What is the relationship between a spiritual father and his child? Spiritual father - who is this.

Interview with Archpriest Vladislav Sveshnikov, rector of the Moscow Church of the Three Saints on Kulishki.

- Who is a confessor or spiritual father?

- For the most part in church practice, a priest is a confessor or spiritual father, with whom those who are called spiritual children make a common path to salvation. But, since he is not just walking next to him, but also a priest, he, first of all, performs the sacrament (first of all, we are talking about the sacrament of repentance - confession). Secondly, as a shepherd, he seeks to help the spiritual child, so that the spiritual and moral qualities of life that are in the space of Holy Scripture and Tradition are implanted in the soul of the latter. And if the matter with Scripture is quite simple, because it is one for everyone and in each specific case it is only about how to apply various gospel principles to a given person in order to make them realizable, then in Tradition, according to its infinity and the possibilities of diverse forms manifestations, the area of ​​activity of the confessor becomes much more extensive, significant. He seeks to tenderly and affectionately show where some of the life attitudes of his spiritual children do not correspond to the spirit of Tradition and what, on the contrary, should be revealed and developed in this spirit of Tradition in himself, in his soul and in his life. But this is in common practice.

There are also ideal cases (there are also lower than usual, then they are a distortion of the relationship between the confessor and the spiritual child), they are very rare, but especially valuable. This is that special type of relationship when a confessor through the Holy Spirit knows the fullness of the soul content of his spiritual child and reveals to him what the Holy Spirit reveals. And in this case, the confessor shows his spiritual child his personal path to salvation, despite the fact that they are united by the spirit and content of common prayer, both general and liturgical.

- Are there any peculiarities in the relationship between a spiritual father and spirit children?

- Most often the main thing that is not really understood is that the relationship between a spiritual father and a spiritual child is a deep and existing concept and reality. But for this, neither the conditions of obedience and obedience, nor requirements and claims are absolutely necessary, so that the confessors would certainly and as quickly as possible teach everything that they know themselves.

The spiritual father actually internally, not necessarily with long words and reflections, enters the life of spiritual children. Into the life of those who are with him - simply because he loves them, and the soul hurts for them. And just by the mere fact that the soul hurts about them, they find themselves together and together they walk the saving path. And he tries to lead them to Christ.

The spiritual father is a little ahead, because he was placed in this way, and by the mysterious phenomenon of his spiritual life as a new person, the first person and his love, which has a very broad direction. Because the expanding heart contains everyone. In any case, everyone who resorts to it. Thus, in the community, the spiritual content of life is realized, in which the spiritual father in a private way with the spoken word, with the preaching word, with the whole example of his life, with simplicity in communication, modesty, unpretentiousness, undemanding - not spiritual undemanding, spiritual need, of course, must be exacting. - (undemanding for oneself) achieves much more.

Because then his spiritual child sees in front of him an example of a good experience of spiritual life, which, moreover, is not distant by the pages of a book or some story, but, on the contrary, is extremely close to direct and personal communication. Then this is a real spiritual father who takes care of his children. He cares not by the fact that he provides them with the necessary funds, but by the very fact of their general movement.

- How complete should obedience to the spiritual father be? Because sometimes you had to read about literal, absolute obedience. For example, according to the recollections of the spiritual children of the same Optina elders, advice was asked about everything, including mechanical actions - which book to read or which direction to go.

- What book to read is not just a mechanical action. This can be a very good way of guiding and helping in the spiritual life for a person who may find some books unhelpful (even quite normal ones with good Christian content) as untimely. On the other hand, an invitation to neophytes to read Philosophy *, which a modern person does not yet understand, usually shows the strange monastic experience of a confessor.

By the way, what is also very important for a confessor is the understanding that the world is constantly posing new problems. And we must try to see the solution of these problems, precisely as new, if not in essence, then at least in forms, according to new principles, according to new contents. Starting from such simple things as the attitude to the Internet, to television.

- Is the attitude towards sins changing?

- The attitude towards sins remains fundamentally the same. It cannot change, and in this sense, one can, as it were, the slogan of the ancient fathers "death is better than sin", leave forever as a slogan and banner. Better death than sin.

Another thing is that, entering the area of ​​concrete consideration of the sinful life of the person who approaches the confessor, you need to see and help him see what should be for the time being, at least, treat more or less condescendingly and let it down as not what would be due, but as temporarily permissible. Not that sin should be cultivated, but in the sense that perhaps it is necessary to repent of this sin, but not especially strongly, knowing that the energy is not unlimited, and the strength of the soul should be used on what is more important.

This is one of the big constant incidents, because to see what is important, for this you need a spiritual mind, and it does not necessarily coincide with a practical mind, with an intelligence, if the confessor has one, or with his knowledge of ancient traditions. But, in any case, the experience when there is an automatic demand for absolute obedience does not at all lead to the fulfillment of the main task, which is to educate in a person who comes to a priest, true spiritual freedom.

He came from one kind of slavery and falls into another kind of slavery. And he will never know what spiritual freedom is. Moreover, this is a rather delicate matter and requires a very serious approach. Moreover, I would say, talking with many priests, that many do not even understand what this spiritual freedom is, and therefore they simply cannot raise their disciple within the framework of spiritual freedom. All these obediences are actually important as long as they instill in a person an understanding of how a spiritually free life is realized. And obedience does not actually limit freedom - it gives rise to it, a certain framework, like the form of a sonnet, or even more so - a "wreath of sonnets", where a very strict definite form, but within which the highest manifestations of creative poetic potential can be realized.

- In Western Christianity, that is, Catholics, Protestants have no spiritual fathers. But psychologists are successfully or fruitfully replacing them. In fact, in our country too, more and more often people turn to psychologists for help, replacing them with a priest. What is the difference between a psychologist and a spiritual father?

- What do you mean successfully replace? This is still a big question.

And they go to psychologists, because many people do not really understand what spiritual life is. And they draw their sense of spirituality from the framework of their soulfulness, from the framework of their psychology. Therefore, perhaps they really need a psychologist rather than a spiritual father. Moreover, it is precisely such people who are very often dissatisfied with communication with a priest, do not see any prospects for themselves in this communication.

- Can we say that this is mainly a feminine trait?

- Mostly yes. Although, of course, now many men are quite "fucked up", and this feature has become quite common. But, of course, it is more characteristic of women, which, in particular, can be seen from confessions.

In our parish, the type of confession is more or less eradicated, which is still cultivated in many good (really good) churches, good communities, when spiritual children, especially women, offer a spiritual novel instead of confession. Often very talented, psychologically unique, but this has very little to do with the spiritual and moral content of life. It does, because it is built on material more or less related to morality. But even this material is experienced not from an ethical, but from a psychological standpoint.

- When they say, the confessor blessed to do, what does it mean?

- It means ordered.

- But why does a person go to a priest for a blessing?

- It can be different. Basically, if he goes to the priest for a blessing, then he goes for a sanction, a sanction for the decision that he himself has already made. For example, he wants to go to Diveevo, and says: "Father, bless me to go to Diveevo." I can hardly imagine such a rare situation when a priest says: "No, I am not blessing."

- And if the priest blesses you to act in such a way that you cannot? Or has he already blessed you, and you feel that you are not able to accept his decision?

- If there are normal relations between the spiritual father and the spiritual child, then - you cannot and cannot - the matter simply ends. If you really can't, if not a fictitious illness.

In a normal situation, both - both the priest and the one who did not fulfill the obedience - relate to this normally. Well, what then? Well, we saw, well, we understood. Everything is fine, life goes on, life does not end. To insist, in this case, on the obligation to fulfill the decision, means to have priestly willfulness or obedient willfulness. It only seems that a person is in the area of ​​obedience, in fact, he is in the area of ​​self-will.

Even when it comes to such ordinary blessings, which, for a laugh, are divided into two categories. One woman says: “Father, I have a lot of saliva in my mouth. Bless to spit. " And the other: "Father, a lot of saliva has accumulated in my mouth, where do you bless - to the right or to the left to spit?" This example is not only a testament to the fact that they usually come up for a blessing on little things, for which no blessing is required. He is, of course, caricatured, and such does not exist in reality. But by type - there are as many questions as you like on trifles, for which no special blessing is required. Either a sanction is required from the priest, a choice is required in an alternative or an imaginary alternative situation. But, as a rule, we are talking about human irresponsibility in such cases.

Another thing is that for serious decisions, especially of a spiritual nature, of course, internal advice is required, which is not even so much advice as reasoning about the content of the case being carried out. To make it clear that it is spiritual and harmless, beneficial and fruitful. And, accordingly, vice versa.

- If the confessor advised one thing, the relatives say another, and the heart prompts the third, what should be done in this situation?

- Spit, and do the fourth.

Well, but in reality - when how. Sometimes relatives are right, if only because the priest may not know the fullness of the situation. Sometimes the priest turns out to be right, because the relatives do not understand the fullness of the spiritual relationship. And sometimes the heart is right. Although it is not particularly possible to trust your heart as a whole, therefore, in its decrepitude, in all its possibilities of understanding reality, including intuitive understanding, mistakes are probable and possible in exactly the same way as correct decisions. So that, and another, and the third, and there, perhaps, the fourth, and the fifth.

The best thing is when it comes to understanding the providence of God - when a person sincerely wishes to fulfill the will of God, and in this respect he considers all his affairs. And since they can be considered as the fulfillment (or non-fulfillment) of the will of God, the circumstances are the best guideline for fidelity. The circumstances, sent by the fishing, most clearly suggest the picture and the direction of life. Do you need or do not need to leave work because you are being called to another job? Leave everything to the will of God, leave everything to providence, and after a while the circumstances will develop so that it turns out that it was impossible to act in any other way than that suggested by providence.

- If there is a conflict with the spiritual father, is it worth asking someone for advice? And is it possible to change the spiritual father?

- Such situations require individual analysis each time. Most often it is not necessary, especially if the question is small. Because in our life there are not so many big questions at all. Moreover, an error, even if it is a real error, and not an imaginary one, if it does not lead to some obvious, quickly acting negative outcomes, an error is a useful and surmountable thing. It is useful because it gives you the opportunity to see yourself and everything that surrounds you again on more correct life grounds. Do not forget that every formation of a true relationship does not go without mistakes.

But everything matters only when wrongs arise. In some cases, advice is simply indispensable. Especially when it seems that the advice, or the offer, or the order of the priest is clearly morally or unacceptable, or questionable. And in this case, it would certainly not be bad to seek advice, since stupid obedience in this case does not give anything good.

As for the change of confessors, yes, it is possible. First, when a priest, a confessor sins heresy. And then, naturally, to do something like him is a sin, which means to excommunicate oneself from the common church, to excommunicate oneself from the Holy Spirit. Yes, it is possible when the priest sins gravely with some sin related to you personally. I do not say when a priest fornicates, because this is an infrequent thing, but in any other obvious way, say, selfishness with your help or something else. And you see that you are not saved. Finally, it is sad, but you can change your spiritual father in those cases (if only it did not become the norm) when it turned out that the meeting was almost accidental, when your deep discrepancy is evident. And who is right and who is wrong, it is even better not to understand.

- Does the elder differ from the spiritual father?

“I don’t know what an old man is. I know what a young elder is.

- Well, what is a young old man?

- I don’t want to speak only because it is perfectly described in one of his excellent reports, which speaks directly about the youthfulness. I just subscribe to every word.

“This is not about distinguishing between young or old madmen. The point here is to assess, as far as possible, the spiritual maturity of a person, his ability to be a leader for a person, ”says Vladyka Anthony. - “An elder is not just a person who has been engaged in pastoral work for a long time and acquired some kind of skill or experience; an old man in the real sense is something different, this is a blessed state. Elders are not “fashioned,” elders are born by the power of the Holy Spirit; and if we talk about what characterizes the elder, then I will briefly say about the place of eldership in relation to the ordinary priesthood.

It seems to me that there are three degrees in clergy. There is a parish priest whose role is to administer the ordinances of the Church. He may not be a good preacher, he may not give any advice in confession, he may not show himself in any way in a pastoral attitude. It is enough that he celebrates the Divine Liturgy, if only he remembers that the miracle of the Divine Liturgy or other sacraments is performed by the Lord. But this does not mean that he is given the right or the opportunity to lead other people. Ordination gives a person neither intelligence, nor learning, nor experience, nor spiritual age. It gives him the terrible right to stand before the throne of God where only Christ has the right to stand. In a sense, he is an icon, but he should not imagine that he is a shrine. ...

There is another degree. This priest is more experienced or older, who is more scientific and is called to instruct another person on how to go from earth to heaven. And this priest must be extremely careful. He should not say what he has not experienced experience or what he somehow does not know with his gut. We come to the confessor in order to meet the guide to the doors of the Kingdom of God. But if he himself has not been there, he cannot give us anything. Every confessor, every priest, to whom people come for confession, should think about this. Can we say that every priest has the ability to say to every person what he needs? No. It so happens that a confessing priest or just a priest, to whom a person has come for a spiritual conversation, hears him, understands what is being said, but he has no answer. In this case, the priest should be honest and say to his spiritual child: “Everything that you told me, I understand, but I have no answer for you. I will pray for you. And you pray, ask God to forgive me that due to my inexperience I cannot serve you and Him in this meeting, but I cannot tell you anything ”.

And there is also a third level. This is the eldership, the level of those people who, figuratively speaking, walked almost all the way to the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven, maybe they did not enter it, or maybe they were allowed into it, but were sent back to earth, to us, so that we lead into this Kingdom. This is the old man. This is a person who has gone all the way to the depths of his soul, reached the place where the image of God is imprinted in him, and who can speak from these depths. But you cannot make yourself an elder, and, if I may put it that way, they are not born elders. These are people who will be touched by the grace of the Holy Spirit and who will respond to it and will be faithful - faithful to what Christ teaches us, and faithful to what the Holy Spirit says in their souls. Elders are a rare phenomenon. ...

If the most inexperienced priest treated confession in this way, he would already be a mystery performer; and an elder is only an elder when he can relate to a person in this way - both in confession and outside of confession at every meeting. And so I would like to say loudly, to all of Russia: Beware, my brothers, priests! Beware, do not assume a role that does not suit your spiritual age, be simple! Be just priests - that's so much already! A person who by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit can celebrate the Liturgy, can baptize a child, can anoint with peace, this is not a little, this is something so great! "

- Does a priest need a spiritual father?

- As a rule, it is needed, especially for the young. If the priest is already imbued with good spiritual experience, it is still necessary to confess. As often as possible than is customary in the modern Orthodox Church, because very many priests confess only at general confessions in the diocese.

- That is, twice a year?

- Yes, twice a year. And what, priests sin less, or what? They sin with internal sins no less than other people. Therefore, of course, it is advisable to confess much more often. Confession is necessary because, in general, an uninterrupted penitential experience of life is necessary.

And the priests are not used to leadership in spiritual life. They do not know what it is, they only know how to lead, and as a rule, they do not know how to be led and do not want to. But young priests, of course, are better off gaining experience under the guidance of a more experienced priesthood.

- Isn't it scary for a priest to become a confessor? After all, we are talking about responsibility for human souls?

- Well, this is a question related to the field of psychology. It also doesn't work out that you decide: "I'll become a spiritual father." Life goes on, a process goes on, you become a priest and, thus, you assume a number of responsibilities. You come to confession - people come to you, they confess. Some confess often, in addition, they have questions, moreover, there is a need to pray for them, in addition, partly a common life is already going on. And that's how it turns out. And not that you set yourself a task: point one - to become a spiritual father.

photo - Neil Moralee

A close relationship with a true spiritual father is one of the most life-giving and fruitful relationships a person can have. Acknowledging a father's heart and accepting what they are able to invest in their spirit children can bring great benefits to future generations.

Over the course of my life, I have watched the blessings that spirit fathers can bring to those who walk in spirit sonship. (I also mean the relationship between spiritual mothers and daughters.)

Let me start by saying that a true spirit father does not try to be a biological father. When I started teaching about spiritual fatherhood, I thought it was self-evident, until I saw some strange things that were happening under the guise of “spiritual fatherhood.”

A spiritual father does not assume the role of a natural father. In fact, if a person has a natural father, then the spiritual father works with him shoulder to shoulder for the development of his son, respecting the role of the biological father. The wisest natural fathers interacted with spiritual fathers and welcomed them in every possible way to add value to their own fatherhood.

With regard to my children, I offer prayers every day that God will send men and women in their lives who can participate in improving the development of what my wife Melissa and I put in them. If the biological father feels some uncertainty about what the spiritual father is doing, he must either talk to him about it or deal with this subjective feeling so as not to deprive his children of quality spiritual guidance.

Here are some of the greatest blessings that spiritual fathers can give:

1. Spiritual fathers provide a secure atmosphere of love and dynamics of spiritual growth. Simply put, you feel safe with them, as their highest value is love. In this atmosphere of love and acceptance, you can always find inspiration, as you are loved for who you are. Therefore, you feel the urge to grow and break through the limitations. After communicating with your spiritual father, you feel energized and equipped to conquer the world.

The connection with the spiritual father is based on a relationship. They are the first to initiate such a relationship. The best spiritual fathers behave like brothers in Christ. They do not seek to dominate you or lecture you. Their motive is fraternal relationships in Christ, which are built on a healthy atmosphere of respect and reverence.

The attitude of the spiritual father is not compulsory, but naturally growing. Therefore, sons can join this relationship of their own choosing, and not out of duress or a sense of duty. You will not be able to develop true spiritual fatherhood by filling out questionnaires or joining people in an organization. The foundation must be built on giving meaning to the relationship itself.

2. Real spiritual fathers first learned to be sons themselves. This step should not be missed, although many try to become spirit fathers without being spirit sons. This is what sets true spiritual fathers apart from the rest. They learned to walk as sons before their Father in Heaven before their fatherly ministry here on earth. It always shocks me when people try to live like spiritual fathers, while they themselves oppose the fatherly attitude towards themselves.

3. Spiritual fathers are role models for personal holiness and true relationship with God. Paul was an example to Timothy when he wrote to him in an epistle: "You followed me in my instructions, my way of life, my aspirations, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance."(2 Tim. 3:10).

Spiritual fathers do not appear overnight, because this process of true transformation and establishment in purity takes years. Such fathers went through serious tests and tests of their faith. They have learned to fight well and can lead their sons in the same direction they are going.

Spiritual fathers set a good example in their lives. They don't just teach - their life is a living message. Since they have gone through fire, a simple analysis of their life experiences is extremely encouraging and inspiring.

Their lives are the best example we can follow. Studying in a classroom or reading books provides some experience, but does not allow for a practical example that only a spiritual father can provide. Watching someone do something is the best way to immerse yourself in learning and growing.

4. Spiritual fathers provide tangible freedom. It is difficult to describe in words, but when you see it, you can confirm this fact. True parenting is not about control, but about freedom. Such people respect your walk with God and honor it as your responsibility, so there is no codependency in your relationship. They strengthen your relationship with God, rather than become an idol that replaces your personal walk with God.

Your spiritual walk should not be directly dependent on the presence of your spiritual father. After all, each of us is responsible for our own path.

One of the mistakes people make is to put a spiritual father on a high pedestal and then it is easy to be disappointed. You can also dwell on the spiritual father as a source and not make an effort for personal searches and training.

5. Spiritual fathers bring spiritual protection and protection. One of the most wonderful blessings a spiritual father can bring is to help provide sanity based on what he himself participates in, demonstrates, and advises. In the end, you know that he will cover your back, and that gives you the opportunity to grow and serve.

Fathers can fight many things that you cannot fight, so we can learn through their trials. We will have to face our own, but we will already be encouraged to go through them with more confidence.

Spiritual fathers help you find strength and opportunities for work in your field of work. Their patronage provides wisdom, interaction, and healthy warnings. As Paul said, "I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but I am instructing you as my beloved children."(1 Cor. 4:14).

6. Spiritual fathers help improve your thinking. Sometimes, after talking with them, you need some solitary time to comprehend what was said and how much it touched you. Their understanding of God and walking before Him will make you change your life after you are convinced of the significance of what they talked about.

Being a parent helps improve our way of thinking and encourages us to see the big picture. It brings us more wisdom than decades of research and acquisition of knowledge.

7. Spiritual fathers lead you to maturity. Ultimately, a true father wants to see you grow, mature, and step into your full potential. Many people never grow to mature spiritually. Often they stay into adolescence because they have not had the influence of parenting in their various stages of adulthood for growth.

The Apostle Paul became a father in faith for many people, so he could help them get rid of childhood manifestations and become mature.

Jonas Clarke put it well in the words: “Spiritual fathers provide a safe environment for growth. Fathers educate and prepare their sons and daughters for the transition from adolescence to adulthood. They make you think. Every child grows, but not every one matures. Maturity is an extremely important component of your life, and spiritual fathers require it from you. Spiritual fathers cultivate a spirit of mastery in their sons and daughters. Demanding in relation to you is useful, because it will help you to achieve success and results when faced with problems. As you obey the instructions of the spiritual fathers, you will attain new levels of triumph. Expect them to motivate you to set goals and achieve them. "

“As you well know, we have treated each of you as a father treats his own children. This is how we encouraged you, comforted and encouraged you to live in the way that pleases God, Who calls you to partake of His Kingdom and His glory (1 Thess. 2: 11-12).

photo - Christiane Birr

8. Spiritual fathers release the anointing in your life. "For this reason, I remind you to continue to fuel the flame of the gift of God you received when I laid my hands on you."(2 Tim. 1: 6).

“Feeling such affection for you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own souls, for you became dear to us” (1 Thess. 2: 8).

"For I very much desire to meet you in order to share with you the spiritual gift that will bring you strength, that is, if I am among you, then we will draw strength from each other through our faith, you from me, and I from you." (Rom. 1: 11-12).

The subject of anointing can often be misunderstood, but it is one of the greatest influences a father can have on people. His life leaves such a deep mark on the fate of people that they often repeat the different opinions of the mentor, his demeanor and even spiritual gifts. Just by being around them, you begin to imitate them. You imitate them in how they act, make decisions, and how they treat people. Sometimes you can determine who mentored whom by simply listening to their conversation. They put who they are in you so that you can rise in who you are.

9. Spiritual fathers bring responsibility and correction into your life. What is responsibility? Most people think of it as a list of everything you've done wrong and a list of what you can or cannot do. However, those who teach the most responsibility are those who focus on reminding you of who you are. The greatest responsibility is taught to me by people who help me to remain whole, which I am in God. When I go astray, most often it is due to the fact that I forget who I am. This is the main problem in the life struggle of every leader. If we focus on the fact that someone is doing something wrong or sinning, then we are wasting time on the wrong thing, not moving anywhere. This will distract us from the most important blessing in relationships - the improvement of our personality.

However, do not expect a true spirit father to ignore areas that need correction. I often find that after correction, people are more likely to remain resentful than ashamed about their mistakes.

True correction is needed to help you grow spiritually and emotionally (Hebrews 12: 5-8). Some sons and daughters only want blessings, not correction and guidance from loving fathers. Of course, no one likes to be corrected, but this is what helps us to cultivate and grow as true children of the living God. You are a true child if you are able to respond appropriately to correction. Here's how to test it: When the relationship is good and the fix is ​​right, it’s fun and you’ll feel great. This is not a beating.

10. True spiritual fathers pass on inheritance to you. What they fought for becomes your blessing. You have not done anything to deserve it, it is a gracious gift given to you on the path of life.

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This gives you the opportunity to go even further than they have gone. The delight of a true father is to see his children achieve more than himself. He brings blessings wherever he goes. You get better by being around him and learning from him.

Fathers believe in you, and that's what inspires you to succeed. But you must be prepared to be in the position of a son and acknowledge the veil of paternity in your life.

The duty of a confessor is to give a helping hand to a person drowning in the sea of ​​life, to show the correct path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The gardener, growing a fruit tree, takes care of it: he takes scissors and useless branches that do not bear fruit, cuts it off. He cleans the tree, fertilizes it so that it grows right and develops better. When necessary, he makes vaccinations. Likewise, a spiritual father, if he sees something in the child that interferes with his spiritual growth, helps to get rid of vices and passions, to become spiritually healthy. And when a person achieves spiritual purity, he stops responding, who told him what, how he looked ... Good people, striving to improve, pay money so that those around them scold. So they educate themselves, get used to adversity and troubles. One man worked in the mine and paid his comrades to scold him, insult him. One day he went to the city. On the road I saw a "wise man" sitting; he began to scold, insult him. This man came closer, stood beside him and began to smile. He was surprised and asked: "Why are you happy? After all, I scold you! -" Dear man, how can I not be happy? For being scolded, I pay money, and you scold me for free. "

See how many people scold and clean us for free! A person from the outside sometimes knows better our vices, passions. They know better and the confessor. Therefore, it is good when the confessor does not praise us, but scolds us.

163. If there was a disagreement between the confessor and the spiritual child, is it necessary to reconcile?

You need to know what is the reason for the disagreement. And it is imperative to be reconciled. To live peacefully with everyone and always, so that you have no evil or resentment in your heart.

Behold, man has anger, evil against his neighbor. This evil by itself passes over time, and there remains a sediment - ash, everything burns inside. But a person still has a trace of this feeling in his soul. It is said: "If you think to accept the Living Christ into yourself, you must first be reconciled with those who grieve you." That is, you must always consider yourself guilty of a spat. Especially when a person loses peace of mind, breaks down (whether with a spiritual father, or with a neighbor), such a soul is hated. There is no humility, no obedience - and the person considers himself right! It is imperative to go to reconciliation. Imagine: a husband and wife live, but they do not live in the world. He died, then she. They will meet in that world - and again they will begin to sort things out. Will they end up in the heavenly abodes? No, there is no such place. What they were here, they will be there - not peaceful. Only those people who have learned here on earth to live with everyone in peace, in love, enter paradise.

164. How does a confessor pray for his children? Can a spiritual father beg for a lost child?

It is impossible for man - everything is possible for God. If the confessor asks, he will beg, because during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, the most powerful prayer for people is going on, and a Sacrifice is offered to God for them. Imagine a man praying alone at home, and tens of thousands of people praying in churches. All pray together; here is the Mother of God, and all the saints, and Cherubim, and Seraphim, and Thrones, and Dominions, and Powers, and Authorities, and Beginnings, and Archangels, and Angels - the entire Heavenly Church! And the Mother of God brings this common prayer to the Throne of Her Son - because all litanies and all stichera end with an appeal to the Mother of God. She is our Intercessor before the Son, our Prayer Book ... Can you imagine what power the prayer of the Church has? And at the head of the Church is a priest. He takes out the particles, lowers them into the Chalice, praying for the dead and for the living; he reads special prayers in which he asks the Lord to remember everyone who is in the temple, everyone who has passed into that world. And if a person does not go to church, then he is not in the Church. He is in darkness, in the power of the devil, but considers himself a believer, says: "I pray at home." Yes, church prayer cannot be compared with any other, it is a universal prayer. How many billions of people have passed into that world, and how many people are now praying in churches! And all these prayers are combined into one. And God's service goes around the clock. In one temple it ends, in another it begins. Therefore, you have to go to church constantly. To whom the Church is not the Mother, the Lord is not the Father.

165. What if you have lost faith in your spiritual father?

A person cannot lose faith in a spiritual father - he ceases to believe in himself. It means that he went the wrong way - he lives according to his will, according to his passions. When Satan was still Sataniel - the closest to God, he became proud, wanted to be equal to God, and fell away from Him, carried away a third of the Angels with him. The angels were good, but he managed to deceive them so much, so to pervert everything, that they believed that God was unjust, that he was doing everything wrong. And the good Angels (hear - good!), Those who served God, listened to the slanderer - the devil. The angels accepted his false thoughts, slander and rebelled against God. The third part of the angels was overthrown from heaven, and they became evil spirits - demons. And they waged a struggle with God Himself. Which way? They see: a person goes to church, prays, and suddenly he stumbled, began to fall away from God. In order to return to God, he needs to go to the confessor - to repent. And he is ashamed to repent to God through his confessor - he also falls away from the confessor. And the devil instills in him the idea that the confessor is not good, he does everything wrong. A person loses faith in a confessor, falls away from him, from God, from the Church - he becomes an atheist. But he does not remain alone, he immediately begins to create a group of like-minded people around him - atheists ... What the devil did in Heaven, he does the same on earth: he wages war with God through people. It has long been noticed: if we consider a priest to be a saint, as soon as someone says something bad about him, we immediately accept this lie (we so easily accept any lie!), Immediately change our opinion about him. But the Apostle Paul said: "Accept the accusation against the elder in no other way than in the presence of two or three witnesses" (1 Tim. 5:19). Real Christians need to be judicious. The devil can send a person who will tell you about such a priest!

I know a woman, she was specially put in the Transfiguration Cathedral by the authorities. She knew many prayers, the Holy Scriptures, knew everyone in the church, approached young people; who had just begun to come to God, she said: "Hello, dear! Oh, how good it is that you came to church - the Lord loves the young!" And he begins to tell something spiritual. The man sees that the woman knows everything well and trusts her. And she suddenly says: "Here, that priest who serves is a drunkard. He does not believe in God. And that one is generally useless ..." Once I caught her "at the scene of the crime." She began to ask me to be a spiritual child, right from the first day. I polished my speech, explained everything clearly, I see - it's unclean here. I tell her: "Okay. Write a statement that you want to be my child." She wrote. I ask her:

Do you want to be a child, then?

I want, father, I want! - responds with fervor.

Will you obey?

Then stay at the end of the temple at the cross, don't leave your place, don't talk to anyone for two years.

Okay, I'll stand.

I am at the altar, and I watch her from time to time. I saw that he was already talking with someone. I go out and ask:

Why did you talk to a woman today?

Which one?

With a bag in hand, I was standing next to you.

How do you know?

Well, if I put you, then I control you. What kind of child are you if you have no obedience? You consider yourself an Orthodox, a real Christian. But now Great Lent is going on, and you are eating milk and sausage.

How do you know, father?

Yes, I know a lot about you and another. I know that you don't even have an icon at home, only there is a small icon on the window in the corner. Repent to God: how much do you get paid?

150 rubles, father.

Have you sold your soul for these 150 rubles?

I tried not to betray anyone especially. She really didn't betray so much; how many corrupted people, worked for atheists.

When the Vvedensky temple was opened, a lot of people gathered, about a thousand people. Everyone is discussing the issue of transferring the temple to believers. I went out in the evening, I heard she said: "Why do we need this church? We have no one to go to the Transfiguration Church either, no need to open this one ..." Continues its "work" - adjusts people. She still goes to church ...

166. Is it necessary to teach those close to you if they do not live like a Christian? Or should you be silent, because all teachings end in scandals?

There are great words of the wise Solomon: "Reveal the wise - he will love you, do not expose the insane - he will hate you." A proud person is terribly afraid of being prompted for something. A humble person is happy to catch any hint, lesson. We had Archimandrite Nicholas in our Lavra, he always tried to help the novice, suggest the service to the newly ordained deacon or presbyter, saying at the same time: "While you are still a novice, you need to be prompted, and then you will not come to you." A humble soul gladly accepts the instruction: "Oh, how good it is. But I did not know that this was necessary. Save you, Lord!" And a spoiled, proud person, if you tell him, will immediately be offended, pout, hate you. Therefore, when we say something to our neighbors about God, we need to know whether he is wise or not. If you are wise, tell us, and if you are insane, you will make an enemy. A Christian experience is needed here.

Many wise Christian women do not tell their husbands: "You must do this and that." They come home and tell: "Here, father was preaching, I remember such an interesting example ..." They will tell one example, the second, the third; look, after a while this seed of the Divine Word sprouts in the soul. A person goes to church, repents, gets married, prays.

167. How to bring up children under 7 years of age? Is it okay to beat a child?

There must be reasoning here. The child is small, he still does not understand a lot. You cannot indulge him in whims, in passions. We must constantly talk about what can and cannot be done. His mind is not yet tenacious, he does not remember the first time. When his parents are punished for the offense (for example, a fan is given to him, they are deprived of a walk), then he feels the connection between the punishment and the reason. And if the punishment is turned into a method of education, constantly beating him, then you can train like a dog. Do you know how dogs are trained? They specially tease her to be angry. If we constantly beat the child, he will grow up, exactly like that: he will beat and beat everyone, he will be angry.

I know people whom my mother never beat, and they are calm. Then the child will live for a certain period of time and everything will be established for him. The most important thing is to be an example for children. They, like a rubber sponge, absorb everything from their parents. If the father and mother behave well, live like a Christian, then the child sees this and takes an example from them. If the mother and father scandal among themselves, they constantly beat him, then anger is born in him. In no case should you sort things out with each other in the presence of a child.

In order to live with neighbors in peace, harmony and love, one must learn to yield to each other. If one of them is indignant, "hell fire" has gone out of him, then there is no need to add gasoline for objections and indignations, because the flame will be even higher. We must accept, endure, and the flame will end raging. Once a novice once said to me: "My dad and mom are atheists, even unbaptized. So, I'll go home now; if they curse, how should I behave?" I answered her: "Do not swear. If one of them flashes out, starts scolding you, you just listen to them. Let them all tell you what is in their souls, in their hearts ... If you start making excuses, it will work out. scandal". Listen to all with joy and accept for past sins with humility.

169. Why does food give rise to passions?

If we heat the stove, then the more we throw wood into it, the more it gets hot; then you don’t approach it - it’s hot. In the same way, when a person eats a lot, and everything is tasty, satisfying, fatty and sweet, passions begin to walk in him with might and main - they flare up. Orthodox Christians do not eat anything until 12 noon (at this time Jesus Christ was crucified, at the same time the Divine Liturgy ends), and during dinner they do not eat their fill - so that there is room for prayer, and in the evening they eat little; then there are no passions. And one must live in such a way that the spirit is awake over the flesh, but it is not the flesh that takes over the soul.

170. We read in the newspaper that in Africa in the sky Christ showed his Face to people. Could this be?

The Lord reveals a lot for our salvation. In order for people to believe, He can reveal His Face. And the Mother of God can reveal Her face to ordinary people. It was like that in our family. October 14, 1965, at Pokrov, I come home from work in the evening. At home the mother, several of her girlfriends-neighbors and sisters. Everyone is excited and crying. What happened? They say: "The Mother of God has appeared now." - "How?!". And they said: Sister Varvara - her house next to ours - went to her mother and looked at the starry sky. Suddenly, from the direction of the city, an unusual luminous ball appeared, it was rapidly approaching. Varvara ran up to the house, knocked on the window: "Mom, everyone who is, come out!" About six people ran out, they see: the ball flies across the sky, flies to our house, stops above it, then opens like a flower, and the image of the Protection of the Mother of God appears clearly. Everyone fell to their knees, cried, prayed. The image of the Mother of God soon disappeared, in this place remained light, a cloud and a luminous ball. Then the balloon closed and flew on ... And the next day in the city newspaper they wrote that an unusual comet flew low over the city, experts would publish a miracle of nature ...

The Lord sends many people for faith, leads them on the right path in different ways - through miracles, dreams, meetings. And the miracles next to us - the sea, only we often do not notice them. Here, as a child, I had a dream: on the banks of the river there was a red brick cathedral with large domes. I remember it, and then, when, after the hunger strike, they gave us the Holy Vvedensky temple, I remembered this dream - it was this temple that I saw in a dream. Why was he shown on the river bank? Because the temple is a ship, and all around is the sea of ​​life. The temple is a small island in the midst of the sea of ​​life, where the salvation of souls is taking place. Domes are inflated sails, and crosses are anchors of salvation. When we cross the threshold of the temple, we get to Heaven from the ground. The temple is part of Heaven, and we become citizens of Heaven. And while the churches are open, there is a service to God in them, one must hurry to them - to cleanse the soul by repentance; unite with the Savior by accepting His Flesh and Blood; to covet; to legitimize your marriage by marrying the chosen one ... The Lord has a lot of everything that He has prepared for the salvation of our souls.

171. Is there truth on earth?

The truth is. This truth is recorded in the Holy Scriptures. But they say that This Truth was crucified and She was resurrected. And whoever finds God, he will find the truth on earth. He who will constantly read the Holy Scriptures and fulfill the commandments of God will be the bearer of righteousness.

172. How is it correct to sign oneself with the cross? What and how can you baptize?

You need two fingers of the right hand - the little finger and the ring finger - to press to the palm, connect the other three. Our Lord Jesus Christ had two natures: divine and human. We put three joined fingers on the forehead and say: "In the name of the Father ...", on the stomach: "and the Son ...", from the right shoulder to the left: "and the Holy Spirit. Amen." We put our hand down, we bow.

Our body is, as it were, divided into three parts. We know that the Throne of the Lord is heaven, where all intelligent powers unite; and our head is like that. From the Throne to the ground - airspace; we have from the head to the abdomen - the respiratory part, and then, as it were, the earthly firmament. When we carry three fingers from the forehead to the stomach, and then to the right shoulder, this symbolizes the descent of the Lord to earth. His incarnation in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, birth and life on earth, crucifixion and Resurrection, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. When we are baptized, we enlighten the mind, heart and protect all feelings from evil forces. The cross is our weapon. A person overshadows his clothes, food, road - and at this time, from his fingers folded for the sign of the cross, a heavenly fire comes out, scorching everything unclean. Let's say a person sits behind the wheel of a car and baptizes the road: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen." And this cross sanctifies the entire space of the upcoming road. The Lord and the Guardian Angel guard the driver and passengers ... We cross the food - fire burns up negative energy, if, for example, someone cooked food in irritation, being nervous ... When demons attack us, we cross ourselves. And at this time the demons run away from us; but if we are in a hurry, we don’t turn to God for help, we don’t get baptized, then they come to us again.

Recently, a lot has been appearing in the apartments of brownies, reels; something knocks, cabinets open by themselves and clothes fly out of there, tears before our eyes, the carpet flies off the wall and twists itself, the tap opens and water begins to flow. There are many similar temptations. It happens that clearly distinguishable steps are heard in the attic, and the attic is closed. Someone is walking around the apartment next to a person with a heavy tread, some people feel breathing on the back of their heads during prayer. All this is demonic obsession. Earlier, Orthodox Christians, knowing the intrigues of the enemy, repelled his attacks with the sign of the cross, with holy water. They were not afraid of such phenomena, knowing that demons only instill fear, but cannot harm. They can't do anything if God doesn't allow it. Why do all these temptations appear? Because people brought up in a godless atheistic spirit do not know how to be baptized, do not have shrines in their homes, do not repent of their sins, do not go to church - and demons are not afraid of these people! People do not know how to fight them, therefore they are held captive by demonic forces.

173. Why is it necessary to overshadow clothes with a cross when dressing?

Not only should the clothes be overshadowed with the cross, the same should be done with food and water, and when we enter the house, and when we leave, we must baptize the road.

I will tell you such a case. Saint Simeon the Stylite, who stood in prayer on a pillar for 50 years, was tempted by a demon: he stands - prays, suddenly a fiery chariot stopped next to him, a bright angel says: "You pleased the Lord and He sends a chariot for you, like the prophet Elijah." Simeon was tempted by this, and when he wanted to get up, he raised his leg and ... made a cross over himself - this chariot instantly disappeared along with the horses. It was demonic obsession. He punished this leg - he stood on it for three years. Therefore, we must all overshadow with the cross, sanctifying, so that nothing unclean, filthy remains in us.

174. In a dream I dreamed of a large wooden cross. Should this dream be given any meaning?

You and I are lovers of sin. If we suddenly see the cross lying on the floor, on the road, then we are afraid to take it: what if some kind of sorrow comes to us? We saw icons, a cross in a dream - we are afraid of sorrows. But sorrows are gifts from God, they also need to be able to accept them with joy and love. If we dreamed of a cross, a church or something other spiritual, it means that the Lord calls us to repentance, to church life, to correction. There is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it is good for the soul.

175. A person was baptized in adulthood. Continuing a sinful life, he became an apostate from Christ. What awaits the soul of such a person? Wouldn't it have been better for him not to be baptized at all than not to justify God's mercy?

The Monk Macarius the Great once walked through the desert and met a human skull. He was a special person before God, had the grace of the Holy Spirit, and much was revealed to him from God. He, being in special grace, struck the skull with his staff and asked:

Tell me who you are and where are you?

I am an idol priest, - he replied. - I am in hell.

Do you ever find joy, - asked the Reverend.

There is joy when Christians in the Orthodox Church commemorate their dead on Saturdays and Sundays. Then there is light in the upper layers of hell, and it partially penetrates to us. Then we also see each other. This brings us great joy.

The reverend also asked:

And below you - the idol priests - is there who? - There is.

Orthodox Christians who were baptized, but did not go to Church, did not wear crosses, did not repent of their sins, did not confess, lived unmarried, did not receive communion and died without repentance. They are even lower than those pagans who did not know the True God.

176. I was baptized not in church, but at home, and not by a priest, but by my grandfather. Is this baptism valid?

St. John Chrysostom says that no one has the right to perform the sacraments, except for the bishop and priest. But there is a caveat: it happens that a person is about to die, but the priest is not around. Then a person can be immersed in water by an Orthodox Christian, one who constantly goes to church, lives according to the commandments, observes all fasts, prays, confesses; such a person can immerse the patient three times in the "Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." If this Orthodox Christian baptized a dying person, and the patient recovered, then you need to get to the nearest church, to the priest and ask him to complete the sacrament through chrismation.

Earlier, I know, there were many such people who were baptized by their grandmother or grandfather. But sometimes these grandfathers and grandmothers themselves did not go to church; if they prayed to God, then at home. And it is no longer considered that a person is Orthodox. Therefore, people baptized by grandparents need to be baptized again.

177. My husband wants to be baptized. Can I be his godmother?

If you become a godmother to your husband, then he will already be a spiritual relative - a godson, and you will not be able to continue your marital relationship with him.

It often happened that a girl and a boy were friends, they wanted to get married. And then they are somehow asked to become godmother and father, and they agree. After baptism, they became spiritual relatives - godfather and godfather, and they no longer have the right to marry - to marry.

If a husband and wife have become godparents to someone, then they should not continue to live according to the flesh, they should live like brother and sister.

178. My daughter used to live unbaptized, having children, had abortions, now she is baptized. Is the sin for abortion removed from her? Are all sins removed from a person by baptism?

Yes, it is said that in baptism a person is born again. The Lord records him in the Book of Life. He who is unbaptized is not in the Book of Life. At the time of baptism, a person is forgiven all sins, both original and personal sins. This is what the Holy Scriptures say: when the holy prophet John the Forerunner baptized, he immersed a person to his head, he confessed his sins, and he immersed him in water completely with his head - he baptized (Matt. 1: 4-5). Therefore, in the Orthodox Church this Sacrament is truly celebrated in the following way: before the Sacrament, a person confesses his fundamental sins ...

I have to baptize in the women's colony. I call each one individually, ask: "What are your sins? Whom did you kill?" - and then I baptize. At this time, all sins are forgiven. And we ask the sins committed before baptism so that a person realizes them and does not repeat them when he is baptized.

Then he is immersed with his head three times in water; special prayers are read for the expulsion of an unclean spirit and for the dedication of this person to God.

In the Sacrament of Baptism, new citizens of the Orthodox Church are born, new children of God.

We have something interesting going on with the Sacrament of Baptism. Many people turn baptism into magic. It is believed that the most important thing is to be baptized. How is this to be understood? When a child is born, if his parents do not feed and drink, he will die. And the parents will be murderers. The same thing happens when a person is baptized. He was spiritually born, and if he does not pray, does not confess, repent and receive communion, then he spiritually dies.

The one who pushed this person to perform baptism unconsciously, irresponsibly, will be the same killer.

A huge mass of people are now being baptized, but then they don’t go to church, they don’t pray to God, they don’t repent. But they speak with conviction about their strong position in the Christian world: “We are baptized ...” And what is the use of you being baptized? A person became a member of the Church, a cell in the Body of Christ, and suddenly did not go to church. He again falls into darkness, into the power of Satan, therefore he suffers and torments.

179. Does the priest bear responsibility for the further life of the people baptized and crowned by him?

At baptism and wedding, the priest must necessarily say that every Orthodox Christian must go to church on Saturday evening, Sunday morning, on all holidays; explain how to keep the commandments, fasts; give other instructions. Once the instructions are received, the believers themselves are responsible for fulfilling them. The only thing a priest can be responsible for is if he baptizes and marries everyone indiscriminately. Christ said: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). And many who come to be baptized follow someone's instigation. It often happens that the future mother-in-law says to the groom: "I will not give up my daughter until you are baptized and married." And he is forced to be baptized and get married in order to please his mother-in-law, and he himself does not care about all this, because he has no faith. And such "crowned" people do not go to church, they do not pray to God, and therefore they have no peace in their family, and that is why there are divorces. God is the fullness of Love; if the spouses are married, but live outside of God, outside of Love, their union will surely disintegrate.

180. How to properly prepare for the Sacrament of Repentance?

The most important thing is the realization of one's sinfulness, a sincere desire to repent, to be freed from sins, and to start a new life. Those who have never repented should remember all the sins they committed from childhood. The Church blesses to teach children from infancy to repentance, and from the age of seven children no longer receive communion without confession. Before confession, both adults and children should reconcile with everyone, forgive those who hurt us, and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have annoyed. And in confession all sins must be told; if we deliberately conceal at least one sin, the Sacrament of Confession will not be fulfilled, and our sins will not be forgiven. Remember that we do not confess to the priest, but to the Lord Himself, but in the presence of the priest. And there is no need to be ashamed to confess sins; one must be ashamed to sin.

181. What is the best way to prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ?

Only Orthodox Christians begin the Sacrament of Holy Communion, those who constantly go to church, observe all fasts strictly, are married, pray, live in peace with everyone, repent of their sins - such people, with the permission of their spiritual father, approach the Cup.

It is necessary to prepare in advance both the soul and the body in order to unite with the Lord. For 3-4 days, fast, do not eat meager food, abstain from dinner the day before, replace it with the rule: read two akathists - to the Savior and the Mother of God, four canons - to the Savior, the Mother of God, Guardian Angel and the canon to Holy Communion. Those who do not have such an opportunity - 500 Jesus prayers and 150 times "Virgin Mary, rejoice ..." But after reading this rule, even if we had been preparing for a thousand years, we should not think that we are worthy to receive the Body of Christ. One must rely only on the mercy of God and on His great philanthropy.

Before Communion, it is necessary to repent sincerely in the presence of a priest. It is imperative to have a cross on your chest. In no case should you approach the Chalice if the confessor forbids or if you conceal your sin. In bodily and monthly impurity, it is also impossible to approach the Sacrament of Communion. Before and after Communion, one should refrain from marital relations.

It must be remembered that before or after Communion there is always a temptation. After Communion until the morning, prostrations are not made, the mouth is not rinsed, nothing can be spat out. We must keep ourselves from idle conversations, especially from condemnation, read the Gospel, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, Divine books.

182. How often should one receive communion? How can you know that you have received the sacrament worthily, not as a condemnation?

If a person is married, observes fasts, Wednesday, Friday, reads morning and evening prayers, lives with everyone in peace, if he reads the whole rule before Communion and considers himself unworthy, starting Communion with faith and fear, then he will receive the Mysteries of Christ worthily. ... The soul does not immediately, suddenly feel itself worthy of receiving the Holy Communion. Maybe on the next day or on the third, the soul will feel peace, joy. It all depends on our preparation. If we pray hard, try to make every word of prayer penetrate into our hearts, fast and consider ourselves sinful and unworthy, then we can immediately feel the presence of the Lord in us. After Communion, there will be peace and joy in us. Temptation can come right away. One must be ready for it, having met, not to be tempted and not to sin. This means that the devil knows that we are prepared. But the most important thing is to consider yourself sinful and unworthy. Of course, if we live in such a way that we will be forcibly forced to read the canons, the morning and evening rules, and we do it carelessly, this feeling of sinfulness will not be born in our souls. We have enough time to chat, run, see what is where, who is doing what. We have enough energy for this. Or we will hold out, drive the time: "Oh, three minutes left until midnight! We must go eat!" This is not an Orthodox spirit. This is a satanic spirit. It should not be. The Orthodox must do everything with reverence and fear of God. The soul of an Orthodox Christian feels God both after the sacrament and between the sacraments. The Lord is nearby, standing at the door of our heart and knocking: what if they open it, hear His knock? The Holy Fathers honored reverence and fear in their souls and supported this grace with prayer. Feeling that prayer was weakening, they confessed and approached the Chalice, and the Lord strengthened! Again the soul was on fire. Communion is the only sacrament of the Church where the soul of a person can ignite with the flame of divine love; because in Communion we receive the Living Fire, the Creator of the universe Himself.

183. Is the infection transmitted through the cross, the spoon for communion, icons?

In the church we are already dealing with Heaven. Here we are no longer on earth. The Church is a small piece of Heaven on earth. When we cross the threshold of the temple, we must forget about everything earthly, including disgust (the fastidious are usually lascivious, - say the holy fathers). The infection is transmitted only through sinful ways. Many people work in infectious diseases wards, in tuberculosis hospitals, but do not get sick with these diseases. The priests come there and receive communion. And no one has ever become infected. People are infected only through sin.

When they approach the Chalice, they accept from one small spoon - a liar - the Creator of the Universe, the Living Christ, the Body and Blood of Christ. Here Themselves Purity and Sterility. Everything here is so pure that believers do not even have the thought of infection. Through the hands of the priest, Christ Himself enters into man. Not a part of His Flesh and Blood, but as a whole, the Lord enters into every one who receives communion. Angels in awe, in fear are present. And what can we say about some kind of infection. There was a time, in the 62-63s, atheists came to the church and taught that after each participant the liar should be dipped into a special solution. Well, this is for them ... They don't understand anything. And the fact that their soul has already become a vessel of Satan is normal, no big deal!

184. What is temptation?

Temptation is a test of our spiritual endurance. There is always a temptation before or after a sacrament. Recently they married a husband and wife. They already had a child, but did not live in a church marriage. Grisha is their little boy, two years old, so humble! Suitable for a blessing, bows his head, hands - palm to palm - pulls. He does not say anything, but asks for a blessing. Parents came home after the wedding. Father lay down to rest on the sofa. The son took his mother's shoe on a thin, thin stiletto heel, and swung it at his father's temple! He hit him so that he lost consciousness ... Immediately after the sacrament, there was a temptation.

Abba Pimen the Great says: "I did a good deed, if after it you had no temptations, it was not accepted by God!" Demons try to take revenge for every good deed done by man. They do not tolerate holiness.

185. What is the anointing for? Why is it not performed every day?

On holidays, the priest will anoint the people with oil - blessed oil, and the seal of the Holy Spirit is placed on the person's forehead. On Mount Athos, the anointing occurs only on the eve of the Twelve Great Feasts, when lithium is included in the service. During the litiya, bread, wine and oil - oil are blessed. Since few go to church all the time, in Russia they will anoint (except for the Twelve Great Feasts) also on Saturday evenings. On this day, oil symbolizes the mercy of God. Through the anointing of oil, the grace of the Lord is communicated to us; this oil sanctifies our body and soul.

186. What is the best way to observe fasting?

A person who strictly observes church fasting receives tremendous benefits for the soul. One must eat so that the spirit is awake over the flesh, but not the flesh over the spirit. The Holy Fathers say that the body is a donkey, on which we have to get to the Heavenly City of Jerusalem: if you do not feed it, it will fall, if you overfeed it, it will go berserk. Therefore, we must always keep to the golden mean, follow the royal path: if we start fasting without humility and prayer, then we will harm ourselves. The devil will say: "Fast more, more ..." And we will fast so much that we will not be able to pray and work, we will only become irritable, touchy: "Don't come near us - we are fasting, we have already become saints." Others, on the contrary, begin to eat a lot, repeating the thoughts of the evil one: "You work so hard, your health is poor, eat, eat, and eat meat, and sausage, support yourself." And sometimes they get so overwhelmed that the whole body is clogged with slags and toxins: the pressure rises, the legs swell, shortness of breath, and they can hardly walk.

187. Everything good in us is from God, everything bad is from the devil. What is ours?

The Lord offers us the Kingdom of Heaven. And in order to receive it, you must fulfill His commandments. They are very simple and easy - for someone who has the power to refuse to commit sin. He who is so strongly addicted to sin that he cannot think of how to live without it, it is very difficult for him to fulfill these commandments. Everyone has free will and we can choose whom to serve. The devil offers his own: "You don't need to go to church. You don't need to fast, you don't need to pray." Inspires that life is only here; a man died, crumbled into the dust of the earth, and that's all over. It's all demonic.

Let's say two people offer us: one - the Bible, its reading and salvation, and the other - black magic, the service of the devil. He rejects God's help. We are between two forces - good and evil. But we have free will and the right to choose. It depends on us what to choose - good or evil. That is why all good things come from God, all bad things come from the devil. It is in our power to choose - to accept good or evil, and reject one or the other. We will accept good - we will receive a reward from God, we will accept evil and we will fulfill the devil's desires - we will receive eternal punishment. God gave us reason; we can think, reason, choose - what to choose. This is ours - free will and the right to choose.

188. Is it possible to take communion if you have not managed to subtract the whole rule?

When the righteous John of Kronstadt served in the cathedral, two young people came to him. They gathered to receive the Holy Communion. One read the rule, and the second, very tired, could not. And both came to church. The one who had read it calmly approached Communion, and the righteous John of Kronstadt did not allow him. And the other, with a contrite heart, said to himself: "Lord, I so want to accept You; but I have not read the rule, I am so disgusting, so disgusting ..." Condemning himself, he went up to the Chalice, and the righteous John of Kronstadt gave him communion. The most important thing for the Lord is our broken heart, the awareness of our unworthiness. St. John Chrysostom says: "If we prepare ourselves for a thousand years, we will never be worthy - we must hope for the mercy of God. If the Lord does not help, we will not be able to receive communion worthily."

189. When you receive communion, you feel light in your soul, but after a while (on the same day) this state passes, the soul is again heavy. You feel the absence of God. The same passions come up again. What do you need to do?

We must prepare ourselves the day before. It is necessary to fast well - "this same kind of demonic is expelled only by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21), so you need to pray well the day before, warm your soul, fast - the passions will go away. After Communion, one should try to remain in prayer, to maintain peace of mind. Those who like to be self-willed, rebel, do not value the Sacrament. They received communion - and immediately they had an offense, and hysteria, and rebellion next to them. This is because everything happens not by their will. They must rebel, break everything to the end, all relations. There are still many such people, they are called rebels. They value nothing, they value nothing. The most important thing is that everything should be as they wish. And if (God forbid) something is against them, everyone around them becomes enemies, and there will never be peace in the soul until death. This is the most terrible state of the human soul. A person lives by his own will and no one has the right to say anything to him. Otherwise, everything is fine with them, just do not touch them - they will sting ...

190. Why then, when you receive communion, the Holy Mysteries sometimes taste like bread, and sometimes like Flesh? Does this mean that one time you partake of eternal life, and another time you partake of condemnation?

If a person feels that he accepts the Flesh, then the Lord gives it to strengthen the faith. But it’s right to taste the bread. The Lord Himself says: "I am the bread of Life" (John 6:35).

Many people have told me about this. Quite recently, a woman called from Kiev and said: “Father, my faith is weak. When I went to Communion today, I was poorly prepared. Father gave me a small particle, and at the Chalice I thought:“ What kind of Flesh can there be here? When I don't even feel with my tongue that he put something in my mouth? A little bit, I gave it a little. And I just couldn't eat that piece. She was in my mouth and held on. I came home - my mouth is full of meat. I just can't swallow. For several hours I sobbed, cried, asked the Lord - it's a pity to throw it away, but I just can't swallow it! Then the Lord freed - I swallowed it and now I'm calling. What, have I sinned terribly? "-" Repent that you doubted this, "I tell her.

We know that the Lord performed the first miracle when He transformed wine out of water. It costs him nothing to transform His Blood out of wine, and Flesh out of bread. A person does not receive a part of the flesh, but the Living Christ enters into every one who receives communion.

191. How to convince Baptists to come to Orthodoxy?

There are a lot of different options, but the most important thing is your personal example.

A Christian worked for a pagan. This pagan, who did not know the True God, recruiting him to work said: "I take you on condition: do not say a word about Christ." He meekly replied: "Believe me, I won't tell." A Christian worked in the garden for two years, suddenly the owner comes to him and falls at his feet: "Make it so that I become like you!" Like this. Personal example can be convinced of the existence of Christ, and even without a single word.

Once a Christian was asked: "Why are there so many Muslims, and there are so few of you Christians?" He replied: "Everything is very simple - few follow Christ, according to His own word:" If anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me "(Matthew 16:24)," and who does not carry his cross ... he cannot be my disciple "(Luke 14:27). The path of salvation is a thorny, difficult path, not everyone follows it ... But for Muslims it is simple: you can kill, stab your neighbor - this is also a sin does not count.

You ask them: "What kind of fast do you have - uraza? You fast during the day, do not eat anything, but at night you can eat at least a whole ram?" And they answer: "At night, God does not see what we are eating - he is sleeping." - "Well, if he does not see that you are eating at night, then he is probably deaf to your prayers."

192. A novice priest served in the church. Should I leave this temple?

I know that many avoid serving with new calendar bishops who come and heretics. But if the priest refuses to serve with them, he will be expelled from the monastery. And many priests have a flock, children. So, what should he choose? He is against heresy, but it does not depend on his will. And if we went into a church where a visiting newcomer serves, then we should consider him a guest: he was, and he is not. Then it is better to sprinkle the temple with holy water, but neither the temple nor the monastery can be left. And the devil will drive everyone away. And where is the guarantee that we will come to another place, and there, too, there will not be a novelty? What - are we going to run? Of course, if I went somewhere and entered a temple unknown to me, then I must ask how the service is served - in a new or old style. If in a new way, then I must leave this temple, go and find a church where they serve in the old style. This is the right thing to do.

193. What to do if the priest does not lead a holy life? How to treat him?

We all recognize medicine, but doctors are different. Likewise, the priests are different. Christ warned us, He said that there would be three types of shepherds: good shepherds who lay down their souls for their sheep, mercenaries who came to church just to work and the third type - wolves in sheep's clothing (John 10). This is how we always have ... Now a lot of churches are opening around the country, and theological schools, seminaries cannot provide all parishes, so we often have to ordain a believer, but who does not have spiritual and worldly experience, is weak. So he may stumble.

There was such a case before the revolution. The priest was tried for some financial transgressions, and he was defended by the well-known lawyer Plevako. He made the following speech:

Gentlemen! Tell me, do you know this priest?

Yes, we know.

Did you go to confession to him?

He forgave you sins, forgave them?

But you probably came to him more than once?

Yes, many times.

You repented, and he forgave you. So has the priest sinned once and you, being so cruel, will not forgive him for his sin? The Lord said: "With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you mete, it will be measured to you also" (Matthew 7.2). And he got that priest acquitted. So no one needs to be judged.

194. Is there God's grace in the church if the priest serving there is drunk and sings secular songs?

Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: "If the priest surpasses the whole world with his sins and there is no one more sinful than him on earth, then when he performs the divine service, according to the faith of the parishioners, the sacrament is performed, it is valid. And if the priest is spiritually bound by hands and feet, then the angel performs the sacrament for him. " Sometimes it happens. I once mentioned that a priest had a mortal sin in his soul. He said: "Lord, I am not worthy to celebrate this terrible Liturgy. You do it yourself," and saw how Christ separated from him and stood in front of this priest, performing all the sacraments on the throne. And the priest spoke only exclamations.

Therefore, when the deacon at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy is applied to the See and says: "Time. Make the Lord. Master, bless", then the priest blesses him and he goes to the pulpit. Divine Liturgy begins.

The Greek service book says this: proskomedia, the preparatory stage for the liturgy, is a purely human act. Now the time is over, the priest stands before the See, in his person Christ Himself celebrates the Divine Liturgy. Therefore, when they enter with the Chalice and the deacon censes the priest, he says: "Peace to all," then through him Christ Himself blesses everyone with the hand of a priest. We see this. All the sacraments that are performed in a visible manner are invisibly performed by Christ Himself.

Possessed people can recognize a priest even when he is tonsured, shaved, in a civilian suit. Others do not recognize him, but the demons will tell these sick people, because they do not tolerate the grace that is given by the Lord to the priest when ordained. This is how the Lord gives grace, which no king of earthly, even a righteous life, had. Such power is not given to any earthly ruler that a priest has. The priest has the right to perform all the sacraments, to forgive sins, by the action of his hands and the grace of God to make the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ; the priest has the right to prohibit on earth - and man will be prohibited in Heaven, he can permit it - and man will be allowed in Heaven. The power is enormous, so he tries to ensure that every word does not harm someone, but only benefits.

When an Orthodox priest is sincere, but has some sins, and there is no other priest to whom he can confess them, he can stand before the throne and repent of his sins: "Lord, since there is no spiritual father, You Yourself, accept my confession and forgive me my sins. Maybe I drank too much or slept, or overeat. Maybe I prayed badly - absentmindedly, somewhere proud, somewhere indignant; maybe someone condemned someone in word or mentally. Lord, forgive me. " And the Lord forgives His grace, because He will not allow His servant to stand before the throne in filth. He Himself purifies his soul.

So all the sacraments are performed by Christ Himself, and the priest in the hands of God is an instrument. Many people do not know this great divine secret.

195. Has our priest transferred to the Church Abroad? How should we relate to this?

There is a sort of people who think that in Orthodoxy there are only sinners all around - both priests and bishops. But there, in the Church Abroad or in the Catholic Church, there are angels in the flesh. Know the same: the same people are everywhere, the same flesh and blood, the same devil everywhere tempts everyone, the same passions here and there. The most important thing: you need to pay attention to yourself, and not to others - who lives how? Know yourself and have enough of you. The Lord will not ask you about other people. He will ask: "How did you live? And what did you do? And what did you leave behind? Good or evil? Either you corrupted all people with your evil tongue, or did you condemn the clergy, bishops, the Patriarch?" And weak people are everywhere. Even Christ had Judas - a traitor ...

I know one hieromonk; he left our Orthodox Church and went to the Catholic, to the Jesuit order. I talked with him for two hours before. He told me:

You know, oh. Ambrose, we are doing one job with you - we are saving the people. I will serve God in San Francisco and also work to save the soul.

But how could you leave Orthodoxy for the Catholic Church?

You know, at first I didn't believe in God. And then, when I believed, I came across Orthodox Christians, so I was baptized in the Orthodox Church. But my soul was drawn to the Western Church. If they had met me at first, I would have converted to the Catholic faith. I talked to him, and I said:

Let it be on your conscience. But know: traitors are not loved anywhere, no matter where they come.

He wrote a petition to the Vatican, received permission and he went there to serve. He stayed, looked, and left there in an instant. And again he asks the Orthodox bishop: "Accept me, I have seen enough of everything there, I saw everything" ...

196. Why do they take a blessing from a priest and kiss his hand?

When a believer approaches a priest to take a blessing, the Lord first of all blesses the priest, and the priest already blesses the child of God. That is, the priest is the conductor of the grace of God. Therefore, they kiss, they are applied not to the hand of the priest, but to the Hand of the Lord. Let's say we want to receive God's blessing, but how do we know if He blessed or not? The Lord left a priest on earth, gave him special authority, and the grace of God descends on believers through the priest.

197. They say that you bring harm if you praise a clergyman behind his back in conversation. Is it so?

It has been said that you cannot say bad things about anyone, you need to say only good things about all people.

But in the eyes of either the confessor, no one else should be praised, because the demon will envy and will certainly create some kind of intrigue. If, for example, you say good about a person, then do not be surprised if you learn something unpleasant about him. The demon, hearing that you praise him, can push that person to sin.

Here, the mother says about her daughter: "She is good, chaste, peaceful, calm ..." And the devil will surely hear, envy and arrange something that the mother will remember for the rest of her life. Once my mother came to confession, confessed herself and said: "Father, confess my daughter." - "And how old is she?" - "Nineteen". - "Well, do you know everything about her? How is she?" - "Yes, father, she is chaste, pure, she did not make friends with anyone, did not go anywhere. She is very good." - "Well, go. Let the daughter come." And when my daughter came, I asked her: "Well, how is your life - is it fun?" She said that sixteen men had three abortions. I ask: "Does mom know?" - "No, sir, what are you! Mom knows nothing, nothing. I didn't say a word to her."

Only One Lord knows. Therefore, it is better not to praise anyone, but to pray that the devil will not envy. But if you have touched someone in a conversation with others (a confessor, a deacon, a believer), you need to say only good things. The holy fathers say: "Cover your brother's sin, and the Lord will cover your sins."

198. How does one relate to yogis?

Yogis are people who have not come to the True God, they have not cognized Christ and for them their religion seems to be the only true one. The Apostle Paul says that if people do not know Christ - the Gospel has not reached them, then when they pass into that world, the Lord will judge them according to the law of conscience.

Yogis put their "I" in the place of God: "I" have achieved something. There are yogis who can stand with a raised hand until the crow erects a nest and hatches the chicks. And the yogi believes that he has achieved something. But what is the benefit to him and those around him? Some lie on broken glass, a shield is placed on top of them, and cars walk on this shield, and they remain safe and sound ... Well, what's the point of that? It's all pride, vanity. The most important thing for a Christian is to make the soul good, pure, holy; not to be angry, not to be irritated, not to be indignant, not to condemn anyone - to become a saint. This work is more serious and more complicated than that of the yogis, and it gives different fruits - peace and quiet for your soul and neighbors.

199. When a believer is carried away by Eastern wisdom, philosophy, does he not fall into delusion?

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says that the one who considers himself not in delusion is already in delusion. The one who was carried away by Eastern philosophy, carried away by demonic wisdom. This is all paganism. Take any Eastern religion. Monks from eastern monasteries, studying combat types of wrestling, take animal behavior as a basis. Let's say the tiger overtakes its prey; he scatters, jumps and kicks the animal. He falls, and the tiger pounces and eats him. So people took animal behavior as a basis. They don't pray to God, there is no religion, but there is self-affirmation and pride. Orthodox monks hoped not for their own strength, not for their combat readiness, not for a trained body, but hoped for God. They won by prayer and the cross. With the cross, they extinguished the fire, closed the mouths of the animals, disarmed any enemy. The strength of their spirit conquered any harsh cries of the karate monks with which they tried to frighten the Christian monks. The humility of the Orthodox called upon the grace of God to protect them. For example, Saint Anthony the Great once came to his cell and saw that the robbers were taking the things that belonged to him, and loading them onto the donkey. He did not make noise and shout. On the contrary, he began to help them connect these things. When they hit the road, he overtook them: "Dear ones, you forgot - you left this belt." - "Oh, thanks. Tell me, whose dwelling is this?" - "My". They, seeing his great humility, humbled themselves: they returned everything, asking for forgiveness: "You forgive us."

200. The son is 21 years old, he is baptized, but does not go to church. The other day, when I was not at home, some missionaries came to us and talked to him. What to do?

Lately, many heretics have been coming from the West. Their goal is to rip Orthodox souls out of the Church. They go into churches and into houses. Three "preachers" came to our monastery - two guys and a girl. They showed their white robes. They confess Maria Devi Christ. Someone Krivonogov lives in Kiev, he has a wife - Marina Tsvigun, so she was made the "Mother of God". I ask these guys: "Have you seen her personally?" - "No, only on video." - "Does the husband live with her?" - "She separated from her first husband, two children are left. Now she is married for the second time. Her husband is John the Baptist."

It turns out that this Krivonogov is John the Baptist!

They began to convince me that the end of the world is expected at the end of the year. I asked them to promise that if there was no end of the world, they would come to our monastery to work, and the girl would be a novice. The time has come, the end of the world, of course, did not come and these guys did not appear again ...

What madness must one get to in order for the Mother of God - the Highest Cherubim and Seraphim - to be mixed with some kind of Krivonogova! Her portraits are posted in all cities, but the Mother of God is not recognized. How the devil can work the brains! This brotherhood is based on Indian philosophy, the theory of reincarnation of souls. Allegedly, the human soul in one of the incarnations contained the Mother of God!

Across the country, green youth are running away from their parents. Their minds are immature, malleable, they can be stuffed with any nonsense. And if special psychotropic drugs are used in the rite of initiation into the "White Brotherhood", then these guys can be used as robots. And so it was. They drugged them, told them texts and let them go to the people. And the guys in this state say things that they themselves cannot understand, their eyes turn red at the same time, their faces are like those of the insane ... A real state of delight. This state is easy to distinguish - just a little, the guys immediately make noise, shout, prove their own.

For all heretics there are no shrines - no relics, no icons, no holy water; they do not recognize either the Mother of God or the saints of Christ ... The Lord said: "I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 1b, 18. He did not say: "... I will build up the Church", but one Church, Christ is only in one Church, therefore we must keep the faith of Christ - the holy faith of the Orthodox.

201. How to determine when a Christian has an Angel day?

When a person is unbaptized, then he does not have a Guardian Angel, and there is no heavenly patron saint. When he is baptized, then the Lord from heaven gives him an Angel.

Day of the Angel is easy to find out. Let's say a person's name is Nikolai, he was born in April. The very first holiday in honor of the memory of the holy saint of God is in May, the day of St. Nicholas of Mirliki is celebrated (he is also called Nicholas the Pleasant). This day should be considered the day of the Angel. On the day of the Angel, a Christian should especially turn to his patron in prayer. I must be at the service the night before, confess my sins, and in the morning come to the liturgy and partake of the Holy Mysteries.

Therefore, Christians do not so much celebrate the birthday of the body as the birthday of the soul - the day of the Angel. Therefore, many Orthodox Christians do not even tell anyone about their birthday. And about the day of the Angel, our believing friends themselves will know and will come to congratulate us. It is good to order a prayer service to your heavenly patron on the day of the Angel. One must know his life and imitate him in a holy life.

202. Can everyone get married?

Church ordinances are performed only on believers! But when there is no faith in a person - neither in a wife nor in a husband, even if they are married - the family will not be strong. Since there is no contact with God, there is no prayer communication, so there will be no peace and love with each other. Such a marriage will surely fall apart. But the Lord said: “What God has combined, let not man separate” (Matthew 19: 6). And the Gospel says that the Lord permits divorce only in extreme cases, when one of the spouses has changed - committed the sin of adultery. In this case, they divorce, but until the death of one of the spouses, even if the spouses are divorced, the married marriage remains valid in heaven, and none of them has the right to marry a second marriage. Spouses need to know; what obligations they take to God, to people and to each other.

203. In what cases can a married marriage be dissolved?

The Holy Scripture says: you can dissolve a marriage if there is treason on one side (Matthew 5:32), i.e. if there is a sin of adultery. If a wife or husband has changed, and then repented, realized their guilt, then forgiveness is possible. If the wife forgives her husband, who cheated on her, then the marriage between them will again have power. And if she does not accept him, then she will not sin in her decision either. But then she must remain celibate until the death of her husband. She has no right to marry another person, and if she does, she will sin, and this sin will also be called adultery. It is said by the Lord Himself: "What God has united, let not man part" (Matthew 19.6). If the spouses decide to divorce, then it is necessary to turn not to the priest who married them, but to the ruling bishop. The bishop must definitely know the reason for the divorce. If he gives a blessing for divorce, then it is impossible to get married with a second marriage until the death of one of the spouses.

204. We have moved to a new house. We were advised to be the first to let the cat into it - they said that the brownies would protect us, because they love cats and are friends with them. Is it true?

A brownie in a house is not good in a house. This means the demon lives in the house. The cat is not brought into the house first. A house or apartment is sprinkled with holy water and icons, the Gospel, everything that is holy are brought in. Then we bring in our property. In such a house, so that these demonic forces do not start in it, in no case should evil, negative energy - anger, irritation, condemnation, screaming, noise be released from within us ... Demonic forces feed on this negative energy, i.e. our sins. Angels leave the house and cry, they are near the house, they are waiting for us to pay attention to our behavior, to our tongue, when we will expel evil, anger, hatred, irritation from our hearts.

205. What power does the consecration of an apartment, houses have?

We know that there is a Guardian Angel over the whole world: over every country, over every city, over every village. Sanctifying an apartment and a house, the priest, with the help of prayers, invokes the Holy Spirit and drives out evil spirits from this room. It is sanctified, dedicated to God and is under the protection of the Angel of this city or village. The angel keeps this dwelling, provided that a normal, moral way of life is carried out in it.

I remember a case. I served in a parish in Zharki, Yuryevets District, Ivanovo Region. A woman worked in our kitchen, Raisa from Alator. She once said that her husband was a drunkard, fought, rowdy. It got to such extremes that it became impossible to live with him in the house. Raisa says: “I called the priest and he consecrated the house. In the evening my husband goes home from work - I see him through the window. I myself think about whether he will know that the house has been consecrated. I'll look, I think, where he is. I open the door, and he lies in the hallway. Not drunk - sober! I ask: "Why are you here? Enter the house! "He says:" I can't, I have no place here. "-" Yes, come in! "And he crawled into the house on all fours. He crawled to the table, took off the receiver and put it on the floor; “Even though there is some consolation here, take it easy.” I was surprised to see what power the consecration of the house has. ”

One of these days a girl told me. I was in the apartment alone - my mother and father went on vacation. At night, she felt something bad and woke up, saw a white figure walking from the side of the TV ... Fear and horror attacked her. I could not sleep, I prayed all night. She turned to me with a request to consecrate the apartment. A few days after the consecration, the parents arrived. They themselves are unbelievers, an unbaptized mother. Mother, as soon as she entered the apartment, stood at the threshold and said: "What happened? I don't recognize the apartment. What have you done with it?" The girl explained everything to her. Mother later saw crosses on the wall, warned: "Don't tell your father - he will rebel."

Of course, the demonic forces living in a person feel that the house or apartment is consecrated. They can no longer be there, they are being scorched by fire. When they say that a brownie lives in a house, it means that an evil spirit lives in an unconsecrated house. There are such unreasonable people who, when moving to a new apartment, are the first to let a cat into the house (supposedly she is friends with the brownie and he then does not harm people), and not icons and not holy books. They do not consecrate the house by sprinkling holy water, but propitiate the brownie. Unfortunately, this is very common.

Recently they asked me to consecrate a kindergarten; there are about 400 children. All the premises were consecrated, but they could not find a key from one. What turned out to be? It was in this room that the seances were held ... So this room remained unconsecrated.

206. Does it make sense to consecrate the car?

In the Teikovsky district there is a section of the road, 500 meters long, every driver knows it - a dangerous zone, popularly called the "valley of death" ... At the exit from Ivanovo to Kokhma, to the left of the regional hospital, accidents constantly occur: then people hit the pole, then the cars will bump into each other. The traffic police knows such places, but cannot prevent disasters.

Several years ago I was behind Yaroslavl, there is a place called Tolga, next to it is a nunnery. There is a road near the monastery. During the year, four people died in the same place. Abbess of the monastery Varvara says to me: "Father, what should we do? Our novice on a tractor drove onto this road and turned over, got off well with minor bruises." Several mothers gathered, I put on my clothes; served a prayer service, sprinkled water on the entire dangerous area. Since then, 5 years have passed, no incidents have happened anymore, because prayer and holy water drive out all the demonic power.

Once a man came to me and said: "Dad, they sold me an" unhappy "car in the taxi company - it was in accidents three times; I repaired it, just started driving it and already twice my car was beaten. What should I do?" We read a prayer for the consecration of the chariot, so that the Lord would assign a Guardian Angel to it, so that evil spirits would not have power over it, sanctify it with water and anoint it with oil. There were no more accidents. Of course, at the same time, a moral order must be observed: do not use foul language in the car, vodka

Three gifts are especially characteristic of the spiritual father. The first one is discernment and prudence (diakrisis), the ability to penetrate into the secrets of hearts and understand their hidden depths, which are not realized by their owners themselves.

The gaze of the spiritual father penetrates the habitual gestures and postures under which we hide our true identity from others and from ourselves; leaving behind all these everyday little things, the elder comes face to face with a unique personality, created in the image and likeness of God. This ability is spiritual, not physical; not some kind of extrasensory perception or the gift of clairvoyance, but the fruit of grace, involving concentrated prayer and unrelenting ascetic abuse.

Associated with this gift of discernment is the ability to speak to authority. When someone comes to an elder, the latter already knows - directly and precisely - what he wants to hear. Today we are overwhelmed with words, but in the vast majority of cases, these are helpless words. The elder, however, utters a few words, and sometimes does not say anything at all, but with these few words or his silence, he is able to change the whole direction of a person's life. In Bethany, Christ said only three words: "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43), but these three words, spoken with authority, were able to bring the dead back to life. In an era of shameful devaluation of language, it is extremely important to rediscover the power of the word, which means to rediscover the essence of silence, not as a pause between words, but as one of the primary realities. Most teachers and preachers talk too much, but the elder is distinguished by strict frugality in his language.

But for the word to have power, it is necessary not only to speak with the authority of personal experience, but also to listen with zealous attention. An old man who asks out of idle curiosity is unlikely to receive much benefit from the answer, but he who comes with fervent faith and sincere deep need can hear a word that will transform his whole being. The elder's speech is for the most part simple in its verbal expression and devoid of literary sophistication; to the superficial listener, it often seems boring and commonplace.

The gift of clairvoyance is manifested in the spiritual father in the practice of the so-called "revelation of thoughts" ( logismoi). In the early monastic tradition, the novice usually confessed to his father every day every thought that came to him during the day. The revelation of thoughts is much broader than the confession of sins, since it also includes the communication of thoughts and motives that may seem innocent to the novice, but in which the spiritual father may see a hidden danger or some special sign. Confession of sins deals with the past, with what has already happened; the revelation of thoughts, on the contrary, is of a preventive nature, revealing our logismoi(thoughts) before they led to sin, and thereby rendering them harmless. The goal of such a revelation is not legal (liberation from guilt), but self-knowledge: it makes it possible for you to see who you really are.

Endowed with the gift of clairvoyance, the spiritual father not only waits for the novice to inform him about himself, but himself reveals to him his thoughts, hidden from himself. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov sometimes answered questions even before the visitors could ask them. In many cases, his answer seemed completely inappropriate, even meaningless and did not answer anything, for St. Seraphim was not answering the question the visitor had in mind, but the one that should have been asked. In all such cases, St. Seraphim relied on inner illumination from the Holy Spirit. According to him, he tried not to decide in advance what to say in response, because when he did so, his answer was just a human opinion, which may be wrong, and not a thought from God.

In the eyes of St. Seraphim's connection between the elder and his spiritual child is stronger than death: he advised his children to continue revealing their thoughts to him even after his departure from this world. Shortly before his death, he said to the mothers whom he nursed: “When I die, come to my grave, and the more often the better. Will you have something in your soul, what will happen to you, come to me as when I was alive, bow to the ground and lay all your sorrows on my grave. Tell me everything, and I will hear you, and all your sorrows will fly away from you. And how you talked to me while I was alive, and then. For I live and will abide forever. "

The second gift of a spiritual father is the ability to love others and make their suffering your own... About one of the Egyptian gerontes(of the elders) it is briefly and simply said: "There was love in him, and many came to him." There was love in him- this is what is needed for spiritual fatherhood. Unlimited insight into the secrets of the human heart, if devoid of loving compassion, will be more disastrous than fruitful. Those who are unable to love others cannot heal them.

Love for another means suffering with him and for him - this is the literal meaning of the word "compassion." “Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6: 2). A spiritual father is one who, par excellence, bears the burdens of others. "The elder," writes Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov, "is the one who takes your soul, your will into his soul and his will." It is not enough for him to give advice. He must accept the soul of his spiritual children into his soul, their life into his life. It is his responsibility to pray for them, and this constant intercession is far more important to them than any advice. And his duty is also to take upon himself their sorrows and sins, bear their guilt upon himself and answer for them at the Last Judgment.

All this is clearly seen in one of the most important monuments of Eastern spirituality - "Guide to Spiritual Life" by St. Barsanuphius and John. This book consists of 850 questions, addressed to two Palestinian elders of the 6th century, together with their answers. “God knows,” says St. Varsanuphius to his spiritual child, - that there is not an hour, not a second, when I do not have you in my soul and in my prayers ... I care about you more than you do ... I would be glad to lay down my life for you. " He prays to God like this: “Master! or bring my children into your kingdom with me, or blot out me also from your book. " Speaking about the importance of bearing each other's burdens, Barsanuphius insists: “I carry your burdens and your falls ... You are like a man sitting under a shady tree ... I accept your condemnation and, by the grace of Christ, I will not leave you in this century, not in the coming ”.

Readers of Charles Williams will probably remember the principle of "substitutionary love", which plays the main role in the novel "Descent into Hell". We find the same thought in Elder Zosima in Dostoevsky: "There is only one way of salvation - to make oneself responsible for all human sins ... to make oneself responsible completely sincerely for everyone and for everything." An elder's ability to strengthen and affirm others is determined by his willingness to take on this path of salvation.

But the connection between the spiritual father and his children is not one-sided. Although he bears the burden of their guilt and is responsible for them before God, this would not have been possible without their own selfless struggle for their salvation. One day a brother came to St. Antony and said: "Pray for me." But the elder replied: "Neither I, nor God will take pity on you if you do not take care of yourself and pray to God."

Speaking about the love of an elder for his children, it is very important in the expression “spiritual father” to give the word “father” its full meaning. As in an ordinary family, a father and his offspring are tied by the bonds of mutual love, just like in the “charismatic” family of an elder. However, first and foremost is the relationship in the Holy Spirit, and while the source of human affection cannot be violently suppressed, this relationship should be cleansed of the admixture of emotional excitement and transformed. In this regard, the story from "Apoftegmat" ("Memorable Legends") is noteworthy. The young monk for twelve years continuously looked after the seriously ill old man. During all this time, the elder not only never thanked him, but also did not say a single kind word. Only on his deathbed, when other elders gathered to them, he said about the novice: "This is an Angel, not a man!" This story is valuable in that it shows the need for spiritual impartiality, although such an uncompromising avoidance of all external expressions of affection is not characteristic of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, and even more so for Barsanuphius and John.

The third gift of a spiritual father is ability to change human circumstances, tangible and intangible. The gift of healing that many elders possessed is one of the aspects of this ability. In the most general sense, the elder helps his disciples to perceive the world as created by God, about which God wants him to dwell. “Is it possible to rejoice too much about the Father's work? - asks Thomas Trahernsky. "He Himself is in everything." A true elder sees the presence of the Creator in all creation and helps others to see it. In the words of William Blake, "if the doors of perception were cleared, everything would appear to man as it is - infinite." The elder is precisely the one whose doors of perception are cleared. For a person living in God, there is nothing average and trivial: he contemplates everything in the light of Tabor, transformed by the love of Christ. “And what is a merciful heart? - asks the reverend. Isaac the Sirin. - Fire in a person's heart about all creation, about people, birds, about animals, about demons and about every creature. When remembering them and looking at them, a person's eyes shed tears from the great and strong pity that envelopes the heart. And his heart is diminished from great patience, and it cannot bear, or hear, or see any harm or little sorrow endured by the creature. And therefore, about the dumb, and about the enemies of the truth, and about those who harm him, he brings prayer every hour with tears that they might be preserved and purified; and also prays for the nature of reptiles with great pity, which without measure is excited in his heart, because he is like God in this. "

All-embracing love, like St. Isaac or Elder Zosima by Dostoevsky, changes his object, making human circumstances transparent to the uncreated energies of God. Some idea of ​​this transformation is given by the famous conversation between St. Seraphim of Sarov and Nikolai Motovilov, one of his spiritual children. On a winter day in the forest, St. Seraphim told Motovilov about the need to acquire the Holy Spirit, and he asked him how you can know for sure that you are "in the Holy Spirit."

“Then Fr. Seraphim took me very tightly by the shoulders and said to me:

We are both now, father, in the Spirit of God with you! .. Why aren't you looking at me?

I answered:

I cannot, father, look, because lightning is pouring out of your eyes. Your face has become brighter than the sun, and my eyes ache with pain! ..

Father Seraphim said:

Do not be afraid, your love of God! and now you yourself have become as bright as I myself. You yourself are now in the fullness of the Spirit of God, otherwise you would not have been able to see me like that ... Well, father, don't look me in the eye? Look simply and do not be afraid - the Lord is with us!

After these words I looked into his face, and an even greater reverential horror attacked me. Imagine, in the middle of the sun, in the brightest brightness of its midday rays, the face of a person talking to you. You see the movement of his lips, the changing expression of his eyes, hear his voice, feel that someone is holding you by the shoulders, but only you don’t see these hands, you don’t see yourself or his figure, but only one blinding light, stretching far, several fathoms in a circle, and illuminating with its bright shine both the snow veil covering the clearing, and the snow pellet, which showered me and the great old man from above. "

7. Spiritual children

From the foregoing it follows that the spiritual father of a nunnery in no case should have spiritual children inside it. What then can be done if the priest has spiritual daughters in the world who would like to enter the monastery?

Never, under any circumstances, no matter how it may seem necessary, useful and correct, despite the requests of the mother abbess, such children should not be allowed to enter a monastery where their spiritual father is their spiritual father.

If the confessor makes at least one exception, the person who enters the monastery will sooner or later become a stumbling block and temptation, create a difficult and difficult to resolve conflict between the abbess and the confessor. It can be resolved in only one way: the child will stop all communication with his spiritual father and completely surrender himself to the spiritual guidance of the abbess. If there are several such children, after a terrible scandal, the confessor will be removed from the monastery, as a rule, with a damaged reputation.

Beloved brothers! We kindly ask you not to repeat the mistakes made by others!

Perhaps, in this case, the girls willing to live a monastic life should be given a blessing to enter another monastery? This will not solve problems, but rather add new ones. The abbess, as a rule, is jealous and suspicious of the fellowship of the sisters with the confessor of her monastery, all the more she will be especially jealous of the communication with the confessor who is outside the monastery, announcing his advice to the nuns as interference in the affairs of her monastery.

A similar point of view is sometimes expressed by the diocesan hierarchy, which considers it unacceptable or permissible in exceptional cases for the nuns of a monastery to communicate with a confessor residing in another monastery or diocese. In reality, however, this is not prohibited by any of the sacred canons of the Church. In the lives of saints and devotees of piety, there are often cases of the creation and care of women's communities by pastors of other dioceses (St. Barnabas Gethsemane, Optina elders, etc.). As a rule, such a situation arises if, before entering a monastery, a nun had a confessor in the world, and with his blessing she entered the monastery. Having confidence in him and benefiting from his advice, she would like to maintain a spiritual relationship.

The question arises: how correct is it in general for a confessor to any of his spiritual children to give a blessing to enter such monasteries, although they will undoubtedly go there for obedience? If, by the Providence of God, spiritual relationships arise and the child shows trust in his pastor, is it right to send him to such a monastery where he will be deprived of communication with the confessor whom he trusts, from whom he expects help, support, advice and prayers? Wouldn't such an act be a real betrayal of the shepherd in relation to the spiritual child who entrusted him with the most precious thing - his soul?

After all, real spiritual relations depend not only on the experience and efforts of the confessor, but also on the work of obedience that the flock bears. Such relationships are extremely rare in our times, therefore they are especially valuable and should be protected in every possible way. Only those people who have never had a confessor themselves, or who communicated with him purely formally, do not understand and attempt to destroy them, and therefore do not even know what the established serious spiritual relationship is. They do not know the high sacrament of obedience.

If a young man is not deprived of the opportunity to enter the monastery where his confessor is a resident, then the girl does not have such an opportunity at all .. In any case, a man will be a confessor for a resident of a nunnery. We know many monasteries where sisters, for this reason, are generally prohibited from approaching priests. Doesn't this already look like sectarianism?

Supporters of the idea that “the confessor can only be up to the monastery”, and from joining the monastery all “connections with the world” should be terminated, usually suggest in the administrative order the confessor of the monastery, as a rule, a white priest who does not know the monastic life. But as it turns out, his responsibility includes only the performance of the Sacrament of Confession, while the abbess herself is usually engaged in spiritual care. But after all, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, the choice of a spiritual leader should be voluntary, an indispensable condition for spiritual relationships is trust. “Trust is a condition of obedience, which without a power of attorney turns into hypocrisy, pleasing and flattering before our eyes, disobedient and arbitrary behind our eyes” ... With all the will, trust cannot arise by order. The abbess, who is sometimes a brilliant, wise administrator, does not always have the talent of a spiritual leader, and with her modern employment, especially in the newly opened monastery, as a rule, she has neither the time nor the opportunity to fully educate the young nuns. Therefore, would it not be most reasonable if the spiritual father is still involved in the upbringing of the novices and teaching them the great science of monastic work, especially since he has a holy order, which gives the right to teach in the Church?

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