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Obedience is done freely, intelligently and with reasoningtranslated

July 17, 2026 · 1 min read

Obedience is one of the foundations of a Christian’s spiritual life. But it can be difficult for a modern person to understand this virtue, and even more difficult to assimilate it. What does obedience consist of? Who should you obey in the Church and in ordinary life situations? We asked Metropolitan Longin of Simbirsk and Novospassky to answer questions about the virtue of obedience.

— Vladyka, here is a person beginning a Christian, church life. How important is it for him to learn obedience? And who should he listen to?

— When a person comes to the Church, he must accustom himself first of all to obey God. He must learn throughout his life to recognize God’s will for himself and to be obedient to it. Accept with humility everything that the Lord sends in life, deeply believing that God Himself knows what is needed for our salvation; that not only the good, the good, but also all the trials, temptations, sorrows that a person encounters on his life’s path are also the action of God’s Providence and lead him to salvation.

In order to learn obedience to God, you need to learn obedience to people. After all, love for God is impossible without love for people; this is a twofold commandment: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength...

Source: Site: Симбирская епархия · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Translate comments

Bogdan Barbu

Da, începe cu ascultarea lui Dumnezeu, dar cum zice Mitropolitul, asta se învață practic prin ascultarea de oameni. Mie mi-a prins bine când am început să-l ascult pe preotul nostru la spovedanie fără să comentez tot, chiar dacă mi se părea greu la început. Și acasă, cu nevasta și cu copilul, văd că merge mai lin când nu mă grăbesc să fac numai cum vreau eu.

Χριστίνα Θεοδώρου

Ναι, συμφωνώ με τον μητροπολίτη. Ξεκινάς με το να ακούς τον Θεό, αλλά στην πράξη το μαθαίνεις υπακούοντας ανθρώπους – όπως λέει και ο Bogdan, όταν σταμάτησα να σχολιάζω τα πάντα στον πνευματικό μου, άλλαξε πολύ η ζωή μου. Στο σπίτι με τους γονείς μου το βλέπω καθημερινά, ειδικά όταν η μαμά μου μου λέει κάτι για το σχολείο και δεν το συζητάω αμέσως.

Γιώργος Παπαγεωργίου

Ναι, Χριστίνα, αυτό που λες για τον πνευματικό και τους γονείς σου είναι πολύ πρακτικό. Εγώ στο λεωφορείο βλέπω το ίδιο: όταν δεν γκρινιάζω για το δρομολόγιο που μου δίνει ο προϊστάμενος αλλά το παίρνω όπως είναι, μετά η μέρα κυλάει πιο ήρεμα. Εσύ πώς το καταφέρνεις να μην απαντάς αμέσως στη μαμά σου;

Petru Constantinescu

Da, Bogdan, ai dreptate, ascultarea de preot la spovedanie fără să comentezi fiecare lucru schimbă mult. Eu am învățat asta mai târziu, după ce m-am certat degeaba cu soția mea pe niște fleacuri din grădină. Acum, când prind un pește mai mare la pescuit, îl și văd ca pe ceva trimis, nu doar ca pe norocul meu. Tu ce sfat concret ți-a dat preotul tău prima oară?