, a new grace-filled life began in the Church of Christ, from which all the gifts of justification and salvation are distributed to those who believe in Christ. From the apostles, through the successors of their service in the Church, we also received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who justified us before God in the Sacrament of Baptism and enriched us with grace-filled powers to serve God in the Sacrament of Confirmation. And this Holy Life-Giving Spirit was sent down to the Holy Church of Christ and to each of us by God the Father through the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ, who after suffering and death for us ascended into heaven and was honored in our human nature to sit at the right hand of God the Father. (See Sunday Reading, 1884). Brothers! The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, replaced Jesus Christ for people on earth. Having come to earth by virtue of Christ’s merits, He, according to His word, must remain with the apostles, and through them with all believers forever. But we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who we worship and glorify together with the Father and the Son, and who spoke through the prophets. And because of this faith, we use His grace-filled gifts throughout our entire lives. In Baptism we are born of water and the Spirit, and by immersing ourselves in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in confirmation we receive the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Washing away our sins with tears of repentance, we, in repentance given to the priest by the power of the Holy Spirit, are freed from the bonds of sin. In the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, bread and wine are offered into the true Body and Blood of Christ to the Holy Spirits. In the priesthood, the divine grace of the Holy Spirit completes bishops, presbyters and deacons and gives them the necessary strength to perform all the Sacraments and prayers that help people achieve salvation. In short, we, members of the Body of Christ, each individually and His entire Church, live together and are animated by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, but we do not know what to pray for as we should; but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed. III. Brethren! ap. Paul wrote: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were marked on the day of deliverance. Do not quench the Spirit” (Eph.4:30). Let us therefore pray more often: “Lord, who at the third hour sent down the Most Holy Spirit to Your apostles! Do not take Him away from us, O good One, but renew us with Him who pray to You.” Appendix to conversation No. 1. Church historical information about why the celebration of the Holy Spirit was established on the next day of Pentecost In the Orthodox Church there is a reason to do this, that is, to celebrate the next day in the Holy Spirit. During solemn remembrances of great events, the Church has a custom - on the next day of the holiday, to honor with special memories the persons who had the closest connection to those events: thus, the 2nd day of the Nativity of Christ is called the “Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos”; on the morning of Epiphany, the memory of St. John the Baptist, after the Annunciation there is a service to the Archangel Gabriel. The Divine Person of the Holy Spirit, obviously, was not any kind of ministerial instrument of the event, but it is precisely “for the sake of honor to the Holy Spirit,” as noted in the synaxarion on Monday, that is supposed to be celebrated here separately, that is, when the festive service is repeated over the course of two days, the first of them is dedicated to the memory of the event, and the last to the Accomplisher of the event Himself. (See Sunday Reading, 1884). Conversation No. 2. About worship on the day of Pentecost I. The Day of Pentecost crowns the circle of all the great Christian holidays, for on this day we glorify the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who descended on St. apostles and poured out abundant gifts on the entire Church. Therefore, in the services of this day, we primarily turn to the entire Most Holy Trinity and offer Her solemn thanksgivings, glorifications and petitions. The highest divine grace has now been sent down to the human race; but with such wealth given to us, is it possible, without harm to the soul, to forget our unworthiness, our insignificance before God? That is why the Church now very wisely combines feelings of humility and repentance with chants of triumph and joy. II. a) At Great Vespers in the stichera following the singing of the Lord, the Church, describing the event of the holiday, together elevates our minds to the knowledge of the highest heavenly Visitor. “The Holy Spirit gives everything, emanates prophecies, makes priests, teaches wisdom to the unlearned, makes fishermen theologians and gathers a church council.” At the same time, the Church calls us to glorify the entire Holy Trinity: yes, “having received the heavenly Spirit, we worship the indivisible Trinity. Who saved us"; teaches with bowing of the spiritual and physical knees “to chant the beginningless Father, the co-originating Son and the co-essential and Holy Spirit, who enlightens and sanctifies our souls.” All hymns end with the common trisagion hymn: “Holy God, who created all things by the Son, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the Mighty Holy One, by whom we knew the Father, by whom the Holy Spirit came into the world, the Holy Immortal, the comforting Spirit, proceeding from the Father and resting in the Son, - Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.” In proverbs, the Church turns from the great event of the New Testament to the ancient great prototypes and promises, thus pointing to the internal connection of the covenants of the new and ancient. The first proverb (Num. 11:16,17,24–29) describes the most ancient manifestation of the Spirit of God on 70 men chosen to help Moses - a phenomenon in which one can see similarities with the real manifestation of the Most Holy Spirit on the apostles. In the second proverb we hear the very words of divine prophecy with which the ap. Peter, on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, explained to the astonished people the mystery of this great event: this is the promise of the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh, on sons and daughters, on old men and young men (Joel 2:23–32, cf. Acts 2:14–21). Finally, in the third, taken from the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:24–28), cleansing spiritual waters are announced to believers, the gift of a new spirit instead of the old and a heart of flesh instead of a stony one, and the Spirit of God is promised. In the stichera on the verse, the doxologies are already combined with prayers: “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from us, grant His radiance to us too,” and a prayer is raised to the Most Holy Spirit Himself: “Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth - come and dwell in us and cleanse us from all filth.” Finally, we sing a song of gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of such high mercies of God towards people: “Blessed are You, Christ our God, who revealed the wise fishers, sent down to them the Holy Spirit and caught the universe with them - Lover of mankind, glory to You!” (Troparion of the holiday). b) The first canon, sung at Matins, was compiled by St. Cosmas of Jerusalem. Here are some troparia of this canon: “Now the promise of the Lord and what was preached by the law and the prophets is being fulfilled (canto 1). Now He who spoke in the prophets is known to the servants of the word, is divided by them in the lights and appears to them in foreign languages ​​(item 4). This is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit proceeding from the Father and given to us by the Son (item 5). It is poured out on all flesh, and everyone is filled with the true knowledge of God (item 6). Come, let us stand on Mount Zion, in the city of the living God, and we will be partakers of the spirit-bearing disciples (item 8), through whom the greatness of God was proclaimed to the people and the knowledge of the Holy Trinity was taught (item 9).” Second canon, St. Damascus, reveals the Divine Sacrament even more clearly. “The sacred lips said: I will not be separated from you, O friends,” and the truest word rejoiced the friends by sending down the Holy Spirit upon them (π. 1) This Divine Being made the unlearned apostles wise men, blocking the mouths of the wise with words (item 3). Now the law of grace has come from Zion, the apostles have been given the knowledge of tongues and the life-giving Word, equal to the power of the Father, has been imprinted on them (item 5). Renew, O Lord, - the holy singer sings, - in our hearts the Spirit, which fills everything and burns away our defilements (item 6), - let us all cry: blessed are You, the renewer of the universe! (clause 7). Grant, O Holy Soul, Thyself to us, Thy servants, so that You may be an unceasing breath in us (item 8).” Psalms of praise with songs of praise follow, in which the Great Visitor of the Church Himself is again glorified, “The Holy Spirit, eternally present with the Father and the Son, life and life-giving, light and giver of light, source of goodness, He by whom the Father is known and the Son is glorified, God and the God-creator, fire proceeding from the Father, speaking and acting, dividing gifts, crowning prophets, apostles and martyrs." Here we also hear that prayer to the Most Holy Spirit: “Heavenly King, Comforter,” with which the Church begins all of its divine services, because without the grace of the Holy Spirit there can be no worthy service to God. c) At the Liturgy, antiphons are borrowed from those psalms that depict the heavenly sermon emanating to the whole world (Ps. 18) - a clear image of the preaching of the Gospel, to which the apostles are dedicated with the fiery tongues of the Spirit; - help is promised from the Holy One and intercession from Zion (Ps. 19) - the most perfect fulfillment of which we see now in the upper room of Zion - and God's power and gracious blessing are sung, crowning God's faithful anointed (Ps. 20) - Jesus Christ Himself, to whom God the Father gave the desire of his heart to eat, and the desire of His lips He did not deprive - in sending down the Holy Spirit to the apostles. Lik adds to the psalm verses a prayer to the Savior and the Holy Spirit: “Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior, save us! Save us, O good Comforter, who sing to You: Alleluia!” The apostle gives a majestic description of the event being remembered: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance... When this noise was made, the people gathered together and were in confusion, for everyone heard them... speaking in different tongues about the great works of God” (Acts 2:1-11). In the Gospel (John 7:37–52), the Lord proclaims to the people: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. “He said this about the Spirit,” says the Evangelist Theologian, “Whom those who believed in Him were to receive.” The last, most mysterious part of the Liturgy, by its very sacred rite, reminds us of the descent of the Holy Spirit. Let us note at the same time that during the consecration of the Gifts, the priest always prayerfully remembers the sending of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and calling on the same Spirit, says: “Who sent down Thy Most Holy Spirit in the third hour by Thy Apostle, do not take Him away from us, O Good One, but renew us who pray.” d) Vespers directly follows the Liturgy on this day. The prayers read at Vespers with kneeling elevate the soul to the very throne of the All-Holy Trinity and together make us deeply feel all our poverty and guilt before God, arouse and affirm faith, love and hope, and are so full that they embrace everyone, not only the living, but also the dead, our fathers and brothers. III. The entire divine service of this great holiday consists of a special emptiness in which the entire Divine construction of our salvation in Christ is described in lofty terms: “Who from the Father’s and Divine bosom depleted Himself and descended from heaven to earth, and our all-perceived nature and deified, then again ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God and the Father, Divine and Holy, and the one-essential, and one-powerful, and one-glorified, and co-essential Spirit, who sent down upon His holy disciples and apostles, and thereby enlightened them with the same universe, Christ, our true God, will have mercy and save us, as He is good and a lover of mankind” (Compiled from “Sunday Reading”, for 1839). A. Dogmatic and moral thoughts taken from the service of the feast of Pentecost, or the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles 1) “The glorious One today saw all the nations in the city of David, when the Holy Spirit descended in fiery tongues and filled the people where he sat: and all began to speak strange verbs, strange teachings, strange commandments of the Holy Trinity” 80. “When the tongues of fusion descended, dividing the tongues of the Most High: when the fiery tongues were distributed, we all called into unity, and accordingly we glorified the All-Holy Spirit” 81. “The animate heavens will tell today the greatness of the Savior, and the whole world will clearly preach the Comforter’s Divine power, and enlighten all creation with scientists” 82. The divine origin of the faith of Christ from heaven, its almighty power on the minds and hearts of all earthly beings, the miraculous and mysterious spiritual education of all people for the Kingdom of God - all this was clearly and solemnly revealed after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. St. the apostles, the inseparable companions of their Divine Teacher and Lord, before His suffering, everyone leaves Him and scatters, and the most faithful Peter denies Him three times; but when the Holy Spirit warmed their souls with His divine fire, then they were ready to lay down, as they had laid down, their souls for the name of Christ - then they were not afraid of threats from the great and powerful of the earth, nor reproach, nor persecution, nor torment, nor the death itself, which they joyfully endured from the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, they, like winged eagles 83, flew to all ends of the world and illuminated them with the light of the divine teaching of Christ. “Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom.10:15), they went around the whole universe and carried the name of Christ everywhere. Until the Holy Spirit illuminated the apostles with His divine light, they believed, like all their fellow tribesmen, that Jesus Christ would be the king of the earth on earth, would be the world conqueror and possessor of all nations, and therefore some of them asked for first places in His earthly kingdom, and even before His ascension to heaven, everyone came together and asked: “Is it not at this time, Lord, that You are restoring the kingdom Israel? (Acts 1:6). The question, in all likelihood, was proposed out of a desire to share the glory of their Divine Teacher in the kingdom of Israel; but after the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, they completely changed their way of thinking. They no longer thought about fame or wealth, but only cared about spreading the faith of Christ on earth and preparing believers on earth for the Kingdom of Heaven. And therefore they doomed themselves to labor, sorrow and reproach of all kinds, and completely forgot themselves to serve the word of God. Thus, the divine grace of the Holy Spirit transformed the souls of St. apostles! She inspired them with such invincible courage and such high self-sacrifice and patience. She illuminated their souls with the light of the grace-filled teaching of Christ, taught them to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God and “teach not bookish wisdom, fishermen theologians of display” 84, “And bring out books without books” 85. Was it possible to think, was it possible to expect that simple, poor fishermen, unknown to the world, not learned, not even bookish (many of them), without any human ways and means, would take the boldness to go to the mighty of the earth and the noble, to the wise and learned, as well as to the ignorant, and preach publicly to the entire pagan world that He is in error, that all the beliefs of the pagan world are false and therefore it is necessary to abandon them and even completely eradicate, and instead of false pagan dogma accept the true grace-filled gospel teaching of Christ. Moreover, the holy apostolic sermon did not condone or caress our carnal and spiritual man, but, on the contrary, challenged him to struggle with himself, prescribed self-denial and crucifixion of the flesh with passions and lusts, exposed before the eyes of every believer the poverty and extreme misery of our fallen nature, and therefore inspired everyone to have meekness and humility. Who would have thought that such preachers and such preaching could be successful, could be accepted by the unbridled, sensuality-ridden, evil pagan world? Meanwhile, it was accepted, and accepted everywhere where the powerful broadcast of the apostolic verbs was heard. So powerfully did the Holy Spirit act in the souls of the apostles and all believing Christians of the first centuries, illuminating them with His divine light! “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things; God chose the base things of the world and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should boast before God” (1 Cor. 1:27-29). 2) “The Holy Spirit, light and living source of intelligence: Spirit of reason: good, right, intelligent, possessing, cleansing sins: God and idolizer, fire comes from fire: speak, act, share gifts: By them are all the prophets, and the divine apostles were married to martyrs” 86. “The Holy Spirit gives everything, it sharpens prophecies, the priests make it happen, the fishermen are not taught wisdom by theologians, the theologians are shown, everything is gathered together by the church council” 87. “Every soul is given life by the Holy Spirits and is elevated by purity: it is illuminated by the triple unity of the sacred mystery” 88. The Holy Spirit enlightened more than just the apostles with divine light and prepared and inspired them for more than one apostolic service; He, as the All-Good source of goodness, as the Divine mentor, teaches the sacred secret to the whole Christian world, that is, every soul who believes in Jesus Christ, to every truth and to every good deed. Just as once, in the first days of the world, the Spirit of God hovered at the top of the abyss over the chaotic world, and with His incomprehensible action imparted to it the educational and life-giving power by which on a certain day of the universe certain parts of the world appeared, so in the moral world - the Christian - He, the All-Holy One, restores our fallen nature, revives it and on the corpse of our old man, decayed in passions, creates man new, “created according to God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). In the field of the barren human heart, which grew only thorns and thistles, the All-Holy Spirit, having cleansed it from all filthiness of vices, grows the beautiful fruits of heavenly virtues: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith” (Gal. 5:22). The entire church council, or, in other words, all the faces of the holy saints of God, who make up the Church of our firstborn brethren, written in heaven - all from the spiritual rebirth in the waters of the Holy. Baptisms to the perfect “full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) were sanctified during their earthly career and were performed in feats of Christian self-sacrifice - patience, generosity, humility and humiliation, and succeeded in all Christian virtues under the direct guidance and with the assistance of the Divine mentor - the life-giving Holy Spirit. He mysteriously first calls the soul of the believer onto the path of salvation, then cleanses it, admonishes, warns and completely sanctifies it, either in the Holy Mysteries taught by the Church, or through the Word of God, or by direct influx and action on the soul of the believer. Thus, the Holy Spirit always arranges the soul for grief, that is, educates it for the Kingdom of Heaven. “By the Holy Spirit all holy things and wisdom will be revealed” 89 . And sinful people, mired in lawlessness and carelessness, careless about their salvation, the Holy Spirit does not cease to arouse them to repentance and in many different ways tries to call them from error to the path of salvation. And often the grace of the Holy Spirit makes a frivolous and absent-minded person constant and attentive to the ways of his salvation; makes a proud, uncommunicative and cruel person soft, philanthropic and merciful; irritable and angry - meek and condescending; intemperate and voluptuous - chaste and temperate. The grace-filled streams of the Holy Spirit sometimes so soften the coarsened and embittered soul of a sinner that it completely melts away in tears of tenderness, repentance and heartfelt contrition for its sins, being revived and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the undoubted hope of salvation. “The Holy Spirit flows streams of grace, flowing every creature to life” 90. “To the Holy Spirit, any all-saving guilt, if He breathes according to His inheritance, will soon be taken from the earthly: it uplifts, increases, and settles grief. By the Holy Spirit deification to all, good will, reason, peace and blessing. Those who trust in the Lord are a terrible enemy and marvel at everyone: for they see woe” 91. The reverend fathers, who worked hard in the struggles of a strict Christian life, know and say from their own experience that the grace of the Holy Spirit is as necessary for the spiritual life of our soul as the presence of the soul in its body is necessary for physical life. Just as a body without a soul is dead, “just as every house,” says Macarius the Great, “has a need for light, and without this light it would be dark and inconvenient for habitation, so human nature, being unable on its own to produce the fruits of virtue, has a need for a spiritual worker of our souls, that is, the Spirit of Christ” 92 . “Without the grace of God, a person cannot do anything regarding his salvation,” 93 says the Monk Cassian the Roman. “Every day and every moment our will needs divine assistance and divine grace” 94. Without the grace of the Holy Spirit, a person cannot by himself correct his damaged nature and succeed in deeds of virtue. “The human soul, left to itself,” teaches St. Anthony the Great, “is so weak that when either the spirit of malice attacks it, or sensual desires demand satisfaction for themselves, it can rarely resist them and for the most part is enslaved by them. And therefore, obviously, by itself it cannot restore itself to its primitive state” 95. The poor and pitiful state of the soul, not illuminated by the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit, is very strikingly depicted in the conversations of the saints. Macarius the Great. “If the soul,” he says, “is not salted by the Holy Spirit and does not have heavenly salt in itself, that is, the grace of God, then it comes as if into decay and is filled with the heavy stench of evil thoughts, so that God, due to the heavy stench of vain and depraved thoughts and passions found in such a soul, turns His face away from it. Evil and cruel worms - the spirits of malice and the forces of darkness - go to her and there they feed, nest, creep, devour her and destroy her" 96 . “Woe to the path,” says St. Macarius in another conversation, “if no one walks along it and the voice of man is not heard in it, because this path becomes a habitat for beasts. Woe to the soul when the Lord does not dwell in it and does not drive out spiritual malice from it with His voice. Woe to the house if its lord does not live in it: it is in oblivion, darkness and darkness reign in it, and it is filled with uncleanness and stench. Γο the soul in which the Lord does not live: it is filled with the darkness of sin, vile passions and all wickedness” 97, and so on. 3) “Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, who is everywhere and all that is consumed, treasure of good things and giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save our blessed souls” 98. “Come to us, Holy Soul, Thy partakers creating holiness, and unfading light, and divine life” 99. “The Comforter who came to us from above, as first to the apostles, sanctify and save those who preach God to You” 100. If the grace of the Holy Spirit is so necessary for a person that without its assistance he can neither cleanse himself from sins nor succeed in the exploits of Christian life, then the duty of every Christian requires that he constantly and sincerely desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and persistently ask the Lord to send us His Holy Spirit. since the actions of the Holy Spirit, according to the teaching of Saint Basil the Great, are reflected only in those souls that do not have anything obstinate and corrupted in themselves, 101 we must try to humble ourselves before God by the knowledge of our weakness and sinful poverty. “What was previously placed must be poured out,” teaches Basil the Great, “so that what is poured in again can be contained” 102 by the grace of the Holy Spirit. “The dwelling and rest of the Holy Spirit,” says St. Macarius the Great, - there is humility, love, meekness and other commandments of Christ" 103. Those who have been deemed worthy to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, communicated in the Sacrament of Holy Confirmation, “do not quench” (1 Thess. 5:19) this divine fire, teaches the Apostle Paul. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” And immediately for this he warns believers against those evils that offend the Holy Spirit. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and crying and slander, along with all malice, be put away from you; but be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:30–32), in order to preserve the presence of the Holy Spirit within you 104 . B. Why do we decorate our sacred churches and houses with greenery and tree branches on the Feast of Pentecost? The custom of decorating holy churches and Christian homes on the day of Pentecost with greenery and tree branches awakens three kinds of memories: the appearance of God to Abraham, the Sinai legislation and the Upper Room of Zion with the believers upon whom the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. 1) Seeing our houses and churches decorated on the sacred day of Pentecost with greenery and tree branches, we are involuntarily transported in thought to the tabernacle of Abraham in the Mamre oak grove and stop here at the first hidden appearance of the Trinity God in His Persons to man. “The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oak grove of Mamre, when He was sitting at the entrance to His tent during the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood against him. Seeing, He ran to meet them from the entrance to his tent and bowed to the ground. And he said: Lord! If I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass Your servant past” (Gen. 18:1-3). The sacred writer of everyday life gives one name to the Lord to the three Divine Wanderers; with one worship, Abraham himself, seeing the mystery, gives honor to the one God, who appeared in His three Persons, and by addressing one, he confesses the one principle of the trinity in the persons of the Divinity. Then a promise was given to Abraham that from him would come a great and strong nation, and in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (v. 18). Abraham believed God, and God fulfilled everything that He said about him (see v. 19): He brought the closest and most distant descendants of the father of believers to Sinai of the Old and New Testaments. 2) “In the third month, after the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, on the very day of the new moon they came to the Sinai desert... And they encamped there opposite the mountain” (Exodus 19:1-2). Mount Sinai was covered with greenery at that time (see Exodus 34:3), and Israel itself received a command from God to wash their clothes, cleanse themselves and prepare themselves for a worthy meeting with Jehovah, Who now wished to speak with His people (Exodus 19:9–11). And it is not surprising that, fulfilling this command of God (verses 14 and 15), who were on a long journey and, perhaps, even lived in tree tents (see Luke 9:33), the poor people of Egyptian slaves used fresh tree branches and greenery to give the appearance of external cleanliness to their dwellings. At least among subsequent Jews, the custom, not prescribed by law, but almost turned into law from constant use, was sacredly observed to decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers, grass and tree branches on the sacred day of remembrance of the Sinai legislation. The synagogue, covered with greenery, and especially the pulpit in it, draped with tree branches, began to represent for later generations the peak of Sinai, on which Moses received the law from God to transmit to the people. The voice of the rabbi, reading from such a pulpit the words of the law, clearly resembled the voice of God, speaking from the mountain of the Decalogue in cloud, thunder and lightning. The people themselves decorated their homes on this holy day. the day professed reverence for the law and the Lawgiver and from concern for external purity was elevated to achieving internal purity by keeping what was commanded. 3) In the New Testament this pious custom, which accompanied the celebration of the Jewish Pentecost, was retained. The Holy Apostles, in gratitude to the Mosaic Law, which led people to Jesus Christ, had no small urge to celebrate the sacred day of the Sinai legislation and, according to ancient custom, to decorate the place of their permanent residence - the Zion Upper Room - with greenery and tree branches. But it pleased the Lord that this Old Testament Pentecost should be the last and be replaced by the New Testament Pentecost. When the day of Pentecost arrived, we read in the holy book of Acts, all the apostles and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ were together with one accord in the upper room of Zion. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind... And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2–4). On the same day, he turned to faith in Jesus Christ, following the preaching about Him by St. ap. Peter, about three thousand souls of Jews and proselytes who were in Jerusalem on the occasion of the Jewish Pentecost (Acts 2, etc.) and formed the first Christian flock under the leadership of the first shepherds. With the coming of the Comforter promised by the Savior (John 14:16–17,26), in greater light than before, the mystery of the One Divinity in three Persons was revealed to people, the law of the Life-giving Spirit, and not the letter of the killing, was inscribed on the hearts of believers, and not on tablets of stone, and the beginning of the existence of the visible earthly Church of Christ with its unshakable faith and unfailing love, with its shepherds and flock, with its grace-filled Sacraments and other saving institutions. In each of these most honest events of the day of Christian Pentecost, the ancient Jewish custom found an even greater inner meaning than it had before. Now each of our churches is both the Tabernacle of Abraham, where faith in the Most Holy Trinity is confessed, and Sinai, where the Lord proclaims to us His perfect law, and the Upper Room of Zion, where everyone abide in prayer and fraternal fellowship. And every Christian home is called to be the tabernacle of Abraham, in which the veneration of the true God is firmly preserved, and Sinai, where the laws are strictly observed, and the Upper Room of Zion, where love, unanimity and constant prayer create a new covenant. The Lord does not hesitate to visit such a church and such a pious Christian home. (See Rural Pastor's Manual, No. 20, 1893). Conversation No. 3, explaining the troparion of Pentecost “Blessed are you, Christ God, who are all wise fishers of phenomena, having sent down to them the Holy Spirit and with them caught the universe. Lover of humanity, glory to Thee." I. Now let us offer to your love, brothers, an explanation of the deeply instructive troparion of Pentecost, the words of which we have just read above. II. a) The fishermen, whom Christ God revealed as wise, having sent down the Holy Spirit to them, are the apostles, called from the fishing industry to catch people into the Church of Christ. “And as He passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen, and He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-19). It is clear that He called them fishers of men in reference to their worldly trade. b) Why are the fisher-apostles called wise in the church song? Because they themselves were wise in understanding the teaching of the Gospel, and taught it to others with wisdom. They, mostly unliterate people, testified to their wisdom in understanding the Gospel truth by the fact that after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them they began to proclaim the doctrine of God and man, the loftier of which human wisdom could not imagine, to reveal the concepts of the Messiah and His Kingdom, which in their spirituality had nothing in common with the sensual ideas that prevailed among modern Jews about the same, to preach the rules moralities that infinitely exceeded all human moral teachings that have ever existed. It was not for nothing that the whole universe bowed before their wisdom - the words of Christ the Savior came true on them: “I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or resist” (Luke 21:15). Thus, the apostles, in their perfection both in understanding the gospel truth and in preaching it, were truly “wise” fishers, and the Lord Jesus showed them to be such by sending down the Holy Spirit to them. Before the Holy Spirit was sent down on them, although they accepted the teaching of Christ with an open mind and heart, they did not understand much about it and generally did not assimilate it, so that the Divine Teacher more than once had to reproach them for this. For the same reason, He did not tell them everything that they should have known, saying that they could not contain much (John 16:12), and although during the continuation of His earthly ministry He sent them to preach the Gospel, He sent them only to the Jews and, moreover, with the briefest sermon - about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 10:7). But the Holy Spirit descended on them - and filled them with what they lacked: He guided them into all truth, reminded them and imprinted in their minds and hearts everything that Jesus Christ told them and that they did not fully comprehend (John 14:26), and made them skillful and experienced fishers of men. c) Through the wise fishers - the apostles, Christ our God “caught the universe.” This means that the gospel teaching spread throughout the world through them, so that even during the life of the apostles, “their voice went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Rom. 10:18). And this was the will of Christ the Savior. He told the apostles: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “Go and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, the Church of Christ is called universal: in contrast to the Church of the Old Testament, which included one chosen people, it includes believers from all places and times, from Jews and pagans. This does not mean, however, that all members of the Church of Christ will be saved solely because they are members of it. Christ the Savior in one of His parables likens the Kingdom of Heaven, i.e., His Church - this Kingdom of Heaven on earth - to “a net thrown into the sea and capturing fish of all kinds, which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, gathered the good into vessels, and threw out the bad. “So it will be,” the Savior adds, “at the end of the age: the angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:47-50). So, not all members of the earthly, militant Church will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the triumphant Church, because the earthly Church is not made up of the righteous alone. Christian! Have you thought about the terrible separation of the wicked from the righteous that is about to take place at the end of the age? And while thinking about this, did the possibility of not being among the acquitted make you afraid? After all, many are called, few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Many fish are caught in a net thrown into the sea, but not all are suitable for food, and not all are taken into the vessel. We all, as Orthodox Christians, belong to the same church society, and we all, as members of it, enjoy the same rights, we all - both righteous people and great sinners - approach the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ and other Sacraments, we all participate in the same church prayers, we all heed the same Word of God; but can we be sure that at the end of the age, at the Last Judgment, the angels will not separate some of us from others, that we will all be placed together at the right hand of the throne of glory, as we all stand together in the church before the throne of grace? After all, the point is not to belong to the Orthodox Church of Christ, but to be its true sons. What good is it if, as a member of the universal Church, I am alien to it in spirit and thoroughly imbued with the spirit of a world hostile to it - if, being in the depths of the Church, which I profess to be apostolic and holy, I do not keep the apostolic teachings and traditions, and do not care about spiritual sanctification? In the next world, our Christianity, our churchliness will be judged not by church records, in which we are written as baptized and going to confession and partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but by the books of conscience, by the fruits of repentance, by life! Let each of us think about this more often and let the fear of the separation of the wicked from the righteous at the end of the age, with the help of God's grace, restrain ourselves from everything that could make us worthy of this terrible excommunication. (See “Collection for lovers of edifying reading” by Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma). III. These, Christian brothers, are the thoughts and feelings that the troparion of Pentecost awakens in us. Let us be imbued with them and work out our salvation in fear. Appendix to conversations No. 2–3. Why on Pentecost and on all Sundays are prayers performed in the Church without kneeling? The bright solemnity of the remembrances performed by the Church throughout Pentecost and on Sundays eliminates by itself any external expression of sadness and lamentation about sins: for since Jesus Christ, “having destroyed the handwriting that was against us as a teaching, which was against us, and He took it out of the environment and nailed it to the cross; Having taken away the strength of the principalities and powers, he powerfully put them to shame, having triumphed over them with Himself” (Col. 2:14–15), - since then “there is now no condemnation for those who live in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). For this reason, from the very first times, a custom, probably handed down by the apostles, was observed in the Church, according to which on all these days, as dedicated to the memory of the glorious victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death, public worship was to be performed lightly and solemnly, and especially without kneeling as a sign of repentant contrition for sins. The antiquity of the custom is attested to by St. Justin and Tertullian, who lived in the second and third centuries. Later, their first ecumenical council found it necessary to legitimize it with a special rule, obligatory for the entire Church. “Because,” says the rule of this council, “there are some who kneel on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) and on the days of Pentecost: so that in all dioceses everything is equally observed, it is pleasing to the holy council, and standing up they offer prayers to God” (Rev. 20). St. Basil the Great, pointing to this rule, explains the reason and meaning of the custom he legitimizes: “On Saturdays alone (the first day after Saturday) we perform prayers standing, but we do not all know the reason for this. For not only as those who have been resurrected with Christ and must seek the things above by standing during prayers on the day of resurrection, we remind ourselves of grace as sent down, but we also do this because this day is, as it were, some image of the hoped-for, future age. As the beginning of days, even in Moses He is called not the first, but one: “And there was evening,” he says, “and there was morning: one day” (Gen. 1:5), as if one and the same day revolved many times. So, one, which is also the eighth (i.e. after seven days of the week), means that essentially single and true eighth day, which the psalmist mentions in some of the inscriptions of the psalms, and marks the future state of this age, or that unceasing, non-evening, unsuccessive, endless and ageless age. Therefore, the Church thoroughly teaches her children to perform the prayers that occur on this day while standing, so that, that is, with a private reminder of endless life, we do not neglect the instructions for such repose. However, the entire Pentecost is a reminder of the resurrection expected in the next century. For this one and first day, being multiplied seven times, makes up the seven weeks of Holy Pentecost: beginning with the first day of the week, it also ends with it... Church statutes teach us these days to prefer an upright position of the body during prayer, with a clear reminder, as if raising our thoughts from the present to the future. With every genuflection and rebellion, by this action we show both that we fell to the earth through sin, and that through the love of the One who created us we were called back to heaven” (Basily the Great right. 91). XI. Feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross Conversation No. 1. About the holiday of the origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross (August 1) I. On August 1st the Holy Church celebrates a festival in honor of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. According to the church holiday, this holiday is called the origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, and according to the common people - the Savior, or the first Savior (the second Savior is the Transfiguration of the Lord, the third is the Image Not Made by Hands). On this same day, the Holy Church remembers the blessed death of the Old Testament martyrs - the seven Maccabee brothers, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar. For this reason, the holiday of August 1 is also called the Maccabees among the people. II. Let's talk first about the Feast of the Holy Cross, and then about St. martyrs of the Maccabees. a) The celebration of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of Christ on the first day of the month of August was established both here in Russia and in the Greek Church, in the year 11b4 on the following occasion: Grand Duke Andrei Georgievich Bogolyubsky waged war with the Bulgarians. According to the pious custom of all Russian princes, Andrei Bogolyubsky had with his army the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the icon of the Mother of God and other holy icons, so that this shrine, presented in front of the regiments, would instill in the soldiers hope in heavenly help and reinforce their own courage. With firm faith in God's help, Andrei Bogolyubsky went against his enemies, the Bulgarians, and on the very day of the battle, August 1, when the Russian regiments were pressing the Bulgarian regiments, he saw the overshadowing of his soldiers with the light emanating from the Cross of the Lord and from St. icons “Having driven out the enemies and returned to the place of battle, where the army stood around the holy icons, St. Prince Andrei, according to the chronicler, fell in front of them and expressed gratitude to the Lord with tears for the victory granted.” To the greater glory of the Cross of the Lord and to the greater consolation of all Orthodox Christians, at the same time and on the same day, the Greek Emperor Manuel, with the help of God, won a victory over the Saracens (Turks). And he, like Andrei Bogolyubsky, saw during the battle the light emanating on the soldiers from the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and from the holy icons that were presented in front of the regiments. Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky immediately after the victory sent a notification about this to the Greek emperor, and he, for his part, informed the great prince about his victory, and both Christian sovereigns, who triumphed over their enemies by the power of the Cross of the Lord, with the blessing of the Greek Patriarch Luke, Russian Metropolitan Constantine and Bishop of Rostov Nestor (Andrei Bogolyubsky was then still the prince of Rostov), in order to always preserve in the memory of this important victory, it was established to celebrate on the 1st day of August “the mercy and love of God to the Honest Cross” (“Prologue”, August 1). The newly established celebration of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord consists, firstly, in the fact that on this day, as on the Feast of the Exaltation, at Matins, the Holy Cross is solemnly carried from the altar for the worship of the faithful, at which it is sung: “We bow to Thy Cross, Master...” Secondly, after the Liturgy (or even after Matins, see the Rules) a solemn ceremony is performed, with the presentation of the Honest Cross and holy icons, a procession to springs, lakes and wells for the blessing of water. From the last establishment, the holiday itself received the name origin, or, in a more precise expression, the carrying out, presentation of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord for the blessing of water. This is a brief history of the Feast of the Holy Cross on August 1st. As you can see, it is very simple and very easy to notice, especially since from this same day the Holy Church begins fasting to prepare Christians for the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and from this same day, at every matins until the feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable Cross, the chaos from the canon of the cross is sung, “Moses drew the cross...” The holiday of August 1, according to the advice of the Holy Church, we must celebrate piously and godly, maintaining peace and love among ourselves, doing good to the poor, with the fear of God and shunning every evil deed, in order to please God, and make us worthy of eternal celebration with all the saints, after the sign of the Son of Man appears in heaven. The Honest Cross of the Lord will precede the Judge of the living and the dead, will rejoice the righteous with its light and, after the completion of the judgment, will go before them to the Kingdom of Heaven (“Prologue”, August 1). b) Now about St. martyrs of the Maccabees. The holy Maccabee martyrs suffered 173 years before the birth of Christ. At this time, the entire Jewish people, for their sins, were under the authority of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes. The king's officers cruelly oppressed the people of God; more than once the army of Antiochus betrayed Jerusalem and all of Judea to fire and sword, the very temple of Jerusalem was more than once subjected to desecration, and its treasures were plundered. To complete the disaster, the wicked king came up with the idea - to convert all the Jews to the pagan faith, and the holy temple of Jerusalem into an idolatry. Terrible persecution for faith and desecration of the shrine began. There was no mercy for anyone. Children, circumcised according to the Jewish law, were thrown from the high city wall - several Jews, who had gathered in a hidden cave to celebrate the Sabbath, were burned alive... Finally, it was the turn of the seven Maccabean brothers, and they all suffered martyrdom along with their mother Solomonia and teacher Eleazar. The teacher Eleazar suffered first of all. The pagan tormentors demanded that He publicly eat pork meat, prohibited by law, which had previously been sacrificed to the pagan gods. Eleazar spat on the idol's sacrifice, and when they threatened him with death for this, He replied that he was ready to do anything to preserve the law of God. However, the tormentors themselves felt sorry for the venerable elderly husband; They suggested that, under the guise of pork, he should eat some other meat and only show the appearance that he was fulfilling the will of the king. Eleazar did not agree to be a hypocrite and with firmness endured the torment prepared for him. The teacher was followed by his disciples - the seven brothers of the Maccabees, and after them their mother. They demanded the same thing from them as from Elder Eleazar, that is, they forced them to eat pork sacrificed to idols; but no threats could force them to fulfill the royal command. They were beaten with ox sinews; but this did not shake their firmness. Finally, the angry king ordered the frying pans and cauldrons used for torment to be lit, and when this was done, he ordered the eldest of the brothers’ tongue to be cut off, his arms and legs to be cut off, the skin to be torn off from his entire body, and he was thrown, barely alive, into a hot frying pan. The sufferer died in terrible agony, and his mother and brothers, looking at his torment, encouraged each other to suffer for their faith in the true God. They brought the second brother out to be scolded and, having removed the skin from his head, they asked: will he eat what they order? He answered: no, and suffered like an older brother. After the second, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth suffered. They all died with the same courage, with denunciation of the king, with faith in God and hope of resurrection for a blessed life. All that was left was the mother and the youngest son. The king exhorted him to deviate from the faith of his fathers and promised to make him rich. The young man refused. Then the king called his mother to him and demanded that she persuade her son and thereby save him from certain death. The mother promised and, leaning towards her son, this is what she said to him: “My son! spare me; I carried you in my womb, I fed you with my milk. Look, my child, at heaven and earth and everything that is in them. God alone created all this. He is the Lord of all creation. Do not be afraid of the tormentor, be worthy of your brothers! Accept death so that you can be as sweet and pleasant to me as your brothers.” “What do you expect from me? – the young man spoke after listening to his mother’s instructions. “I do not fulfill the king’s command, I will not betray the law of my fathers. “And you, the tormentor of the Jews,” He said, turning to the king, “you will not escape the hands of God and you will suffer a worthy execution.” After these words, He was martyred like his brothers, and after him the mother of the seven martyrs was also martyred. This is how St. suffered. glorious martyrs - the seven brothers of the Maccabees, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar. The Holy Church of early times began to celebrate the memory of St. Martyrs of the Maccabees; She, although they belonged to the Old Testament, did not distinguish them from the New Testament martyrs, because they endured their torment by faith in the same Lord Savior, only still promised and expected, and the New Testament martyrs - in the one who came. The Holy Church, through its celebration in memory of the martyrs and reading about their exploits, wants to confirm its children in faith and piety. That is why the festival in honor of St. Martyrs of the Maccabees, according to the testimony of St. Fathers Cyprian, Chrysostom and others, dates back to the very first times of Christianity. “The pillars of the wisdom of God, the seventh pillar of the divine light, the Maccabees of all wisdom, before the martyrs, the greatest martyrs: with them all, pray to God to be saved by those who honor you” (troparion). (Extracted from Sunday Reading, 1865–66, book 1, pp. 410–415). Appendix to conversation No. 1. Historical basis of the holiday of the origin of the Trees of the Venerable and Life-Giving Cross The victory celebration on the 1st day of August is called the origin, or procession, and is connected with the blessing of water, no doubt from the ancient custom on this day in Constantinople of carrying the Holy Cross through the city streets and squares during the first half of August to consecrate the city and prevent diseases that often befell the city at this time. For this purpose, on the eve of August 1st, they prepared the Cross on the holy altar of the St. Sophia Church, from where it was then worn for the worship of the people and carried around the city, until the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. This custom, in conjunction with another custom of the Greek Church - to bless water in the court church of Constantinople on the 1st day of every month, excluding January, when the blessing of water takes place on the 6th, and September, in which it occurs on the 14th 105, and served as the basis for the name of the holiday and the blessing of water on this holiday. XII. Feast of the image of our Lord Jesus Christ not made by hands Conversation No. 1. About the feast of the image of our Lord Jesus Christ not made by hands I. The day after the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, August 16, the Orthodox Church celebrates the image of our Lord Jesus Christ not made by hands. What kind of image is this and where did it come from, if it was not created by human hands, as all our sacred icons are made? II. Listen, brothers, to the story of the origin of this image. During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, when He preached and taught in the land of Judea, in Edessa, a Syrian city, there was a king named Abgar. This king suffered from a serious illness, and no doctors could cure him of this illness. At this time, a rumor spread from the land of Judea throughout the Syrian cities that in Judea there is a Wonderworker, Jesus Christ, who heals people with one word from all sorts of diseases and even resurrects the dead, and that the Jews do not like Him and persecute Him. Abgar believed that this Wonderworker would have healed his illness if he could have asked Him to do so. But the sick king could not go to Judea himself, and therefore he decided to send a letter there and ask the Wonderworker to come to him in Edessa. The king sent a painter with a letter to Jesus Christ with the purpose that the painter would take a portrait of the great Wonderworker if He Himself did not come to him or did not come to Edessa soon. The letter is like this: “Abgar, prince of Edessa, greets Jesus, the good Savior, who appeared in the countries of Jerusalem. I have heard about You and Your wonderful works; I heard that You heal diseases without any medicines or herbs, restore sight to the blind and walk to the lame, cleanse lepers and drive away evil spirits from people; I heard that with one word You give strength to the paralytic and resurrect the dead, and I decided in my mind that You are either God who came down from heaven, or the Son of God. Therefore, I humbly pray to You, take the trouble to come to me and heal the incurable disease that I have been suffering from for several years now. I also heard that the Jews hate You and want to do You harm. My city, although small, is beautiful and abounds in everything. Come to me and live in my city." When the painter (his name is Ananias) gave the letter to Jesus Christ, the Lord, without a doubt, told him that He could not leave the Jews, because He had been sent by God the Father to accomplish the work of salvation among the Jews. Then the painter began to look for an opportunity to copy the portrait from the face of the Lord. But the multitude of people who constantly surrounded Jesus Christ made it difficult for him to fulfill this order of Abgar. And so one day, when Jesus Christ was teaching the people, he stood close to an elevated place and from there, peering into the features of the Savior’s face, wanted to draw His image. He worked on this for a long time, but there was no success: the facial features appeared under the painter’s brush, but were far from resembling the living face of the Savior, shining with heavenly grace. The knower of the heart knew Ananias’ desire, saw his unsuccessful work, and was pleased to call him to Himself. In front of him, the Lord asked for water and a towel, washed His face and wiped it with a towel, which was folded in four. The face of the Savior was depicted on the towel. The Lord gave this image of His to Ananias so that He would take it to Abgar. You see that this image is not made by hands, because it was not made by human hands, but was created miraculously by the will of the almighty Lord. Dismissing Ananias with this miraculous image, the Lord also handed him a letter to the sick king Abgar as follows: “Blessed are you, Abgar, that without having seen Me, you believed, for it is written that those who have seen Me will not believe, but those who have not seen will believe and inherit eternal life. You ask Me to come to you; but I must accomplish what I was sent for, and after completion I must return to the Father who sent Me. When I ascend to Him, I will send to you one of my disciples, who will heal you completely and give life to you and others with you.” When Ananias returned to Abgar, he with the greatest joy accepted the letter and the miraculous image of the Savior; He immediately felt great relief from his illness. But his illness did not go away at all, and Abgar waited with faith and hope for the disciple of Christ to come to him and heal him. After the Lord’s ascension into heaven, indeed, the Apostle Thaddeus arrived in Edessa preaching the gospel, healed him completely from his illness, taught him faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and baptized him along with many of his subjects. Abgar, having become a Christian, showed, together with other believers, the greatest reverence for the miraculous image of Jesus Christ. He wrote the following inscription above the image in golden words: “Christ Jesus, whoever trusts in You will not be put to shame!” Then he attached the towel with the image not made by hands to a board of rotting wood and placed it over the gates of the city. All believers, when they passed through those gates, worshiped the image. This shrine was held in such reverence not only under Abgar himself, but also under his son and grandson. Out of reverence for the precious shrine, the people of Edessa, mainly Christians, developed the belief that the city of Edessa could never be taken by enemies during war. But one of Abgar’s great-grandsons retreated from the Christian faith and began to worship idols. The image not made by hands, which stood over the gates of the city, became hateful to him and he decided to remove this image and put an idol in its place. But the Lord did not allow him to such a desecration of the shrine: the bishop of Edessa had a revelation from God about the king’s intentions, and this servant of Christ secretly went to the city gates at night, lit a lamp in front of the image, covered it with a stone board and covered the place with lime, so that the place was not marked by anything on the stone wall of the gate. The king thought that Christians had removed the image of their Savior from the wall, and did not place an idol there. Over time, there were fewer and fewer Christians in Edessa, and those who remained forgot about the image not made by hands, because no one except the bishop knew where it had gone. Many years after that, precisely in 515, the Persians attacked Edessa and began to fight this city with a large army. The inhabitants, locked within the walls, did not even think about defending the city with their small forces, fell into despair and did not know what to do. There was still a small number of Christians in Edessa, they also had a bishop, Eulavius; They began to pray to the Lord and cry out to Him for help and intercession. The prayer of the righteous was heard: Bishop Eulavius ​​received a vision from the Lord: a wife shining with heavenly glory pointed him to the place where the miraculous image was hidden, and commanded him to open a wonderful shrine there. The bishop acted as directed, and when they opened the stone tablet with which the image not made by hands was covered, they found the holy image unharmed and the lamp burning. Having taken the wonderful shrine, the bishop and the Christian people, in a feeling of reverence and gratitude to the Lord, made a religious procession near the walls inside the city. After this, to the surprise of all the residents of the city, the enemy suddenly stopped fighting the city. From that time on, the miraculous image again became a precious shrine of the Edessa Church, and Christians worshiped it with reverence. The rumor about the discovery of this shrine spread throughout the Eastern Church and Christians from various distant countries came to venerate the holy icon. But soon Edessa and the surrounding countries fell under the rule of the Mohammedans, who fiercely persecuted everything that was an object of solemn veneration for Christians, and especially icons. It was difficult for Christians in foreign countries to make their way to worship the image not made by hands. And they also mourned that this shrine was in the power of the infidels. Therefore, in the tenth century, the Greek emperors Constantine and Roman offered the unfaithful owners of Edessa a large ransom for the image not made by hands. The infidels did not agree to the proposal of the Greek emperors for a long time, and when they agreed, they demanded a ransom of two hundred freed captives, twelve thousand pieces of silver and a promise never to go to war against Edessa. The emperors agreed to the required ransom, and in 944, on August 16, the miraculous image was brought to Constantinople with great triumph. Since that time, the day of August 16 began to be celebrated in the Greek Church in honor of the miraculous image of Christ the Savior. You may ask, where is this image not made by hands now kept? He is not in Constantinople and it is impossible to say where He is now. For Constantinople, as for the entire Greek Church, for a long time and to this day there have been no bright days from the oppression of the Turks. They say that in the 12th century, when the Latins moved in droves to Jerusalem to liberate this city from the Turks, the Venetians took the miraculous image from Constantinople and took it to Venice; others believe that the Greeks themselves gave this shrine to the Genoese in gratitude for their help against the Turks; others want to prove that this image is now in Georgia. If it is still kept on earth, then one must expect special instructions from the Lord Himself where exactly His image not made by hands is kept. And if the Lord does not want to reveal this, it is difficult to find out by human means whether this shrine is now kept. III. I think that you all, brothers, have seen how the image not made by hands is now written on our icons. A towel folded into a square handkerchief is written on the board, and on this towel the head and most pure face of Christ the Savior are drawn. This is how it is written from antiquity, following the model of the original itself. Come everyone to the Matins of the Feast of the Image Not Made by Hands and you will see this icon when you kiss it in the middle of the church. a) If someone asked you - and now we have many people who are ready to ask and argue - why do you worship in front of sacred icons, when it is necessary, they will say, to bow only to the Heavenly God, then you would tell him about the origin of the miraculous image and say: here is the first icon, miraculously given to us by Our Lord Himself for honoring and worshiping before it - and believe undoubtedly that to worship before the image of Jesus Christ, The Mother of God and the saints are a holy and godly work. b) Another question: how should one venerate holy icons? The answer to it can be found in the troparion of the holiday to the image not made by hands: “We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, asking for forgiveness of our sins, O Christ our God: by the will of Thou didst please to ascend in the flesh to the cross, that Thou mightest deliver what Thou hast created from the work of the enemy. With the same grateful cry to Ti: You filled all with joy, our Savior, who came to save the world.” This verse is good to read whenever we bow before any icon of Christ the Savior. But what is especially good for us here is that from this verse you clearly see how, according to the teaching of the Holy Church, we should worship before icons: you worship the most pure image of Christ, but all the words of your prayer, as well as your thoughts and feelings should be addressed not to the image, but to the One who is represented in this image, that is, to the living Lord Jesus, who is in heaven. This is how we must worship before every sacred icon. We worship the Most Pure Image, but we pray and ask not the image, but our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, glorifying His ineffable love and suffering for us on the cross. The image only reminds us of the One whom it depicts. (Compiled from “Sunday Reading”) for 1865–66, book. 1, p. 469–476). Appendix to conversation No. 1. Thoughts about the importance and meaning of the holiday in honor of the Image of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands The appearance of the miraculous image of Christ is a great work of God’s mercy, serving for the Christian race as an undoubted affirmation of faith in pious icon veneration. If the Lord Himself deigned to give Christians His most pure image for due veneration, if from ancient times the image of the Savior, the Mother of God and the icons of other saints were the subject of reverent veneration by believers and served as a visible means of communicating miraculous power and help to people, then will any Christian dare to deny the usefulness and salvific value of icon veneration? Meanwhile, in former times there were and to this day in the Christian world there are iconoclasts who turn away from the worship of holy icons and even treat them blasphemously. Thus, in the West, Luther’s followers restored the ancient iconoclastic heresy, condemned by the Seventh Ecumenical Council. From the West, this false teaching comes to us, to Russia, and is especially manifested in the south in the newly formed sect of the so-called Stundists, who clearly abuse the holy icons. What a destructive blindness leading to a clear insult to God Himself and to opposition to the Orthodox Church, which at the Seventh Ecumenical Council pronounced an anathema on those who do not venerate icons! Guiding us to the proper veneration of holy icons, the Fathers of the Church reason as follows: “The honor given to the image passes to the prototype, and he who worships the icon worships the being depicted on it” (dogma of the Seventh Ecumenical Council). They once brought St. to the iconoclast King Leo the Isaurian. Stephen, a firm confessor of the faith in the veneration of holy icons. The king commands him to trample underfoot the icon of Christ the Savior. St. Stephen demanded a coin with the image of the king himself and asked: “Whose image and writing is this?” They answered him: “royal.” Then St. Stefan spat on the image, threw it on the ground and began to trample on it. The king became furious, and everyone around the king was indignant. But the holy man said to them: “This is your judgment, you fools! You are angry with me because I have trampled upon the image of your earthly king, who is dust and ashes; How can the King of kings and Lord of lords not be angry with you when you trample on the holy image of Him and His most pure Mother? What you don’t want for yourself, don’t do to others.” Is it not natural for us, brethren, covered with flesh, to seek prayerful communication with the beloved Lord through His visible image? Should not this very image of Christ the Savior constitute for us as great a shrine as the very name of the Savior is great, holy and venerable? For the same sacred reasons, we must honor the icons of the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints who are close to God and who continually do good to us. 2. Feasts of the Mother of God I. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1. On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (History of the holiday with dogmatic and moral conclusions). I. At a time when the Jewish people, due to their sins, began to lose their rule and become dependent on the worldwide dominion of the Romans, in Galilee, in the poor Jewish town of Nazareth, there lived a pious couple descended from the royal family of David: Joachim and Anna. Having enough external wealth, they, as faithful fulfillers of the law of God, became even richer in virtues; They donated part of their acquisitions to the church of God, shared another part with the poor and strange, and spent only one to a third part on their household needs. It seemed that nothing should disturb their peaceful and blessed married life. But the righteous cannot be without temptations. In addition to the unsatisfied desire common to all Old Testament righteous people - to see the promised Savior of the world sooner, in the hearts of Joachim and Anna lay another strong desire, also unsatisfied: the virtuous spouses lived into old age and remained childless. A strong temptation for spouses even in our times is barrenness; but it was even stronger in Old Testament times, when childlessness was considered dishonor before people and punishment from God. Therefore, one can imagine with what zeal the childless Joachim and Anna prayed to God, asking Him for the blessed fruit of their marriage. They prayed fervently and accompanied their prayers with generous alms. The Lord did not answer such fervent prayers for a long time. The consequences show that this delay was for the better good of the righteous, that the Lord, testing their faith and patience, continued to purify their hearts in order to make them capable of giving birth to such a child, who was to be the living church of the eternal Son of God, the grace-filled vessel of the divine incarnation. The childless spouses, thinking that God was not giving them a child because of their sins, watched themselves with greater attention and tried to fulfill God’s commandments with greater zeal. Finally, their devotion to the will of God eased their heartfelt grief so much that they began to forget the very desire of their child. But Providence was pleased once again and with renewed vigor to arouse both this sorrow and this desire in the righteous spouses. On one great feast of St. Joachim, being with his servants in the Jerusalem temple, as usual, wanted to make a rich sacrifice to God and presented it to the priest. The priest, probably burdened with the preparation of many other sacrifices, rejected his offering, saying that the sacrifice of a childless man could not be acceptable to God. What fierce sorrow this reproach struck the humble righteous man! Joachim felt with renewed vigor his unworthiness before people and before God; Weeping with bitter tears, he left Jerusalem; he did not want to return home, but having released his slaves there, he went into the desert where his flocks grazed, and here he spent forty days in fasting and prayer. At that time, St. Anna, having learned from the slaves about the sad adventure with her husband in Jerusalem, similarly felt all the sorrow of childlessness. For all this misfortune she blamed herself alone, as a barren wife; out of grief she could not eat food and only cried about her sins and prayed to God. Her heartfelt sorrow was revealed even more when she went out into the garden and saw a bird’s nest with chicks on a laurel tree. Here, Anna thought, the birds are happier than me: they have and feed their children, and I am childless! And with a loud cry she began to ask the Lord for mercy for herself and for that gift that He does not deprive even His foolish creatures. Such humility and such prayer of the righteous could no longer remain unanswered by the Lord. At the very time of prayer, St. An angel of the Lord appeared to Anna and said: “Do not be afraid, Anna! your prayer is heard; you will conceive and give birth to a daughter, the most blessed of all the daughters of men.” Then her sorrow instantly turned into joy. Anna fell before God with feelings of gratitude for such good news; she immediately vowed to dedicate her child to the Lord and went to Jerusalem to thank Him in the church. Soon the angel who appeared to St. Anna, St. also appeared. Joachim, announced the same joy to him, appointed the very name of his daughter, and for greater assurance he predicted that when Joachim entered Jerusalem, his wife would meet him at the gates of the city with the greatest joy. All this came true as predicted, and the couple thanked God together in the church. Finally, the angel's promise about the baby was fulfilled. God gave them a gracious daughter, whom they, fulfilling the command of the angel, named Mary. Saint Joachim sacredly celebrated her birth; as a token of his gratitude, He brought rich sacrifices to God and generously treated the priests and Levites in his house. (See “Sunday Reading”, No. 21, 1837). II. May the example of the holy parents of the Mother of God teach us mercy towards the poor, donations to the churches of God, which is what distinguished the holy and righteous Fathers of God; may He teach us humility, patience in prayer and perfect devotion to the will of God, without which it is impossible to produce anything truly good and through which alone the abundant, gracious gifts of God are given; Let us learn from their example the truth that the righteous experience many sorrows for the purpose of moral improvement, and the idea that pious children are the fruit of many and intense prayers and the pious life of their parents - let us remember forever in our hearts that saving truth, often forgotten by us, that by the misfortunes of people, by their failures in life, by the failure of their prayers to be fulfilled by God, one cannot judge the wicked life of such people: such a judgment premature and sinful. III. May the Lord help us to imitate the pious life of St. Joachim and Anna. A. The instructiveness of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary based on church hymns a) Celebrating the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Church and the holy fathers glorify the highest degree of approach of the Divine to grace-filled unity with humanity in the person of the pre-elected Virgin, born according to the promise of God “by the wave of the Creator of all” (stichera on the Praise of September 8); Thus, here we see God's greatest condescension and mercy towards humanity. “Today grace begins to bear fruit, revealing the Mother of God to the world,” the Church sings during the service. “Joachim and Anna will be freed from the reproach of childlessness in the holy Nativity of their most pure daughter” (kontakion of the holiday). “The Mother of the belly is born, resolving the darkness, - Adam’s renewal, and Euvin’s appeal, and for Her incorruptibility, we are deified, and we are delivered from death. The Mother of God is born, and the world with Her is renewed, the Church is adorned in its splendor.” (Stichera at litia on the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary). St. Andrew of Crete, in his homily for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, says: “The present holiday is for us the beginning of the holidays: It served as the door to grace and truth. Now the Creator of everything has built an animated church, and creation is being prepared for a new divine dwelling for the Creator.” According to St. John of Damascus, “the day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a holiday of universal joy, because through the Mother of God the entire human race was renewed and the sorrow of the foremother Eve was changed into joy. The Virgin Mary was born barren, because with miracles she had to prepare the way for the only news under the sun - the most important of miracles - and constantly ascend from lesser to greater.” (In the word on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary). b) The holy godfathers Joachim and Anna, who through prayer asked for the gift of childbearing, despite their old age and infertility, teach us in all our needs to turn to God, for whom nothing is impossible. c) The great mercy of God is not given to a person immediately, but after a long trial and purification by sorrows, just as St. Joachim and Anna only in old age, after many years of childlessness and associated sorrows, received joy at the birth of the Holy Virgin Mary. B. From church hymns on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary a) I cried to the Lord. “Today (now) God rests on the rational thrones (highest angels), a holy throne (the Holy Virgin) has been prepared for Himself on earth, having established the heavens with wisdom, the heavens animated (the Holy Virgin) by love for mankind: from the barren root (of the elderly childless Anna), a life-bearing garden, grow for us Your Mother, like God of wonders, and hope of those who hope not, O Lord, glory to Thee.” b) On lithium. “Come, all you who love virginity (loving the virgin life), and zealots of purity, come, lift up (extol) the praise of the love of virginity, from the solid stone (i.e., the elderly Anna) the flowing source of life, and from the sorrowless bush of immaterial fire (Mother of the God-Man), which cleanses and enlightens our souls.” c) Troparion. “Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe, for from You the sun of righteousness has risen, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, He has given a blessing: and having abolished death, He has given us eternal life.” Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, proclaimed joy to the whole world: for from You the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, shone; having destroyed the curse, He returned the blessing to us, and having overthrown death, He gave us eternal life. d) Magnification: “We magnify Thee, most holy Virgin, and honor Thy holy parents, and glorify Thy birth all-gloriously.” e) Prokeimenon: “I will remember (glorify) Your name in every generation and generation. (Ps. 44:18; cf. Luke 1:48). 1. “Come, people, let us sing a song to Christ God, who divided the sea and taught (led) the people, even as He brought them out of the work (slavery) of Egypt: for (for He) has been glorified.” 3. “Confirm us in You, O Lord, who has mortified sin, and plant Your fear (reverence for You) in the hearts of us who sing to You.” 4. “I have heard, O Lord, the hearing of Your sight, and glorified You, the only Lover of Mankind.” I received, Lord, a revelation about Your economy and glorified You, the only Lover of Mankind. 5. “Having destroyed the hay-written darkness of fortune-telling, and illuminating the hearts of the faithful with the arrival of the truth of the Virgin Mary, instruct us with Thy light, O Christ.” Having dispelled the unclear and mysterious prototypes of Holy Scripture and illuminated the hearts of the faithful with the revelation of truth through the Virgin Mary, guide us, O Christ, with Your light. 6. “Cry out to the Lord from the whale Jonah: Lead me up from the depths of hell, I pray, so that as a deliverer, with a voice of praise, I will devour truth to You in spirit.” Jonah cried out to the Lord from the whale: bring me, I pray, from the depths of hell, so that I, with loud praise and from a sincere heart, offer sacrifice to You as the Deliverer. Kontakion. “Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from the aphids (destruction) of mortals, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity: then Thy people also celebrate, having been delivered from the guilt (guilt) of sins, always calling upon Thee (singing to Thee): the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life bears barren fruits.” 7. The burning bush in the mountains, and the dew-bearing cave of the Chaldeans, manifestly prescribed to You, the Bride of God: you have received the divine immaterial fire in your material womb without burning: and from the same we sing from You, who was born: blessed art thou, God, our father.” The bush that burned with fire on the mountain, and the Chaldean cave that poured out dew, clearly represented you, Bride of God: for You unburntly received the divine immaterial fire into your material womb, therefore we cry to Him who was born of You: blessed are You, God of our fathers. 8. In the cave of adolescence Thou didst sometimes foreshadow Thy Mother, O Lord, and this image came forth from the fire, unburntly entering: Now we sing of Thy end this day, and exalt unto all ages.” In the cave of the youths You once represented Your Mother, O Lord, and this foreshadowing saved them from the fire, walking (among it) unharmed; Her, who appeared through You to the ends (of the universe), we now glorify and extol for all ages. Magnify, my soul, the glorious Nativity of God to Matera. 9 . “Even before the sun, the lamp of God who arose, who came to us carnally, from the side of the maiden indescribably embodied the blessed All-Pure One, we magnify You, Mother of God.” God, the Lamp, who shone (from the Father) before the sun, and came to us in the flesh, incarnate ineffably from the virgin womb, blessed Most Pure Mother of God, we magnify You. 9 . “Virginity is foreign to mothers and childbearing is strange to virgins: upon You, Mother of God, both were built: with this we continually magnify You all the tribes of the earth.” Virginity is alien to mothers, and childbearing is unusual for virgins; But on You, Mother of God, both were accomplished: therefore all of us, the tribes of the earth, constantly magnify You. II. Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1. About what religious and moral lessons are offered to us by the history of the Feast of the Annunciation I. The Most Holy Virgin Mary, dedicated by Her righteous parents to the service of God, lived at the Temple of Jerusalem until She was fourteen years old. When the Blessed Virgin Mary turned fourteen years old, then it was no longer possible for Her to remain at the Temple of Jerusalem, since the time had come for Her at which, according to Jewish law, She should have been given in marriage. But the Most Holy Virgin Mary, remembering the vow of Her parents, who dedicated Her to the constant service of God, and Herself desiring to serve God entirely, did not want to be a married woman; therefore, he betrothed Her to the righteous elder Joseph, who, like the Holy Virgin Mary, came from a royal family, a resident of the city of Nazareth, so that this righteous elder would be the guardian of Her virginity. Having moved to live in Nazareth, in the house of the righteous Joseph, the Most Holy Virgin Mary loved the same pious exercises that she was accustomed to when she was at the church. Staying mostly in solitude and silence, She occupied herself with prayer, reading the books of Holy Scripture and handicrafts. Here, as at the church, She led the most meek, hardworking, humble and silent life. Thus, the days of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary passed in the house of Joseph. And on one of these days, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and said: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You! Blessed are You among wives!” Seeing the Archangel Gabriel, the Blessed Virgin Mary was embarrassed and thought: what would the extraordinary Archangel greeting to Her mean? But the archangel said to Her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found grace from God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and there will be no end to His kingdom.” Mary asked the archangel: “How will this be when I don’t know my husband?” The Archangel answered Her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You and the power of the Highest will overshadow You, therefore what will be born will be Holy and will be called the Son of God.” Mary said: “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the archangel departed from Her (Luke 1:28–35). II. Thus, Christian brothers, the most important event took place in the earthly life of the Mother of God, called the annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary and remembered today by the Holy Orthodox Church. The history of this event is very instructive and edifying for us. a) The Most Holy Virgin Mary, living in the house of Righteous Joseph, often spent time reading the Holy Scriptures, an activity to which She was accustomed even when She was at the Temple of Jerusalem. And then one day, reading the book of the prophet Isaiah, She stopped at the words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (i.e., God with us), and thought: how happy that Virgin will be who is worthy to be the Mother of the Lord, and how I would like to be even Her last servant. At this time, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her to announce the birth of the Savior from Her. Imitating the example of the Mother of God, we, brothers, should read the holy books with unflagging diligence as often as possible. “Reading Holy Scripture,” according to St. John Chrysostom, - strengthens the mind, cleanses the conscience, suppresses impure passions, inculcates virtue, elevates the mind, does not allow one to get lost in unexpected circumstances, puts him above the arrows of the devil, moves to heaven itself, frees the soul from the bonds of the body, delivers to the soul everything that can be said that is good” (Works of St. John Chrysostom. “Conversations on Various Places of Holy Scripture,” vol. 3, p. 382, ​​ed. 1863). “Therefore, brother, practice reading,” says another Father of the Church, St. Ephraim the Syrian, - so that your mind is enlightened and so that you become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4); try to read the divine Scriptures, for every time you talk with God through them, your body and soul are sanctified” (Creations of Ephraim the Syrian, part 3, p. 158, according to the 1859 edition). b) The Most Holy Virgin Mary received from the Archangel Gabriel the news of the conception of Her most immaculate Son with the greatest humility. “I am the servant of the Lord, be with me according to your word,” She said to the archangel who announced. Imitating this virtue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we, Christian brothers, must be distinguished by humility in our lives. We should never boast about our beauty, our wealth, our intelligence and erudition, or our virtues. St. Ephraim the Syrian says: “Keep humility firmly in your soul - this is the source of all good things. Abraham's humility made him a friend of God and the first and foremost of those reclining at the heavenly supper. Isaac was saved by humility from the sacrificial slaughter, Jacob was made an heir of blessings, Joseph was given a kingdom, Moses was crowned with radiance, Aaron was given the high priesthood, David was given a kingdom, Gideon was given victory, Elijah was taken up into heaven, Jonah was taken out of the sea, Daniel from the pit; in a word, humility glorified the saints both in ancient and in recent times. So, work under the yoke of humility, and your work will please God. If you need to receive forgiveness of sins, you will receive it for humility. If you want to overcome a vice in yourself, you will overcome it with humility. If you want to inherit eternal life, you will inherit it, and you will ascend to every height through humility” (Works of St. Ephraim the Syrian, part 4, pp. 148 and 149). c) The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, before the time of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Her and after this appearance - in Nazareth, in the house of Elder Joseph - spent her life in silence, silent. Imitating this virtue of the Mother of God, we must keep our tongues from evil, not talk too much about others, especially bad things, and not condemn. St. Basil the Great says the following about the use of the gift of speech: “Do not lend your ears to everyone who rants and do not answer every talker in conversations. Be a listener to good teachings and guard your heart while meditating on them. Protect your ears from worldly stories, so as not to stain your souls with splashes of dirt. Do not try to listen to what others say, so as not to make them slanderous. Don’t be curious and don’t want to see everything, lest you retain the festering passions in your heart. Listen usefully, speak usefully, answer usefully” (Works of St. Basil the Great, part 5, p. 58, according to the 1849 edition). “Acquire silence, brother,” says another saint, Rev. Ephraim the Syrian - like a strong wall, because silence will put you above passions. Silence, coupled with the fear of God, is a fiery chariot that carries those who acquire it to heaven. Silence is the mother of contrition, the silence of thoughts, the destroyer of insolence and the enemy of shamelessness, the mother of reverence.” (Creations of St. Ephraim the Syrian, part 3, p. 163, ed. 1859). III. Let us, Christian brothers, take advantage of the religious and edifying lessons for us contained in the story of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. A. About what the Annunciation means and what it inspires in us Why is today called the day of the Annunciation? Obviously, for some good news for all of us. What kind of news is this? The news is that the Only Begotten Son of God, the eternal Word, by whom all things visible and invisible were created and are kept in existence, has now descended to us poor people; - descended to the point that he was clothed with our nature, became in everything except sin, like us, a person, and this is not just for some time, small or great, but for all eternity. The news is that this incarnate Son of God will do everything that is necessary for our salvation: he will illuminate us with the light of truth and show us the path to eternal life, he will take upon ourselves our sins and atone for them with His sufferings; He will descend into the grave and by His resurrection will dispel for us the darkness of the grave and the fear of death; He will give us the Holy Spirit and with Him all the fullness of the gifts of grace; Yes, having been cleansed from all filth, we will become capable of living in heaven with the angels. The news is that, through this unparalleled condescension towards us and the union of the Son of God with us, from enemies of God we became close and again friends of God, from exiles of paradise, aliens of earth, heirs of heaven and eternal blessings. You see how much joy and hope this day has brought us. Worthy and righteously this day is called the day of the Annunciation: worthy and righteously heaven and earth are now called to the joy and glorification of the Lord: for heaven and earth will truly participate in His mercy and our triumph. But, my brethren, while we rejoice and glorify the Lord for His great and boundless mercy, let us not forget that the good news is then completely valid and achieves its goal when, having received it, they conform to it and act exactly as its essence requires. No matter how much you notify a son wandering through foreign homes and countries that he has been forgiven by his father, but if this son does not leave his wanderings and does not go to his father, then the good news will remain without effect and will not bring him joy. It’s the same with the good news brought to us. Everything - the descent to earth of the Son of God, and His incarnation for our sake, and His death, and resurrection for us, all this will remain in vain if we do not leave our sinful life and begin to behave as our new, great and holy destiny requires. In this case, true Christians, following the Savior who descended from heaven and doing His will, will accept everything that He brought and acquired for them, achieve eternal blessings and dwell with Him in the Kingdom of His Father; and those who are careless about their salvation, who do not follow His commandments and footsteps, who continue to walk through the wilds of sin and lusts, and with the good news brought by Him, as if incapable of anything, will remain in their sins and will appear in the end as if they have nothing. Let us not stop, brothers, like little children, at the good news of our salvation; let us try to find out what it requires of us and what we must do for our salvation; Let us then fulfill everything required, so that in this way the good news turns into a good deed: then, and only then, will this day truly be the day of the Annunciation for us, may the grace of the Lord come true over all of us! (Compiled from the “Sermon”, Innocent, architect of Kherson, vol. 2). B. From church hymns on the day of the Annunciation a) I cried to the Lord. “Revealing the eternal counsel to Thee, O Maiden, Gabriel stood before Thee, kissing (greeting) and saying, Rejoice, uninhabited land: Rejoice, unburnt bush (bush): Rejoice, unfathomable depths: Rejoice, bridge leading to heaven and the high ladder that Jacob saw: Rejoice, Divine stamno (vessel) of manna: Rejoice, resolution of the oath: Rejoice, Adam’s proclamation, the Lord is with you.” b) On lithium. “In the sixth month, the archangel was sent quickly to You, Virgin and pure, to proclaim to You the word of salvation, and together (together) to call You: Rejoice, joyful, the Lord is with You, give birth to the Eternal Son from the Father, and He will save His people from their sins.” c) On a poem. “In the sixth month, the archangel was quickly sent to the pure Virgin and commanded Her to rejoice, to bring good news from Her to the Deliverer, and having received the kiss, they conceived Thee of the Eternal God, who was indescribably pleased to become human, for the salvation of our souls.” d) Troparion. “The day of our salvation is the main thing, and since the beginning of time the mystery has been revealed: the Son of God is the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches the good news. In the same way, we cry out to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Now is the beginning of our salvation and the manifestation of a mystery that has existed since time immemorial: the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches the gospel of grace. Therefore, we too will exclaim to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you. e) Magnification: “The Archangel’s voice cries out to You, pure one: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You.” c) Prokeimenon: “Teach the salvation of our God day by day.” (Ps.95:2; Luke 1:39–49,56). 1. “I will open my mouth, and be filled with the Spirit, and I will vomit the word to the Queen Mother, and I will appear brightly triumphant, and I will sing, rejoicing, Her miracles” 106. I will open my mouth (to sing), and it will be filled with the Holy Spirit; and I will say a word to the Queen Mother; and we will see that I will be triumphant in the light, and rejoicing I will sing of Her miracles. 3. “Your hymns, Mother of God, living and unenvious source, spiritually establish the face of your entire body, grant 107 crowns of glory in Your divine glory.” Mother of God, living and communicating source! Strengthen Your singers, who made up the spiritual triumph, and in Your divine glory grant them crowns of glory. 4. “Seated in glory on the throne of the Divine, the most divine Jesus came in a light cloud, with an imperishable hand, and those who called for salvation, Glory, O Christ, to Thy power.” Sitting in glory on the throne of the Divine, the divine Jesus came on a light cloud - on the imperishable hand (of the Mother of God) and saved those who cried: glory, O Christ, to Thy power. “The unsearchable advice of God, hedgehog from the Virgin of the incarnation of Thee Most High, the prophet Habakkuk saw calling: glory to Thy power, O Lord.” Having learned the incomprehensible divine will about the incarnation of You, the Most High, from the Virgin, the prophet Habakkuk cried out: glory to Your power, Lord. 5. “Everyone was terrified of Your divine glory: You are a virgin without art, You had God in your womb above all, and You gave birth to a flightless Son, giving peace to all who sing Your praises.” Everything was amazed at Your divine glory; for You, the Virgin who did not know marriage, had in your womb God exalted above all and gave birth to the eternal Son, granting salvation to all who sing of You. 6. “Cry out, prefiguring the three-day burial, the prophet Jonah prayed in the whale: deliver me from aphids, O Jesus the King of hosts.” “We celebrate this divine and all-honorable celebration, God-wisdom, Mother of God, come with our hands clasped, we glorify the God who was born from Her.” 7. “Thou shalt not serve the creature of God-wisdom more than the one who created it, but manfully overcame the fiery rebuke, singing with joy: O venerated Lord and God of the Fathers, blessed art thou.” 8. “Hear the pure Virgin Mary, let Gabriel speak the ancient and true advice of the Most High, be ready to receive God: for by You, who cannot live with man, therefore I rejoice and cry out: bless all the works of the Lord the Lord.” Hearken, O Young Lady, Pure Virgin! Gabriel will announce (to You) the original true will of the Most High; be ready to perceive God, for through You the inconceivable will circulate among mortals; Therefore, rejoicing, I exclaim: all the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord. The pious youths in the oven were preserved by the birth of the Savior by the Mother of God - then a prototype, but now real, it prompts the entire universe to sing to You: praise the Lord, creations, and exalt them to all ages. “The pious youths in the cave saved the Nativity of the Theotokos: then what was formed, now in action, raises up the whole universe to sing to You: Sing the works of the Lord, and exalt ye to all ages.” The God-wise (youths) did not serve the creature instead of the Creator, but courageously despising the threat of fire, joyfully sang: Blessed are You, the glorified Lord and God of the fathers! “Teach the earth great joy, praise the heavens with the glory of God.” 9 . “Like the animate ark of God, let the hand of the wicked never touch it, but on the lips of the faithful to the Mother of God the voice of an angel sings incessantly, let them cry out with joy: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.” Let the hand of the unconsecrated by no means touch the animated ark of God: but the lips of the faithful, incessantly singing the voice of the angel to the Mother of God, exclaim in joy: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you. “Let every earth-born leap with the Spirit, we enlighten, let the nature of the disembodied minds triumph, honoring the sacred triumph of the Mother of God, and let it cry: Rejoice, all-blessed, pure Mother of God, Ever-Virgin.” h) Communicated at the Liturgy: “The Lord has chosen Zion, and willed it to be His dwelling place.” (The Lord chose Zion and deigned to settle in Zion in the tabernacle and then in the church. Zion is our land; the tabernacle, or church, is the Mother of God). Anyone who has climbed one of the mountain heights close to Nazareth suddenly has a view of the entire modest Nazareth; it is currently a small city with 5,000 Arab inhabitants, of whom 2,000 are Orthodox, and the rest are Catholics, Protestants and Mohammedans, located in a mountain valley, between two ridges of limestone mountains, and has a healthy climate. In the place where the house of righteous Joseph was; in which the Annunciation took place, a Catholic monastery was built. Three small rooms have been preserved from this holy house, one above the other, in the form of caves dug into the natural rock. All this modest dwelling of the holy family is now enclosed within the walls of a beautiful Catholic church, the main altar of which is significantly elevated; below it, in the lower natural cave, where the dwelling of the Most Holy Theotokos was, a Catholic church was built, into which one descends along marble steps. Under the throne of this church there is a marble circle with a cross, signifying the place where the Blessed Virgin stood during the Archangel gospel; around the signature in Latin: and the Word became flesh; Several expensive lamps burn unquenchably, illuminating this holy place. And where the heavenly messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, appeared to the Virgin, the place is marked by a marble column, the middle of which is cut out. Tradition says that infidels cut it out, thinking they would find hidden treasure in this column, and for their insolence they were struck blind. With deep reverence, believers worship this most sacred place, fall on their faces and, kissing, as it were, the living traces of the Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim of the Most Holy Virgin and the heavenly messenger who stood here, they bring to our heavenly Intercessor from the depths of their hearts the Archangel’s greeting: “Rejoice, O Gracious One! The Lord is with You." From the lower room, or cave, where the Annunciation took place, on the right side one enters along a stone staircase into the upper two rooms, which are preserved in their original form. In the first of them, according to legend, the Mother of God raised the Lord Jesus Child: the recess in the wall, where the throne is now, served as a cradle for Him. Having reverently bowed to this holy place, they enter the second room, also made of natural granite; here lived the holy righteous Joseph, the guardian of the Mother of God and Her Divine Son. In this wretched dwelling the life of our Lord passed peacefully until He was 30 years old; here He spent His childhood and youth, here He grew both in spirit and body, in obedience to His Holy Mother and imaginary father, Joseph the treemaker. And without obeying him, she excelled in wisdom and stature and grace with God and men. A little further from the Monastery of the Annunciation they indicate the place of the carpentry workshop of St. Joseph; here the Youth Savior helped His teacher in carpentry work; Here He Himself continued to work after the death of His imaginary father, to feed His Divine Mother. That is, of course, why the Jews called Him a carpenter (Mark 6:3). In another Catholic church, standing at the end of the city, they show a small granite stone on which, according to legend, our Lord Jesus Christ ate with His disciples. In this same church, the altar image of the Savior is especially remarkable, a copy, as they say, from the image sent by the Savior to King Abgar of Edessa. Near Nazareth there is a very good and quite large Arab-Greek church dedicated to the name of the Most Pure Virgin Mary; on the left side of the church, in a recess, there is a spring from which the Most Pure Virgin Mary drew water; this place is lined with white marble and is generally beautifully arranged, in the form of a chapel. In front of the icon of the Annunciation, lamps and candles are constantly burning, and at the bottom there is a hole with a mug lowered into it to draw water, which the worshipers reverently drink and wash themselves with it, with a prayer to the Blessed Mary, who drew water from this source. What modest, but deeply touching memories!... III. Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Church Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary with moral conclusions 1. The parents of the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos were the saints and righteous Joachim and Anna, to whose prayerful intercession the Holy Church entrusts us daily, in every holiday of divine services, so that Christ, our true God, will have mercy and save us, as he is good and a lover of mankind, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and the holy and righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna. The most honorable name Godfather was adopted by them because they gave birth to the Most Pure Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and through Her they were awarded the highest honor: Joachim was honored to be a grandfather, and Anna was a grandmother according to the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. According to church tradition, the holy righteous Joachim was from the tribe of Judah, leading his tribe from King David. He lived in Nazareth of Galilee in the very city in which our Lord Jesus Christ spent the first 30 years of his earthly life, from His return from the flight of Egypt to His glorious baptism in the Jordan River and to His appearance to preach the Gospel. In marriage, Joachim had the righteous Anna from the tribe of Levi, from the family of Aaron, the daughter of the priest Matthan. These great spouses, living according to the law, were righteous before God; abounding in material wealth, they were abundant in spiritual wealth, adorned with every virtue, walking in all the commandments of the Lord blamelessly. With their holy life they pleased God so much that God vouchsafed them to be the parents of the most immaculate Virgin, pre-elected to be the Mother of God. From here you can recognize their holy, godly and honest life, that they have been given a Daughter, the most holy of all saints and most pleasing to God above all, most honest of the Cherubim. Although many could then be found living righteously and pleasing God; but this couple surpassed everyone in their virtues and appeared most worthy before God to give birth to the Mother of God. Such a gift would not have been given to them if their truth and holiness had not risen above others. Just as the Lord Himself had to be incarnate from the Most Pure and Most Holy Mother, so the Mother of the Lord should have come from holy and pure parents. But God’s will kept these holy spouses childless for a long time, so that in the conception and birth of such a daughter the power of God’s grace, the honor of the born, and the dignity of the parents would appear. They achieved this dignity not before much fasting and prayer, begging God in the sorrow of their souls and in the sorrow of their hearts. Their sorrowful, time-consuming, diligent prayer for the gift of a child, according to God’s predestination, was finally heard, and on September the eighth day of St. Anna gave birth to a Daughter, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the beginning of our salvation and the Intercessor, at whose birth heaven and earth rejoiced. And Joachim brought great gifts to God, created a great institution in his house, and everyone rejoiced, praising God. The growing Virgin Mary was cherished by her parents like the apple of her eye, knowing by God's revelation that She was to be the light of the whole world and the renewal of human nature. The event of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has taken place and has been celebrated by the Church annually on September 8th. When the Most Pure Mother of God was three years old from Her birth, Her holy righteous parents, Joachim and Anna, remembered their promise, which they had made, praying for the resolution of their infertility, to bring what was born of them as a gift to God, and they wanted to fulfill in deed what they had previously spoken in word. Having summoned to Nazareth, where they lived, all their relatives who came from the royal and bishop's tribe, also the face of pure maidens, and adorning the Most Pure Virgin Mary with royal splendor, Joachim and Anna went to Jerusalem. Having reached the city of Jerusalem, they went ceremoniously to the church, introducing into the church the animated Church of God - the triennial Maiden. A girlish face with lighted candles preceded Her; the holy parents meekly and honestly held Her by both hands; nevertheless, many relatives and neighbors and acquaintances followed with joy, holding candles in their hands and surrounding the most pure Virgin, like the bright moon of the stars, and the high priest Zechariah received Her on the steps of the church. So the most pure Virgin Mary was introduced into the Church of the Lord; This is how Her solemn dedication to the Lord took place, which is celebrated by the Church on November 21 every year. At the beginning of Her life in the house of the Lord, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was given to the monastery of maidens. The Church of Jerusalem, created by King Solomon and renewed by the leader Zerubbabel after the captivity in Babylon, had many monasteries for residence. From the outside, near the church wall, there were stone churches all around, thirty in number, separated from one another, spacious and beautiful; on them there were other churches, and on others - third ones (in the form of floors, or an amphitheater, covering the entire Mount Zion on all sides), so that all these churches numbered ninety, with all kinds of habitation. Their height was equal to the wall of the church, which stood on the high Mount Zion, so that they were like pillars supporting the church wall from the outside. In those churches there were monasteries for various people: virgins lived especially until the time for the services given to God; widows lived especially, promising to preserve their purity to God until their death, such as Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel; There were especially men called Nazirites, living unmarried in the image of the monks. Yet they served the Lord in the church and had their livelihood from the church estates. There were other churches there as a resting place for wanderers and strangers who came from afar to worship. So, the thirteen-year-old Youth Mary was given to the maiden monastery, and older maidens who were skilled in writing and handicraft were assigned to Her, so that in Her infancy the Youth of God Mary would become proficient in both writing and handicraft. Her holy parents Joachim and Anna visited Her; and especially Anna, as a mother, often came to see her Daughter and teach her. And the Maiden soon learned the Hebrew scripture completely, and became good at needlework; In general, Virgo was witty and loved learning; Not only did she study the Holy Scriptures, but she also practiced spinning wool and flax and sewing; She performed especially those works that could be needed by priests for church service and got used to handicrafts, which later, with Her Son, she could eat honestly. She herself, with her most venerable hands, made the tunic, which was not sewn, but worn from above, for the Lord Jesus. The most pure Virgin, like other maidens, was given ordinary food from the church, but it was eaten by beggars and strangers. She herself ate more of heavenly bread - angelic, practicing the thought of God and prayer. When She came to an older age and learned to write and do needlework, she practiced more in prayer than in needlework; It was usual for Her to spend whole nights and most of the day in prayer. So, She constantly grew more and more into the love of God. Such was Her life in childhood and adolescence: day by day She grew and became stronger in spirit; At the same time, Her asceticism increased, and her prayer increased with diligence; The Virgin Mary went from strength to strength, until the power of the Most High overshadowed the unskilled one towards the Divine conception, and made Her the Mother of God the Word, the Queen of heaven and earth, the intercessor of the Christian race. This is how the Most Blessed Virgin Mary grew up and was brought up in the punishment and teaching of the Lord, revealing in Herself the prototype of a truly Christian upbringing, the prototype of the godly development of Christian youth. (See “Teachings” by Archbishop Nicanor, vol. 4, p. 460). II. a) Remembering the entry of the Virgin Mary into the church of God, we should try to visit the church with reverence as often as possible, since presence in it during divine services is one of the main means for our sanctification. Prayer offered in church has special power and beneficial consequences, and if the person praying sometimes and not so diligently raises his prayers to the Lord, then they are supported by the prayer of the clergy and believers. In church, our soul is edified by listening to the reading of the Gospel and the Apostle and the teaching of the shepherds. Here, through the Holy Mysteries, healing from mental illness is taught, and no matter how great our sins may be, sincere repentance and heartfelt confession of what we have done gives us the opportunity to cleanse ourselves and give health to our soul. Finally, in church, in the face of God, Who has no dead, praying for our deceased relatives and friends, through these prayers we draw closer to them in spirit and ease our sadness about separation from them. In the church there is enlightenment of the soul, and mercy, and forgiveness, and joy, and consolation for the heart. We must remember that the Lord abides in the church with His abundant grace, and therefore one should stand during divine services with attention and reverence, as if standing in heaven before the throne of God. b) The example of the righteous Joachim and Anna teaches us to firmly fulfill the vows given to God. Their only child was dear to them, given after many prayers in her old age, but she was promised to the Lord, and they, without hesitation at all, without thinking about who would support them in old age, brought their daughter to the church and thus showed an amazing example of devotion to the will of God and praiseworthy fidelity in fulfilling the vows given to God. c) In addition, the example of the righteous saints of God teaches parents to take their children to church from an early age, to accustom them to prayer and listening to the Word of God from an early age. What children see and hear in infancy and adolescence, both good and bad, remains in their memory for the rest of their lives, and therefore let parents try to set only a good example with their lives. Unfortunately, it often happens that many parents, by their behavior, without noticing it themselves, consider the beginning of depravity in their children. It is forgotten that some children do not even know prayers, but utter swear words, and all this is because the father or mother is not ashamed to scold and quarrel in front of minors, and to praise the vain and empty pleasures of the world, to allow themselves unjust actions, etc., and do not care at all about keeping them away from evil, forgetting that for them they must give a strict answer to God. We must firmly grasp the truth that gentle children's souls are extremely receptive to everything, and therefore we need to surround children with only good and bright examples. This, brothers, lies the great secret of truly Christian upbringing, which will be especially successful when the mother understands that she must first of all be the first teacher of her children. We must raise them in the fear of God, pray with them and for them diligently to God, accustom them to a hard-working, simple and abstinent life, remove from them all luxury and indulgence of sensuality, strictly ensure that they do not develop the spirit of stubbornness and disobedience to parents, the spirit of laziness and pretense, the spirit of pride and self-love, and then the children will grow up to the joy of their parents here on earth, and after death they will not be afraid stand before God and say: “Here I am and the children God gave me.” A. The instructiveness of the Feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary a) According to the hymns of the Church, the introduction of St. The Virgin is “a foreshadowing of God’s favor, a preaching of man’s salvation, a foretelling of Christ.” (Troparion of the holiday). b) The example of the Godfather Joachim and Anna, who dedicated their daughter to God from her youth, inspires Christian parents to begin raising their children with the teachings of piety from an early age. The early rapprochement of children with the divine and sacred verbs of the Church and the Word of God makes these verbs especially dear to their immaculate heart for the rest of their lives; and our native voice is always obligatory for us, pleasant, comforting and instructive. c) The Holy Virgin Mary received religious and moral education at the church of God: and Christian children should visit the church of God as often and as diligently as possible in order to learn here faith and piety with the assistance of the grace of God and the guidance of the shepherds of the Church, assigned to their great work by the Holy Spirit. B. From church hymns on the day of the Entry into the Church of the Mother of God a) I cried to the Lord. “Today (now) we are faithfully rejoicing, singing in the psalms and songs of the Lord, and honoring Him in the sacred canopy (the consecrated tabernacle), the animated ark, the incontainable Word that contains: he is brought to the Lord more than nature (extraordinarily), in the flesh of infancy, and the great saint Zechariah receives this with joy, as God home." b) On lithium. “Let the heavens above rejoice today, and let the clouds sprinkle joy from the very glorious greatness of our God: behold (behold) for (for) the door, looking to the east, born from the barrenness of the barren according to the promise, and consecrated to God, having been in the dwelling, this day is brought into the church, like an immaculate offering, let David rejoice, jingling (hitting) in the harp will be brought, speaking (Ps. 44:15), the Virgin King will follow Her, Her neighbor will be brought inside the tabernacle of God, inside His purification (into the Holy of Holies), to be brought up in a dwelling before the ages from the Father who was incorruptible for the salvation of our souls.” c) On a poem. “Heaven and earth rejoice, the intelligent heaven that is to come, seeing to be brought up honestly in the divine house, the one and immaculate Virgin, and Zechariah, marveling at Her, cried out: At the door of the Lord, I open the doors of the church to you, rejoicing in it, rejoicing in it, knowing for the sake of the faith, for deliverance has already come manifestly (quite clearly) of Israel and God the Word will be born from you, granting peace be upon your great mercy.” d) Troparion. “On the day of God’s favor, the transfiguration and the salvation of men is proclaimed, in the church of God the Virgin clearly appears and announces Christ to everyone, to that we too will cry out loudly: rejoice in seeing the Creator’s fulfillment.” Now is a foreshadowing of God’s favor (towards us) and the world news of the salvation of people. The Virgin solemnly appears in the church of God and announces to everyone about Christ. We, too, will loudly exclaim to her: Rejoice, the fulfillment of the Creator’s providence for us. e) Magnification: “We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, God’s chosen Youth, and we honor Your entry into the Church of the Lord.” f) Prokeimenon: “Hear and see, daughter (daughter), and incline Your ear” (Ps. 44:11). IV. Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God with moral and dogmatic lessons I. Ready to depart bodily from this world, the Mother of God wished to see at Her repose the apostles scattered to all ends of the world to preach the Gospel - and the Lord fulfilled Her desire. Suddenly, an extraordinary noise was heard outside the church, and many clouds surrounded the house - these were the clouds on which, by the command of God, St. the apostles, from different parts of the universe, were suddenly transferred to Jerusalem and placed in Zion in front of the doors of the house of the Mother of God. They were met by St. John the Theologian and with tears of sorrow announced to them about the imminent repose of the Mother of God from earth to heaven. Then the evangelists of Christ realized that the Lord had gathered them here so miraculously in order to be at the blessed dormition of His Most Pure Mother and with honor to bury Her holy body. Entering the house, they saw the Mother of God, filled with spiritual joy, and greeted Her: “Blessed are you by the Lord, who created heaven and earth!” The Most Pure One said to them: “Peace be with you, brothers, chosen by the Lord!” Then she asked them: “What do you need?” And the apostles said that each of them was miraculously caught up and brought here on a cloud from the country where he preached. The Most Blessed Virgin glorified the Lord, who fulfilled the desire of Her heart, and said to them: “The Lord brought you here to console My soul, which, due to the duty of mortal nature, has come to the time determined by My Creator for separation from the body.” The apostles cried out to Her with sorrow: “We looked to You, Lady, as to our Lord and Teacher Himself. You were our consolation. How will we endure the great sorrow of our hearts, having lost Your presence on earth? We rejoice that God's counsel is being fulfilled over You; but together we bitterly and lament, because we remain orphaned and will no longer see You here, our Mother and Comforter.” Saying this, St. the apostles cried. “Don’t cry, friends and disciples of Christ! - the Lady consoled them, - do not disturb My joy with your lamentation, but rejoice with Me: I am going to My Son and God... Apostles, having copulated here from the end, weigh in Gethsemane, bury My body; Having given it up for burial, return again to the feat of preaching the Gospel set before you. And you can see Me even after My departure, if it pleases the Lord.” “This is the Mother of God talking to St. to the apostles, the divine Paul and the rest. He fell at the feet of the Mother of God, bowed down, and opened his mouth, pleasing him with many praises: Rejoice, Mother of life and exposition of my sermon! Even if I did not enjoy seeing Christ, my Lord, in the flesh on earth, before His ascension into heaven, I can still see Him now!” Were with St. Paul and his followers: St. Dionysius the Areopagite, the wondrous Hierotheus, Timothy and other apostles from among the seventy, also miraculously gathered here, may they be honored to receive a blessing from the Most Blessed Virgin. The Lady called everyone to Herself by name, blessed them, wished them eternal bliss, praised their labors, raised for the sake of the gospel of the Gospel, and together prayed for the peace and well-being of the whole world. The 15th day of the month of August has arrived - the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Many lamps were lit in Her church. The Immaculate Virgin, having prepared for Her blessed exodus, reclined splendidly on a decorated bed, awaiting the coming of the most beloved Son and Lord. The third hour of the day arrived (the ninth, according to our reckoning), and the entire interior of the church was illuminated by the wonderful light of divine glory, before which the light of day became completely pale and unnoticeable, and a wondrous vision opened before the eyes of the astonished disciples of Christ! The upper part of the church opened and behold, the King of Glory Himself - Christ, with many heavenly powers above, with a host of holy forefathers and prophets who once foreshadowed the Most Holy Virgin, appeared before the bright face of His Most Holy Mother! Having beheld Her Son, She exclaimed in delight of spirit: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior, for He has looked upon the humility of His servant: for from now on all kin will bless Me.”... With these words, rising from her bed, the Virgin Mary bowed to the Lord and said to Him: “Blessed be Thy glorious name forever, O Lord My God, who was pleased to choose Me, Thy humble servant, to serve Thy sacrament. Remember Me, King of glory, in Your endless Kingdom! And You, My Son and God, accept My spirit in peace and cover Me from the dark region, so that no evil of Satan may touch me!..” The Lord consoled Her with the sweetest words, so that She would not be afraid of the power of Satan, already trampled under Her most holy feet, and would go with boldness to the villages of heaven. The Most Holy One answered joyfully: “My heart is ready, O God, My heart is ready!” and, repeating Her ancient word: “Be to Me according to Your word,” she again reclined on Her prepared bed. Enjoying indescribably the vision of the Lord’s radiant face, in the delight of the sweetest love for Him and in spiritual joy, she surrendered Her soul into His most pure hands, quietly, painlessly - as if she fell asleep in a sweet dream. “Because She conceived Him without corruption and gave birth without illness, She accepted Her most honorable soul without pain and did not allow Her most pure body to see decay. In the Son’s hand today he betrays his all-holy soul; Today, the Mother of God betrays Her soul to the Creator and God, into the most pure hands of Her, incarnate without seed. Abye began a most joyful and sweet angelic singing, in it I often heard from the angels the repeated kisses of Gabriel (greetings) of the verbs: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You, blessed are You among women. And so Her most holy soul was solemnly conducted from all the heavenly ranks into the heavenly abode, carried by the hands of the Lord. The cherubim raised You, the Most Pure One, with joy, and the Seraphim glorified them rejoicing. I marvel at the angelic powers, in Zion, looking at His Master, carrying a woman’s soul in his hands: Most pure, for she who gave birth, sonically proclaimed: Come, pure, be glorified with the Son and God! The oldest angelic forces marveled at miracles, leaning towards each other, saying: take up your gates and receive the Creator who gave birth to heaven and earth. Doors of heaven, be lifted up, seeing the door of the Most High, I go with glory to the Son and God” (canon and stichera). The apostles, who were honored to look at this glorious vision, “scrubbed with emotion and stood in horror, as if forgotten, for long”; then, having come to their senses, they worshiped the Lord, who gloriously ascended the soul of His Mother to heaven, and approached the most pure body of the Lady, and with tears of tenderness they saw that Her face shone like the sun, and from Her most pure body a fragrance spread around, which no fragrant aroma can compare with and which no human word can express. Kissing the most pure body of the Mother of God with reverence, everyone felt great spiritual joy in their hearts. One touch to the bed on which the most pure body of the Mother of God rested gave healing to the sick: the blind received their sight, the hearing was opened to the deaf, the lame were given the strength to walk; “Drive away the unclean spirits” and all kinds of illnesses stopped... “The apostles, now on their beds, beheld the Most Pure One with trembling: Ovi, looking at the body, was possessed with horror, but Peter cried out with tears: O Virgin, I see Thee clearly stretched out, simple, the life of all, and I am surprised: in Her dwells the pleasure of the future life. But, O Most Pure One, pray diligently to Your Son and Your God that Your flock may be saved unharmed. You proclaimed the original song in the spirit: Rejoice, imperishable source of God’s life-giving and saving incarnation for all!” “The verbs of following the divine sacred ark, the whole multitude of theologians in Zion, calling: where are you going now, the tabernacle of the living God? do not cease to look upon those who sing in faith. The apostolic face of Your God-pleasing body is neat, O Lady, with fear, seeing and speaking with a great voice: ascending to the heavenly houses to the Son, forever saving, O Mother of God, Your inheritance.” After the Dormition, the body of the Most Pure Virgin Mary was transferred to Gethsemane. The holy apostles Peter, Paul, James - the brother of God, with the other chief apostles, carried the bed with the body of the Most Blessed One on their shoulders, and St. John the Theologian walked ahead with a branch brought by the archangel from heaven. The other apostles and a multitude of people walked with lamps and incense and sang the original chant; The song was Psalm 113 of David, “When Israel came out of Egypt,” and other solemn songs, “as the Holy Spirit acted in your singing lips.” The body of the Most Holy Theotokos was carried with triumph and glory through Jerusalem to Gethsemane. Over Her body and the accompanying Christians there stood a vast, luminous cloud circle throughout the procession, just as a pillar of fire once stretched over the Old Testament tabernacle. “Your body, Most Pure One, covers the angelic hosts with sacred wings with trembling and joy,” sings the Holy Church. At the same time, the ears of everyone were filled with sweet angelic singing from above, which resounded in the air and delighted the hearts of everyone with joy. The brightly shining crown-shaped circle, together with this angelic singing, quietly rushed through the air over the body of the Mother of God to the very place of burial. But then the Jewish bishops and scribes learned about this solemn observance of the body of the Most Pure Mother of God. Inflamed with anger and envy, they commanded the soldiers and many of the people to attack those carrying the body of the Mother of God with weapons and swords in their hands, to beat the disciples of Jesus, and to set the body of the Mother of God on fire. Incited by the attackers, they furiously rushed to commit the crime. But as soon as they approached, the luminous circle, rushing over the body of the Mother of God, bent to the ground and, like a wall, enclosed the Cathedral of St. the apostles and those who were with them, and the evil haters were struck with blindness, and others were brought into such confusion that not knowing where to run, they groped around the city wall and looked for guides for themselves. Having prevented the evil enterprise of the bishop's servants and the people, a wondrous cloud rose upward, and one of the Jewish priests, named Authonius, seeing St. The apostles and many faithful who accompanied the body of the Mother of God were inflamed with anger and envy. “Behold,” he said, “what honor is given to the body of the one who gave birth to the flatterer, who ruined the law of our fathers!” And with these words He rushed to the bed to throw the most pure body of the Lady to the ground. But as soon as his daring hands touched the bed, parts of them were torn off and, clinging to the bed, hung on it. “Having comprehended the hand of the vexing impudent one, the judgment inflicted beheading, I will preserve the honor of the animated ark to God, with the glory of the deity, in which the Word be flesh”... Avphonius fell to the ground with a terrible cry. Having recognized the punishing right hand of the Almighty in this punishment, the sinner repented and turned to St. with tears. to the apostles for mercy, crying: “Have mercy on me, servants of Christ!” The Apostle Peter, heeding his sincere repentance, commanded those carrying the bed to stop and said to Auphonius: “You got what you wanted; but we cannot heal you from your wound; Only the Lord God, against whom you have unrighteously rebelled, can accomplish this. But He will not give you healing until you believe in Him with all your heart and confess with your lips that Jesus is the true Messiah, the Son of God.” Auphonius exclaimed: “I believe that He is the Savior of the world, foretold by the prophets—Christ.” The Holy Apostle Peter immediately commanded that the truncated hands should be placed on the cut-off parts hanging by the bed, and with faith, call on the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. And as soon as this was done, the hands instantly grew together and became healthy, only one sign of cutting remained. The healed one fell in front of the bed, bowed to God, born of the Most Pure Virgin, and blessed His Mother with praise, citing prophecies from the Holy Scriptures about Her and Her Son, Jesus Christ. Everyone was surprised at the miraculous healing and conversion of Avphonius; He joined the apostles and followed the body of the Mother of God to the tomb. Not only Avphonius - many of those stricken with blindness, having recognized their sin and repented, were brought to the Mother of God and barely touched Her bed with faith - they began to see with their bodily and spiritual eyes. The holy apostles, having reached Gethsemane, placed a bed with the most holy body of the Most Pure Virgin Mary at the burial place and, having given Her the last kiss with crying and sobbing, they placed it in a cave and blocked the entrance to it with a large stone. Tied by holy love to the Mother of God, the holy apostles stayed for three days in that village, without leaving the tomb of the Most Pure Virgin; Here they spent day and night in prayer and psalmody. “At Thy immortal Dormition, O Theotokos, Mother of the belly,” sings the Holy Church, “the apostles in one person appeared before Thy most holy body, even as it was buried honorably, Gabriel’s voice cried out to Thee: Rejoice, blessed Virgin, brideless Mother, the Lord is with Thee.” During all this time, “the sweet voices of the heavenly hosts were heard in the air, singing and praising God and the Mother of God, pleasing them.” All the apostles saw the death and were present at the burial of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Only the Apostle Thomas was not present. Appearing on the third day, He cried inconsolably that he was not worthy to receive the last blessing of the Mother of God and kiss Her most holy body. To assuage the grief of Thomas, St. The apostles, by common council, decided to open the coffin of the Mother of God and everyone, together with it, to bow to Her life-giving body and kiss the divine remains. They opened the coffin and found it empty: there was no body of the Mother of God in it, but only a funeral shroud lay, from which a wonderful fragrance was heard. The holy apostles, standing at the tomb, marveled and wondered what this meant? Having kissed the shroud remaining in the tomb with tears and reverence, they resorted to the only means of finding out the secret - prayer. And the blessed hope did not put them to shame: at the hour of the evening meal, the apostles sat down to strengthen themselves with food and talked about nothing more than the fact that it was fitting for the animated Tabernacle of God to be above all corruption and by the power of the three-day Risen One to rise into eternal rest. Having finished the meal, they stood up and, according to sacred custom, picking up part of the bread set aside in honor of the Lord, they began to glorify the Most Holy Trinity; at that very time they suddenly heard angelic singing above them. Raising their gaze, they saw the Most Pure Virgin Mary in the air. She stood with many angels, shining with indescribable glory. “Rejoice,” She said to the apostles, “I am with you all the days.” And St. The apostles, delighted with spiritual joy from the wonderful vision, instead of the usual appeal - “Lord Jesus Christ” - exclaimed: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us.” This miraculous revelation completely convinced St. the apostles, who assured the entire Church of Christ that the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos was resurrected on the third day by the Son and Her God and raptured with a most pure body to a mountain village. “The exceeding heavenly powers, having come with His Master, sent forth a God-pleasing and most pure body, possessed with horror: beautifully I went before, and invisibly cried out to the superior ranks: behold, the All-Tsarina, the Mother of God has come. Take up the gates, and raise this most peacefully, the ever-present Mother of Light: For for this sake salvation has come to all mankind; We cannot look at Nyuzhe, and we cannot give the worthy honor to that one: for that which is most beautiful passes away all minds” (Stichera). “The divine David also prophesied about this, saying: Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and Thy holy ark; and the prophetic word of that word came true” in the resurrection of the Lord and in the resurrection of His Most Pure Mother. The Holy Church confesses this in this way: “In the Nativity there is a seedless conception,” she sings, “in the Dormition there is imperishable death, a miracle within a miracle.” “Even if the incomprehensible fruit of the heavens was sown, the burial is accepted by the will: what kind of burial will be rejected by the one who gave birth without art? Having once been a church, you have gained everlasting life, O Mother of God: by death you have passed to life, even having given birth to hypostatic life.” “Grants to You, Virgin, who is above nature, the King of all: in the Nativity, preserve the virgin as you did, so preserve the incorruptible body in the tomb and glorify the Divine Repose, bestowing honor on You, as the Son of the Mother.” “Come, all the ends of the earth, let us praise the honorable repose of the Mother of God: for in the hand of the Son place an immaculate soul. By the same holy Dormition, the world was revived, in psalms, and singing, and spiritual songs, with the bodiless and the apostles we celebrate brightly, invitingly: at Christmas you preserved virginity, at the Dormition you did not forsake the world, Mother of God: you reposed to the belly, Mother of the Being of the Belly, and through Your prayers you delivered our souls from death.” (See Sunday Reading, 1888, No. 39). II. How edifying for us is the death of the Blessed Virgin! How many spiritual lessons it contains! a) Here is the Blessed Virgin, surrounded by the cares of St. John, with filial concerns, filial tenderness and love, as the Mother of Christ God, not only is not afraid to part with this temporary life, but, as it were, seeks death - she wants to quickly be resolved with Christ. We do not understand this: we do not seek death when we consider ourselves happy. When we are satisfied with our life, we try in every possible way to prolong it in order to enjoy earthly pleasures in abundance. Why did the Mother of God seek death, while we strive only to live? Why did the Mother of God pray to the Lord to deliver Her from the vale of earth, and we turn away from the afterlife? Why is this? Because the Blessed Virgin loved God, but we do not love Him. The Blessed Virgin sought to live for God, and we live for ourselves. The Most Pure Virgin, living on earth, lived for heaven, but we on earth gave ourselves up to everything earthly, corruptible and fleeting, and forgot about heaven. If we lived in God and for God, if we loved Him, then we, like the Mother of God, would always strive for Him, forgot ourselves for God, for eternal life forgot about temporary life, although happy and pleasant for our sinful body. So whoever loves God forgets himself, whoever lives for God must die to the world; whoever seeks the salvation of the soul, let him leave worries about the body! And the Lord Himself teaches us this, He Himself demands from every Christian, “Deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). He who loves the Lord will keep His commandments (John 14:15) and will leave all the pleasures of the earth, all perishable treasures, all pleasures, passions, lusts of the body, will renounce his weaknesses and sinful habits, and even from earthly life itself and will devote himself entirely to God, as the Most Pure Mother of God dedicated herself to Him! And is our life as pleasant, is it as expensive as we value it? Does it give us as much pleasure, benefits and treasures as we used to think? Look at it, take a closer look - and you will see how deceptive our earthly life is, how insignificant its benefits and pleasures are, how, on the contrary, it is empty, poor, heavy: “Vanity of vanities - all is vanity!” (Ec.1:2) - this is what the wise King Solomon says about life: “For all his (man’s) days are sorrows, and his labors are anxiety; even at night his heart does not know peace. And this is vanity!” (Ec.2:23). The pleasures of life satiate a person and expose him to painful illnesses; glory is fickle and leaves as quickly as it comes; the riches of the earth are even less durable, and man is constantly in fear of losing them, so that truly his heart does not sleep at night. Life is vanity, the world is a sea of ​​sadness and sorrow. What is it that draws us to this sea, what plunges us into its sweet but menacing waves? What if not our sins? What if not our passions? What if not our human weaknesses? What should a person do? from whom can we learn to fearlessly and courageously cross this sea of ​​life? Where can he find a quiet refuge? Let everyone love God as the Most Pure Virgin loved Him, let everyone learn from Her this divine love that saves man, let everyone follow Her example, and then earthly life, the joys of life, the blessings and treasures of the world - all this will receive a different price for man: his soul, embraced by the love of God, inflamed by this heavenly fire, will rise to heaven and from God alone will seek all sorts of blessings, will live for Him, strive for Him. Everyone then, like the Virgin Mother of God, will begin to look at death as a ladder to heaven, and together with the apostle will have a speedy “desire to be resolved and to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). So, by seeking death, the Mother of God teaches us to love God, to be wise on heaven, not on earth. b) How did the Mother of God seek death? But in fact, she retired to the Mount of Olives and there she prayed to the Lord with tears, “so that from this deplorable desolation He will understand to Himself a mountain of endless joy” (“Cheti-Minei”, Aug. 15, p. 66). Prayer is the grace-filled means by which the Blessed Virgin tried to achieve Her goal; These are the words with which She spoke with God; These are the speeches in which She poured out Her soul before Him and announced to Him “Her sorrows.” When the Lord heard the prayer of His servant and did according to Her prayer, what did the Mother of God do? And She again thanked God with prayer and with prayer began to prepare Herself for death. So, always, at all times and before every task, the Most Holy Virgin sanctified Herself with prayer to God. Is this what we do? It's sad to admit, but we... do we even know what prayer is? Every day we read prayers, kneel down, cross ourselves, kiss icons, say: “Lord, Lord!” (Matthew 7:21). But do we pray? We visit the church of God, listen to divine services, but God knows whether we know how to pray... Is this prayer when we only call on the Lord with our lips, but our soul hovers around the earth? Is this prayer when our eyes rise to heaven, and our hearts are defiled by sin and grovel in the abyss of iniquity? Is this prayer when we kneel and say: “Lord! forgive us our debts,” but in our minds we rise above our neighbors and know no bounds in pride? No, this is not a prayer - it is a “ringing brass”, it is a “sounding cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1): the blow will cease, the sound will also die... “This people draws near to Me with their lips, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me... but in vain they honor Me” (Matthew 15:8-9; Isaiah 29:13). Yes, such prayers are vain before God and have little effect in the correction of those praying. But we often forget to pray. Often we don’t even want to: sometimes we don’t have time, sometimes we’re tired, sometimes God will forgive. God is merciful - truly. But He is also righteous. Why should God have mercy on a person and how to have mercy when a person does not ask for God’s mercy, when a person forgets or does not even want to pray to God and ask Him for mercy? This is why the wrath of God often befalls us, this is why the righteous hand of God punishes us, this is why we are in poverty, and in need, and endure grief! What should we do? You must learn how to pray properly. But it is proper to pray every hour, not only with the body, but also with the spirit. “Pray so as not to fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41), the Savior instructs; “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), the apostle commands; It is fitting to pray to God, as well as to worship Him, in spirit and truth, for “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). We must pray as the Most Holy Theotokos always prayed. The Lord heard the prayer of the Mother of God and, through her prayer, created it. If we pray as we should and as the Most Holy Theotokos prayed, then our prayers will not remain in vain, but will reach God, will be heard, and we will receive what we asked of God. The Lord Himself said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). c) Having received the fulfillment of her desire through Her prayer, the Mother of God began to prepare for the distant afterlife. Shouldn’t we, too, spend our entire lives going on this long, little-known journey? Undoubtedly; but what should these preparations consist of? The Most Pure Virgin took care to dress and decorate Her body and bed: she was sinless. We are sinners: we have no time to take care of the body when our soul is unadorned and naked: we must first clothe our soul, decorate it with virtues, and then take care of decorating the body. But what should we clothe our soul with, what virtues should we decorate it with? All virtues adorn the soul, but most of all – mercy towards others. What high example did the Blessed Virgin give us in this? She had two robes, and She gave them to the poor. So the Word of God commands us with our lips, St. The forerunners of John: “Whoever has two coats, give to the poor, and whoever has food, do the same” (Luke 3:11); “Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36), the Savior bequeaths and promises as a reward: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:7). May we not forget these sacred covenants of the Lord; let us adorn our souls with love for the poor and mercy for our neighbors! Woe to us if we die in our sins: “Evil will kill the sinner,” says the prophet David (Ps. 33:22). We must live in such a way that we can always say with a clear conscience: “My heart is ready, O God, ready” (“Cheti-Minea”, p. 68; Ps. 107:2). We must live in such a way that, like the Mother of God, after His death we too will hear His divine words at the Last Judgment of Christ: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matthew 35:34). We must take care of righteousness, “for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,” and avoid all evil, because “the way of the wicked will perish” (Ps. 1:6). d) God glorified the burial of the Mother of God with wondrous miracles. What can we learn from this? First of all, that “God is marvelous in His saints,” that is, that God reveals Himself in a marvelous way in the lives of the saints: He helps them, protects them and, finally, glorifies them so incomprehensibly and majesticly, but so obviously that there is no room for doubt. At the burial of the Holy Virgin, God glorified Her incorruptible relics, and disgraced the enemies of faith and Christ - the wicked Jews and the daring Auphonius - in a worthy manner. What do these examples teach us? So the Jews fearlessly rushed at the Christians accompanying the bed of the Mother of God, and were struck by blindness; So Avphonius boldly stretched out his hands to the coffin in order to scold the solemn and glorious procession, and was cruelly punished. Don’t we often rise up just as fearlessly and boldly against the Most Holy Theotokos and God Himself with our grave sins, our shameful unbelief? Do we not also insult the Blessed Virgin and Her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Don’t we also deserve God’s wrath and execution? What should we do to avoid the righteous wrath of God? You should more often resort to prayer to God, more often ask for the intercession of His Most Pure Mother; we must repent of our sins and ask God for forgiveness. It is these grace-filled means that will save us and deliver us from the righteous wrath of God. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Let us repent and offer warm prayers to the Queen of Heaven, so that She will not leave us, but will overshadow us with the cover of Her mercy, as she once did over the Jews, who cleansed themselves with tears of repentance. e) “Stand, O Lord, in the place of Your rest, You and the ark of Your power” (Ps. 132:8). Thus, the prophet David once foretold about the Blessed Virgin Mary with a prophetic voice. Indeed, three days after the burial, the body of the Mother of God rose and united with the soul for eternal life. We all come to earth for a short time. Our fatherland is heaven. On earth we are only strangers, having “no permanent city here” (Heb. 13:14). The time will come - and we will all rise again, just as the Mother of God rose from the dead. But why, it comes to mind, do we die? Why not live forever? When a farmer sows, he throws grain into the ground, buries it and leaves it until the time comes, observing the time of harvest. Winter is passing. The grain grows into grass - it is resurrected and bears fruit. Then the farmer hurries to his fields, gathers the fruit, separates the wheat from the tares, gathers the wheat into the granary and destroys the tares. And the human body, like a grain of wheat, is buried in the ground. But the time will come, spring will come - a new life - and we will pass from death to life and bear fruit from our labors. This is why it is said: “And those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29). So, we must necessarily die, die in order to rise again, for it is said: “What you sow will not come to life unless it dies” (1 Cor. 15:36). To live forever, one must die temporarily; For the sake of incorruption one must surrender to corruption. Therefore, there is nothing to grumble about, nothing to fear from death. One must be afraid of one thing - so as not to be resurrected in the resurrection of judgment. And what we should do in order to be resurrected into the eternal belly, the Most Pure Mother of God has already taught us this enough with Her glorious Dormition. In Her Dormition, She tells us: do not worry about what to wear or what to eat (Matthew 6:31; see Luke 12:22), do not seek earthly glory (Luke 12:29) and perishable wealth (Luke 12:16-21), pray, adorn yourself with good deeds - “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” ( Matthew 6:33; see Luke 12:31). Appendix to conversation No. 1. Tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Friends and disciples of My Son and God,” the Most Blessed Virgin said to the apostles before Her Dormition, “do not mourn My joy: but bury My body, as I decorate it on the bed” (“Prologue,” Aug. 15). Why on the bed and not in the coffin? Because the Jews did not have a general custom of building coffins like ours. The body of the deceased was usually swaddled like the body of a child, wrapped in a shroud, or sindon, and bandaged with midwives, and covering the head with a scarf (John 11:44); anointed with aromas, especially myrrh and aloe, exported from Arabia; the anointed and entwined items were placed on a bier or funeral stretcher, and carried outside the city, outside the village, in general outside residential areas, to the cemetery. The Jews had two types of cemeteries: some common and called the graves of the sons of men (Jer. 26:23); others are private, belonging to famous families (Gen. 23:4–20,50; Judg. 8:32; 16:31; 2 Sam. 2:32; John 19:38–41). The common people buried their dead in common cemeteries, in ordinary graves; Noble people had family crypts, which in Holy Scripture are called either caves or a coffin in general. So, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in a cave in the field (Gen. 23:19). So, the patriarch Jacob was buried in the same cave. It is said about Gideon that he was buried in the tomb of his father Joash (Judges 8:32); Sampson, Asahel and others were also buried in the graves of their fathers (Judges 16:31; 2 Samuel 2:32). These coffins, or burial caves, were sometimes dug into the ground, sometimes carved into stones, at the soles and on the ledges of mountains, depending on the area. We went down into the cave along the steps, as we see in our holy caves of the Kyiv Lavra; behind the gatherings there was a room, or bedchamber; There were from two to seven such people buried in one cave. Niches or recesses were made in the walls of the bedchambers, like a bed; the bodies of the dead were placed on these beds. When the first bedchamber was filled with bodies, then the Jew went deeper and built a new chamber for himself and the future dead of his family. The entrance to the burial cave was sometimes closed with a stone door, sometimes blocked with a stone. The all-honorable body of the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God was buried by the apostles not in a general cemetery or in an ordinary grave, but in a special cave that belonged to Her holy family. This cave still exists today. Many great and glorious cities have fallen, many nations have changed since the blessed dormition of the Immaculate Mother of the Lord, and the humble den, which for a short time received the all-honorable body of our Lady, is still preserved by the Providence of God and reverently visited by pious worshipers. This is how our pious traveler Vasily Grigorievich Barsky, who saw it in 1826, described the holy cave and the tomb of the Mother of God located in it. “We went down to Gethsemane, which stands near the Pot of Cedars, where sometimes everything was as it is read in the Divine Scripture, and people lived in it; now only gardens are found, and the tomb of the Mother of God, standing in the ground deep in the church, from it the buildings outside are seen as nothing, only the entrance, which is down fifty degrees, where in the middle of the degrees from both countries are the tombs of St. Joachim and Anna; in the middle of the altar there is a stone chapel, with the coffin of the Mother of God inside; The chapel and the coffin are made of white marble, where 18 glass candiles hang: 6 Greek, 4 Roman, 4 Armenian, two Coptic candiles and two Sirians. This church, in the likeness of a cave, was created in the land by the pious Queen Helen; it is located crosswise, and is sufficient in length and latitude; Various sects have altars in it for liturgy. The Greeks serve the Liturgy at the initial altar, and not always, only on certain holidays and Sundays. That church, or rather the cave, stands empty; When they celebrate the liturgy, then from the grave the monks bring with them all the vestments and church vessels” (Vasily Barsky’s “Journey to Holy Places”). Barsky approached the burial cave, descending from the Mount of Olives and returning to Jerusalem; on the contrary, our other Russian pious admirer (Norov), who visited the holy places of Palestine in 1835, walked to her from Jerusalem through the gates of Gethsemane, or Sheep. These are the very gates through which the Most Holy Virgin, even during Her lifetime, after the Ascension of the Lord, very often went out of the city to the Mount of Olives to pray and through which, after her dormition, Her holy body was carried by the apostles to the burial cave, which is why the Arabs call them the gates of St. Mary. At a certain distance from these gates there is a steep descent into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, on which to the right is the common cemetery of the Jews. Beyond the Valley of Jehoshaphat rises the Mount of Olives, and at the very foot of this mountain is the entrance to the burial den of the Blessed Virgin. “When the doors of the den opened before us,” says the pious traveler, “I was struck by its picturesqueness. Open the doors of mercy to us, blessed Mother of God! From the very entrance, a steep descent, more than fifty marble steps, leads, under the arch of a wide gallery, into the mysterious darkness of the bowels of the earth; the daylight flows there in a smoky aromatic stripe, which is formed by the incense constantly wafting from the censer and connects at the very depths with the flickering light of the lamps. Having descended fifteen steps, they are shown in one recess, to the right, two tombs; the holy and righteous parents of the Blessed Virgin, Joachim and Anna, rested in it. On the opposite side, in the same recess, the tomb of the holy betrothed Mother of the Savior is visible. “Immediately at the end of the descent, turning to the right, a sacredly elegant picture opens: garlands of lit lamps, gold and silver, tangled in all directions, shine throughout the entire vault of the vast gallery. Their flickering light does not overcome the underground darkness, but produces the same appearance as the stars appear on the dark cover of the sky. In the middle of the gallery, from a separate stone cave, bright rays of light emerge through a narrow door: there is the tomb of the Queen of Angels! This tomb, clad in white marble, goes deep into the wall; More than twenty precious lamps burn above it incessantly. The outside and inside of the tomb cave are not decorated with anything, but the natural stone is covered only with hanging silk fabrics. The Mohammedans themselves, especially the women, come to pray to the Blessed Virgin. “From now on all generations will call Me blessed” (Luke 1:48)! The burial den of the Mother of God is in the possession of the Greeks and Armenians. The sacred tomb is the altar (throne) on which the Liturgy is celebrated” (“Journey through the Holy Land” by Norov). Happy is the one who managed to draw the spirit of piety and hope of eternal life in such places where monuments of life serve as living proof of the immortality and resurrection of our body. Many of us cannot enjoy such holy happiness; however, we, in our Orthodox fatherland, have another, one might say, our own grace-filled home consolation, sent down to us from the Blessed One. These are holy miraculous icons depicting the Dormition of our Most Blessed Lady; the oldest of them is an icon that lives in the large church of the holy Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Conversation No. 2. About the service on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God I. The Holy Church glorifies the blessed death of every righteous person, because this death is the end of his earthly labors and exploits and the beginning of immortal life and heavenly glory; but primarily she pleases the all-honorable repose of the most honorable Cherubim, the Most Holy Mother of the Lord. The Dormition of the Mother of God is one of the greatest celebrations of the Church, for which we prepare with a special fast. This event, after the Ascension of the Lord, is the most glorious for the heavenly Church itself, which received the Soul, the holiest and most blessed in the entire human race, and all-joyful for the earthly Church, because the Mother of God, ascended to heavenly glory, henceforth became the most powerful and vigilant protector and helper of all believers on earth. II. a) Therefore, remembering the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Holy Church glorifies it with solemn and sweet chants. “Oh miracle! - the Church exclaims (on the vespers stichera), “The source of life is placed in the tomb and becomes a ladder to heaven!” Turning to the hero of the occasion, he sings: “Wonderful are Your mysteries, Mother of God! You appeared as the throne of the Most High, and now you have passed from earth to heaven; Your Dormition is glorified by powers and thrones, principalities and dominions, powers, Cherubim and Seraphim; earthly creatures rejoice in Your divine glory.” He also remembers the wonderful meeting of the apostles to the most holy bed of the great deceased, how “by the wave of God, caught up in the heights on the clouds, the God-bearing apostles from all countries reached the most pure and life-giving body.” The three proverbs learned on the feasts of the Theotokos are also read on this feast day; the first (Gen. 28:9–17) represents Jacob’s ladder, connecting heaven with earth, thus depicting the animated ladder with which the Son of God Himself descended to earth. The second (Ezek.43:27;44:1–4) speaks of the mysterious gates of the church seen by Ezekiel. These gates, looking to the east, are closed, and the Holy Spirit proclaims that they will always be closed, and no one will pass through them, as the Lord of Israel will pass through them, and they will be closed: This is a prototype of the virgin Mother of the Lord, Who before the birth, and at the birth, and after the birth, was and remained an immaculate Virgin! The third proverb (Wisdom 9:1–11) depicts Wisdom, who created a house for herself and prepared a meal for us. According to the understanding of the Holy Church, Wisdom is the Son of God, and His house, first of all, is the Most Holy Virgin, who contained within Herself the Inconceivable. At litia and poems there are again solemn songs, but this time combined with prayers. They glorify the highest heaven and the most glorious Cherubim, the All-Immaculate Bride and Mother of Him in Whom the Father is well pleased, the light of unapproachable light, the salvation of the faithful and the hope of our souls. “Today the sky extends its depths, receiving the One who gave birth to the Inconceivable One, and the earth, the source of life, giving blessing, is adorned with splendor. Let us all worship Her, praying: do not forget your kinship, O Lady, of those who faithfully celebrate Your Dormition! Save us, who confess Thee, Theotokos, from every situation, - Mother of the Creator of all, Christ God, Who do not cease to pray for us, - lift up the Christian race and save our souls! b) At Matins we hear even more songs of praise and prayer to the exalted Mother of God. During the polyeleos, in the light of many lamps, the church resounds with solemn magnification: “We magnify Thee, Immaculate Mother of Christ God, and glorify Thy dormition all-gloriously.” Lik, repeating this verse, accompanies it with the words of the holy psalmist, which befit an animated village and the ark of God - the Mother of God. “Shout to the Lord, all the earth! “His place will be in the world and His dwelling place will be in Zion.” – The Most High has sanctified His village. “Rise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and Thy holy ark!” The Gospel is common to the feasts of the Mother of God. This is a legend about the meeting of the Virgin Mary with the righteous Elizabeth, when the Most Holy. The Virgin, through the mouth of Her relatives, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was named the Mother of the Lord, and She Herself, filled with the same Spirit, prophesied: “From now on all generations will bless Me; that the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name” (Luke 1:39–49,56). After this, as if in fulfillment of the prophecy words of the Mother of God, two canons, one by Cosmas of Maium, the other by John of Damascus, bless the most honorable Dormition and sing of Her glory and greatness. The first singer sings how the immaterial ranks and apostles accompany the celestial body (song 1); how the apostles fearfully touch the godly village, and the hands of one daring (Jew) are condemned to be beheaded by God Himself, preserving the honor of the animate ark (item 3); how the earthly sky inhabits the heavenly and incorruptible village (item 4). Here, “carried by a cloud, the apostolic face from the end is going to serve You, a light cloud from which the Most High has shone - the Sun of righteousness located in darkness and canopy (item 5). The King of all, God, grants to You, Mother of God, that which is above nature: having preserved You as a Virgin at Nativity, He will keep Your body incorruptible in the tomb, giving You honor as the Son of the Mother (item 6). The laws of nature are conquered in You, pure Virgin: the Nativity is virginal and death pre-engages life; The Virgin is alive after Christmas and alive after death, You always save, Mother of God, Your inheritance!” (clause 9). In a similar way, another songwriter depicts the mystery and glory of the Dormition of the Immaculate One. In holy delight, he calls on all earthly and heavenly beings to glorify the Most Glorified One. “Virgin youths, with the prophetess Mariamia, now exclaim the original song: for the Virgin and Mother of God is presented to the heavenly village (item 1). Let the trumpets of theologians sound now, let the air resound, shining with immeasurable light, and let the angels sing the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin (item 5). Let the heavenly mountains sound the spiritual trumpet, let the hills rejoice, and let the divine apostles play: the Queen reposes to the Son, reigning with Him” (item 7). The entire canon is concluded with a prayer song: “Receive from us the original song, Mother of the living God, and Your luminous and divine autumn grace; victorious to the emperor, peace to Christ-loving people, remission of sins to those who sing and salvation to souls.” The stichera of praise describe a wonderful gathering of the apostles, who “in one face appeared before the most holy body and, having buried it honestly, the voice of Gabriel sang: Rejoice, full of grace, brideless Virgin Mother, the Lord is with you!” c) Some of the songs we heard at Matins are repeated in decent places and at the Liturgy. Thus, part of the canon (canto 3 from the first, canto 6 from the second canon) is read on the blessed (that is, together with the well-known verses about the beatitudes of the Gospel: Matthew 5: 3–12). Upon entering, the troparion and kontakion of the holiday are sung. Instead of “It is worthy,” we sing the irmos of the 9th canto: “The rules of nature are overcome.” (See “Trinity leaf”, No. 280). III. This, my brothers, is the highly solemn and everywhere deeply instructive service on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Appendix to conversation No. 2. From church hymns on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God a) I cried to the Lord. “Oh, wonderful miracle! the source of life is placed in the tomb, and the ladder to heaven is the tomb: rejoice Gethsemane, holy house of the Mother of God. Let us cry out in faithfulness, Gabriel above the ruler (leader): Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you, grant to the world great (great) mercy.” “With a God-beginning wave from everywhere, the God-bearing apostles lifted up the clouds on high, having reached Your most pure and life-giving body, kindly to the kisser, but the exceeding heavenly powers came with His Master, the God-pleasing and most pure body presending (accompanying), possessed with horror, beautifully before and invisibly I cry out to the highest rank of officials (to the highest angels): behold, the All-Tsarina Goddess has come, take up the gates and lift up this most peacefully, the ever-present Mother of light, for for the sake of the whole people (universal) salvation was fast, we cannot look at Nyuzha and we are unable to give her worthy honor. Because that surpassing (perfection) passes (exceeds) every mind, the same Most Pure Mother of God, ever living with the life-giving King and Christmas (Son), praying to preserve and save, from every adversity, Thy new people: Thy intercession by money-grubbers is for ever manifestly blessed (solemnly glorifying You)". b) On lithium. “It is like the self-witness of the Word and the servants, and the mother of the flesh, to see His final dormition, as if it were the last sacrament upon Her, so that not only the hedgehog from the earth will see the ascension of the Savior, but also those who gave birth to His repose will testify. At the same time, gathered from everywhere by divine power, they reached Zion and the supreme Cherub (accompanied) going to heaven, who we worship with them, as if she were praying for our souls.” c) On a poem. “Come, people, let us sing to the pure Most Holy Virgin, from Her the Word of the Father came inexpressibly incarnate, calling and saying: Blessed are You among women: the blessed womb that contained Christ: Having commended His soul to His holy hands, pray, O Most Pure One, that our souls may be saved.” d) Troparion. “At Christmas you preserved your virginity, at your Dormition you did not forsake the world to the Mother of God, you reposed in the belly (life) of the Mother of the life of the belly: and through your prayers you delivered our souls from death.” d) Magnification. “We magnify Thee, most immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and glorify Thy dormition all-gloriously.” 1. “Adorned with divine glory, sacred and glorious, O Virgin, all Thy memory is gathered together for faithful joy, starting Mariam with the face and tympanum, singing to Thy Only Begotten: gloriously, for thou hast been glorified.” Adorned with divine glorification, Thy sacred and glorious memory, O Virgin, gathered all the faithful to rejoicing, so that at the beginning of Mary, with faces and tympanums, they could sing praises to Thy Only Begotten: for He was solemnly glorified. 3. “Contributing and containing all God’s wisdom and power, establish the unyielding, immovable Church, O Christ, for you alone are holy, rest in the saints.” Creative and all-preserving God's Wisdom and Power, Christ, establish the Church unshakably and immovably: for You alone are holy, resting among the saints. 4. “The speeches of the prophets and fortune-telling have manifested the incarnation of Thy Virgin, O Christ, the radiance of Thy brilliance, for the light of tongues will come forth, and the abyss will proclaim to Thee with joy: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind.” The sayings and fortune-telling of the prophets presented Your incarnation from the Virgin, Christ: “The light of Your radiance will come to enlighten the pagans, and the abyss will exclaim to You with joy: glory to Your power, Lover of Mankind.” 5. “Let us confess God’s and the ineffable goodness of Your virtues, O Christ: from the ever-existent glory of the co-existent and hypostatic radiance, the sun shone forth from the virgin womb to those who were in the darkness and canopy.” I confess the divine and ineffable beauty of Your perfections, O Christ: for You, who shone forth from eternal Glory (as) the coeternal and personal radiance, having become incarnate from the virgin womb, shone forth (like) the sun to those who were in darkness and shadow (of sin). 6. “The inner fire of the sea, the inner fire of Thy burial, the prototype of Thy three-day burial, of which Jonah the prophet appeared: for I am saved, as I was before, unharmed, crying out: I will devour Thy with a voice of praise, O Lord.” That fire inside the sea whale living in the abyss, in which the prophet Jonah found himself, is a pre-image of Your three-day burial; for, remaining unharmed, as he was before the absorption, (the prophet) cried out: with loud praise: I will sacrifice to Thee, O Lord. g) Kontakion. “In prayers, the never-sleeping Mother of God, and in intercessions (in intercession for us before God), the immutable hope (unchangeable hope) of the grave and mortification (death) cannot be restrained, just as the Mother’s Life was placed in the womb (Her) who dwells ever virgin.” 7. “The divine desire, resisting the coldless rage and fire, watered the fire, laughing at the rage, with the divinely inspired words of the venerables, with a tristellar sage, counterproclaiming with a musical organ in the midst of the flame: Blessed art thou, glorified of the fathers and our God.” Love for God, resisting shameless rage and fire, watered the fire, and chuckled at the rage, in spite of the musical instruments, crying out on the divinely inspired verbal three-tone lantern held in the middle of the flame: Blessed are You, our fathers and glorified God.” 8. “The flame waters the saints, and the wicked burns, the omnipotent angel of God shows the youth, the life-giving source made the Mother of God, the aphids of death and the belly of the belly, singing: We drink the only creator of deliverance and exalt to all ages.” The omnipotent angel of God showed the flame for the youths, watering the righteous and scorching the wicked, but he made the Mother of God a life-giving source, flowing destruction for death and life for those who sing: we will sing praises to the one Creator, the redeemed, and extol for all ages. “The angels saw the Dormition of the Most Pure One and were amazed at how the Virgin ascended from earth to heaven.” 9 . “The rules of nature are conquered in You, O pure Virgin: for the Nativity is virgin, and the life is betrothed to death: after the Birth the Virgin, and after death is alive, forever saving, O Mother of God, Thy inheritance.” The laws of nature are defeated in you, Pure Virgin; for birth combines virginity with itself, and death combines life with itself; by birth - a Virgin and by death - alive, you always save, Mother of God, your people. V. Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Conversation No. 1, which outlines the history of the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God with moral conclusions I. At the end of Her earthly life, the Most Holy Virgin consoled the apostles and other believers who wept for Her with the promise not to leave them orphaned after Her dormition, but to visit and help them and all Christians in need and sorrow. This promise of the Mother of God was subsequently confirmed by numerous examples of Her intercession, help and protection of distressed humanity. Here is one ever-memorable case of Her miraculous intercession for Orthodox Christians. In the tenth century, the Saracens attacked the Greeks and threatened the capital itself - Constantinople. The Saracens were Muslims and terribly hated Christians. They usually destroyed states and cities that had already been conquered, and forced their inhabitants into slavery. They significantly outnumbered the Greeks. The latter were seized with fear and horror when they saw a wild enemy under the walls of the capital. Poor in military strength, but not poor in faith and hope in God, the Greeks then gathered in the famous Blachernae Church, where the robe of the Mother of God was kept, for the All-Night Vigil and here they fervently prayed to the King of heaven and earth and His Most Pure Mother for their deliverance from terrible enemies. In the church were King Leo the Wise, Queen Zoya and many people. Here were also Blessed Andrew, the Fool for Christ's sake, a Russian by birth, taken prisoner by the Greeks, and Andrew's disciple, Blessed Epiphanius. Before the end of the All-Night Vigil, at four o'clock in the morning, blessed Andrew, in a prayerful mood, lifts his eyes to grief and sees: the Mother of God stands in the air among a host of angels, prophets, apostles and all the saints and prays for the salvation of the whole world, covering it with Her covering (omophorion). St. Andrew, in reverent surprise, pointed to his vision to his disciple Epiphanius and asked him: “Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all, praying for the salvation of this world?” “I see, father,” answered St. Epiphanius, “I see and am horrified.” In the morning, word of this event spread throughout the city. Everyone was inspired when they learned that the Mother of God Herself was praying for them; Soon, indeed, the enemies were driven away from the walls of the Greek capital. II. We are now celebrating, brethren, a feast in honor of the Intercession of the World of the Most Holy Theotokos. In order to more vividly feel gratitude to our warm Intercessor, let us remember something about Her benefits to people - a small of many. a) The Most Holy Theotokos covers with Her honest veil every Christian soul that is grieving and embittered. Knowing from her own experience how difficult it is to endure suffering, the Most Holy Theotokos tries in every possible way to alleviate the lot of the suffering. Thus, St. grieved greatly. John of Damascus, when, by order of the Caliph of Damascus, his right hand was cut off. In the sorrow of his soul, He prayed before the image of the Mother of God and fell into a deep sleep; then, through the intercession of the Mother of God, a great miracle happened over the sufferer; the severed hand grew back to its original composition. b) The Most Holy Theotokos covers with Her honest veil every Christian soul who works well in the deeds of faith and virtue. Filled with virtue and holiness, the Most Holy Theotokos, due to the affinity of souls, looks with love at the virtues hidden in the soul of a believer, sympathizes with her exploits, and expresses her favor and sympathy with various signs. There are many examples of this in the lives of saints. Thus, once an Athonite elder read an akathist to the Mother of God in front of Her icon and, with tenderness of heart, exclaimed: “Rejoice, joyful one! Rejoice, unbrided bride!” Then I heard a joyful greeting from the icon: “Rejoice, you too, elder of God!” Let us point out another example, closer. Who does not know the visit of the Mother of God to St. Sergius, Her encouraging greeting and merciful promises about the future fate of his monastery? c) The Most Holy Theotokos covers with Her honest veil every Christian soul, many sinners and standing on the brink of eternal destruction. Having witnessed the humiliation and suffering of the Savior, the Mother of God knows how precious every Christian soul is in the eyes of God, purchased by the priceless blood of the Son of God, and what unspeakable torment awaits those who despise God’s ineffable compassion, and therefore tries in every possible way to save the sinner from the error of his path. In the Chetiy-Menai there is the following curious and touching story. In the Cilician city of Adana there lived a certain Theophilus, the steward of the cathedral church. For the holiness of his life, the residents elected him to the rank of bishop, but he refused this honor and remained with the modest title of housekeeper; but soon the new bishop dismissed him from this position. Then Theophilus became despondent and, in a fit of impotent anger and curiosity, blasphemed the Lord and the Mother of God and pledged to betray his soul to Satan, just to return to his former place. Soon after the conclusion of this unfortunate engagement, the position of steward was returned to him, “by God, as it seems, by God’s will, and not by the devil’s structure,” as the writer of this legend notes. Then Theophilus began to come to his senses, realized the gravity of his crime and, not daring to approach the Lord, turned with earnest prayer to the Mother of God. After forty days of solitary prayer, the zealous Intercessor of the Christian race appeared to him, forgave him for his blasphemy against Her, promised to intercede for him before the Lord, and filled his soul with sweet hope. Three days later, the Mother of God again appeared to Theophilus with a joyful face and said: “Your repentance pleases the merciful God; He accepted your prayers and your tears for My sake” (See “Sunday Reading” for 1869–70, book 1, pp. 555–7). III. No one, flowing to You, is put to shame by You, Most Holy Lady Theotokos! Cover us with Your honest Veil and deliver us from all evil! VI. About the holiday in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, October 22 Conversation No. 1. About the holiday in honor of the Kazan Mother of God I. When I told you, brethren, the story of the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, I noticed that in our dear fatherland the Most Holy Lady showed especially many experiences of Her intercession. There is not a single land in the world where, as in our fatherland, there are so many miraculous icons of the Lady of Heaven, from which, as from endless sources, believers, through the intercession of the Mother of God, receive help and protection in various sorrows and misfortunes. These icons are mostly known to you, and I will not list all their names, but will tell you about the patronage of the Mother of God for our fatherland, which the Holy Church celebrates on the 22nd of this month and which is known among us under the name of the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. I think that first we need to tell you the story of the appearance of the miraculous image of the Mother of God in the city of Kazan, which is why the icon itself is called Kazan, although this event is remembered not now, but on July 8. This story is like this. More than three hundred years ago, in 1579, Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible was the tsar in Russia; he conquered the Kazan (Tatar) kingdom and established the Christian faith in the city of Kazan. Some time later, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in a dream to one pious maiden and commanded that the Kazan Archbishop Jeremiah and the secular leaders of the city be informed that they should take Her icon from the ground, and indicate the very place where this icon was located. The girl at first thought not to tell anyone about this, but then she told her mother about her vision. This time the mother did not believe her daughter, and did not believe her even after the vision was repeated several times. Finally, the Mother of God appeared to the girl in a formidable form, fiery rays emanated from Her honest icon, which were ready to burn the girl, and she heard a voice that if she did not tell the archbishop and the leaders of the city about her vision and did not take the icon from the ground, then the girl would die a painful death. After this terrible vision, the girl with tears begged her mother to go tell about the vision to whom it was commanded, and to indicate the place in the ground. The mother, taking her daughter with her, went to the city leaders and the archbishop; the daughter spoke in detail about her vision and the threat from the Mother of God, but neither the governor nor the archbishop believed the story. Then the mother and daughter themselves went to the place indicated by the Mother of God, and the mother began to dig the ground; but her efforts were in vain, others also dug, but all in vain; when the girl began to dig the ground, she soon unearthed an icon of the Mother of God, wonderfully luminous, as if it had just been painted and as if the earth had not touched it at all. Everyone who saw the wonderful icon exclaimed with joy and tears: “Most Holy Lady, save us!” The news of the precious discovery soon spread throughout the city - immediately a multitude of people flocked to the icon, everyone looked at the shrine with reverent surprise and prayed. Archbishop Jeremiah, informed of the miraculous discovery of the icon of the Mother of God, with crosses and banners and the entire sacred cathedral, hurried to the newly appeared shrine and, with tears, praying to the Mother of God for Her ineffable mercy and his distrust, took the holy icon from the place of its appearance and with great honor placed it in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, where the Queen The Heavenly One did not hesitate to show Her miraculous help, opening the eyes of two blind men. Then the archbishop and the city leaders, having described the history of the appearance and discovery of the miraculous icon and made a copy of it, sent all this to the Tsar in Moscow, and Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, having given thanks to God for the newly appeared shrine, ordered to build a monastery on the site of the appearance of the miraculous icon, in which the icon itself was placed. From then to this time, the Most Holy Lady pours out Her mercies on everyone who flows with faith and prayer to Her miraculous icon (see “Prologue”; see “Sunday Reading” for 1864–65, Book II). Then, a few years later (in 1610–1612), a difficult time came for us in Russia: we did not have a king at all and there was a lot of unrest in the kingdom. In this disastrous time, the Poles, our fellow tribesmen, who had previously invaded our fatherland several times with impostors, taking advantage of our lack of command, took our very capital, Moscow, and firmly settled within its walls. It was bitter for the Russian people to see such enslavement and humiliation, and especially to see their shrine in the hands of the Latins. And so all the Russian warriors and leaders, at the call of Patriarch Hermogenes and then the monks of the Sergius Lavra Dionysius and Abraham, inspired by one thought - to wrest their reigning city from the hands of the Poles and throw off their yoke, gathered together to Moscow. But before they began their great feat, they instituted a three-day fast and turned with warm prayers for help to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother - the everlasting Intercessor of the Orthodox, and the Queen of Heaven did not hesitate to heed the mournful voice of our pious ancestors. The pious Archbishop Arseny was held captive by the Poles in Moscow; Our venerable prayer book Sergius of Radonezh appeared to him in a dream and said that the prayers of the faithful sons of the Russians had been heard, that the Lord was blessing their enterprise and that, through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, the very next day they would defeat their enemies and take away their capital city from them. The news of this vision soon reached the ears of the defenders of the fatherland, inspired them with courage and encouraged them with undoubted hope of success in the upcoming feat. With this hope in their hearts and calling on the Queen of Heaven for help, the Russian soldiers and leaders marched together against their enemies the next day, and the Poles could not resist the inspired courage of the Russians; part of the city was taken by force, and from the remaining parts the Poles, who no longer saw any possibility of resisting the courage of the attackers, immediately withdrew themselves. Delighted by such a quick defeat of the enemies, all the defenders of the fatherland with a procession of the cross rushed inside the city, to the church of God, there to offer thanks to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for the salvation of the fatherland. Archbishop Arseny, who was held captive by the Poles, came out to meet this solemn procession with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God and other icons, and - the freed captives and the triumphant victors with one heart and one mouth sang a song of gratitude to the Queen of Heaven, who helped them overthrow the enemy, and with tears of tenderness and joy kissed Her holy image. In memory of this deliverance of Moscow from the Poles through the intercession of our Lady Theotokos, our grateful ancestors established annually on October 22 a special celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. II. And we need to explain to you, brothers, that this holiday is of great importance to us because at that time a great danger threatened our fatherland. a) And in former times, our fatherland was under a foreign yoke: the Tatars ruled over us for two hundred years. But, no matter how difficult the Tatar yoke was, the Tatars did not touch our most precious shrine - the Orthodox faith, in which our ancestors alone found consolation for themselves. It’s another matter - if the Poles completely took over our kingdom, then our Orthodox faith would inevitably be subject to persecution. Thus, history says that wherever the Poles came, no matter what land they took over, they tried to introduce their Latin, papal faith, and those who did not obey them in this, who did not want to betray their Orthodoxy, were cruelly persecuted and tortured. I think that at least some of you have heard how the Poles tortured poor Little Russians for their faith in recent times, how they violently converted the Lithuanian people from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. The same would have happened with our entire fatherland if the Poles had not been expelled from Moscow, and even if they had installed their own king for us, which they worked very hard for, sending to us, under the name of the murdered Tsarevich Dmitry, various impostors, such as Grishka Otrepiev and others. The Lord saved us from such and such a disaster! How, after this, we should be grateful to the Queen of Heaven, our Intercessor, that She helped the defenders of the fatherland to wrest Moscow from the hands of the Poles and drive them out of our kingdom. October 22nd - the day of the deliverance of our fatherland and the salvation of our Orthodox faith from persecution and desecration - truly should be our great holiday, and the memory of the heavenly help shown to our fatherland on this day should pass from generation to generation. b) Our Holy Church, which established the solemn remembrance of this phenomenon of the patronage of the Mother of God to our fatherland in the salvation of Moscow from the Poles and sang a song of gratitude to the Intercessor of the offended and oppressed, teaches each of us to resort in all sorrows and misfortunes to the shelter of the Queen of Heaven. This is how she teaches us to pray to the Intercessor of Christians: “O zealous Intercessor, Mother of the Lord on High, pray for all Your Son Christ our God and cause all to be saved, in Your sovereign protection for those who seek refuge. Intercede for all of us, O Lady, Queen and Lady, who in adversity and sorrow, and in illness, are burdened with many sins, standing and praying to You with a tender soul and a contrite heart before Your most pure image with tears, and those who have irrevocable hope in You, the deliverance of all evils. Grant useful things to everyone and save everything, O Virgin Mary; For Thou art the divine protection of Thy servant.” Obedient to this call of the Holy Church, “we are drawn to this quiet and kind refuge, the quick Helper, the ready and warm salvation - the protection of the Virgin. Let us hasten to prayer and strive for repentance: for the Most Pure Mother of God depletes us of endless mercies, advances us to help and delivers Her well-behaved and God-fearing servants from great troubles and evils” (troparion and kontakion). Let us learn these holy songs and repeat them in our prayers to the Queen of Heaven, and we will pay special attention to the last words of the church song: The Most Holy Lady saves Her well-behaved and God-fearing servants from all evils and troubles, that is, those who repent, correct their lives, live well, that is, according to the commandments of God, having the fear of God, love for God and their neighbors, moving away from vices and passions. But people who are unrepentant and wicked, walking according to the lusts of their passions, hard-hearted, unmerciful, unbelieving, She leaves for their own good, for admonishing them with their own misfortunes, without Her saving protection and help until they repent. (Compiled from “Sunday Reading” 18b4). 3. Holidays in honor of saints Conversation No. 1. About the celebration in honor of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal forces, November 8 I. On the 8th of November, the Holy Church celebrates a festival in honor of the Archangel of God Michael and other ethereal forces. According to the church, this holiday is called a “cathedral,” that is, a deliberate gathering of believers in the church for a solemn doxology in honor of the Archangel Michael of God and all the ethereal forces; according to our usual expression, it is simply called Michaelmas Day. The Holy Church honors the holy angels as faithful servants of God, as our protectors, guardians and leaders. From the very first times of Christianity, as soon as our worship began to take on a uniform order for all places, the Monday of every week was dedicated by the Church to the glorification of the holy angels; but the actual solemn holiday in honor of the holy angels and in honor of their leader, Archangel Michael, was established in the 4th century after the Nativity of Christ. II. Glorifying all the holy angels on this holiday, the Holy Church gives special honor to the holy Archangel Michael, so that she calls the very holiday in honor of the angels, first of all, the Council of the Archangel Michael, and then adds other ethereal forces. Why is this so? a) Here's why: St. Archangel Michael, as his very name shows (archangel means commander, chief of the heavenly army, chief of the heavenly forces - angels), is the highest among all the holy angels. Let me explain this, brethren. Although all the holy angels are the brightest and purest spirits, although they all constantly serve the Lord God, glorifying His ineffable greatness, there is a difference between them, according to the teachings of the Holy Church: some of the angels stand closer to the Lord, are taught and enlightened by God Himself, others receive their enlightenment and commands from those angels who are the first near the throne of God. On this basis, the entire countless host of holy angels is divided by the holy fathers (St. Dionysius the Areopagite) into nine degrees, or ranks, and the nine ranks into three faces, or classes. The order of the degrees of the holy angels is as follows: those closest to God are the seraphim, followed by the cherubim and thrones; this is the first face; the second face consists of domination, power and strength; third – beginnings, archangels and angels. St. The Archangel of God, Michael, is the first in the very first degree and closest to the throne of God, that is, the first not only of all, but also of the first angels; he directly faces God and receives his enlightenment from Him. As a result of this, the Holy Church in the liturgical songs of the holiday calls the Archangel Michael with special glorious names - he calls him the leader, chief, forerunner, i.e., the first chief of the angelic ranks, the first in the host of ethereal forces, the first principle, the eldest among the angelic regiments, the primate of the divine ranks, the mentor of the heavenly ranks, the one standing before the throne the trisolar Deity, illuminated by divine lordships, the second light after the light of the Holy Trinity and other names. b) On the other hand, Church Tradition also supplies St. Archangel Michael at the head of the angels who remained faithful to God during Satan’s rebellion against God. You know that in the beginning all angels were created good and formed one bright kingdom; but later a great revolution took place in this kingdom. One of the bright spirits, close to the throne of God, together with other spirits subordinate to him, dreaming of being equal to God, ceased to obey his Creator, became indignant, rebelled against Him. When the Lord cast down His enemy - Satan with all his army - into hell, and in the kingdom of the angels a certain kind of confusion and confusion occurred; At that moment, the holy Archangel Michael, in the cathedral of all the Arkhangelsk faces that remained faithful to God, called out to them: “Let us listen and become good before Him who created us and will not think anything contrary to our Creator. We saw what happened to Satan and his like-minded people: before they too were bright spirits, participants in the divine light, but now they suddenly became darkness and were cast into the underworld,” and all the holy angels, at the voice of the Archangel Michael, began to glorify the Most Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity - the one God, singing the solemn song: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Hosts, fill heaven and earth with Your glory." (“Cheti-Minei” November 8; see “Sunday Reading” for 1864–65, book II, pp. 707–708). III. With such a high priority and great service of the holy Archangel Michael among all the ethereal, heavenly powers, a celebration or holiday in honor of the holy angels, naturally, the brethren, first of all and mainly should be a holiday in honor of their leader, superior and mentor, that is, in honor of the Archangel Michael. The Holy Church, as was said before, did so, and in all its songs, as you will hear in the church, the Holy One is glorified first of all. Archangel Michael, then other heavenly faces. In addition to the great and high service of God - their Creator, all the holy angels are our mentors and leaders, guardians of our souls and bodies, our intercessors, representatives and prayer books before God: all of them “are ministering spirits sent to serve for those who are to inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14); but the guardian angels given to each of us by God have a particularly close relationship with us. Knowing the weakness of our nature, our inclination to sin, and especially the anger and tricks of the enemy of our salvation - the devil, the Holy Church daily prays to the Lord and teaches us to pray for the gift to each of us of “a peaceful angel, a faithful mentor, guardian of souls and bodies”; On the feast of all the holy angels, she teaches us to pray primarily to the leaders of the holy angels, so that they protect us with the “blood of their wings” and save us from troubles. Let’s end our conversation with this prayerful appeal of the Church to the holy angels: “Heavenly armies of the archangels, we always pray to you that we are unworthy, that with your prayers protect us with the blood of the wing of your immaterial glory, preserving us, falling diligently and crying out: deliver us from troubles, like the rulers of the highest powers” ​​(troparion of the holiday). A. Why is the holy Archangel Michael depicted on the icon in a warlike militia? Who worshiped St. with reverent attention? The icon of the Archangel Michael, in whose honor we now celebrate, he could not help but notice that this archangel is depicted in a warlike militia: on the head of the archangel is a helmet, in his hand is a spear, under his feet is a dragon. What does this mean? Is it really impossible to walk safely in heaven - in the kingdom of peace and love - without a sword? Or does the throne of the Heavenly King need to be protected? Or are the ethereal forces of heaven created for battle?... The Throne of the Almighty, brothers, is unshakable, like eternity, and the Lord created disembodied spirits not for battle and victories, but for the glorification of His most holy name and for their own bliss. So it was in the beginning, so it would always be, if one of the highest angels, Lucifer (the luminous one par excellence), blinded by pride, did not dare to rebel against the Almighty, and if, in the spirit of mutual seduction, many other spirits did not rush after this rebel. When the Lord God created the angels, he gave them the freedom to do and not to do the will of God, and therefore did not want not only to destroy the opponents of His will, but also did not want to restrict their freedom. Archangel Michael, out of zeal for the glory of God and especially great love for the Lord God, rebelled against the anger-breathing disturber of the angelic world and was transformed from a peaceful angel into a formidable military leader of the heavenly powers. Not without a struggle was the victory of Lucifer, one of the very first angels, possessing great perfections, and with him all the spirits of evil were cast out of heaven; Michael and his angels remained forever victorious servants of the Heavenly King. Since then (this was before the creation of man) in the hands of the holy Archangel Michael, the heavenly ranks of the archangel, there is a sword and under his feet a dragon, the ancient serpent, “who is the devil and Satan” (Rev. 20:2), the spirit of malice, defeated and overthrown by the holy archangel, although he never ceases to raise his head against the inhabitants of heaven. Satan and his minions were thrown out of heaven, but not completely defeated: on earth he formed a militia against heaven, indestructible, one might say, by no angel and only crushed by the God-man Jesus Christ through His death on the cross. Since that time, this heavenly army, under the banner of the Conqueror of hell and death, has been fighting against the devil, who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and protects the Church of Christ and each individual member of it who does not harbor an inclination for a criminal alliance with the enemy of God. In particular, the holy Archangel Michael will help the Church of Christ at the end of the world, when the original murderer, “knowing that little time remains for him” (Rev. 12:12), will use all his strength and cunning against the kingdom of light and will appear in the person of the Antichrist in such a powerful and fascinating form that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived by him (Matt. 24:24). With such a danger for the sons of the kingdom of light, can the sword of the archangel remain inactive - that sword, which since the beginning of the world has never remained inactive even in the slightest danger (Dan.12:1; Josh.5:13-14; 2Mac.15:6-34; Jude.1:9)? No, at this time the Holy Archangel Michael with all the heavenly powers will stand firmly for the people of God and for the Church of the Faithful. As a sign of the primordial struggle against the spirit of evil, the holy Archangel Michael is depicted on the icon with a fiery sword, with which he strikes the prince of darkness as a rebel against God and the destroyer of humanity. The warlike appearance of the archangel of heavenly powers should terrify the enemy of God, and we, the servants of Christ, should delight and arouse grateful feelings towards our strong intercessor and protector. The warlike appearance of the holy Archangel Michael, fighting for the Church of Christ in the glory of God, inspires us with loyalty to God and His Holy Church, a readiness to take up arms against the attacks of the spirit of malice and, during these attacks, to pray for help to the heavenly warrior, a strong intercessor of those attacked on earth by the primordial murderer... Often on the icon, the holy archangel Michael is depicted with a spear, the top of which is decorated with a white banner with a cross. The white banner at the top of the spear (constituting a special distinction between the holy archangel and his entire army) denotes the unshakable loyalty of the disembodied armies to the Lord of light, truth and goodness. We, who are constantly fighting on earth for the glory of God, need to imitate the holy archangel and all the heavenly powers in purity and fidelity to the Lord of hosts, in order to be in constant communication with the disembodied armies, without whose help we could not achieve a single victory over the spirits of evil. If through our God-fearing life we ​​usually attract to ourselves, and through our vices we repel the souls of good and pious people, then all the more should this be said about angels, pure spirits. Our virtuous and godly life makes us, as it were, accomplices and like-minded people of the holy angels for the common good purposes of serving God and pleasing Him, while our sins and vices make us accomplices and like-minded people of evil demons and remove the army of good angels from us... The cross with which the spear ends, depicted in the hands of the holy archangel, means that the battle with the kingdom of darkness and victory over it even by heavenly forces is performed in the name of the Cross of Christ. If the angelic armies themselves achieve victory over the ancient enemy of God, angels and men, under the banner of the Divine Crusader, then we, weak and burdened with many sins, must try in every possible way to never leave the saving shadow of this banner - the Cross of Christ. We, the soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3), should not be girded with any other weapons than with His own. The Cross is everywhere an insurmountable shield, overthrowing our spiritual enemies: when the Cross is with us, demons are no longer terrible and dangerous for us, for they will not be able to approach us, seeing the weapon, with the tip of which the devil received a mortal wound. This, brethren, is what the icon image of the Holy Archangel Michael in the warlike militia signifies! These are the thoughts that the holy image of the Archangel of God inspires in us! Looking with reverent attention at this holy image, let us transform ourselves into the likeness of the heavenly armies, so that through fellowship with the one being transformed we may acquire in him a protector, helper and champion against all visible and invisible enemies of our salvation. (See Missionary Review, 1897) Holy Archangel of God Michael with all the army of the disembodied! We pray to you, save us from our enemies and from every evil situation. As soon as a person is born and baptized, God immediately gives him a special angel as a guardian, as a mentor. And from that time on, the guardian angel remains forever with the person; a person lives with him, dies with him, enters the next world with him, and appears with him at the Last Judgment. How can guardian angels help us, instruct us, and protect us? Because they can because they are superior to us in intelligence, stronger than us in strength; although they are not omniscient, not omnipotent, but with their spiritual eyes they see further than ours, they know more than we do, and with their power they can do more than we do. How exactly do angels help us? Invisible, inaudible. Guardian angels can apparently preserve and audibly instruct only by special command of God, in emergency cases, when God’s order cannot be fulfilled otherwise, as is heard and apparently. For example, an angel was heard saying to Joseph in a dream: “Get up, take the Child and His Mother, and run to Egypt.” Apparently, at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, angels appeared to the myrrh-bearing women and heard them say: “Do not be horrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, crucified; He has risen, He is not here." Apparently an angel appeared and heard audibly telling the Blessed Virgin Mary that She would conceive and give birth to a Son. Such phenomena are miraculous phenomena, and God alone creates miracles. So, as a rule, angels always help us with their invisible presence. Yes, my guardian angel is always with me; He is with me no matter what I do; he is with me when I think, wish, decide; he is with me when I talk, sing, read, write; He is with me when I serve, I pray; he is with me when I study, learn, work, toil, drink, eat, and so on, when I do anything for the glory of God, he is always with me; He is with me when I keep myself from everything, from sins, from troubles, from all enemies, from all dangers. Acting in this way, all with the guardian angel, I am enlightened, illuminated by his mind, the highest, the brightest of my mind; I am protected, strengthened by his power, the strongest, the most powerful of my forces. If my guardian angel had not been with me, I would not have known, I would not have understood the truth so clearly, and I would not have desired, I would not have done good so diligently, and I would not have served, I would not have prayed so fervently to God, if my guardian angel had not been with me, I would not have saved myself from sin, from delusions, and I would not have so easily gotten rid of trouble, from adversity, from everything that is hostile, harmful, and reckless to me. Yes, our guardian angel helps us precisely because he, although not visible, is with us always, everywhere, at all times, in every place. How does it happen to us when we sin? Then he happens to be far away. Yes, my guardian angel is not with me when I do bad things, plot, speak, read, write; My guardian angel moves away from me when I am bored, grumbling, annoyed, angry, scolding, lying, deceiving, offending, condemning, envying, reproaching, in a word - the good angel, my guardian, is far from me when I do unkind, bad things. Yes, if I do not save myself from what is sinful, harmful, hostile to me, and my guardian angel does not save me; without my desire for salvation, deliverance, without my effort, effort, action, and the guardian angel does nothing for me, because he then moves away from me. Angels protect innocent children without their participation, so to speak, without their knowledge; and it is not children, but all innocent people who are guarded by angels, and also without their knowledge, without their participation; but that is why the innocent are preserved because they are so sinless, so innocent, that in their angelic innocence they neither know nor believe that they could face any kind of trouble. What does our angel, our guardian of sinners, do when we sin? The good ones know what to do when they themselves cannot personally help someone, beyond the distance: they pray to God. And my guardian, a good angel, moving away from me, prays for me, so that the Lord will enlighten me, keep me from sin, stop me; so that I come to my senses, feel better; so that I would repent as soon as possible, and if I even begin to repent a little, he will immediately be with me again, I will pay, and he will rejoice. And, oh, how our guardian angel rejoices when we cry about our sins! And he is not alone, behind him all the holy angels in heaven rejoice when we repent, when we cry! That is why our tears for our sins are so sweet to us; Tears for sins respond with angelic joy. So, guardian angels protect and instruct us with their light, their power, and their prayer for us. And what are these special guardians of regions, states, cities, villages, monasteries, churches and other human societies, when every person has his own guardian angel? These are the highest, brightest, most powerful angels of our guardian angels, and with their light people in common affairs are illuminated, enlightened, with their power people are protected and strengthened in common troubles. So, this is what good angels are. Brother Christian! Do you rejoice in God's angels? Do you rejoice when you hear that there are invisible beings who have the brightest mind, the most powerful strength, the kindest, most loving beings, always ready to help everyone, the most blissful beings, constantly rejoicing and singing for joy, constantly, incessantly singing? Are you glad that such creatures exist?... Oh, we rejoice, Lord, we rejoice in Your wondrously beautiful angels, we rejoice because they are Yours, because You created them that way, because they rejoice so much in You, they sing to You, to You, our God: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, fill heaven and earth with Your glory!” And we sing to You with them, we cry out, and oh, if only we could sing like this with them forever and ever!... Amen. (See “Teachings”, Archpriest R. Putyatin). B. Examples of guarding by holy angels 1. One perspicacious man, a Syrian stylite, told Blessed Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, that he recognizes the righteous and the sinner by the fact that bright angels walk with the righteous on both sides, and demons walk from afar, not daring to approach him; and around the sinful person he sees a whole horde of triumphant demons, and the guardian angel follows him in the distance, crying... But when the demons want to completely destroy this person, then the angel appears with a fiery weapon and drives them away (“Cheti-Minei”, July 9). 2. One monk came to St. Paisius to talk with him about the salvation of his soul, but he saw him sleeping, and in front of him stood a guardian angel in the form of a beautiful young man. The monk did not disturb the venerable elder and withdrew from him, saying: “Truly God protects those who love Him through His holy angels”... 3. Ave. Paisius was away once; returning, he saw a great light hitting his face, he looked up and saw that the whole desert was filled with angels. Then the guardian angel said to him: “By this God shows you that even when you are not here, He protects your monks through His angels.” 4. Ave. On the way to the desert, Onuphrius saw a bright ray in front of him and wanted to return in fear, but he heard a voice: “Do not be afraid, I am an angel who has walked with you since your birth, I have been assigned by God to guard you, and I am commanded to now lead you into the desert.” 5. Ave. Niphon saw how one guardian angel wept bitterly when the man to whom he was assigned committed suicide and committed suicide; God commanded the angel to go to Rome to protect a certain newborn and already baptized baby there. 6. In the life of St. George the Svyatogorets, a Georgian by birth, we read that when he was still ten years old and lived with his sister, the nun Thekla, he once went outside the monastery fence to breathe clean air; It was summer time, the weather was fine, the neighboring forests and meadows spread the scent of flowers. The deep river Ktsia flowed near the monastery, behind which a luxurious meadow grew green. Suddenly, on the other bank, a boy of the same age as George appeared in clothes of a fiery color; he began to affectionately invite George to his place: “Come here: the river is shallow, it’s so nice here, we’ll play together.” Without thinking twice, George wanted to go across the river, when suddenly another young man, dressed all in white, stood next to him and held him back, saying: “Don’t go there, he’s deceiving you, it’s better here; I love you more than him.” What happened? The young man on the other bank was an evil spirit who wanted to destroy George in the waves of the stormy Ktsia River, and the bright young man was his guardian angel... 7. At another time, a fire broke out at night in the monastery where young George lived. Everyone fled wherever they could, and Georgy slept peacefully in his cell. One minute and he would have become a victim of fire; but suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a beautiful young man, who woke up George, delighted him, as he once did the Apostle Philip (Acts 8:39), and carried him to a safe place at a distance of 115 steps, and then became invisible. Thus the Lord commands His angels to keep all those who love Him in all their ways, according to the word of the psalmist (Ps. 90:11)... (Compiled from the “Lives of the Saints”). Conversation No. 2. Explaining the history of the Nativity of John the Baptist with moral lessons I. When the Unsetting Sun - Christ our Savior deigned to shine upon the world and, bowing the heavens, descended into the holiest of heaven itself, the virgin's womb, the star had to appear before Him - from the barren old woman - St. Forerunner John, so that He would foretell the coming of the Lord to people. And so, when the time of the womb of St. To Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah, she gave birth to a son in her old age, just as Sarah once gave birth to Isaac. So the miracle preceded the miracle: before the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Christ, the aged Elizabeth gave birth to the Forerunner of Christ, so that those who saw an unusual birth according to the laws of nature from a barren old woman would then believe in a supernatural birth from a husbandless Virgin: for the almighty power of God, which resolved the infertility of the old woman Elizabeth, could, of course, also create the incorruptible maiden Mary Mother, for every nature is obedient to the Creator. When Elizabeth gave birth to a son and her neighbors and relatives learned about it, everyone rejoiced at the mercy of God, which the Lord showed her, removing from her the reproach of childlessness. And then the words of the evangelist Gabriel were fulfilled, who said to Zechariah: “Your wife will bear you a son, and many will rejoice at his birth.” On the eighth day after birth, priests and other relatives gathered at Zechariah’s house to circumcise the baby, and wanted to name him by his father’s name - Zachariah, but the mother did not agree to this. Being the wife of a prophet and the mother of the greatest of prophets, Elizabeth herself was filled with the gift of prophecy and, as a prophetess, she wanted her son to be named John. Then they turned to the baby’s father and began to ask him with signs: what would He like to name his son? The speechless Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote: “His name will be John.” And immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak, glorifying God. And everyone marveled at such miracles: they marveled that the barren old woman gave birth to a son, and that the father and mother chose an unusual name for their son, and that after writing this name the dumb father began to speak. And there was fear on all those living around them; and they told about all this throughout the entire hill country of Judea. And everyone who heard about this said: “What will happen to this child?” And the hand of the Lord was with the baby, multiplying the grace of God in him and protecting his life. Rumors about the miraculous birth of John reached King Herod. And so, when our Lord Jesus Christ was born and Herod sent soldiers to Bethlehem to beat all the children there, he then remembered John, the son of Zechariah, and thought: will he not be the king of the Jews? And he sent soldiers to the house of Zechariah; but the messengers did not find John there, for as soon as Saint Elizabeth heard that the massacre of infants had begun in Bethlehem, she immediately took her child and fled with him to the mountains of the neighboring desert, and Saint Zechariah was at that time in Jerusalem, serving in the church according to the order of his order. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, hiding in the mountains, fervently prayed to the Lord to protect her and the baby. Once she saw soldiers from afar who were looking for her, and she exclaimed to the stone mountain that was in front of her: “Mountain of God! Hide mother and child!” And the mountain parted before her, and the saint hid there. Elizabeth with her son. And the soldiers returned to Herod with nothing. Then Herod sent to Zechariah in the church to say: “Give me your son John!” St. Zechariah answered: “I now serve the Lord God of Israel, but I don’t know where my son is.” And Herod was angry and sent to Zechariah another time with an order, if he did not give up his son, to kill him himself. And the fierce murderers came, like fierce beasts, and said with anger to the priest of God: “Where have you hidden your son? Give it to us - this is what the king commands! And if you don’t give it back, then you yourself will die right now!” And St. answered them. Zechariah: “You will kill my body, but the Lord will take my soul!” And the lawless ones rushed at him and killed him between the altar and the church. And his holy blood froze on the marble platform like a stone, for eternal reproach to Herod. And Elizabeth was in the cave of that mountain, covered by God together with John; and a spring of spring water appeared there for them by the command of God, and a date palm grew with fruits, which they ate. 40 days after the murder of Zechariah, the holy mother of the Baptist also reposed. And St. John, fed by an angel, grew and, protected by God, remained in that desert until the day of his appearance to Israel. (“Cheti-Minei”). II. What is instructive about this narrative (based on church tradition and the Gospel narrative) about the conception and birth of the Forerunner? Who would not agree that, with all the desire to have children, with diligent prayer to God for the granting of them, not receiving what you want and ask for until a very old age, and at the same time enduring reproach and reproach from people for childlessness without any guilt - a great misfortune, a grave grief for all parents? And so from the Gospel narrative we see that Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of the Forerunner, having no children until they were very old, bore this long-term and difficult grief without grumbling, with humility and submission to the will of God, without weakening in the least in piety and fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, acting blamelessly and righteously in everything and, as can be seen from the words of the archangel, through their prayer they received what they wanted, although in deep old age, and for their patience they were consoled by God with the birth of a son, great before God. This behavior of the Forerunner’s parents during their infertility represents an instructive lesson and an example worthy of attention and imitation, first of all, to all spouses who either remain completely childless or are deprived of children upon their birth, and then to all of us in our misfortunes and sorrows. True, at the present time there are even among Christians those who consider having many children a heavy burden, a misfortune for themselves, and take childlessness as happiness; but there are hardly many such unreasonable ones. Most Christians consider marriage to be an institution of the Creator, sanctified by Christ our Savior and receiving a blessing from His Holy Church, for the legitimate birth of children and their Christian upbringing and for the mutual assistance of the coupled persons to each other; they marry with the desire and hope of having children; they see the birth of children as a sign of God’s favor towards them; They look at children as a consolation for themselves amid the anxiety of everyday adversity, a support for their old age and as a perpetuation of the memory of themselves during childbirth. But even in our time, other well-meaning spouses are visited by the same misfortune that the parents of the Forerunner suffered for a long time, and they, not receiving children at all or losing them, begin to get bored, despondent, grumble at God and, finally, having lost the hope of having children, they often indulge in various worldly pleasures and intemperate life, thinking by this to drown out their grief. Like unhappy spouses and parents, many of us, in other unfortunate situations in life, instead of enduring grief with humility and submission to God’s providence, and patiently awaiting God’s mercy again, fall into despondency and murmuring, become hardened in heart and give in to a vicious life. We, as Christians, must firmly remember and believe that the world is governed by the providence of God and that people are under the special care of God; Thus, the beginning and end of our life depend entirely on the will of God. As omniscient and wise, good and righteous, in accordance with the mood of our soul and character, God leads some to salvation through the well-being of external life, others through hardships and sorrows. And since God has no partiality, then by submission to the will of God and unshakable faith, sooner or later, but always, we can acquire His favor towards ourselves and receive the desired benefits. Therefore, despondency and murmuring against God in misfortunes is a great sin before God. They express our pride, rebellion, impatience, or at least our foolishness and carelessness about salvation. When misfortunes and grief befall us, we pay little attention to our behavior, we do not try to find their fault in our lives, and even less can we know where a prosperous course of life would lead us. But God sees and knows everything and often through misfortunes either draws our attention to our unnoticed vices, or warns and protects us from them. In particular, barren spouses and parents deprived of children see in their barrenness and deprivation of children signs of God’s displeasure. But such a view of their situation shows only foolishness and lack of faith. Who of us can know what our children will be like, whether they will bring us grief or joy? God alone knows this - and, as He revealed to us through holy people, He does not give children to spouses or deprives them of children, either in His truth - for the sins of the parents, or in His goodness, in order to save parents from the grief that children could bring them, and turn their hearts to the only need - unhindered care for their eternal salvation. III. So, brethren, in all the circumstances of our life, let us unshakably believe in God’s providence and care for us; in the event of misfortunes, we will not lose heart or grumble, but endure grief with humility and obedience, trying to understand in these circumstances the one wise and good will of God for us. Appendix to conversation No. 2. The mountain city of Judah South-west of Jerusalem, one hour and a quarter drive, in a vast mountain ravine, between gardens and cultivated fields, is the beautifully located village of Ain Karim, in ancient times Gornaya, or the Mountain City of Judah: this is the birthplace of the Forerunner of Christ John. On the spot where the greatest prophet born of women was born, there is now a Franciscan monastery. The church here has three altars; the left throne stands above the birthplace of John the Baptist. From the church, 8 marble steps descend into a cave, where 6 unquenchable lamps burn under the marble board of the throne, and under them is a star carved from marble with the Latin inscription: “Here was born the Forerunner of the Lord.” The vault and walls of the cave are lined with marble and covered with rich material, and the floor is decorated with mosaics. The main altar of the church stands on the spot where the happy old man Zechariah sang his song of thanksgiving: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel...” (Luke 1ff.). Behind the monastery, at the end of the village, a reservoir called the Source of Mary is visible under the shadow of fig trees; Tradition says that the Mother of God came here to draw water when she was visiting Her relative Elizabeth. Not far from this reservoir were the ruins of the house of St. Zechariah and Elizabeth. Nowadays in Gornaya the Russian mission has set up a shelter for Orthodox worshipers and an Orthodox women’s monastery with a church. Conversation No. 3, explaining the history of the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist with moral conclusions I. The Holy Church, of all the Old Testament righteous people, especially reveres and glorifies the Forerunner and Baptist of Christ John. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself says that among those born of women there was not a single prophet greater than John the Baptist (Luke 7:28). The birth of the Forerunner of Christ was glorious, his life was instructive, but his martyrdom was no less glorious. It is about this death of the prophet of God that I will talk with you, brothers, today. St. John the Baptist, a strict ascetic of piety, a zealous preacher of repentance, was at the same time a strict denouncer of those who practice lawlessness. Despite, however, this severity of reproof, all those who wanted salvation willingly came to listen to the repentant sermon of John, who announced the imminent appearance of the Savior to the world, were baptized by him in the Jordan and revered him as a great prophet. King Herod himself, who, as we will see below, betrayed John to death, feared him as a righteous and holy man, and listened to his instructions with pleasure (Mark 6:20). It so happened that this Herod, having a lawful wife, abandoned her and took his wife away from his brother Philip. St. John, as a strict zealot of the law, did not tolerate such lawlessness and often loudly denounced Herod that “he should not have his brother’s wife.” And Herod himself, and his even more illegitimate wife Herodias, were greatly indignant at the strict denouncer of their lawless life; the latter was ready to immediately put John to death, but could not do this, because Herod was afraid for this murder of the people, who especially revered the Forerunner of Christ. Therefore, Herod only imprisoned John and tortured him there in chains, hoping by this to block the right mouth of his accuser. But John, even in prison, continued his denunciations against the wicked king, continued his preaching of repentance to the disciples who gathered to him, continued to testify about the Savior who had already come to the world, and even sent his disciples to the Lord to ask Him: “Is he the Messiah, or should we expect another,” so that the disciples, seeing the glorious miracles of Christ, would recognize in Him the Savior preached by their teacher (Luke 7:20). The Forerunner of Christ languished in prison for a long time, and the angry Herodias still could not find a chance to get rid of her accuser. But then Herodov’s birthday came. On this occasion, Herod held a great celebration for his nobles and other honorable people. During the feast, the daughter of Herodias danced and with her dance pleased Herod and all his guests so much that the king promised with an oath to give her everything she asked for, even half the kingdom. The dancer turned to her mother for advice, what could she ask for? It was then that Herodias, breathing malice against John, taught her daughter to ask the king to immediately bring her the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king was embarrassed by such an unexpected request, because, as I said, he was afraid of how much sin there would be for this murder, so many people; but not wanting to break his lawless oath, given in front of many guests, he sent a guard to the prison to cut off the saint. John the Baptist's head and brought it on a platter. The head was brought and given to the dancer, who gave it to her mother. Tradition adds that when the honest head of the Forerunner was brought, to the horror of all those present at the feast, she uttered the same accusatory words: “You should not have your brother’s wife.” The wicked Herodias, having received what she wanted, for her part was not ashamed to scold the head of the righteous even more; She pricked the tongue that accused her with a needle, and fearing that her accuser would not be resurrected when they put the head on the corpse, she buried it in the palace in a bad place. The headless body of the Forerunner was taken from prison that same night by his disciples and buried in the Samaria city of Sevatia. (“Cheti-Minei”; see “Sunday Reading” for 1865–66, book 1, p. 521). The Forerunner and Baptist of Christ, John, ended his righteous life with such a martyr’s death! Tradition tells that God's vengeance did not hesitate to punish the lawless murderers. Herod was soon deprived of his power and exiled to prison with his lawless wife Herodias and her daughter. There, in captivity, the dancer died first of all. While crossing a river in winter, she broke through and plunged into the water up to her neck, so that the ice squeezed her and she hung in the water, hanging with her head on the ice. And it turned out that the dancer, because of whom the righteous man died, now at her death, without reaching the bottom of the river, had to dance in the water. Finally, sharp ice completely cut her neck: the headless corpse was carried away by water, and only the head of the deceased was brought to Herod and Herodias. It is said about Herod and Herodias that both of them were consumed alive by the earth (Synax.). “It would be better,” let us say in the words of the Holy Church, “not to swear to Herod without law, even if you swore, but did not swear about good. It would be better to come to your senses and renounce the insane oath and receive life, rather than, out of shame, to break a bad oath and cut off the head of the Forerunner” (Stichera on the Lord, Aug. 29). II. In commemoration of the reported death of the prophet and Forerunner of Christ John, the Holy Church established a special holiday, which, by the very nature of the martyrdom of the righteous man, is called the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and has been celebrated since ancient times on August 29. Due to the greatness of the person and service of the Forerunner of the Lord, this holiday is ranked by the Church as a major holiday. The Baptist of Christ was the Forerunner of his Savior and Lord not only by birth and preaching, but also by death. “The glorious beheading of the Forerunner,” the Holy Church sings, “there was a kind of divine sight, and the coming of the Savior was preached to those in hell” (Kondak of the holiday). “Having preceded the descent of the Lord into hell, he preached the gospel there of God appearing in the flesh and comforted the souls held there. Afterwards, with them, when hell was destroyed at the resurrection of Christ, he came out with Christ from there, and was awarded many crowns in heaven as a virgin, as a desert dweller, as a teacher and preacher of repentance, as a prophet, Forerunner, Baptist and, finally, as a martyr” (Synax.). a) The Feast of the Beheading of the Forerunner of Christ John differs from other holidays in its strict fasting. The Holy Church explains the reason for the establishment of this fast as follows: “It is in every way worthy for us on that day to be saddened by lamentation, and not to have gluttony, for the sake of the abstinent life of the saint, and his foul murderous bloodshed from Herod. Since the head of the Forerunner was truncated at the feast by the dancing of a fornicating dancer, gluttony, the slaughter and bloodshed of various animals: then it is not proper for us to eat from any of these animals, lest we appear accomplices to Herod’s gluttony. For how can we honor the honorable beheading of the Baptist? Will we eat meat or other various valuable foodstuffs? But he lived in a waterless and grassless desert: he ate neither bread nor had food to eat. Do we drink wine? But he never drank wine or any other worldly drink. So let us diligently honor this day with prayer and fasting” (“Church Charter” Aug. 29). Fasting on this day should consist of abstaining not only from meat and cheese foods, but also from fish, and therefore should consist of a meal of oil, vegetables, or whatever God provides from such 108 (“Church Charter” ch. 33). The charter directly states that fasting on the day of the beheading of John the Baptist “was bequeathed by the ancient holy fathers.” b) In addition to fasting, on the day of the Beheading of the Forerunner, our Church commemorates the soldiers killed in battle for the faith and the fatherland. “This day,” says the church books, “for the sake of the Forerunner of the Lord who suffered for the truth, is fit for offering universal prayer to God for those who have laid down their lives for faith and fatherland. Warriors who laid down their lives on the battlefield for the holy faith, the king and the fatherland, that is, for truth, truth, are very similar to St. John the Baptist, martyr for truth." (“Rite of Commemoration of Orthodox Soldiers” Aug. 29). This commemoration was established by the Church in 1769. (“Sunday Reading” for 1865–66, book 1, pp. 519–524). c) The Holy Church, in its hymns and readings, solemnly glorifies John the Baptist on the day of the beheading of his venerable head, in order to show how highly she values ​​the sufferers for the truth. Because of the truth he suffered, because of the truth his head was cut off; and the truth is dear to everyone, because in it is the salvation of everyone. “What would happen on earth if truth were not observed between people, if truth were not so preserved and respected? - asks one of our famous preachers. “Then no one would be able to live on earth.” A society of unrighteous and deceitful people cannot exist for long: they will be exterminated by themselves, or they will exterminate each other. Where the truth is not observed, the end of everything is near and unrighteous gains are always dust. Where the truth is not kept, everything soon perishes, and a lawless life means death is near. What would the earth be like without the sun? Gloomy, cold, dead desert. And without the truth it would be even worse on earth. The truth is more important than the sun for people. And therefore the greatest good deed is done to the human race by the one who establishes truth on earth. That is why the beheading of John the Baptist is honorable, important, dear to everyone: he, teaching people the truth, teaching the truth, proved with his head that the truth is worthy of all respect and the truth should be most precious to everyone; through his suffering he made others love the truth and revere the truth. If he had stopped telling Herod that he was not worthy to have his brother’s wife as his wife, then many might have thought that they too could live in a similar way. By his martyrdom, everyone was convinced that Herod’s lawless life was truly lawlessness; Thus, the truth also triumphs when the righteous dies because of the truth. It is then that she especially triumphs when a righteous man dies for her: blood shed for the truth, the most eloquent sermon about the truth. Saints suffer, die, just to teach everyone to love the truth and preserve the truth; and we, brothers, will at least live by righteousness and truth, so that we can make others love the truth and honor the truth.” (See “Sermons”, Archpriest R. Putyatin). III. Let us, brethren, love the truth and preserve the truth, both for ourselves and for others. Untruth is not beneficial to anyone, and lawlessness is harmful to everyone. Honoring the Beheading of John the Baptist, let us honor the truth that he so desired to establish; Let us honor this day with strict abstinence in food and drink, so as not to become like the murderers of the holy great righteous man, who indulged in overeating and drunkenness on this day - let us remember in our prayers all those who suffered for the truth and, at their head, our Christ-loving warriors who laid down their lives for the faith, the king and the fatherland. Conversation No. 4. On St. apostles Peter and Paul I. One day St. The Apostle Peter asked the Lord: “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what will happen to us? Jesus Christ answered him: “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the end of life, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:27-28). So, if the Lord Himself does not separate His glory from the glory of His disciples, then could His Holy Church not glorify them, not call on them in its prayers? Worshiping the one God in the Holy Trinity, pleasing the Most Pure Mother of Christ our God, we, children of the Orthodox Church, glorify and call in our prayers also the faithful servants of God, our elder brothers - firstly, St. prophets, secondly - St. apostles As among the prophets, the Church primarily glorifies St. John the Baptist, so between the apostles - Saints Peter and Paul: the first “as the leader of the apostles”, the second “as he labored more than all others” 109. St. Peter was born in Bethsaida and was formerly called Simon, had a son, Jonah, and had a brother, Andrew, called the First-Called. Their occupation was fishing. One day the Lord, walking along the shore of Lake Tiberias, saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing nets into the water. The Lord told them: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). And both brothers, leaving the boat, nets and house, followed the Divine Teacher. When the Lord once asked His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Simon, on behalf of all the apostles, said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). For this saying, inspired by God Himself, the Lord called Simon blessed, called him Peter (that is, a stone, as a sign of the firmness of his faith) and promised to give him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the power to bind and solve the sins of men. Seeing the Lord walking on water as if on dry land, Peter asked Him for permission to come to Him - and he went, but was afraid of the high waves, because there was a strong storm on the lake, and began to drown. Then the Lord gave him his hand and said: “You of little faith! Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). Together with John and James, Peter was honored to see the glory of the transfigured Lord on Tabor and, out of his fiery love for Him, begged Him to stay here forever. Before the Lord’s suffering, Peter promises to go with Him even to death, but hears from Him a prediction of threefold renunciation. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he, indeed, seemed ready to die for Jesus Christ, because in view of a large and armed crowd he wanted to defend his Divine Teacher and cut off the ear of one of the bishop’s servants with a knife; but the Lord said to him: “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). But when Jesus Christ was brought bound to the judgment seat of His embittered enemies, it turned out how weak man was in himself. Peter, who promised to die for Jesus Christ, denied Him three times: “I don’t know,” he said, “this man.” But he made up for this renunciation with bitter tears, the Lord’s threefold assurance of his love, his entire subsequent life and martyrdom. The Lord did not even remember Peter about his cowardice; on the very first day after His resurrection He appeared to him and then, on the Sea of ​​Tiberias, with the threefold saying: “Feed My sheep,” he restored him to the apostolic rank. After the ascension of Jesus Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, Peter, with his preaching, converted three thousand people to the faith of Christ in one day, and then, after healing the lame man, five thousand. He fearlessly preached about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the promised Messiah both in the Sanhedrin before the elders of the Jews, and in the church before the assembly of the people. He accepted the dishonor and wounds that he suffered for this with joy. St. Peter, according to a special revelation of God, was the first to begin to baptize pagans, baptizing the Roman centurion Cornelius in Caesarea. In Antioch he founded the Church, whose members were the first to call themselves Christians. With the lamp of Christian faith, St. Peter traveled through almost all of Asia Minor, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, preaching mainly to the Jews, while St. Paul converted the Gentiles. Finally, St. Peter arrived in Rome. Here he denounced Simon the Magus, who once wanted to buy from him the power to impart the gifts of the Holy Spirit and was now in Rome trying to deceive the pagans with false miracles. With his prayer St. Peter overthrew the sorcerer from the height to which he had risen by the power of his sorceries. The chief apostle had the gift of miracles to such an extent that with one word he healed the paralytic Aeneas and resurrected the dead Tabitha, and the sick were also healed from one shadow of his body. When Nero launched a cruel persecution against Christians, St. Peter was condemned to death on the cross. But not only was he not afraid of torment, but he asked his crucifiers to crucify him upside down, because he considered himself unworthy to endure the same form of torment that the Divine Teacher Himself endured. In the same city and on the same day, St. Apostle Paul, but as a Roman citizen he was not crucified, but beheaded by the sword. He was a Jew from the city of Tarsus and was formerly called Saul; Even his ancestors enjoyed the right of Roman citizens. He received his education in Jerusalem, at the feet of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel. Having a sincere but unreasonable zeal for the Law of Moses, he at first hated Christians and persecuted the Church of God. Saul deigned to kill St. Stephen the First Martyr, invaded the homes of Christians, tied up husbands, wives and children, and finally asked permission to go to Damascus in order to find and tie up Christians there too. But another assignment awaited him. The Lord foresaw in him a chosen vessel of grace and a great apostle. When Saul was already approaching Damascus, a wonderful light from heaven suddenly shone on him; he fell to the ground and heard a voice: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” In awe and horror, Saul asked: “Lord! What will you have me do?” The Lord sent him to Damascus, where the Apostle Ananias taught him the Christian faith and through Holy Baptism enlightened his spiritual and physical eyes, because after the vision Saul was blind for three days (Acts 9:3-20). From that time on, the former persecutor of the Christian faith became its most zealous preacher. Although he was, according to him, the least of the apostles, he, strengthened by the grace of God, worked harder than anyone else. It is difficult to count all his exploits, sufferings and miracles. He traveled around Asia and Europe, preaching to Jews and pagans, kings and subjects, the wise and the ignorant. He founded many Churches and left fourteen inspired messages to the universal Church. That is why the Holy Church calls him, as well as St. Peter, the supreme apostle, teacher of the universe. Glorifying the memory of the holy apostles, we must imitate their firm, living faith in the Lord, their fiery love for Him, their unflagging zeal for the spread and establishment of the Christian faith among people, their constant concern for the eternal salvation of their neighbors and the entire human race. II. Life of St. the supreme apostles, without a doubt, are all highly edifying; but some of its features are edifying, so to speak, negatively; according to one such feature from the life of St. We will take the apostles into account and consider them for our edification. a) In the life of St. For the Apostle Peter, this trait is his threefold denial of Jesus Christ. Distinguished before his brothers by his zeal and zeal for his Divine Teacher, this strong-spirited disciple once, when Jesus Christ was hinting to His disciples that they would all leave Him during His suffering, said to Him: “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended” (Matthew 26:33) - I will not leave You! The Savior then predicted the opposite - that Peter would deny his Teacher three times on the night of the beginning of his suffering, before he would cry out the loop three times. And so it came true. The suffering that awaited the Teacher frightened the disciple, who was not yet fully strengthened in the faith, and the Apostle Peter actually denied Jesus Christ three times: “he does not know this Man” (Matthew 26:72). b) In the life of another apostle, Paul, there is another remarkable feature, namely, that before his election to the apostleship, He was one of the most zealous persecutors of Christians as followers of the Crucified One. When the moment arrived, in which it was pleasing to the Lord God to turn an unclean and stinking vessel into a chosen, clean and fragrant vessel, His persecutor into a zealous follower and preacher, Paul, or, better, Saul - for that was the name He bore then - heard a voice from heaven: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4). We mentioned these two circumstances in the life of the chief apostles because we ourselves, unfortunately, are accustomed to doing the same thing that the Lord allowed the apostles Peter and Paul to do - and we ourselves, like Peter, often renounce Jesus Christ - and like Paul, we often persecute Him and persecute Him. And we say this without exaggeration. In fact, we often deny Jesus Christ. So, at our baptism, we made a vow to God to be united with Christ the Savior, that is, to be completely united with Him in our spirit and, therefore, to live as He prescribes, to live according to His will. Is this how we always live? Are we in such a close spiritual union with Jesus Christ? No, we often fall, sin, violate His will with our sinful deeds, words and thoughts, and thus we dissolve our union with Him and break our vow - and this means that we renounce Jesus Christ. There are other special cases. So, for example, Jesus Christ demands that every follower of Him, that is, a Christian, not only believe in Him with all his heart, but also confess his faith with his lips for the salvation of others, i.e., on occasion, teach or confess his faith to others. Do we always fulfill this requirement? Doesn’t it happen, on the contrary, that the demands and conditions of so-called secular decency or some other worldly reasons, such as false shame, imaginary or vain fear, greed, etc., impose a seal of silence on our lips even when they should necessarily be revealed to every true Christian in order, for example, to enlighten the ignorant, to expose obvious temptation, blasphemy or some other evil that stains the Christian faith! And this silence of ours, as a renunciation of our duties, is it not also a renunciation of the One who obliged us, that is, of the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, and there are many such cases in which we allow ourselves to renounce Him, but we either do not pay attention to these cases, or we do not understand their full importance. Like Saul, we often persecute Jesus Christ - and this is how: Saul persecuted, persecuted and put to torment not Jesus Christ Himself, who at that time was already in heaven, but His disciples and followers; however, Jesus Christ took this persecution to Himself, because He said to him: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? And we are persecuting, obviously, not Jesus Christ Himself, Who sits at the right hand of God the Father, but His disciples, servants and followers. Who are these disciples, servants and followers? Of course, we all, as Christians, belong to their number; but some of us can be called especially by these names. These are all those trying to lead a more or less pious and strict life, therefore, to be true followers of Christ. Further, these are the poor, the poor, the sick and all sufferers in general, whom Jesus Christ called His least brethren. We often despise and even persecute these truly disciples, servants and followers of Christ. Our reproaches, denunciations, ridicule, curses, sometimes even direct persecution are directed at them - we call them hypocrites, hypocrites and other names. That they will be persecuted is predicted in the Word of God: “And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12), and for such a life they are promised bliss: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me” (Matthew 5:10-11). But should they be driven out? Of course not, by the very fact that they are the same people as we are, and, moreover, some of them are true, and not imaginary, like us, disciples of Christ. It is true that some of them may be hypocrites, others deceive and wander. But, firstly, how to distinguish a true desire to live piously from a vain intention to appear pious in front of people? It is very difficult, because: “What man knows what is in a man, except the spirit of man that lives in him?” (1 Cor. 2:11). The human heart is a secret place that is impossible for anyone to see through except the omniscient Heart Knower. Secondly, it is also difficult to distinguish true poverty from imaginary, true suffering from feigned, true beggary from the kind of beggary that is a shameful craft, when you have the means to live. It is difficult, we say, to distinguish this. And to indiscriminately persecute everyone is not only unwise, but also wicked; because Jesus Christ refers to this persecution of the true poor and sufferers to Himself: “If,” He says, “you do or do not do anything to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, then you will do it to Me or you will not do it” (Matthew 25:40,45). Therefore, we will act better and more sinlessly if we leave everyone to their own. Whether anyone is truly pious, whether anyone truly loves righteousness, we will leave the judgment of this to God, who knows all the secrets of our hearts and will reward each of us according to our deeds (Rom. 2:6). Likewise, let the poor in general not be indiscriminately despised and persecuted from us. It would be better for us to see in all of them the lesser brethren of Christ. It is much safer to be mistaken in this, if, that is, we consider all the poor to be the brethren of Christ, than to be mistaken when we consider the true brethren of Christ to be deceivers and subject to oppression. They demand help for the sake of Christ: therefore, there is no need for us to inquire whether they need our help. Let us give it boldly, because we give it not to them, but to Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ had not accepted this help, it would not have had such a high price. But let's be careful about refusing help, let's be careful, because we might make a mistake. Yes, even if they were not mistaken, then in general a refusal to someone asking for the sake of Christ would be a refusal to Christ Himself. (See Sunday Reading, 1888). III. So, if we imitate, of course, not intentionally, the apostles Peter and Paul in the dark features of their lives - we imitate the renunciation of the first and the persecution of the second, then with the intention of imitating them in the bright features of their lives - we will begin to imitate the repentance of Peter, who, as tradition says, mourned his sin all his life, beginning this mourning at the very time when he committed it: let us imitate his firmness in faith, for which he later became famous. Let us imitate St. ap. Paul, who, having become an apostle, became the most zealous preacher of Jesus Christ and defender of His followers, for he spread His Gospel in word, deed, mouth, and writing in both the East and the West, and as a testimony to all his love for Jesus Christ, he himself was persecuted, tortured and died for Him. Conversation No. 5. On the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (May 9) I. “The day of bright celebration has arrived, the city of Barsky rejoices, and with it the whole universe rejoices with spiritual songs and stumps: today is a sacred celebration.” This is how the Holy Church sings on the day dedicated to the memory of the solemn transfer of the “honest and multi-healing relics of the saint and wonderworker Nicholas” from the city of Myra in Lycia (in Asia Minor), where the saint ended the days of his life, to the Apulian city of Bar (in southern Italy). This sacred and solemn event took place on May 9, 1087 under the following memorable circumstances. At the end of the eleventh century, during the reign of the Greek emperor Alexei Komnenos, the infidel Saracens invaded Asia Minor, took possession of the Wild region and destroyed its main city of Myra. In Myra then rested the incorruptible remains of the saint of God, St. Nicholas, kept in secret for 744 years. Several years after the destruction of the city of Myra by the barbarians, Saint Nicholas appeared in a night vision to a presbyter living in the city of Bar and inspired him to transfer his relics from Myra in Lycia to this city. Getting up in the morning, the presbyter reported the vision he had had to the clergy and all the people. Everyone joyfully accepted the suggestion of the revered saint and immediately decided to select several of the most illustrious citizens and, together with the clergy, send them to the city of Myra to transfer from there the relics of the holy wonderworker. The messengers boarded the ship and arrived safely in the Lycian Worlds. Here, at the direction of some monks, they actually found in one church in the ground an intact shrine of the saint, filled with fragrant myrrh that flowed from the incorruptible remains of the saint. The priests, with appropriate reverence, lifted the reliquary with the holy relics into their hands and, having transferred them to the ship, sailed to their homeland. Almost all the inhabitants of the city of Bar, preceded by the clergy, came out to meet the precious shrine with lamps in their hands and spiritual chants. At first, the holy relics of the saint were placed in the Church of St., located near the sea. John the Baptist. A short time later, having experienced the miraculous power of the holy relics in numerous healings, the grateful residents of the city of Bar built a magnificent stone church in the name of St. Nicholas and placed a silver gilded shrine in it. And in the third year after their transfer from Myra, the holy relics of the wonderworker were solemnly transferred by a council of bishops and priests from the Church of John the Baptist to the newly built church in honor of the great saint and Saint Nicholas. By the will of the saint himself, announced to one monk in a vision, his venerable relics were placed under the throne in the altar of this church, where they rest to this day, exuding miraculous power in healing illnesses with faith and reverence prayerfully calling on the name of the great saint of Christ, the wonderworker Nicholas. (See Sunday Reading). Not only the city of Barsky now rejoices at the transfer of the holy and multi-healing relics of the wonderworker Nicholas, no, the whole universe triumphs with him. The event now remembered is extremely gratifying and edifying for every Orthodox Christian. II. a) Why St. Nicholas with his relics did not want to remain in Myra after the Saracens captured this city? Because wickedness, every vice and uncleanness settled there in the person of the Saracens. But in an unclean place, how can one remain pure and holy? What communication is there between light and darkness? and Christ, and all of Christ, have some fellowship with Belial? Therefore, neither his spirit could hover near that place, nor his purest and fragrant body could remain there. Often a sinner gets drunk on sin like wine, commits sin greedily, and does not know satiety in sinful sensual pleasures. He neither goes to church nor prays at home as he should - not to mention the fact that in his selfish heart there is no place for Christian love for his neighbors; From morning to evening he is all in vanity, all in sin. But does he know what he is depriving himself of through this? The grace of the Holy Spirit in him is extinguished and inactive, the guardian angel retreats and cries, the saint whose name he bears ceases to be an intercessor for him. “Why are you standing here and crying?” - St. Niphon of Christ once said to a young man who stood at the gates of a house and cried. “I,” the young man answered, “I am an angel sent by the Lord to save a man who has been staying for several days in this wicked house, I am standing here because I cannot get closer to the sinner, I am crying because I am losing hope of leading him to the path of repentance.” Such is the power of sin! He turns a blessed person into some kind of stinking corpse, from which all that is holy flees. Yes it is. “Who through his bad life,” the angel of God once said to the great elder St. Pachomius, “has become dead to God and virtue, he stinks a thousand times worse than a dead body, so that we can neither stand nor walk near.” This is what sin makes of a Christian. Brothers! Isn’t it terrible for any of us to be in such separation from God and the saints? And will we really still remain in the sins we love? Shall we not take care and make every effort to free ourselves from them? May this not happen to us. b) But St. Nicholas, having left both the city of Mira in both spirit and body, thereby inspires us to flee not only sin, even the very places of lawlessness, the very wicked and depraved people. How much harm a Christian can suffer from imprudent acquaintances, from visiting seductive places! Such societies and individuals are poison that destroys the soul, they are nets that trap it in sin. And how many people died from them, even those who stood firmly on the path of virtue. Meanwhile, many are just looking for this. To be where idleness, noise and fun is their food, the very first consolation for them. Look with what joy and haste someone goes to see a spectacle, even if it is the most unchristian, the most offensive to morality; let it be even during Great Lent or on a holiday, when all the true sons of the Holy Church go to the church of God to participate in the prayers of the Church. Why doesn’t he ask himself: what will he take out of there, what will he gain for his soul, for the salvation of which he lives? But he doesn’t even think about it, he would only like to kill time, to please his eyes and ears. But whether it is sinful or not, harmful to the soul or not, he does not touch upon these issues. Where is faith here? Can there be true piety in this? To do this doesn’t mean to do the same as if someone during a fire, instead of saving himself and his family from the fire, would, on the contrary, throw himself into the fire? We say this because today the desire for various types of secular entertainment is intensifying more and more. Nowadays they seek pleasure not among their family, but certainly outside it. And here, perhaps, where one of the reasons for the disorder in family life is discord between husband and wife, non-Christian upbringing of children, waste of wealth, material and moral disorder, premature loss of health. Before, we did not know so much entertainment and lived piously. But, one way or another, everyone must remember one thing: “With the wicked you will be lawless and with the wicked you will be corrupt.” If these closest relatives turned out to be harmful to our soul, then such people should also be removed. c) We said: move away, but who should we stick to? Who to get close to? But let's turn again to St. Nikolai. Saint Nicholas found a place where his relics would rest - from the city of Mir, where the lawless Saracens settled, he ordered them to be transferred to the city of Bar - why? Because the Christian faith dominated there. So, in the circle of people professing the faith of Christ, the saint found rest for his incorruptible body. Let us, brethren, seek fellowship with pious people. Have you experienced the sweetness of this communication? A pious, religiously minded person is a fragrance from which the fragrance of the Holy Spirit emanates, it is not boring to be with such a person for whole hours, one would listen and enjoy his conversation, one would not want to leave him, one would like to live with him and not be separated. There are few such people these days - the more expensive they are if anyone has to find them. But there are, and now they are. There is no need to look for them on the heights - they sometimes hide in the unknown, occupy the lowest share - the simplest rank. So, another flower grows in the valley, unnoticed by anyone, trampled by many, and what a fragrance it gives off! It is not the lack of such people that one should complain about, but the reluctance to get close to them, the obvious dislike towards them. Love, brothers, piety, respect the ascetics of piety, seek their conversations, ask for their advice - and you will receive great benefit for your soul. (See “Collection of generally understandable teachings” by Priest P. Shumov). III. Orthodox Christian, often turn with warm prayer to Saint Nicholas, glorified throughout the universe, cry out to him together with our mother Church: “Save us, as our representative, the great Nicholas, driving away from us the darkness of temptations and troubles.” Conversation No. 6. About the celebration in honor of the holy prophet of God Elijah I. Of the Old Testament prophets, the Orthodox Church especially glorifies the prophet of God Elijah. The Lord Himself, taking him alive to heaven, distinguished this glorious prophet from other Old Testament righteous people. How did the prophet Elijah deserve such mercy and favor from the Lord? His unparalleled zeal for the glory of God, his selflessness and labors to preserve the true faith on earth. An ancient legend says that when Elijah was born, his father had a vision that bright angels, instead of shrouds, were wrapping him in flames and feeding him with fire instead of milk. Indeed, by his nature, the prophet Elijah was like a fiery man. Anger was constantly seething in his soul against the wickedness that had spread among the Israelites. After his menacing denunciations, the prophet, zealous for the holiness of the name of God, several times called upon the wrath of God against the hard-hearted people. He begged the Lord for drought and famine, from which he almost died. Having shamed the pagan priests who were corrupting the people on one mountain, he stabbed them all, as the law of Moses prescribed, although he knew that he was in considerable danger for this from Queen Jezebel. She swore to take revenge on the prophet for this, but Elijah fled into the desert. Exhausted by the difficult struggle against wickedness, the prophet began to ask God for death. Lost in spirit, he retired in despondency to the deserted Mount Horeb. At this time, such anger was seething in the heart of the prophet at his fellow tribesmen who had forgotten the true God that he wanted heavenly thunder to burst over the wicked, so that they would be burned by heavenly fire or swallowed up by the earth. But then a quiet breeze was heard, and the Lord appeared in it, letting the prophet know that He is a God of mercy rather than vengeance. “Why are you here, Elijah?” asked the Lord. The Prophet covered his face with his cloak and said: “I was greatly jealous of You, O Lord, when I saw that the children of Israel forsook Your covenant, destroyed Your altars, and killed Your prophets; I’m left alone, and they’re already looking for my death.” To calm and console the prophet, the Lord said that there were still seven thousand righteous people left in the Israeli people who did not worship pagan idols. Righteous anger at wickedness gave the prophet Elijah such courage that none of the accusers and messengers of God’s judgment reached. During the days of Elijah, the wicked Ahab reigned over the Israelites. One pious Israeli, named Naboth, had a small vineyard next to the royal palace. For some reason Ahab liked this vineyard, so He wanted to buy it from Naboth. But Naboth did not want to break the law that prohibited giving his father’s inheritance to someone else’s family, and did not yield his vineyard to the king. Upset by the disobedience of his pious subject, the king returned home one day and went to bed without eating. Having learned what upset Ahab, his wife Jezebel took over the whole matter. She bribed false witnesses who agreed to testify that Naboth had blasphemed and spoken disrespectfully of the king. The wicked judges, to please the cunning queen, sentenced the innocent Naboth to death: he was stoned, and all his property went to the royal treasury. Ahab then took advantage of the vineyard without any worry, went to Naboth’s garden and walked calmly. Suddenly the prophet Elijah appeared to him and menacingly, without any fear, announced to Ahab the punishment prescribed by God: “The dogs will lick your blood just as they licked the blood of Naboth, and they will completely eat up your wife.” Such was the prophet Elijah, a fiery zealot for God, a formidable denouncer of wickedness and vices. II. We bow in reverence before this great prophet. But in order to avoid the terrible punishments from God sent through the prophet Elijah, we must all imitate the prophet, love God and our neighbors with all our hearts and carefully preserve the holy Christian faith. a) Every Christian is obliged to love God and his neighbors - and not just love, but zealously. Yes, Orthodox Christian, love without jealousy is incomplete love. What kind of son is it that calmly, without indignation, listens to how his parents are insulted? What kind of citizen is not alarmed when he sees his compatriot being robbed or killed? Shouldn't a son stand up for the honor of his father and mother and stop the mouth of the slanderer? Isn’t everyone obligated to remove his neighbor from the hands of those who offend him? b) In the same way, every believer is obliged to preserve and defend the Orthodox faith; Every true Christian must, on occasion, expose untruth. If you calmly listen to how an atheist mocks your faith, then doesn’t this mean that you don’t love your faith? If you remain indifferent when a frivolous wicked person speaks disrespectfully or jokes about the Holy Sacraments or holy objects, or unjustly reviles the servants of the altar of the Lord, then are you not thereby showing that you are an unworthy son of the Mother Church? Or if you are not indignant in your soul when your neighbor is oppressed, then doesn’t everyone have the right to think about you that you do not sincerely love your brother? But perhaps someone will say that by interceding for the oppressed, you will make a strong enemy and bring harm to yourself. This is what it means that we are not jealous in our love for God and our neighbors. When you see a loved one in danger, then you don’t think about what the consequences of your intercession will be, but you immediately rush to defense. And why talk about dangers when it is said: “Blessed are those who are exiled for righteousness’ sake, for among them is the Kingdom of Heaven?” To achieve such a reward, it is worth enduring troubles. However, in our ordinary life there are many cases where intercession for the truth does not pose any danger. Let us not miss such cases, Orthodox Christian. Let us not ourselves become embittered and angry if someone, out of the duty of his rank or simply out of Christian duty, speaks to us a bitter word of truth and reproof. Believe me, beloved, that humility will never humiliate a Christian, and a word of truthful reproof can sometimes warn and correct the lost. III. May the holy and glorious saint of God, the prophet Elijah, always remind us of our duty to passionately love God and to preserve and defend the holy faith. Appendix to conversation No. 6 Beliefs associated with the name of the holy prophet Elijah Regarding the holy prophet Elijah, there are two popular beliefs among the common people: one - that during a thunderstorm He rides across the sky in a fiery chariot, and that is why thunder is heard; secondly, that before the second coming of Christ, together with Enoch, He will appear on earth and shed his blood from the hand of the Antichrist, and as if from the blood of these saints the earth will be set on fire and the end of the world will follow. Let's see how true these beliefs are. Nothing can be said in favor of the first belief. This is pure fiction. In the life of this great prophet there is, of course, one circumstance - namely, his taking to heaven on a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses - which can lead ordinary people to such a belief. But it is not this circumstance that fuels such gross prejudice among the common people; It is supported by the stories of old women who, having heard this fable from their elders in their childhood, pass it on to their children - and pass it on not as a fable, but as the real truth. This is how it goes among the common people, although we must agree that such talk among them does not come from an evil disposition to blaspheme the prophet of God, but from their spiritual blindness and ignorance, as a result of which, instead of the holy truth, they feed the minds of their children with women's tales, while the Word of God itself warns us against them (1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7). Elijah the prophet was indeed taken from earth to heaven on a fiery chariot, which was carried by fiery horses (2 Kings 2:11). It is also true that during thunder we hear something similar to peals. To whom is it easiest to attribute such a phenomenon, if not Elijah the prophet? It was this convergence of such disparate phenomena that was probably the beginning of the absurd belief about the origin of thunder. But no matter how gullible anyone is, they will still hardly agree to think that the wondrous prophet Elijah - an angel in the flesh - was miraculously taken from earth to heaven, so that he could ride there on a fiery chariot and fiery horses. Why, tell me, will he do something like this? For fun or to bring fear to those who live under the sky? After all, such a thought is not only unworthy of our thoughts about God, but also about God’s great prophet. As if God no longer had any unearthly joys and pleasures for the righteous? After all, riding in whatever carriage, whatever horses, is the lot of earth-born people. Will the one who was an angel on earth even do this in the face of God Himself? These are the ungodly thoughts the belief in question leads to. Moreover, if thunder occurs, let us suppose, because at this time Elijah the prophet is traveling across the sky, then why did it happen before, when Elijah the prophet was not yet in heaven or on earth? After all, Elijah the prophet lived on earth and was then taken to heaven, many, many years after the beginning of the world, while thunder and lightning erupted over the earth and were known to the world from the very beginning of its existence. Isn’t it clear that the popular opinion about the origin of thunder is incorrect and should be completely abandoned and forgotten as some kind of fable? Thunder occurs from completely different and completely natural causes, and not from such wonderful reasons as common people think. Thunder is a natural phenomenon that does not depart from its ordinary laws. He, however, is also a marvelous phenomenon; but isn’t He who “thou hast made all things wisely” (Ps. 103:24), among other things, able to build this? That it is incomprehensible to others, is there so little in the world that for dark people it seems a mystery, but for enlightened people, on the contrary, it is light and clear? Judge for yourself: if thunder occurs because at this time the prophet Elijah is traveling across the sky, then why would the latter, that is, the sky, be covered with clouds before a thunderstorm? We usually see the flash of lightning and hear the rumble of thunder only when several black clouds appear and these clouds gather into one cloud. Here, in these clouds and clouds, is the beginning and cause of thunder. People who study this have found and discovered that there is a force in nature (known by the name of electricity) which is capable of producing such phenomena as thunder; and a similar shine, like lightning. This was recognized as true by all knowledgeable people. We all have to agree with this. However, one can also point out the actual attitude of the prophet Elijah to the phenomena during a thunderstorm - a phenomenon that, at the intercession of the Holy Church, is now possible. From the life history of the prophet Elijah it is known that through his prayer the sky was closed and rain was brought down to earth. And therefore we will not sin at all if we believe that even now he can help us in a similar case. Let us ask this glorious prophet in times of drought to ask God for rain, and in times of drought for a bucket. Even during His lifetime He performed similar miracles; all the more so now the Lord God will be moved to show mercy to us unworthy through the intercession of such a saint of His. Let us also assume that God can have mercy and save us from being killed by thunder and repel from us both thunder arrows and other destructive punishments through the prayers of the holy, glorious prophet. At the same time, one cannot help but praise the pious mood in our common people that in the phenomenon of thunder they see the greatness of God and express their reverence for God with the sign of the cross. The second belief about the prophet Elijah has much more fair sides. Although there is no direct indication in Holy Scripture that before the second coming of Christ Elijah and Enoch will descend to earth, the Holy Church does not reject this when, in its song in honor of the prophet Elijah, she calls him the second forerunner of the coming of Christ. Jesus Christ already came to earth once, and then John was the forerunner. Jesus Christ will come again, and then, according to the meaning of the church song (troparion to the prophet Elijah), Elijah will be the forerunner. The belief that Elijah and Enoch will again appear on earth and die on it can be raised to the level of immutability. God's definition: “you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17) inevitably extends to the entire human race: not a single mortal is excluded from it; Even the Son of God Himself, having become a man like us, did not escape this lot of earth-born people and remained in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. Consequently, these two great persons - Elijah and Enoch, although at one time they escaped the edge of the sword for the holiness of life, but, as having come from the race of mortals, they will someday have to fulfill God's decree. But how they will accept death in battle from the hand of the Antichrist (Rev. 11:7-8) - this is in the power of God and is hidden from us. That their blood will set the earth on fire and this will cause the end of the world - this is not said anywhere. And that Elijah and Enoch will be the forerunners and harbingers of the second coming of Christ is very plausible. For if the Lord at one time blessed to remove them from among the living, not allowing them to taste death, then he will probably send them again to the earth - to this vale of mourning - and will not force them to wander for a long time in the land of exile, awaiting universal glorification. And, therefore, the appearance of Elijah and Enoch on earth will be an undoubted sign that the end is near, the second glorious coming of Christ is approaching. (Compiled from “Sunday Reading”, 1888). Conversation No. 7. On the day of the repose of St. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (September 26) (On incentives for mutual Christian love) I. The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, now blessed, was the closest and most beloved disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ - according to the expression of the church song, he was the friend and confidante of Christ. What especially distinguished this apostle from other disciples of the Lord, and how did he deserve the special favor and favor of Jesus Christ? Being a model of chastity and meekness and having a soft and tender heart, disposed to love God and neighbors, St. The apostle and evangelist John the Theologian with all his soul clung to the Lord, his Teacher, and loved Him with the tenderness of a child’s heart, for which he was closer to the other apostles and more accessible to the Savior. This love for the Divine Teacher was expressed not only in words, but also in deeds. So, at the time when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and when all His disciples, “for the sake of the Jews,” fled, only the Mother of God and the disciple John stood at the cross. It was here, in moments of the greatest humiliation of the Divine Teacher, in moments of general fear for life itself, that the Apostle John proved in practice his love and deep affection for the Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing such great love and complete devotion of John to Himself, Jesus Christ immediately distinguishes him from His other disciples. He adopts John to His Mother, and from that time on the Most Holy Theotokos remained in his house until Her glorious dormition. But besides love for God - this first and most important duty of every person, St. The apostle and evangelist John the Theologian also loved his neighbors. Thus, he constantly exhorted people to live in peace and love, repeating until the last days of his life the same words: “Brothers, love one another.” While admonishing us to love our neighbors, the Apostle John at the same time taught that we must love not in word or tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). He proved this with an example from his own life. One day, when St. The Apostle John the Theologian passed through the cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, in one of them he saw a young man capable of good deeds, taught him a lot and then granted him Holy Baptism. Leaving this city to go further to preach the Gospel, the Apostle John, in the presence of the entire Church, entrusted the young man to the bishop of that city so that he could teach the new convert everything good. The bishop taught the young man the Holy Scriptures, but did not watch him, but left him to live at his own will, and soon the young man began to lead a bad life: he began to indulge in drunkenness, engage in theft, then made friends with robbers, who carried him into the mountains and deserts, choosing him as their leader, and banditred along the roads. After some time had passed, the Apostle John returned to that city and, hearing that the young man had become corrupt and began to commit robbery, he said to the bishop: “Return to me the treasure that I gave you for safekeeping, as if into faithful hands: return to me the young man whom I entrusted to you, so that you teach him the fear of God!” “The young man died,” the bishop answered with tears, “he died in soul, but with his body he robbers along the roads.” – “Is this how you should have guarded your brother’s soul? - said the Apostle John. “But give me a guide, I will look for the one you destroyed.” The Apostle John came to the robbers and asked them to take him to their elder. The robbers obeyed. Seeing the saint, the young man ran away into the desert out of shame; The Apostle John, forgetting his old age, chased after him, saying: “Turn, my son, to your father! Don’t despair: I will take your sins upon myself, just stop and wait for me, for the Lord sent me to you!” The young man fell with trepidation and shame at the feet of the saint, not daring to look at his face; the Apostle John, like a tenderly loving father, hugged and caressed him, brought him into the city with great joy that he had found a lost sheep, and taught him a lot, instructing him to repentance. The young man, performing difficult feats of repentance, pleased the Lord and received forgiveness of sins, and passed into eternal life in peace. II. Following the example of St. According to the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, we must love our neighbors - love not only in words, but in fact, with all our hearts, provide them with the necessary services in life, and, on occasion, not even spare our own lives for the salvation of our neighbors. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), says St. apostle. There are a lot of incentives to love each other: nature, which is common to all of us, and our spiritual relationship to each other, and the commandment of our Savior, and His example, and the moral dignity of love, and the great benefit that flows from it - everything encourages us to love each other. a) Indeed, who are we to each other according to our nature? Brethren. We all have one progenitor on earth, Adam, and in heaven there is one common father - God. This means that we all make up one great family and therefore must love each other as if we were half-blooded. b) Composing one family as people, all of us, by the title of Christians, are still in close kinship with each other - we constitute, according to the teachings of the Apostle, one spiritual body, whose head is Christ, and we are members (Eph. 5:23,30). But in what relation are the members of one natural body? Are they at odds with each other? Is it, for example, a hand against a leg, an eye against an ear? No, they act in harmony with each other, mutually assist each other and are in such a community that if one member suffers, then the others suffer with it (1 Cor. 12:26). If the carnal, unreasonable members act this way, then shouldn’t we, the rational members of the spiritual body, whose head - Christ - wants us to live in peace and love among ourselves, do this even more? c) Jesus Christ commands us above all else to love one another. Remember what He prayed for and what He inspired to the apostles before His suffering? “Holy Father! - He cried out to the Heavenly Father, - keep them... so that they may be one, just like We are. I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil.” My friends, He said to the apostles: “I command you this, that you love one another” (John 17:11,15;15:17). See how much Jesus Christ wanted us to live in mutual love! We exactly fulfill the dying wills of our parents, relatives and other people: shall we really neglect the covenant of the Lord our Savior, made when He went to suffer for us, prepared to die for the sake of our salvation? Oh, if we do not fulfill this sacred covenant, we will clearly show that we do not love Jesus Christ and are unworthy to be called His disciples. d) Jesus Christ not only commanded us to love other people, but also presented in Himself a model of love for us. Why did He, being God, descend from heaven to earth and take upon Himself our mortal flesh? Out of love for us people. Why was He, an innocent one, subjected to severe suffering and crucified on the cross as a lawless one? For the same love for us people. Why does He endure our sins for a long time and not only have mercy on us, but also send us various gifts of grace? Out of love for us. If He, the highest being, loves the people He created so much, then shouldn’t we, creatures like them, love them more? For we are obliged to imitate our Creator and Redeemer in everything. The apostle also suggests this when he tells us: “Beloved! If God so loved us, then we should love one another” (1 John 4:11). e) We must love each other more because love for our neighbors has a high moral dignity and constitutes the great perfection of a Christian. She likens us to God, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and in all things acts out of love for His creatures, especially for us humans, whom He loves so much that “He sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might have life through Him” (1 John 4:9). She is the source and sum total of all that is good; and therefore above all other virtues: “And now,” says the apostle, “these three remain: faith, hope, love; but love is the greatest of them”, without which all our knowledge, deeds and faith itself have no moral value. You see what love means and how necessary it is for our moral perfection! Therefore, the apostles, instilling all Christian virtues, most of all command us to love one another. Above all, they say, “put on love, which is the sum of perfection.” First of all, “have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” ( Col. 3:14 ; 1 Peter 4:8 ). f) And how good it would be if all people exactly fulfilled this apostolic commandment and lived in sincere love among themselves! Then there would be no evils that come from human hostility - there would be no quarrels and fights, deceptions and slander, thefts and secret denunciations and other harmful actions that cause so much misfortune to people. On the contrary, then those sorrows that are inevitable in this world according to the natural laws of nature would be greatly alleviated, then the poor and beggars would find generous assistance from the rich, the weak and infirm - the support and protection of the strong, the orphans and widows - the charity they need. In short, then love would eliminate many of the misfortunes currently occurring in the world, it would sweeten many of the sorrows that now depress humanity, it would shed a lot of joy and consolation between people: for, in the words of the apostle, “love endures long, is kind, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, is not outrageous, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” and not only does nothing bad to anyone, but also inspires them to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who wrong us (1 Cor. 13:4,7; Luke 6:27-28). III. Let us love one another, brothers, and let us love sincerely, not in word or tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). (Compiled with additions from the book “Selected Words and Conversations” by Plato, Metropolitan of Kiev, K., 1892, and other sources). Conversation No. 8. On the day of the glorious Great Martyr George the Victorious, April 23 I. On April 23 we celebrate the memory of the holy glorious great martyr and Victorious George. Who was Saint George? Why did the custom of special honoring of this holy great martyr become established in the Eastern Orthodox Church, especially in Holy Russia? He was a Roman warrior of the late 3rd century. He was beautiful in body and soul. He was rich and noble, belonging to the highest circle. His internal and external merits, especially the extraordinary affection of the Roman Emperor Diocletian for him, quickly not only carried him through all the steps of military and state honors of the first ranks, but also placed him outside the ranks - above everyone, since the Emperor Diocletian intended to make him his co-ruler, and in the event of his death, his successor. And all this was lost, all this was rejected, all was trampled upon by young George. We call him young because he died a martyr’s death, not yet 30 years old. George was a Christian. Great was the amazement, great was the sorrow of the emperor when they began to first whisper to him and then say loudly that faith in the crucified Christ penetrates not only into the palace, not only into the highest ranks of the army and nobles, but also into the very family of the formidable Caesar. It is known that Diocletian was one of the worst, if not the most evil, persecutor of Christianity. He saw the danger from spreading Christianity for the entire Roman-pagan system. That is why he raised all the then enormous power of the Roman pagan state against Christianity with the entire unlimited power of the Roman Caesar. All minds were sophisticated in inventing and applying to Christians the most varied, most painful, most slow-acting torments. What was the amazement, what was the grief of Caesar when he learned that his betrothed son, the beautiful, fearless George - that’s not enough, the emperor’s own wife, Queen Alexandra, professed the Christian faith? Of course, around the upset ruler, everything began to move, everything went to George and the queen to convince them to leave faith in Jesus Christ, to worship their native gods and not to upset their spouse, not to upset their benefactor’s father, not to upset, not to disgrace the ruler of the world by the fact that in his own family there were daring criminals - insulters of his will, his laws, his gods. The emperor's grief and rage doubled when it turned out that George and Queen Alexandra were adamant... They beat George with belt whips, tore his body into shreds, turning it on a wheel over sharpened teeth, and boiled it in quicklime... The Great Martyr remained adamant. Knowing about his torment, Queen Alexandra remained adamant. Finally, the death sentence was pronounced: both of them had their heads cut off. II. a) The Holy Great Martyr George is called the Victorious because He twice appeared victorious, since he did not know defeat in many battles with the enemies of the emperor; finally defeated the emperor himself - first defeated his gratitude to him, his affection, his love for his benefactor, his second father, the source of extraordinary happiness, his hope of eventually taking the Roman throne, and with it autocracy over the universe. This was the hardest victory. And it didn’t cost much to endure all the hellish torments for her. To meet a martyr's death for Jesus Christ was already a joy. b) After his death, the love of the Christian world for this great decoration of the beautiful host of martyrdom increased, one might say, as his death went back into the depths of centuries. All mourners, especially in formidable military clashes, turned to the Victorious George. They tell of many visions that the great martyr, among battles, appeared on a white horse, slaying his Christian brothers. That is why our great princes, the ancient great princes, adopted into their coat of arms the grand-ducal, state coat of arms, the image of the holy great martyr and Victorious George, a rider on a horse who strikes a dragon with a spear, with a cross on top. The dragon is a symbol (sign) of paganism, and a dragon with a point pierced into it, which is crowned with a cross, is an ancient - IV - V centuries - symbol of the victory of Christianity over paganism - only, nothing more. The image of George was then adopted into the royal state emblem, which became the coat of arms of the ancient Roman emperors - the double-headed eagle. This combination of the ancient Roman coats of arms with the ancient Russian grand ducal coat of arms remains to this day the coat of arms of Imperial Russia. That is why the wise and great Catherine II, when she established the order as a reward for selfless military valor, established the sign of the cross with the image of the Great Martyr George, and established the glorious St. George Cross in Russia. III. Each of the Russian soldiers, of course, is eager to join the ranks of the comrades-in-arms of St. Victorious George. And everyone, without a doubt, should burn with the desire to imitate him in courage in the midst of battles, in the selfless performance of military duty, in Christian love for Christ and his brethren to the point of being ready to lay down his soul for them. (Extracted in abbreviation from the “Teachings” of Nikanor, Archbishop of Kherson and Odessa, vol. II, p. 435). IV. Civil holidays. Conversation No. 1. About celebrating the New Year I. Our new year begins on the first day of January. What is every new year? This is an ordinary account of time - let’s just say that for now. We count time in hours, days, weeks, months, years, centuries, millennia. Hours, days, weeks and months are, so to speak, a small account of time; centuries and millennia are large, and years are the average count of time, a generally accepted count and most of all consistent with the order of time in nature itself. Just as a day is indicated by the rising and setting of the sun, so a year is indicated by the return of summer and winter to us; every 12 months, or after 365 days, the same time returns to us from which we begin to count the year; if from spring, then spring, if from winter, then winter. And so, as 12 months pass, it means that one year ends, followed by another - a new one; This one will pass, followed by another new one, etc. The day on which the year begins is usually called the beginning of a new year, or directly “new year”; This day is coming for us. Where did the counting of years begin and begin? The counting of years, of course, began from the moment time began, that is, from the creation of the world. This is the very first counting of years. But this counting of years was preserved only in the sacred books of the Jews, and from memory, different peoples counted the years from various remarkable and memorable circumstances of their lives, for example, the Romans counted the years from the founding of their first city - Rome, the Mohammedans counted from the flight of their (in our opinion, false) prophet; each of us - from the day of his birth. All Christians have a common greatest event, which served as the beginning of the renewal of the whole world, this event is the Nativity of Christ our Savior; Therefore, all Christians, in addition to the general beginning of time reckoning from the creation of the world, keep a new count of years from the Nativity of Christ. What month served and serves as the beginning of new years? Different nations, brethren, began counting the years with different months. So, for the Jews, the civil year began in September, and the sacred year, after their exodus from Egypt, began to begin in March, because in this month they received freedom from Egyptian slavery. The ancient Romans began their new year in January. Other nations adopted this account from them. After the birth of Christ, Christian peoples counted the new year either from Easter or from March, then from January, then from September. From September the circle of the church year began for a long time; That’s why you will still see that in our church books under the 1st day of September it is printed as “the beginning of a new summer” or “new year,” and the church service on September 1st is entirely dedicated to the celebration of the new year. This is how it was in the Greek Church, this is how it came to us, and it remained so with us for a long time. Meanwhile, in the 15th century, in all Western European countries it was customary to consider the new year from January 1st. Our Emperor Peter the Great, introducing European customs among us, also introduced European chronology: by his decree (1700), throughout the Russian land they began to count years from January 1st. Since then it has continued this way until now. 11. After this, I repeat the first question again: what is the new year for us? Why do we celebrate this day and how should we celebrate it? What does the arrival of each new year mean in our lives? This means that with the end of each year, the thread of our life becomes shorter and shorter, that with the onset of each new year we are getting closer and closer to the grave, completely unaware that the coming year may be the last in our life... I think that everyone who cares about their soul, everyone who preserves in their soul the memory of the afterlife, will not remain indifferent to the similar significance of the replacement of one year by another. How did I spend the past year, what did I do during this time for my soul, for its afterlife? And what if this coming year will be the last in my life?... Such and similar questions should naturally arise in the soul of a person, a Christian who cares about his salvation, should arouse in the soul of each of us a difficult thought about his past and future. Assuming the same mood in our souls, and St. The Church, when transferring us from one summer to another, unknown and closed from us, helps us and in her prayers asks for blessings for us from the One who in His power set times and years and who is the only Ruler of our future. In accordance with this thought, the Holy Church, knowing our weaknesses and inclination to sin, in its hymns and litanies of prayer singing in the New Year, first of all prays, calling us to the same - “to mercifully accept the prayer of His unworthy servants into the most heavenly altar... and forgive all people all sins, voluntary and involuntary, in the past evil done in the summer... about the hedgehog, do not remember the countless iniquities and evil deeds of ours that happened in the past summer, and do not repay us according to our deeds, but remember us in mercy and generosity”; then, confident in the inexhaustible mercy of the Lord, she calls on us to pour out grateful feelings before the throne of His grace for all the blessings shown in the past summer: “Giving thanks with fear and trembling, like unworthy servants, to Your compassion, our Savior and Master Lord, for Your blessings, which You poured out abundantly on Your servants - We fall down and offer praise to You as to God”; finally he prays to the Owner of times and years to “bless the firstfruits and the conduct of the coming summer with the grace of His love for mankind... the rains are timely, early and late, the dew is fruitful, the winds are measured and beneficial, the warmth of the sun shines... deliver us in this coming summer and all the days of our lives from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, hail, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and civil strife and from every deadly wound, sorrow and need." But another special subject of prayer to the Holy Church on this day is the well-being of our Orthodox faith and its high defender and patron, our most pious Sovereign... Here the Holy Church appeals to the Almighty: “To remember Your holy Church, to strengthen, establish, expand and pacify it and to keep all the slander of visible and invisible enemies irresistible forever... to eradicate and extinguish all the blasphemous Hagaran wickedness and quickly destroy their kingdom and betray it to the faithful... hasten to the most pious Emperor in everything and subdue under his nose all Christ-hating tongues and every enemy and adversary.” Briefly, this is the prayer song of the Church in the New Year, but it is significant in the life of a Christian. It is the first hymn of the soul to its Creator and Provider, the first gift of a grateful heart to Him, the first prayer in the new year. And if from the hand of the Lord we have our belly, our breath and everything, then to whom should the first hours of the new year and the first movements of our souls belong, if not to Him - the Generosity?... III. Here is an instruction for you on how you should meet and spend the first day of the new coming year! I wish you to meet this day in spiritual joy, in reflection on the past year, and certainly in church during divine services. (Extracted from “Sunday Reading” for 1864–5, book 2, pp. 860–867). “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1) Nothing in the world is so concerned about as the passing of time, and nothing is so abused as the passing of time. Meanwhile, the entire time of our life is many “seventy years, but if we are able, eighty years,” according to the word of the prophet. But even with this shortness of time, its correct use can buy an entire eternity of bliss, just as its abuse can buy an entire eternity of torment. How precious time is for us and how terrible it is to abuse it! “There is a season for everything, and a time for every purpose under heaven,” says the ancient sage. Consequently, there is no completely idle and empty time and there should not be. In the world around us there is no idle time, that is, there is no complete inaction, for universal inaction would be universal death. And indeed, if we look at our own body, there is constant movement and incessant activity in it both during wakefulness and during sleep. To stop this movement means to take a life. Let us listen to our own soul - various ideas and images constantly appear in it, thoughts move, feelings are agitated. It is impossible to stop this movement for a single moment without ending the life of the soul. This means that man is not completely inactive; Every moment of time is certainly filled with some kind of activity - useful or useless, right or wrong, legal or illegal. So, what is so-called idle time for a person? This is a time idle only from good and useful deeds, but full of empty and useless deeds. A child spends his time idlely, we say, when he plays with toys; But an adult spends his time just as idle when he spends it in empty dreams, in idle words, useless deeds - with the only difference that a child’s toys do not harm anyone, but adults’ toys are always accompanied by inevitable harm both for themselves and for others. For there is no middle ground between good, which alone is truly beneficial, and evil, which is always harmful. That is why idleness in itself is a vice that is condemned by both the Divine court and the human court - a sin for which a worthy punishment awaits in the future life. So, the first and main rule regarding the use of time is that it should not fly away idly - without good and useful deeds, that it should be spent as the law of God commands. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Consequently, every time has and must have its own work, and every work has and must have its own time. One cannot, truly, believe those who complain about having too much time, search and do not find how to spend, or, as they rightly say, kill time. This complaint is not from a lack of action, but from a lack of zeal for truly useful deeds. Is it possible that a Christian who is obliged to know “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if there is anything of good report, if there is any excellence or if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8). We don't find a case? But before us are the books of St. prophets, about whom many have no idea; writings of St. the apostles, from whom we sometimes heard something only in the church. Meanwhile, these Holy Scriptures are the verbs of the Lord Almighty, which “are spirit and life” (John 6:63), the covenant of our sweetest Redeemer, which we must not only know, but also fulfill. Could inattention be more to blame than this? Is neglect more worthy of execution? We don’t know how to spend our time, and yet we stay at home when the Church calls for prayer, we indulge in luxury and have fun when she commands us to fast and cry over our sins! Could there be any worse misuse of time than this? Likewise, can a good citizen, who himself lives by the labors of others and who is therefore obliged to constantly work for the good of others, complain of a lack of work? “He who does not labor,” says the apostle, “let him eat below.” And really, is it fair for a person who does nothing for the benefit of his neighbors to eat bread that costs the bloody sweat of a poor farmer? to adorn ourselves with clothes, for the preparation of which those like us sacrifice labor and health; to live in a house that cost the sweat of many to build? Finally, can a good family man, who is obliged to give an answer for his children and household members before society, and before the Church, and before the court of God, have no business? On the other hand, one cannot believe those who call themselves so burdened with social and everyday affairs that they do not find time for deeds of piety, for fulfilling the most important Christian duties. There is no position in society that would absorb, so to speak, the entire time of life: the ancient Christians, being both in the Roman pagan army and at the court of the pagan Caesars, knew how to be faithful performers of Christian duties. And there is no family matter that would not allow a good family man to be a true Christian. Otherwise, it would be necessary to dissolve all social and family bonds, so as not to lose the only thing needed - the salvation of the soul - those bonds that are sanctified by both the word of God and the Holy Church, and which, for that very reason, cannot and should not contradict the most sacred duties of a Christian. Ask these husbands with many children: how much time - with all their activities - do they spend in empty amusements, which they call rest from work? Couldn’t fervent prayer, reading the Word of God and participation in the Christian Sacraments bring true delight to their hearts, calm to their spirit, and strengthening of their strength? This means that their complaint comes not from a lack of time, but from a lack of Christian disposition. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” You just need to be able to use your time well. How to use? According to the same rule: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Consequently, every time must have its own task, and every work its own time. There is no greater and more important matter than the salvation of the soul and the acquisition of eternal life; therefore this matter should be the only goal of our life. We do not want to say that for this purpose one should completely abandon all public and domestic affairs, but that every task should be sanctified by prayer, undertaken not out of the desire of a corrupt heart, but out of a pure consciousness of duty prescribed by the law of God, done not to satisfy whims and passions, but for the glory of God, according to this apostolic rule: “So, whether you eat, drink, or anything else.” whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Works of service to God and glorification of His name will, of duty, take first place, and the time devoted to them should not be taken away from them unless especially urgently necessary. Let the holy days be sanctified by prayer, reverent reading and meditation, and deeds of philanthropy and charity to others. Let the days of mourning and repentance be devoted to urgent lamentation of one’s sins, repentance and sighing for the heavenly fatherland. Let the beginning, middle and end of every working day be illuminated by a solitary prayer to the Heavenly Father. Let part of the night's rest be devoted to the daily examination of conscience, reviewing the day's deeds and sins. If in everything and always we use the labors of others, then justice requires us to earn the right to use the labors of others: “In everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12), “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). In a word, let there be time for everything in all our affairs, and time for every thing. Science is simple for everyone and always easy to do! You just need to remember the same rule of the wise: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Death mostly befalls us when we least expect it; We are forced to separate from the world when we least want to. If we were told that this day is the last day of our life, we, without a doubt, would use it all to make the best possible preparation for death, and would forget about everything around us. What prevents us from imagining every day of our lives as our last? Why shouldn't he really be the last? Who made the covenant with death? What angel will come to announce to us in advance the day of death, when the Lord Himself told us: “Watch therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 25:13). “Take heed therefore, and walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, making use of the time, for the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). (From the “Complete Collection of Sermons” by Demetrius, Archbishop of Kherson). B. New Year's wishes of the shepherd to his flock The New Year is given to us by God for our repentance, for the cleansing of old sins, for the correction of our lives. Therefore, on New Year’s Day we cannot wish for anything better than that each of us should live and act in accordance with the law of Christ. Anyone who has neglected the duty of prayer should begin to pray fervently in the New Year. Whoever has not gone or rarely went to the church of God, let him visit the church of God on every Sunday and holiday. Whoever did not honor the feasts of God with a good life and Christian behavior, engaging in drunkenness, revelry, gambling, etc., let him stop. Anyone who has not partaken of the Body and Blood of Christ for several years should make it a rule to fulfill the duty of confession and Holy Communion annually, if not four times, as established by the Holy Church, then at least once a year. Whoever did not care about the welfare of his family, indulging in revelry, let him begin to care for his family, giving it the means to live, remembering the apostolic word that whoever does not care about his relatives, and especially about his household, has renounced the faith and is worse than an infidel (1 Tim. 5:8). He who lived by lies, deceit, theft and similar vices, let him live honestly and truthfully. Whoever had evil in his heart, slandered others, took revenge for insults, slandered, did not honor his parents, let him renounce these sins, and in return be adorned with the corresponding virtues. In short, everyone try, to the best of their ability, to fulfill the commandments of the Lord - and you will be happy, and the New Year will truly be the beginning of a new life for you - pleasing to God and virtuous. Do not put off your correction until next year. After all, God knows, maybe the coming New Year will be the last in our lives. How will we show up unprepared for God’s judgment? How applicable to us in this case is the Savior’s parable about the fig tree! “A certain man,” says Jesus Christ, “had a fig tree in his garden. A year passes, then another, but the fig tree is of no use: it flaunts its leaves, but bears no fruit. The owner was upset with her and said to the gardener: “This is the third year I have come to look for fruit on this fig tree and have not found it; cut it down: why does it occupy the land? But he answered him: “Sir, leave it this year too, while I dig it up and cover it with manure: will it bear fruit? If not, then next year you will cut it down" (Luke 13:6-9). How can we not recognize ourselves in this parable? We are all called Orthodox Christians: through Holy Baptism we entered the fence of the Church of Christ. We have leaves, we hold the Orthodox faith, but the fruits of faith are good deeds, alas! – we won’t find it in ourselves. This is how our churches of God are decorated; but look, are they full of pilgrims? We apparently honor the Lord’s holidays: we don’t allow ourselves to work on them, but do we pray to God on these days, do we engage in contemplation of God, do we show mercy to our neighbors?! We willingly listen to the divine teaching, but in our deeds we are little consistent with it. We live more for ourselves, often offending others, although, according to the Gospel, we are obliged: “and in everything, as you want people to do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12). Where are the fruits of our faith? Yes, there are none at all or very few. And if it were not for the Intercessor with God of men, our Lord Jesus Christ, then we would have long been cut down, like trees that do not bear fruit, and would have been cast into eternal fire. He, the Merciful, always intercedes with the Heavenly Father for every sinner: “Be patient, Father,” as if He were saying so, “wait for this year, perhaps the sinner will repent, correct himself and change his way of life.” But there is a measure for everything: so is God’s long-suffering. The water in the river flows quietly both now and tomorrow, while it stays in the banks, although it rises; but as soon as it overflows its banks, it quickly and noisily overflows, drowning fields, carrying away trees and livestock, and destroying homes. So is God’s long-suffering: it endures now, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, too, awaiting our repentance. But the measure of the Lord’s forbearance can also be overflowing if we do not give up on our sins. And “it’s scary to fall into the hands of the living God!” (Hebrews 10:31). Christians! We do not know how long the Lord will keep us on earth; but if He gave us another new summer, was it not in order to give us the opportunity to correct ourselves and prepare for the inheritance of the “new heavens and new earth” promised by Him (2 Peter 3:13)? Let us not abuse such mercy of God! Let us not, “due to our stubbornness and unrepentant heart, store up wrath for ourselves on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God” (Rom. 2:5). B. One should not believe in omens and guess. (About fortune telling for the New Year) It seems to many Christians that it is harmless to incline their ears to sorcery, to collect omens, and to listen to interpreters of omens. If someone sneezed at a word, they say: and that matters. Someone behind me called my name, my foot slipped on the exit, my clothes got caught - all this is a hindrance. And very famous people, waiting for the Judge from heaven, coldly fall into this harmful vice. But listen: the people who gave themselves up to this are rejected. Even more anciently, according to the Law of Moses, enchantment, sorcery, divination, and bird divination were rejected as inventions of demons. It is said: “Do not cast spells or guess” (Lev.19:26); “For these nations, whom you are driving out, listen to fortunetellers and soothsayers, but the Lord your God has not given you that” (Deut. 18:14). Whoever can consult with God's justifications, when reasoning what he should not do, it is indecent to take irrational beings as advisors, not even as advisors, but as teachers and legislators. The bird does not know its own danger, which is already before its eyes; and she foretells the future for you. Having flown out of the nest to bring food to the chicks, she often returned with nothing; but for you it became a false foreshadowing, and the vain movement of the bird turned into a revelation of the future! If, due to the action of demons, birds fly to seduce you, then do not sit and look with your mouth open at the demonic charms and do not submit yourself to the influence of the actions of the devil. If he once catches a soul that is easily drawn into destruction, he will not let it out of his hands, but will use it for any evil deed. But both the croaking raven and the circling eagle, due to lack of catch, bring fear to the superstitious heart. The enemy mocks a person to such an extent that if a cat appears, a dog looks out, or in the morning he meets a person, although the most well-disposed, but with an injured right eye or hip, he will jump back, turn away, and close his eyes more than once. What is more miserable than such a life - to suspect everything, to see an obstacle in everything, when everything should raise his soul to God? When you see birds flying through the air, do not notice their flight, whether they describe circles above our head, or fly towards us, or swoop in from behind, or cross the path - leaving this, marvel in them at the wisdom and orders of the Creator, how such a weight is carried through the air; how the tender nature of the air became a chariot for wings; how they float through the air through the outstretched wings, and use their tail, like a helm, to direct their flight, like in birds that are unable to walk, wings replace legs; nocturnal birds and birds of prey have a body structure appropriate to their way of life; Some have weapons of predation - claws, others have membranes on their feet, like oars, so that when moving with the width of their feet, it is more convenient to repel water. Everything is filled with the wisdom of God, because “You have made everything wisely” (Ps. 103:24). But a petty person, occupied with base thoughts, in the movements of dumb creatures strives to find correspondence with his own goal and, leaving God, gives himself over to the power of malicious demons who, having dominion in the air, contrive to direct the flight of birds here and there and keep insane people in incurable seduction. (From the “Works” of St. Basil the Great). G. To those who put on masks and disguise themselves 1) Those Christians who still adhere to the custom of putting on masks on Christmastide (which also includes the New Year time) are worthy of deep regret, because they act senselessly and unreasonably. The custom of wearing masks originates from paganism. Thus, in Egypt, the priests, celebrating their holiday, the revolt of Osiris, or the New Year, put on masks and clothes corresponding to their false deities, and walked in them along the streets of the city 110. Various pagan festivals that coincided in time with the Christian holiday of the Nativity of Christ and the “twelve-day” holiday (transferred to Russia with the name carols) were also accompanied by the donning of masks. In paganism, this custom had its own meaning, because it was an external expression of one or another (albeit false, of course) beliefs. The pagans sinned not so much by this very custom, but by those false beliefs that were expressed to them externally. Now let’s ask Christians who wear masks: is there any meaning in this custom? You, thank the Lord, do not believe in what the dark pagans believed in. Many of you do not even know what beliefs were expressed by wearing masks. And yet, what is extremely strange, you still maintain this custom. Meanwhile, as Christians, as “children of light” (Eph. 5:8), as enlightened by the truth of Christ, you must do everything with a certain reason, rationally. And when do you perform this unreasonable custom? On those very days when we remember the Nativity of Christ, which shone upon us like the light of reason! Are you not dishonoring with this custom one of the greatest Christian holidays and those days that are called holy (“Christmastide”)? The custom of wearing masks is moreover indecent, because with masks a Christian disfigures his appearance. Masks are ugly, ugly masks of people who do not exist in reality, or the masks of animals, or even demonic ones. The person puts them on his own face! And this face, given to the one who is called the “crown of creation,” reflects the features of the wisdom of God, is an amazing work of the Supreme Artist. Everything in it is arranged not only expediently, but also extremely beautifully and artistically. And now this beautiful creation of God is covered with some ugly, scary mask that frightens small children! The image that the Son of God Himself took on changes into the image of some senseless beast or even, scary to say, an evil spirit! Think about this, mask wearers, and avoid this indecent custom in advance. 1 They will say: “This is just one game, fun.” But in Christianity, the games themselves should be distinguished by modesty and noble grace. Ugly masks outrage a person’s inherent sense of grace and are therefore intolerable in good homes, where everything coarse and ugly is avoided... The senseless and indecent custom of putting on masks sometimes seduces children, who are foolishly carried away by the example of others. Parents must firmly stand guard over their children, protect them from this custom, explain to them the meaninglessness and indecency of it, and thereby internally push them away from it. 2) Closely connected with putting on masks is the dressing up of men in women's clothes and women in men's clothes, a custom that also has its origins in paganism. This dressing up, just like putting on masks, is senseless and indecent. It makes no sense - because Christians do not believe in what the pagans externally designated by re-dressing (the change in nature that occurs at the time corresponding to the “Christmastide”, idolized by the pagans). It is indecent - because each sex has its own clothing, corresponding to its bodily nature. Therefore, Moses, on behalf of God, warned the Jews this way: “A woman should not wear men’s clothing, and a man should not dress in women’s clothing, for anyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God” (Deut. 22:5). In conclusion of our note to those who put on masks and dress up, let us remind them that the laws - both church and civil laws that agree with them - prohibit putting on masks and dressing up. Thus, in the 62nd canon of the VI Ecumenical Council we read: “We determine: no husband should dress in women’s clothing, nor a wife in clothes characteristic of a husband, should not wear disguises”... Those lay people who “from now on, knowing this, dare to do any of the above,” the fathers of the council even command “to excommunicate from church communion.” In our “Code of Laws” we also read the prohibition “on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and throughout Christmastide to dress up in idol robes” (Vol. 14, part 4, art. 33–34). It should be noted that legislators at one time feared that Christians, along with pagan customs, would adopt pagan beliefs. But even though such a danger did not present itself at the present time, in any case, the customs of putting on masks and dressing up remain prohibited by the Church and civil law, as unreasonable and indecent. Let Christians beware of violating these laws and, by failing to comply with them, offending the sanctity of the great days of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ! Conversation No. 2. On the occasion of highly solemn (royal) days (On prayer for the Tsar and the Fatherland) I. The birthdays and namesake days of the Highest Persons, as well as the day of the accession to the throne of the Sovereign Emperor, Christians celebrate by gathering for prayer in the church, where, as true children of their common Father-Sovereign, as true loyal subjects, they offer their prayers for the health and prosperity of the Sovereign Emperor, His Wife and the entire reigning house. In this way they fulfill the commandment of the apostle: “Therefore, first of all, I urge that prayers, petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and for all those in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We, brethren, have many civil responsibilities: duties directly to the most pious Sovereign, in relation to other authorities supplied by him, to the rank or service that we hold, to the society among which we live, and, finally, in relation to our entire fatherland. Among these duties there are more important and less important ones; There are general ones, extending more or less to all members of society, and private ones, lying only on some. But the most important and first, most general of our civic duties, do you know what it is? The same one who, in the days of the Tsar - highly solemn - leads us to the holy church... Yes, prayer for the Tsar and the entire kingdom, prayer for the fatherland - this is the very first and most common duty for all the sons of Russia. II. a) Is it difficult for us to be convinced of this truth? Is it difficult to be convinced that prayer for the Tsar and the Fatherland is very important and necessary? aa) The first benefits, both for every person, and for the king and all his subjects, without any doubt, are life and health. But who doesn’t know that one exclusively and the other primarily depend on God? The continuation of life of both individuals and entire nations is, first of all, determined by the attitude of external nature towards them. For our life and health we need the fruitfulness of the earth, the goodness of the air and, in general, the influence of external elements on us to be beneficial and not destructive. What will we do if nature, by the will of the Almighty, does not give us rain in its time, does not give us a year, two, three years, and general hunger spreads among us? What will we do if a pestilence covers our entire regions and begins to kill hundreds of thousands of people and animals? How can we prevent terrible storms and hurricanes, which at sea are capable of destroying entire flocks of ships, and on land all living things encountered along the way? How can we protect ourselves from sudden vibrations of the earth, from which not only villages, but also entire populous cities have more than once perished? We try to study the forces and laws of nature, try to subjugate them to our power and use them to serve ourselves. But how small is our knowledge, how insignificant is our power over the physical world? The strongest and proudest minds are aware of all their powerlessness and humble themselves to dust before the formidable phenomena of nature that bring death and destruction. Only He alone, our Creator and Master, contains nature in His full power and can direct its forces and elements, according to His wise plans, either to the detriment or to the benefit of both individuals and entire kingdoms and peoples. bb) The wisest and most powerful king, with all the desire for good for his subjects, cannot do everything himself. He needs reliable assistants, worthy advisers, direct executors of his plans. Capable figures gifted with high mental powers and diverse talents are needed in all fields of public service. Who sends the people wise legislators, visionary politicians, great artists and scientists, brilliant commanders? Who from time to time raises up extraordinary people who, by the power of their creative thought and activity, give direction and a new course to the entire state life or its individual branches and quickly move their fatherland to greatness, prosperity and glory? Who else but God? cc) It is not alone, however, that the king, with his assistants and other persons invested with trust and power, creates the happiness of his subjects: it depends just as much on the subjects themselves - on their sympathy and obedience to the ruling power, on their love of work, jealousy of duty, mutual love among themselves, on honesty, justice, selflessness and readiness to sacrifice themselves and their property for the king and the fatherland. All of these, however, are moral qualities that have a basis in our free will. But so that they can be cleansed in us sinners from all pride and self-interest that darken our best intentions and actions, they can appear as they should be in true Christians, they can achieve the highest moral perfection and heroism - for this it is necessary that the same God, Who acts in external nature with physical forces, also acts in our hearts with His spiritual power - grace - and sanctifies and stimulated and supported us in noble activities for the good of our homeland. d) The success of all enterprises of the tsar and the ruling power in general, public state, as well as private, very much depends on the course of circumstances, which no human wisdom is often able to foresee, with all their contingencies, and no human power can change. Who, other than the Supreme World Ruler, can direct these circumstances and arrange them so that they are favorable to us and not hostile? But enough... We do not undertake to draw a sharp line between all that we ourselves are able to do as sons of the fatherland for his prosperity and happiness, and what God alone is able to do for him. It is only certain, firstly, that there are many troubles that can be prevented or removed from us, there are many material and spiritual blessings that the Almighty alone can send down to every kingdom and people - and, secondly, that our very own efforts and actions for the benefit of the fatherland can only be completely successful when they are supported and guided by the invisible power of God. So, work and pray: this is the main rule for every citizen. Work as hard as you can to fulfill your public duty, serve faithfully the Tsar and the Fatherland: but even before that, pray even more to God for the Tsar and the Fatherland, may He preserve them from all evil and may He reward them with all the good; pray that He will bless your labors for the benefit of the Motherland. b) Being so important, the duty to pray for the Tsar and the Fatherland is also the most convenient for everyone, the most accessible. The positions in civil society are so numerous and varied and require such different conditions that, while fulfilling one or some of them, we are by no means able to fulfill all the others. Not all of us can be warriors, so that there, on the battlefield, we can lay down our lives for the Tsar and the Fatherland. Not everyone can be rulers and judges in order to establish and protect the internal order and prosperity of cities and villages. Not everyone can be shepherds of the Church, so that, while leading fellow citizens to eternal bliss, we can contribute with our moral influence and their temporary well-being. But all of us, we all can and must be prayer books for the Tsar and the Fatherland, all of us, no matter what rank or condition we may be in. aa) Children and young people - they are not yet in public service, but are only preparing for it, but they can and should spiritually serve the Tsar and the Fatherland with their prayers for them. And there is no doubt that children’s pure, sincere prayers will always be the most acceptable prayers before the throne of the Almighty. bb) Wives and virgins, who make up half of the population of the fatherland, although by the very nature and structure of human societies do not directly participate in public positions, do not bear the burdens of civil service, but can and should also serve the king and the fatherland with their prayers for them. And these prayers, naturally, will always be more ardent and ardent, the more capable a woman’s heart is of loving and sympathizing with every joy and every sorrow of her fellow citizens. cc) There are many mature men who are capable of working for the good of society, but who, however, either serious illnesses or other difficult circumstances have forever removed them from these labors. There are even more elders who have already completed their careers and are now weak and decrepit, perhaps living out the rest of their lives. Both of them no longer have the strength or means, no matter how ardently they would like, to serve the Tsar and the Fatherland with their activities; but they can still serve them sincerely and fruitfully with their warm prayers. In short: whoever we are, husbands and wives, young and old, nobles and commoners, rich and poor, noble and humble, monk and layman, we all have every opportunity to fulfill our very first and most important civic duty - prayers for the Tsar and the Fatherland. III. Sons of Russia, sons of the Orthodox Church! Do you see, our spiritual mother and leader, both in all good things and here, is the first to set an example for us? She established deliberate solemn days when she convenes all her children for collective prayers for the king and the fatherland. But she prays for them every day, every service, even several times. This is how we should act too. Not only on solemn days, such as this one, not only in the holy churches of God, but all the days of our lives and in our very homes, always and everywhere we must pray for the Tsar and the Fatherland. And even every time you perform your evening, morning or other prayer and at the same time remember the dear names of your father, mother, brothers and sisters, do not forget to remember from the depths of your heart both the sacred name of the fatherland, and the even most sacred name of the anointed of God, the father of the fatherland, the beloved Monarch. Amen. (Compiled from “Words and Speeches” by Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow). Fasting is permitted on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, no matter what day of the week they fall on. Ecclesiastica historia Nicephori Callisti tom. I, lib. I, cap. 17, at the beginning. S. Baronii, Annales ecclesiastici. t. 1, p. 3, cap IX. Aloysius Lipom. tom. 8 at Baronius. Venerabihs Bedea presbyteri Anglosaxonis opera De locis sanctis. Tomus terius, pag. 366, cap. 8. Magnum theatrum vitae humanae. Laurentii Beverhunck. Tomus secundus, pag. 188. Divi Thomae Aquinatoris doctoris Angelici quaestiones duodecim. qu. 2, art. 7, ad. 3. Works of Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus, in Russian translation. 4. 1, p. 95. Magnum theatrum vitae humanae. Laurentii Beverhunck. tom. II. pag. 188. December 24, stichera second on “I cried to the Lord.” February 3, troparion of the canon, first hymn. December 24, second troparion at the sixth hour. Stichera on poems December 20. December 20 canon troparion of the fourth song. December 22, stichera on praise. December 24, troparion of the canon of the sixth song. Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ. December 22, troparion of the canon, canto eight. See "Liturgics", prot. D. Smolodovich. Come, let us rejoice before the Lord, glorifying with hymns the now celebrated mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. Wed. 1 Timothy 3:16. From the mysterious mountain - from the Virgin. How can I, a lamp illuminated by Your divine light, enlighten (baptize) You, Source of light? This article belongs to a member of the Kyiv Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, ο. prot. K. Fomenko. February 2, first stichera at litia. February 3, stichera fifth on the Lord I cried. He showed in Himself human nature, which had perceived the original beauty of the image (of God). Trullo Cathedral Ave. 25; Gangra Cathedral Ave. 7, 8; Carthage Cathedral, pr. 46. Other firstfruits are commanded by the conciliar and apostolic rules to be taken to the house of the bishop and presbyters. - Right there. 53 letter to Aerius and Alypius. See Church Charter under August 6. Previously, on August 6, the charter strictly forbids eating grapes: “Pay attention: if anyone eats a bunch of grapes from the brethren before the feast, then he will be prohibited from disobedience, and let him not eat the bunch throughout the whole of August, as if he despised the commanded statute, as if from this others will learn to obey the statute of the holy fathers.” See Small Trebnik, ch. 26. The rite of consecration is set out according to the Breviary of Peter the Mogila. In the Trebnik small and large, only one prayer is read, and the psalm and words of blessing are omitted. The verses of the Holy Cross are self-concordant. Ikos according to the sixth song, see “Liturgics” by Fr. D. Smolodovich. This is the meaning of the Slavic text, from the Greek text: “who plotted unrighteously against the righteous.” According to the second verse, the other sedalen. The third stichera on the Lord I cried. According to the second kathisma, another sedalen. Ipakoy according to the third song of the festive canon. Matins on Great Friday, according to the sixth Gospel, troparion for the blessed. Troparion to the resurrection on the clock. I cried out the stichera on the Lord on Wednesday of Bright Week. Catechetical word from St. John Chrysostom on Easter Day, at Matins. I cried out the stichera to the Lord on Monday of Bright Week. Sixth canticle of the Easter canon. I cried out the stichera on the Lord in the week of Easter, evening. Troparion of the third song of the Easter canon. Letter from Blessed Jerome to Bishop Iliodor. "Christian Reading" 1830 Stichera for praise, Monday of Bright Week. I cried out the stichera to the Lord on Tuesday of Bright Week. Troparion to the Resurrection of Christ. Troparion of the Paschal canon of the seventh canto. Catechetical tin of St. John Chrysostom on Easter Day, at Matins. After the praises, the stichera, the glory is now. Troparion of the fourth song of the Easter canon. On Thursday of Bright Week there is a stichera on praise. See “Liturgics” by Archpriest. D. Smolodovich, p. 197, etc. Passover, from Hebrew, means: to pass by, to pass by, to pass by. So it is required by the soul that the well-known Easter canon “Resurrection Day, let us be enlightened people” should be repeated in the church by everyone without exception - men, women and children. The Feast of the Resurrection of Christ is this kind of celebration, to the praise of which the creator of the canon is St. John of Damascus calls on everything created - “the whole visible and invisible world.” St. Demetrius of Rostov, counting in his “Cheti-Menaia” on the 13th of July the appearance of the arch. Gabriel in the Old and New Testaments does not mention his appearance to the Mother of God with the news of the resurrection of Her Son. There is no hint of this phenomenon, as far as we know, in liturgical chants, except for the chorus that interests us. Synaxarion in St. Easter week and Tales of earthly life Pr. Mother of God, ed. 5, pp. 167–168. Moscow 1888. See Pevnitsky, “To whom did the Lord Jesus Christ appear first after the resurrection?” in the Collection of articles on the interpretative and edifying reading of the Four Gospels, compiled by Barsov, (Simbirsk 1890, p. 533) and an article about this by Ivanov in “Rad Chr.” 1892 book. 8. See Theotokos - the creation of Theophanes and Joseph - added to the Easter canon from the second day of Easter. I cried out the stichera to the Lord, glory even now. On Wednesday before the Ascension, troparion of the canon of the seventh canto. Troparion of the third song on the pre-celebration of the Ascension of Christ. The stichera under the canon is self-consistent. The stichera on the verses is self-agreed. Stichera third on verses on the heels of the Ascension. Ikos according to the sixth song, in the canon for the Ascension. I cried out the stichera on the Lord on the day of the Ascension, evening. See "Liturgics", prot. D. Smolodovich. Stichera for Praise on the Week of Pentecost. On Wednesday of Pentecost, I cried out the stichera to the Lord. The fourth tone of the stichera on the verses, glory. I cried out the stichera to the Lord on the week of Pentecost. Troparion of the third song of the canon for the week of Pentecost. Stichera for praise on the day of Pentecost. I cried out the stichera to the Lord. Degree, first antiphon of the fourth voice. Degree, antiphon of the third voice. Degree, first and second antiphons of the sixth tone. Discourse of Macarius the Great 1, § 10 and 11. Conversation with Abba Chaeremonius. Conversation with Abba Paphnutius. Conversation of Macarius the Great 1, § 5. Conversation of Macarius the Great 28, $1 and 2. Stichera on praising those, glory even now. Troparion of the sixth song of the canon to the Holy Spirit. Stichera on poems on Wednesday. Preface to the interpretation of the prophet. Isaiah. Conversation by Basil the Great on Psalm 61. Conversations of Macarius the Great 9 and 10. See “Liturgics” by Archpriest. D. Smolodovich. Codin. Curopal. de officiis Constantinople. With. XIV, 26. 96 Dormition (on August 15), Entry (on November 21). On the Assumption: in “Your Divine Memory”, on the Introduction: “In Your honest entry.” Some pious Christians extend the fast on the day of the Beheading of the Forerunner to the point that they do not eat round vegetables on this day, for example, potatoes, heads of cabbage, etc., because their shape seems to resemble the head of the Forerunner, or vegetables with red juice, for example, beets, because they seem to resemble the blood of the Forerunner. There is no such prohibition in the church charter; The Holy Church does not set limits to the zeal to fast, as long as strict abstinence from food is combined with the holy desire of fasting, and not the prejudices that we have pointed out. At Great Vespers on the Lord I cried stichera 1. M. Zabelin. "Russian people". M., 1880, p. 4.