Orthodox faith - laughter - alphabet. Questions for the priest
Or a morally neutral color.
Examples of sinful laughter are found repeatedly in the Books of Scripture of the Old and New Testaments. As a rule, the reasons that caused the laughter are also indicated there.
Thus, Sarah’s laughter during the visit of Abraham by three Angels () was caused by distrust of God’s promise of the birth of her long-awaited heir. Despite the fact that she had an internal “justification” for herself (after all, she was not only barren, but also old), her laughter caused reproach from the Angel and a stung conscience ().
The laughter of the Jews at the mocked and Crucified One was associated with unbelief, internal malice, arrogance, envy, and hatred of Christ.
In everyday social life, laughter often borders on some people mocking others, ridiculing human weaknesses and shortcomings. At the same time, the laugher puts himself above the one he mocks and whom he humiliates with his ridicule. Very often such bullying is picked up by the environment. In its most acute manifestations, ridicule turns into bullying and often leads to tragedies. This kind of laughter is called outrage.
A biblical example of the use of laughter (ridicule) for the sake of mockery is Goliath, who reviled the Jewish people, and then David, who came out against him. How this confrontation ended is well known.
Quite often, laughter is caused by the desire for fun.
By and large, fun, as a state of special psychological mood, can also be caused by a godly disposition of the heart, for example, joy associated with a Christian celebration. But it also happens differently when a person seeks fun in idleness, sinful entertainment and pleasure, which not only distracts him from pious activities, but also serves as a bad example for others.
Is it possible to say that laughter is bad as such?
Contrary to popular belief, laughter is not always assessed negatively.
In some cases, laughter can help relieve a person from a depressing state: blues, despondency, despair.
It happens that laughter encourages a person to look at himself from the outside. It was for this purpose that Aesop composed his fables, exposing human passions and vices.
It should be noted that laughter is inherent even in sinless, innocent babies. Children's laughter often symbolizes joy. Moreover, the lack of laughter in a child’s life can serve as an indicator of ill health and a serious reason to consult a doctor.
In this regard, we understand: “to laugh or not to laugh?” There is an incorrectly posed question. As such, laughter cannot be subsumed under a clear moral category. As for the theological assessment of laughter, much depends on the specific conditions and circumstances.
Old Sarah, having given birth to a son Isaac from a hundred-year-old Abraham, says: God made me laugh, whoever does not hear about me will laugh” (). Here you can see Sarah’s self-irony - “she became a laughing stock in her old age”; humorous self-assessment of an unusual situation: “they will laugh when they hear that the old woman has given birth.”
In the New Testament, in the letter of St. The Apostle Paul to the Ephesians already contains an indirect refusal of laughter: “Also, foul language and idle talk and ridicule are not becoming for you, but on the contrary, thanksgiving” (). The faithful of “Early Christian times,” that “little flock” to which the apostle addresses, were redeemed at too high a price—the death on the cross of the Lord Himself—to indulge in “ridiculousness” in particular and entertainment in general. The awareness of the time in which the holy apostles live is an energetic, active expectation of the imminent Second Coming of the Savior, a time of eschatological anticipation of the end of history, therefore one should not relax, be distracted by earthly things, by unimportant things - one must rush to the Kingdom of Heaven!
2.
When, later, eschatological expectations became dulled, partly cooled, and the world did not come to an end, but, on the contrary, spread throughout the entire universe with the triumph of the Christian empire, the worldwide triumph of Christianity, then, in these very years, many Christians leave cities, families, give up their careers and run away to the Egyptian and Palestinian deserts. This is the beginning of monasticism and ascetic work. Seekers of solitary achievement are fleeing a world in which the heat of salvation has too obviously cooled, and the sense of the exclusivity of Christianity and communion with God has dulled. The Christian teaching, having spread throughout the universe, thereby merged with the world, brought into itself the everyday, and at the same time, it became a way of life, everyday life, weakened and dulled, like a constant joyful feeling of everything new brought into the world by the Gospel message. Seekers of desert living leave the world, sharpening in a new way the confrontation between sin and holiness, the earthly kingdom and the Kingdom of Heaven, transitory wealth, perishable and inexhaustible spiritual treasure. With these contrasts comes a rethinking of the phenomenon of laughter. It is not our task to consider the “history of laughter”; it is too vast for that. But we can try to focus on two opposing categories: “laughter as sin” (“both laughter and sin”) and “spiritual fun.” This opposition is felt and explained by the experienced spiritual practice of monastic asceticism and monastic holiness. “Holiness” and “sinfulness,” “God’s” and “demonic” became the two extreme poles of the understanding of laughter in Eastern Christianity and were adopted in this vein in Rus'. We still live in this tradition. In Russian, as noted, “the monosyllabic, abrupt, phonetically very expressive “laughter” systematically rhymes with the equally monosyllabic and abrupt “sin.” The proverb says: “Where there is laughter, there is sin” (options: “Little is the laughter, but great is the sin”; “They led to sin, and left to laugh”; “And laughter leads to sin”).” In Russian Orthodoxy, according to A.A. Panchenko, “there was a ban on laughter and fun. This was a literal interpretation of the Gospel commandment: “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will weep and lament” (). The scribes of the Middle Ages referred to the fact that in Scripture Christ never laughed (this was noted by John Chrysostom, who was especially revered in Rus'). It is no coincidence that for laughter, caroling, for a feast with dancing, etc. penances of varying severity were imposed: “Whoever says himself, although people laugh, let him worship for 300 days.” Actually, bows were imposed for the fact that people laughed at a joke, for joking. And those who laughed also fell under penance: “He who laughed until he cried, fasted for 3 days, dried food, bowed for 25 days...” “Laughter until tears” was directly identified with demonism. Popular fantasy depicted it as a place where sinners “howl in sorrow,” and their groans are drowned out by peals of devilish laughter. This tradition of “devilish laughter” is also reflected in a short poem by A.S. Pushkin, entitled “Imitation of the Italian,” about Judas, the traitor of the Lord:
Like a traitorous student fell from a tree,
The devil flew in and touched his face,
Breathed life into it, soared with its stinking prey
And he threw the living corpse into the throat of hellish hell...
There are demons, rejoicing and splashing, on their horns
Received with laughter the world enemy
And they noisily carried it to the damned ruler,
And Satan, standing up, with joy on his face
With his kiss he burned through his lips,
On the treacherous night those who kissed Christ.
The Devil is often described as a "mocker", which does not mean that he is a lover of practical jokes and fun. “The devil’s laughter” or “Satan’s merriment” are figures of speech found both in poetry and in the writings of ascetics, which do not mean that laughter or humor is inherent in the forces of evil. Hellish laughter is an expression of extreme frenzy in which dark forces reside. In this sense, they do not and cannot have normal reactions, but only extremes - extreme anger, mortal hatred, insane laughter, etc. Everything that is characteristic of man - sadness or joy, sorrow or laughter, irony or humor - receives its perverted embodiment at the extreme poles of the devilish anti-world. In the actions of possessed people, villains or madmen, we can sometimes observe what ordinary properties of human nature are embodied in. Laughter, even if it is inherent in demons, is not real - for nothing but evil (which itself is - distortion, deceit, crookedness - the corruption of good) is characteristic of them, nothing except hatred. It is no coincidence that more than a thousand years ago, the word “evil” was chosen when translating the “Our Father” prayer from Greek into Slavic. Its root is onion. Onion is a weapon, a vegetable. Old Russian scribes called the coastal bends Luka, hence Lukomorye - sea bay. The pommel is the curved part of the saddle. The onion is the top of the temple. What do these things have in common with Satan? The answer is simple: a curved shape. Curvature is a common sign of everything “evil.” That is why in the prayer “Our Father” the devil is called the evil one. In Greek, wicked (ponhroj) means “bad, corrupt, thin, vile, evil.” One of the first angels, light bearer ( lucifer), once distorted himself, falling away from God, and since then he has been striving to drag man into this crookedness, and through him the whole world. A fallen spirit is a liar. He distorts God's creation, reflecting it in a distorted mirror. Hence the possibility of unkind laughter, mockery and blasphemy. Its limit is laughter at God.
The devil is called "the monkey of God," but he is a laughing (or cackling) monkey. The devil laughs not because he is happy or having fun, but his laughter is a consequence of his madness, his apostasy, his greatest darkness. Having fallen away and thereby separated from the holiness of God, he reveals His insignificant opposite, “topsy-turvy.” What is sacred in God is turned inside out in the devil, therefore it is characteristic that matting, bast, straw, birch bark, and bast played a special role in funny, carnival disguises. These were, as it were, “false materials”, beloved by mummers and buffoons. It is noteworthy, as noted by D.S. Likhachev, that when heretics were exposed in Rus', “it was publicly demonstrated that heretics belonged to the anti-world, to a tiny (hellish) world, that they were ‘unreal’.” In 1490, Novgorod Archbishop Gennady ordered the heretics to be seated on horses, face to tail, in an inverted dress, in birch bark helmets with bast tails, in crowns made of hay and straw, with the inscription: “Behold Satan’s army.” This was a kind of debunking and undressing of heretics - including them in the original, demonic world. In the same system of oppositions, buffoons were called “clerks” and even “priests of laughter.” An old Russian proverb: “God created the priest, and the demon created the buffoon.” In the popular consciousness of ancient times, buffoons seemed to “compete” with their buffoonish service of laughter with the pious service of the priesthood. As one ancient author put it, people “have weddings and call priests from the crosses and buffoons from the pipes for marriages.” The ancient Russian story “About a Certain Covetous Merchant” tells about a merchant who went to hell after death. His wife and children were sad and cried about his fate. Help appeared in the person of a buffoon, who ordered to make a cradle and lower him on ropes into the hellish abyss. At the bottom he saw a coffin, and around “all demonic faces.” The demons showed him the soul of the merchant, “burning in a fierce flame,” revealing that it could be saved from eternal torment if the widow and orphans distributed their unjustly acquired property to the churches and poor brethren. The buffoon became curious about his afterlife fate. “They showed him a temple filled with a great stench and a scorching fire” - “this is your dwelling.” The story goes on to tell how the buffoon tricked the demons around his finger, resorting to the help of a pious priest, to whom he “fell with prayers and warm tears,” begging him to accept him with repentance...
3.
What is the opposite of “demonic laughter”, more precisely, a distorted reflection of what spiritual category is “ludicrousness”? We find the answer to this question in the words of the holy fathers. Indecent, undue, “foolish,” as Ecclesiastes puts it, laughter is an expression of graceless joy. Laughter is a kind of mirror in which all our emotions are reflected and transformed, as if doubling the “space of the soul,” notes the researcher (L. Karasev). Hence the variety of shades of laughter, which cannot be exhaustively listed. Laughter plus pride and laughter plus anger give us new pride and new anger. And humility plus prayer, meekness and abstinence plus joy give that indescribable state of grace that allowed St. greet everyone who comes with the words “My joy.”
“There is humility out of fear of God, and there is humility out of love for God. “Some are humble out of fear of God, others are humble out of joy, and the humble out of joy is accompanied by great simplicity, a growing and uncontrollable heart,” says St. . “When the time approaches for the spiritual man to be resurrected in you, then the deadness of everything is awakened in you, joy is kindled in your soul, which is not likened to creatures, and your thoughts are contained within you with that sweetness that is in your heart” (he). The Holy Father writes about “pleasure emanating from the heart, captivating the mind completely,” speaking of the spiritual joy brought by tireless prayer: “At times, some kind of delight and joy enters imperceptibly into the whole body, and the carnal language cannot express this until everything earthly With this remembrance it will not be considered dust and vanity. For this delight flowing from the heart, sometimes at the hour of prayer, sometimes during reading, and sometimes also as a result of incessant occupation and duration of thought, warms the mind. And this joy most often happens without these reasons, and very often during simple work, and just as often at night, when you are between sleep and awakening, as if in a dream and not in a dream, awake and not awake. But when this delight comes upon a person, beating throughout his whole body, at that hour he thinks that the Kingdom of Heaven is nothing else, but this is the same.” The acquisition of grace is ultimately an unceasing stay during earthly life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and this stay of the soul in unity with the Lord is also joy and gladness, which the holy ascetics and fathers try to convey in their writings.
Revealing the fullness of love, the Lord radiated unceasing joy to those around him, Himself being the source of joy. Joy is a reflection of spiritual experience, catharsis, delight, and ultimately truth. We see this in many life stories. “Once, seeing the Monk Gregory Sinain leaving his cell with a joyful face, I (the saint’s biography) in the simplicity of my heart asked him what he was happy about. He replied: “The soul, clinging to God and consumed by love for Him, rises above creation, lives above visible things and, filled with the desire of God, cannot hide in any way.” After all, the Lord said: “Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly” (); and again: “So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father” (). For when the heart rejoices and has fun, the mind is in pleasant excitement, then the face is joyful, according to the saying: “The heart is glad, the face blooms”” (Athos Patericon).
On the faces of the monks of the monastery of Abba Apollonius, a wonderful joy shone, a kind of divine delight, such as you would not see in other people on earth... If someone sometimes seemed darkened by grief, Abba Apollonius immediately asked about the reason for the sadness. Often, if a brother did not talk about the cause of grief, Abba himself revealed what was hidden in his soul... Abba Apollonius said that those for whom salvation is in God and hope in the Kingdom of Heaven should not indulge in grief. Let the pagans mourn, let the Jews cry, let the sinners weep - joy is fitting for the righteous! If those who love everything earthly rejoice at corruptible and unreliable objects, shouldn’t we burn with delight if we only truly expect heavenly glory and eternal bliss? Isn’t this what the apostle teaches us: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Thank you for everything” (). (Life of the Desert Fathers).
5.
Don't forget that laughter is therapeutic. A person needs it to survive, not to despair in this world. What are the dangers of taking things too seriously? The fact that before our eyes there may be gray glasses. Through them, the world appears joyless, unpromising, and therefore hopeless. In these cases, laughter is vital.
And even fasting involves joy. As confessor Sergius Fudel wrote: “If fasting is understood as, first of all, abstinence from non-love, and not from butter, then it will be a light fast and its time will be a “merry time of fasting” (Stichera on “Lord, I cried” on Tuesday evening 2nd week of Great Lent)".
You must be able to laugh at evil. “The all-laughing hell,” which the canon for Pentecost tells about, is, translated from Greek, “all-mocked hell.” Ridiculous in his pomposity, the devil is powerless in his malice and mediocre in his emptiness.
Christ, having descended into hell, laughed at Satan, crushed all his plans and saved people.
Christ is Risen! And we celebrate Easter with merry feet. These lines of the Easter Canon set a new dimension of joy and joy. Spiritual joy and spiritual joy are possible. Joy expresses itself in action, in a smile. You can start dancing with joy. It is no coincidence that the more emotional peoples of Ethiopia and Egypt dance rhythmically during the liturgy. This is not a reason to follow, but one of the arguments in favor of laughter. In the litany for the consecration of water at Epiphany, we ask: “About the existence of this water, leaping into eternal life...” The Lord entered the Jordanian waters to be baptized - they did not part at all, but galloped into eternal life, rejoiced, leaped (like a baby in the womb) , perked up with all creation, anticipating the liberation that was taking place. – This is the last bell for the lesson before the summer holidays. What will happen to schoolchildren? They will jump, chatter, throw their briefcases in the air, and rush along the corridors. - This is the state of the waters, the state of fun and joy! The Redeemer came, God appeared in fullness, a voice came from heaven...
The stories of the first monks, collected in the “Ancient Patericon”, “Spiritual Meadow” and “Lavsaik”, are dedicated to ridiculing the devil’s machinations. These collections are valuable because they were compiled in the 4th-6th centuries, in the era of the birth of monasticism, and fully convey its spirit. For example, let us turn to the “Spiritual Meadow”, to the description of the exploits of Abba Stephen, presbyter of Iliot:
“They also told about him that he was once sitting in his cell and reading - and then again a demon appeared to him in a visible way and said:
“Get out of here, old man, you won’t do any good here.”
“If, as I well know, you want me to be removed from here, then make sure that the chair I’m sitting on starts moving.”
And he was sitting on a wicker chair.
Having listened to the words of the elder, the devil made it so that not only the chair, but also the entire cell entered.
- You’re clever! - said the elder, seeing the devil’s cunning, - but I still won’t leave here.
The elder said a prayer, and the unclean spirit disappeared.”
And the founder of monasticism, the monk, himself a strict ascetic and ascetic, resorted to laughter for pedagogical purposes:
“Someone, while catching wild animals in the desert, saw Abba Anthony playfully treating the brethren, and was tempted. The elder, wanting to assure him that sometimes it is necessary to give relief to the brothers, tells him: “Place an arrow on your bow and draw it.” He did so. The elder again tells him: “Tighten it some more.” Tat pulled it still. The elder says again: “Tighten it some more.” The catcher answers him: “If I pull too hard, the bow will break.” Then Abba Anthony says to him: “So it is in the work of God - if we put too much pressure on the brothers, then they will soon be crushed by the attack. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to give at least some relief to the brethren.” Having heard this, the catcher was greatly moved and, having received great benefit, left the old man. And the brethren, having established themselves, returned to their place.”
“Internal orientation,” we will end our article with the words of the already quoted Fr. Mikhail Pershin - gives the highest meaning to every human action. So Christian culture rather welcomes laughter, but good laughter. The only thing that is unacceptable is solidarity with the forces of evil. Mocking someone else's grief, God's beauty, and goodness turns laughter - God's mercy - into a path to emptiness.
Sometimes laughter is devastating. Sometimes it gives you inspiration. There is a time for crying, and there is also a time for fun. There is a “time to lament” and “a time to dance” ().
You just need to learn to differentiate.”
Hieromonk Seraphim (Paramanov). “The Law of Love. How to live in the Orthodox way." Artos-Media. Moscow 2007
Satire in general is a dangerous temptation for any writer. It’s so easy to accustom yourself to a distorted view of the world. It's all a matter of measure. You can use some medicine in small doses, or you can overuse it - the medicine then turns into poison. Many satirists have experienced this.
MM. Dunaev
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Number of entries: 775
Hello! I started going to the Temple quite recently. She lived sinfully, didn’t think about anything, although she always believed in God. I recently lost my beloved adult son and the world turned upside down. Our father found the right words for me in those terrible moments. I find consolation in prayers. But always, if I start my conversation with the Lord our God, I start crying. I pray and cry. If I come to the Temple and stand in a certain place, tears simply flow. Maybe God is angry with me and doesn’t want to accept my prayers? But they really come from the heart! I would really like to have a mentor in matters of Orthodoxy. Lots of questions, but no one to ask them. I wouldn’t want to gain wisdom from grandmothers. They don't always say the right things either.
Galina
Galina, there is nothing wrong with tears, and tearful prayer is generally very valuable before God. Do not be embarrassed about tears, pray with firm faith that God hears you. But you really need to look for a confessor. Maybe you can turn to that father of yours again, because he already once found those very right words for you.
Abbot Nikon Golovko
Hello, I have been tormented by my conscience for sin for many years - I became pregnant in my youth and had to get married, I didn’t want a child, and while pregnant I thought about it and, accordingly, did not want anything good. Now my daughter has grown up, I love her very much, but she cannot find a job, despite a good education, or get married; since the age of 12 she has had thoughts of suicide. She is baptized, prays and attends church, nothing helps, they venerated holy relics, that doesn’t help either. I am in despair, what can I do for her, I went to confession, I pray. I have no idea how I can atone for my sin. Thank you.
Elena
Dear Elena, if in your youth you were unable to give your child maternal love, now is the time to make up for lost time. Don’t look for something mystical in today’s situation; the problem is psychological. Your support for your daughter and your heartfelt involvement in her life will help her. And repentance was needed not for your daughter, but for you yourself. I hope that your visit to the temple and confession was not a single episode. God bless you!
Archpriest Andrey Efanov
Hello, father! I am 16 years old. I've been feeling very depressed lately. The desire to pray disappeared, and even some kind of aversion to prayer appeared. I became very irritable, there was constant anxiety in my soul, I simply “eat up” all my experiences with food. A feeling of some kind of emptiness, I don’t want to do anything, a feeling as if my life is meaningless. I’m trying to somehow set myself up for good, but it’s not working. I used to pray willingly, during the day I tried to remember God more often, but now I don’t want to at all... Help me, please.
Maria
It happens, Maria. Sometimes it happens. No one promised us that since we have taken the path of a believer, we will follow it easily and naturally; we will always want to pray and do something good. No, there are other states. Just don’t get hung up on them, but on the contrary, repent and drive them away with repentance.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Irina
Hello Irina! Pregnant women often turn to the Mother of God in prayer. There is an icon called “Helper in Childbirth”. Before this image they offer the following prayer:
“O Glorious Mother of God, have mercy on me, Thy servant (name), come to my aid during my illnesses and dangers, with which all the poor daughters of Eve give birth to children. Remember, O Blessed One among women, with what joy and love You walked hastily to the mountainous country to visit Your relative Elizabeth during her pregnancy and what a wonderful effect Your gracious visit had on both mother and child. And according to Your inexhaustible mercy, grant me, Your most humble servant, to be freed from my burden safely; grant me this grace , so that the child, now resting under my heart, having come to his senses, with a joyful leap, like the holy baby John, worshiped the Divine Lord Savior, Who, out of love for us sinners, did not disdain to become a Child Himself. Unspeakable joy with which Your virginity was filled heart, when looking at your newborn Son and Lord, may it sweeten the sorrow that awaits me amid the pains of birth. May the life of the world, my Savior, born of you, save me from death, which cuts off the lives of many mothers at the hour of resolution, and may the fruit of my womb be numbered among number of God's chosen ones. Hear, O Most Holy Queen of Heaven, my humble prayer and look upon me, a poor sinner, with the eye of Your grace; do not shame my trust in Your great mercy and overshadow me. Helper of Christians, Healer of illnesses, may I also be honored to experience for myself that You are the Mother of mercy, and may I always glorify Your grace, which has never rejected the prayers of the poor and delivers all who call on You in times of sorrow and illness. Amen."
In addition, (if there is no toxicosis) I would advise you to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, at least twice a month. God help you!
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Good afternoon. It so happened that I began to communicate with Protestants, we visit hospitals and nursing homes together, helping and talking with people. I myself am Orthodox. Before any business they pray, tell me, can I communicate with them, is it not a sin? And should I pray with them?
Sveta
Dear Svetlana, wouldn’t it be better for you to organize your own circle to visit the weak and sick? In addition to the fact that joint prayer with non-Orthodox people cannot be approved, by your participation you are also helping to spread false religion among people.
Archpriest Andrey Efanov
Hello! Please explain to me from the point of view of the church why I am overcome by a terrible yawning while reading a prayer, what is the reason for this? And during a visit to the temple it’s the same... I’m baptized, but I was baptized after my parents’ divorce. Father is Muslim. Does this have anything to do with it? Thank you. Thank you for your reply!
Victoria
Victoria,
Yawning is caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood during increased brain activity. Schoolchildren and students yawn, they yawn at home and at work.
Prayer requires from us a special effort of our spiritual and mental abilities. Taking a deep breath replenishes the lack of oxygen.
This is the only thing relevant to the phenomenon described.
When they were baptized, who the father is is not important.
Priest Sergius Osipov
Hello! Maybe my question is a little strange, but I really want to know in order to be sure that my prayers will be answered. The thing is that when I pray and ask God for something, I do it silently (in my mind), is this right? And what is the correct way to ask for the repose of the soul of my deceased husband? Thank you.
Oksana
Oksana, what you pray in your mind is correct. If at the same time you are not too distracted from the words of the prayer, continue to pray, this is completely normal and natural.
And regarding prayers for the deceased, there is a canon for the deceased (or for the same-dead, as it is sometimes called) and a prayer, they can be found at this link: http://www.soborjane.ru/index/kanon_za_edinoumershego/0-2237. For the baptized deceased, it is imperative to order a church commemoration and, of course, do not forget to remember them in home prayer.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, now I’m sick, and the doctor told me not to get up, but when bad and vulgar thoughts come, I get up and go to the icon. Tell me, during an illness (sore throat) can you pray in bed?
Masha
Yes, Masha, you can pray in bed, if the illness is associated with bed rest. It’s better to lie down more, get well soon and pray as you are used to.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father. I am 26 years old. My husband and I are married, we really want children. We've been living here for 3 years and nothing happens. This summer we made a special trip to Samara and went to the religious procession (3 days). We attend church and began to observe fasts. But, unfortunately, the situation does not change. My mental balance is further complicated by the fact that I have not been able to find a job for 4 months. Sometimes I think, why am I even living? I try to drive them away, I understand that everything is from the evil one. But sometimes it’s difficult to control yourself. Lately I’ve started to think that we just need to reconcile ourselves, let go of the situation, rely on God in everything... It’s just very hard to realize that for some people children come very easily, often even for those who don’t want them at all. I, on the contrary, all my life I only dreamed of a family and children. I almost didn’t think about my career. And now it turns out that there are no children, no work... It can be very difficult at times, to the point of despair. Fortunately, my husband supports me, thank him very much. I hope for your advice. Save me, God...
Marina
Hello, Marina! In this situation, the most important thing is humility. Do not give up your aspirations and do not stop praying and visiting holy places. You can, for example, go to Diveevo to visit St. Seraphim of Sarov. I personally know many people to whom, through the prayers of Father Seraphim, the Lord gave children. God help you!
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
I recently learned about Saints Guria, Samon and Aviv, bought an icon and want to pray to them. I found three prayers to these saints. What would be correct: read all three or choose one?
Olesya
Olesya, both are correct. In this case, act as your soul tells you.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, I have complex, but very important questions for me, they are interconnected. For more than a year now, through prayer, I have been sincerely asking God to fulfill one of my requests; it is not related to money or other material goods, but is related to my friend. This request is very easy for God to fulfill; there is nothing special about it. Why doesn't God help me? The second question is related to the first, more precisely, with this person, my friend. For a year now, even a little more, I have been asking God to strengthen the friendship, although it is not bursting at the seams (although more on that later), it does not suit me, I want a stronger friendship and I have been praying for strengthening for a year now, in general nothing has changed, Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse.
Yesterday I asked God in prayer to answer me? Will we be friends in the future, and the very clear answer, if this is not a coincidence, depressed me and took me out of the rut, everything is falling apart. The questions are as follows, in addition to the first: Why doesn’t God change this situation for the better, although I’ve been asking him for this for a year now? I was disappointed in the power of prayer, but not in God, how can I believe in it again only when God hears?
Novel
Roman, have no doubt, God, heeding your prayer, is already correcting the situation, as you say, “for the better.” We will accept what is given to us as the best and most beneficial option for us.
We would be honored to beg for eternal friendship with the Saints, so that they would accept us into their host in Heaven, but human friendship is a transitory thing, it often happens and is not beneficial. Pray for the eternal.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! Thank you very much for your response! The fact is that I am from Japan, Orthodox churches are far from my city, our priests are Japanese, I have not yet learned the Japanese language. I have icons at home, I pray every day, but I have not received an answer to my prayers.
Natalia
Hello, Natalia! You can't get a straight answer. The Lord does not act directly, but through people, through various circumstances.
Here is a list of Orthodox parishes in Japan where you can confess in Russian - for example, in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky (affiliation: Moscow Patriarchate; location: Japan / Meguro; address: Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Shimo-Meguro, 6-2-2; Tel.: +81 3 3947 9404, fax: +81 3 3947 9404, mail : [email protected]; clergy: Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban; style: old;
Language of worship: Church Slavonic) or St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (affiliation: Moscow Patriarchate; location: Japan / Tokyo; address: 2-12-17 Hon-komagome Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113, Japan; tel.: +81 3 3947 9404, fax: +81 3 3947 9404, mail : [email protected], website: www.sam.hi-ho.ne.jp/podvorie; clergy: Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban; style: old; language of worship: Church Slavonic), or if it is far away, you can call them, they will tell you whether confession in Russian is possible somewhere else in Japan.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello, fathers! Recently, a video was posted on one website with an Orthodox prayer to the Mother of God - a beautiful performance to the music. Lots of great feedback and I thanked the performers. And here is the fly in the ointment: some very young girl started insulting believers, I couldn’t restrain myself and tried to reason with her, but I ran into such a nasty stream on her part - blasphemy against God in its purest form, it’s disgusting to remember what she wrote. Several more people tried to calm her down, but to no avail - well, that’s understandable. The question is: is it worth responding to such people at all, both on the Internet and in life - it is impossible to convince them, but it is also impossible to allow the name of God to be vilified (this is where the pussy-riots arise). How to behave correctly?
Catherine
Hello, Ekaterina! We must remember that God cannot be scolded, and everyone will have to answer for their own deeds. I do not recommend entering into such disputes with people who are non-believers and are clearly aggressively opposed to God and the Church, because they are initially not inclined to listen and accept arguments. Such disputes are pointless and cause spiritual harm.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Father, during menstruation, how and where can you pray, and can you touch the icon?
Maria
Hello Maria! You can pray both at home and in church. The main thing is that you must not take part in the Sacraments and touch sacred objects: icons, the Cross, the relics of the holy saints of God.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Tell me, please, Holy Father! When you read a prayer at home, should you cover your head with a scarf?
Galina
Most pious women pray at home, as in a temple - with their heads covered.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good day! On September 30, my father, the servant of God Alexander, died. Recently he said that he would not live to see 47 years old, as if he felt it. I am Orthodox, a believer, but, as happens in our time or due to age, I rarely went to church, no one taught me prayers. I want to find out from you whether I’m doing everything right: we buried dad in a small church, and ordered a memorial service on the 3rd and 9th days. In 7 churches and temples I ordered the magpie, every day I read the litia in front of the icons, including the one with which the father was buried. Every Sunday I go to church, leave food there and feed the birds. How else can I help my loved one? He suffered so much during his life, was very nervous, and drank because of it. And the last year he had only failures and his heart could not stand it...
Evgeniya
Evgeniya, you did everything right. There are, of course, some “folk” trends in what you do, for example, the magpie in seven churches or the obligatory feeding of birds, but these things are very good if you do not attach an excessively mystical meaning to them, but do them in simplicity and in memory about the deceased.
You still need to submit a registered note for the Liturgy on the fortieth day and perform a memorial service. And do not forget about alms in his memory: even feeding birds is alms, but you must also give alms for people.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! I am a believer, baptized. Every day at home I read morning and evening prayers, if possible I read canons, akathists and prayers. On twelve and great holidays I go to church. During the Divine Liturgy and Divine Service in the church, approximately from the beginning of the service to the middle, I feel bad (dizziness, my hands are sweating, I yawn and I feel like I’m about to fall, I want to leave the church to get some fresh air), Approximately after singing the Creed, I feel good, my condition returns to normal. When reading prayers at home, I don’t have such a bad state. Please tell me why this is happening to me and what should I do to get rid of such a bad condition? Thank you in advance.
Georgiy
George, first of all, do not be afraid of what is happening to you and do not retreat from prayer and the temple. This is the action of fallen spirits, demons, who do not tolerate anything good from us and hinder us with all their might when we follow the path of salvation. This condition should go away over time, just don’t succumb to their “provocations” and don’t leave the service.
Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! Servant of God George addresses you. My question is this. I was baptized 20 years ago. He considered himself a Christian, but he went to church only on holidays (and not always), and, one might say, did not fulfill God’s commandments. During this time I attended confession and communion only once. He was subject to all sins. And now the time has come when it has become impossible for me to continue living like this. I, like the prodigal son, returned to our Lord Jesus Christ. I started with repentance. Now I try to live by his commandments. I attend church once a week. I try to keep the posts. I follow the morning prayer rule in front of the iconostasis that I made for myself. But it is not possible to observe the evening rule in front of it (the iconostasis). So I go to bed. I have an audio recording of the evening rule on my cell phone. I turn it on and, together with the priest who reads it, I pray. Can I be considered to be following the evening prayer rule? After all, I am in bed before God. I feel like I'm violating. Isn't this a violation? Thank you!
The first and most serious mistake in prayer is the lack of prayer. This happens either because a person has never prayed and does not know how to begin this (and often - and why?..), or because the “cares of this age” have weakened a person so much that there is no longer room for God in his life. his life. In both cases, a person does not strive for God, and this disastrous state is called spiritual death. Our first parents died this way in paradise after eating the forbidden fruit, just as God warned them: “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, do not eat from it; for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2 , 17). No, formally they remained alive and active, only man, as a result of the Fall, did not want God, did not want to communicate with Him, began to hide from Him between the trees of paradise, avoiding now “unnecessary” conversations. And, if God Himself had not addressed him, he would no longer have found words for conversation. But those who were found as a result are tortured and breathe self-justification and the desire to quickly get rid of the awkward situation. In general, a person seems to answer God: “Leave me alone, I myself am now “like gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), that is, I know what is good for me (read - what I want), and what’s bad (which I don’t want), I’m self-sufficient for myself!” And while we are in the state of the old Adam, not renewed by the grace of Christ, this attitude is natural for us. Therefore, we do not want to pray, or go to the temple of God, or read the Holy Scriptures - in a word, to live a spiritual life. We don't need God!
It's terrible, but that's how it is. There is only one way out of this deadly disease - to do not what you want, but what you need. And the first of these things is to motivate oneself to prayer (that is, to communicate with God) and compel oneself to do this hard prayer work. And with this compulsion, that is, the struggle with ourselves, additional obstacles await us, put in place by fallen spirits in order to tear us away from communication with God. Therefore, the saints, who experienced these temptations, left us instructions on how to do prayer to help us, so that we would not be embarrassed, but would know what awaits us. And the first of these instructions and instructions is “prayer requires struggle until the last breath.” Therefore, dear ones, let us not lose heart in carelessness, but fight, knowing that our work is not in vain, especially since the Lord Himself constantly looks at the courageous worker and invisibly helps him.
For beginners, which we are in the overwhelming majority, the Church indicates a feasible path of prayer work - a daily prayer rule, consisting of reading morning and evening prayers according to the prayer book, or, if it is difficult, at least a feasible part of them. Here it is appropriate to recall the three most important properties of correct prayer (the teaching on prayer of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov):
1. attention to the meaning of prayer;
2. reverence, requiring slowness;
3. repentance.
In accordance with this, we are faced with the first three mistakes in prayer. Inattentive or formal prayer, which is not actually prayer, is an empty reading of the prayer rule. This often happens when the prayer book has already become a familiar book and often the “rules” have already been learned by heart. The soul is looking for an easy, broad path - not to pray. One remark should be made here: if the struggle is over prayer itself, then the question is: to read or not to read (“omit the prayer rule” - and it sounds so pious and even beautiful, especially for the “report” at confession), or Whether to read in full or to shorten it, then the answer is clear - it is necessary to read, at least somehow, at least for a little while, but read. This is the last frontier, only deserters flee from it.
The second temptation is hasty, irreverent reading of prayers, since usually, with addiction, “for some reason” there is no time left for them. We should look for some time in our daily routine to pray quietly, perhaps giving up something familiar, for example, evening TV, or, if we can’t figure it out ourselves, consult with our confessor on what to do. It is highly undesirable, but, as an exception, it is possible to shorten the prayer rule. It is better to make such decisions with the blessing of your confessor. Let us also note here that prayer reading can be quite fast (it would be better to say vigorous), but in this case it must be attentive.
The third temptation is the lack of a repentant mood. As a rule, this is enthusiastic prayer, or more precisely, prayer, emanating from an incorrect spiritual dispensation. This is the path to delusion, that is, self-deception, self-exaltation, the desire for spiritual heights, revelations, visions, miracles and other obvious supernatural confirmations of one’s own holiness. This is the most dangerous of all types of temptations, for it destroys the main thing - the result of prayerful work, the humility, tenderness and tears of repentance born from it. This is also one of the criteria for correct prayer. If we feel in our hearts some subtle vanity after prayer, or proud exaltation, or our own “spiritual exaltation,” then we are in a mistake. This temptation is usually characteristic of those who have already “achieved something”, those who, in addition to ordinary prayers, read canons, akathists, go on pilgrimage trips - in general, lead an extremely active Orthodox life. Of course, this does not mean that you do not need to read anything beyond the usual prayer rules or go on pilgrimages to holy places, but you must always remember about yourself that “you are miserable, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3, 17), and, moreover, protect your successes, unless they are imaginary, with the fear of God and humility.
The errors and temptations listed above can be called natural, since their causes are rooted in our fallen nature. Actually, temptations during prayer are the actions of fallen spirits that interfere with prayer or distort it. Such a temptation, first of all, is thoughts - that is, thoughts that come to the person praying and distract him from prayer, so that with his lips he continues to pray, but his mind and heart remain far away. And so you can spend the entire time of cell prayer, reading everything “supposed to be read,” or stay in church during the service from beginning to end, without praying at all. Therefore, in the invasion of thoughts, often, by the way, very pious or even vitally necessary, but related to foreign objects, we can understand the malice of the enemy, who wishes us only one thing - eternal destruction. There is only one way out of this temptation - to stop “extraneous conversations,” that is, “not to accept,” not to pay any attention to them, but to pay attention to the prayer being read, “putting your mind into its words.” Let us note here that we ourselves cannot get rid of thoughts, that is, incoming thoughts; only the grace of God can give us this coveted silence and freedom from them. If they come, no matter what content they hide behind - pious in appearance or blasphemous, formless or representing a certain form of the mind, prodigal and obscene, foul or meaningless, empty - let us in no way pay attention to them as destructive our appeal to God, and let us not be embarrassed. The Holy Fathers offer us the following experience - an image of struggle with thoughts - the mind, standing guard over the heart, strikes the approaching thought with the name of Jesus (in the Jesus Prayer), does not allow it to enter the human heart. It is this image that explains the words of Psalm 136 of the Prophet David: “Blessed is he who has and will dash your babies against the stone” (Ps. 136:9). Babies are not those who have become stronger in the heart, but only thoughts that have come from outside, while the stone is Christ. One must distinguish the thoughts of the enemy from a gracious answer to a sincere heartfelt prayer. The thought of the enemy always brings confusion or emptiness into the soul and has a taste of deceit; The human spirit in this case is always as if restless. On the contrary, grace always makes the mind clear to see the truth, the heart meek and calm, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). There is also an external sign for distinguishing thoughts: God, first of all, shows a person his sin, but at the same time the soul does not feel despair, but the joy of repentance and the desire to get rid of it in the same peaceful spirit. The enemy, with the same external thought, strives to inspire despair and lack of hope in God’s mercy.
The next type of temptation is demonic visions. They can be either visible to the bodily eyes or appear in the mind in the form of visual images. They can be in the form of the appearance of light or angels, or saints, or even Christ Himself - naturally, false. The categorical requirement of the holy fathers in their teaching on prayer is the rejection of any visions. We are sinful people and are not worthy to see either the saints, or the light of the Divine (that is, Tabor!), and, especially, the Savior Lord. We need only one thing - repentance, which will not take away, but will preserve us in the grace of true prayerful communion with God. If a person begins to trust these visions, and, even worse, to look for and wait for them, then he falls into demonic delusion and, in the end, dies, going crazy. They will ask: aren’t there real appearances of saints or angels or the Lord Himself? There are! - we will answer those who are curious, but not us. The criterion of confusion of the grace-filled peace in the soul also applies here, but the rejection of the vision for us, as unworthy, is considered to be prudence, which is boasted by the Lord. In any case, extreme caution and adherence, even in seemingly grace-filled sensory miraculous phenomena, to the advice of the holy fathers is necessary - “do not accept and do not blaspheme.”
This temptation is accompanied by another mistake in prayer, which often gives rise to the temptation itself - the person praying “turns on” the imagination and begins to sensually, as if apparently, imagine to whom his prayer is addressed - Christ, the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity, saints, angels and etc. According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, prayer should be “formless”, the imagination should be silent, only the mind is invested in the words of prayer, and what follows is a matter of grace. Unfortunately, this incorrect way of prayer has been accepted as the main one in Catholicism and has given rise to many deluded pseudo-saints.
In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of St. Barsanuphius of Optina: “The devil can give a person everything - the priesthood, monasticism, archimandriteship, bishopric, patriarchate, but he cannot give the Jesus Prayer.” And, although this is said in an address to monastics, their essence is clear for the laity: true prayer is a gift of God. Let us follow this gift, let us work to return to the blessed communion with God, and the time of prayer will become for us the most desirable time of true life.
And lastly, it happens that prayer “does not work”, both with zeal and with external correctness. Let us then look at our life and state of soul, do they correspond to the commandments of the Gospel? For the words of the Supreme Apostle are also addressed to us in general: “You also, husbands, treat your wives wisely... showing them honor as joint heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7). For if the saying is true: “As a person prays, so he lives,” then the opposite is no less important: “As a person lives, so he prays.”
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Are there any restrictions on jokes during Lent, how not to judge or offend with a joke, what does it mean to “laugh at demons” - Archpriest Artemy VLADIMIROV, rector of the Church of All Saints in Krasnoye Selo, continues to reflect on Orthodox humor and tells his favorite joke about a swallow.
Is it possible to joke and laugh during Lent or do you need to lament your sins more? Is there some kind of Lenten self-restraint on laughter?
- Laughter is different. At the Institute for Noble Maidens, bonnies and teachers taught Russian girls of noble and merchant origin not to expose their gums when smiling.
Interestingly, this exactly corresponds to the recommendations of the strict hermit fathers. In such educational institutions, girls were recommended to smile to the extent corresponding to pronouncing the word “raisin”, when the lips part only slightly, but do not expose the gums. And laughter, cackling and youthful “neighing”, which likens a laughing person to a famous animal with four hooves, was considered completely inappropriate, indecent, ugly, unseemly, contrary to the concept of good upbringing.
In my opinion, laughter is not a sin if it is not associated with condemnation and slander. For there is laughter and a smile that heal. Look: how many melancholic people are around us, with a depressed soul, anxious, and, frankly speaking, with an unhealthy psyche. Any doctor who communicates with such patients, or a priest-confessor, who in the thick of the people professes people of all ages and conditions, develops for himself a certain psychological defense and style of communication with people.
We try to follow the precepts of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Comfort the faint-hearted, always rejoice, be fervent in spirit, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” A spiritually mature Christian, of course, by fasting fulfills the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ: “When you fast, do not be like the Pharisees and hypocrites, who put on a sad appearance, but anoint your head with oil and your face with water,” that is, have an image of joy, lightness, friendliness , good nature. Be radiant with the energy of love and cheerfulness as the Apostle Paul teaches us: “Be luminaries in this corrupt world.”
So, laughter is not a sin when it creates, sets the mood for good, sheds consolation on weak souls, relieves tension, and defuses a conflict situation. We are accustomed to judging each tree by its fruits, so I will never make sanctimonious claims to a priest or an ordinary Christian, hearing him laugh, seeing his wide smile, even with the exposure of metal ceramics, if the fruit of communication is the creation of an atmosphere of peace and love. Try today (I speak as a teacher) to conduct a good, meaningful, rich lesson with high school students...
You know that the best means of moral influence is making fun, ridiculing a vice, and this also involves certain playful elements, even skits. A good teacher will not only tell you, but also demonstrate by his own example how ridiculous, pathetic and disgusting vice is, and this implies the use of facial expressions and gestures. A man in a uniform, in a case, buttoned up with all the buttons will never be able to achieve his pedagogical goals if he remains melancholic, “malacholic,” anemic in the face of teenagers and youth.
Therefore, fasting is a time of sobriety, a time of concentrated standing before God, when we are called to feed our souls with God’s grace. A wise Christian is like a bee that collects nectar from different flowers and inflorescences. He will be extremely varied in his behavior and approaches to people. His manners cannot be placed in some kind of Procrustean bed of “decent” behavior. One must be able to “be all things to all people,” therefore every situation, every meeting with a person should contribute to the secret intention of a Christian to bring mental and spiritual benefit to the hearts of people.
- Do you use humor in your sermons and conversations?
- Certainly. Undoubtedly. Try (if we are talking about speaking in front of an audience) for one and a half or two hours to keep it in good shape, that is, in unflagging attention to the subject of the speech. Having mistakenly chosen an academic style of communication for yourself, and, God forbid, in a monotonous voice, from a high bell tower, uttering moral maxims, then, at the end of the lecture, opening your eyes, you will see only empty chairs.
It must be borne in mind that human nature does not tolerate monotony. Knowing that the best relaxation is a change of classes or registers, genres of speech, any more or less experienced preacher, teacher, pedagogue, in accordance with the genre of communication with the audience, will resort to both lyrical digressions and funny but edifying stories. He will alternate the height of his speech with, perhaps, simple, common expressions.
Where rhetorical skill is present, we will see a variety of intonations, approaches, and styles of speech, which most closely resembles God's world, which always appears new in the eyes of its contemplators. Change of day and night, winter and summer; an endless variety of colors, lines, shapes, sounds, smells - all this teaches us to avoid monotony, sameness as the most evil enemy. Especially if your speech has a public, sharp sound!
The reader of “Neskuchny Sad”, I think, is oriented in geopolitics and diplomacy, knows the state of the world. Most of us know what disastrous persecution pours out from the lips of the imperialist elite, who twist their mouths overseas while spreading slander against Mother Russia. A true church vitija (preacher) will resort to humor as a well-thought-out technique, as a kind of Aesopian language.
Only a “fool-simple” calls a spade a spade, but a more or less wise person knows that the most powerful, emotional verbal impact will occur in the case of correctly placed accents, hints and half-hints. If you are not listening to an after-school group in a kindergarten, but to a modern, enlightened audience, then trust your experience - humor, in which what is desired, for example, is presented in the form of reality, when names are not named, but the type of person is outlined, correlates with the classical measure , which must certainly characterize the speech of a cultured person.
- There is an expression: “to laugh at the demons,” what does it mean?
- A variation of this very wise and wonderful expression, which could only have been born among the patriarchal Russian people, is represented by the following phrase: “Live so that the demons do not laugh at you.” And indeed, when a person becomes a target of sin, when he falls for the bait of temptation, the demons are above him laughing. Everything is good in moderation, but “what is not in moderation comes from the evil one.” Accordingly, a wise Christian who gains mastery over the passions, fighting not “with flesh and blood, but with the spirits of wickedness in high places,” must crush the horn of Satan and resemble a goldfish. In what sense? You cannot cling to anything, but it is appropriate to deftly avoid obstacles, achieving your goals with worthy means. To laugh at demons means to be such a spiritual person (armed with the sword of prayer and the shield of humility) that, walking in the flesh, one turns out to be an experienced fighter and conqueror of fallen spirits. These are the blessed fools for Christ's sake.
We see that the Savior, who never acted like a fool, sometimes acted in the spirit of the biblical prophets, for example, when expelling merchants from the temple. He teaches us to use parables in defense and attack in verbal battles.
Influent language is camouflaged speech, designed for subtlety of perception. One could say about her: “to the wise it is enough.” This is an image of a sermon, sanctified by the gospel example, addressed to a non-church audience in the modern world.
You cannot give a reason to those looking for a reason, but you must use gentle humor to repel the red-hot arrows of human invective, rudeness, bad taste, which today is predominantly characteristic of ill-mannered people who often appear in the political arena.
That is why His Holiness Patriarch Kirill constantly declares that not everyone dressed in church clothes can keep their word in the media or participate in verbal duels and debates. But let these be those who, in addition to church obedience, also have gifts and talents, acquired skills, to serve for the building of the Church, for its defense, for the disgrace of the strongholds of the evil one. A church person must not become a pitiful laughingstock for a rude audience with fallen tastes.
- Father Artemy, please tell me one last funny story!
- I don’t know if the readers of “Neskuchny Sad” have heard the definition of a penguin. Who is the penguin? The penguin is a swallow that used to eat after 10 pm.
Here's another little story for you, but an extremely thoughtful one. It seems to me that neither Omar Khayyam nor the Japanese emperors rose to the heights of this story.
The bunny, looking at the sky with eyes full of tears, said: “Those who truly love should not be afraid of suffering,” and tightly hugged the hedgehog standing next to him!
Why do you want to cry (or vice versa, laugh) during prayer?
Reading a prayer (a monotonous phrase) leads to a temporary shutdown of consciousness (similar to meditation or hypnosis) and then, instead of thoughts, only emotions remain, directed towards the idea of prayer. The sincerity of the prayer determines the strength of the emotional response. Repentance also removes the armor of speculation and frees us from the influence of pride.
Tears or laughter are a defense mechanism of the body, which (in this case) has lost the protection of the mind (consciousness). These are reactions of the joy of liberation and the sadness of delusion; the melancholy of loneliness at unity with others.
If you want to cry or laugh, then your nervous system is at its limit and you are turned on at half speed, as they say. It is called a neurotic state.
A person at this time is on the verge of neurosis.
I experienced this condition myself and I know what I’m talking about.
I had a very difficult time, I lived on the edge of life and death every day. Then all the dangers passed and she overcame all the difficulties, but when she wanted to say something sincere, tears came to her eyes.
I understood that my nerves were not in order. I started sleeping more, not getting overtired, and everything went away.
You simply still have a rather weak spirit. When you pray, vibrations increase, and when they resonate with what you are used to, i.e. Lower vibrations produce tears. The soul begins to cleanse itself. If you practice prayer for a long time and every day, then, over time, you will not want to cry, but a state very similar to what is called trance will begin to occur. Later, during prayer, creative inspiration may come. Or suddenly answers and solutions that you have been persistently looking for, but could not find, may begin to arrive. Then it may happen that you yourself begin to feel the energies and vibrations emanating from all living things. Later, you may even begin to see and feel the spiritual world. Tears are an indicator that your soul has come into contact with the Divine.
During prayer, your soul is directed towards God. This is probably why there are tears, because the soul cries. But why she cries can be caused by different reasons: these can be tears of joy, tears of repentance, tenderness and something else that only God knows. Like that.
So, pray sincerely, with tenderness. Then it’s good that you want to cry.
Now I also want to cry and I’m crying...
And, if you want to laugh while you are praying, this is a temptation, so the enemy attacks so that the prayer is not reverent.
More often, during prayer, a person just wants to cry, because in this way his soul responds to the given vibrations of prayer. And prayer is the strongest reaction of our soul to its words.
Prayer is not just words, every prayer contains its sacred meaning, which means something.
And to laugh during prayer is, of course, nonsense, and is not a completely adequate state. After all, the words of the prayer need to be repeated not mechanically, but to understand what they are talking about and the meaning of these words, usually this really is a release for the human soul. And release is letting go and calming down, and from there there may be tears.
Of course, I’m not a priest, so I can’t say it nicely...
But, my grandmother said about this, and she was a very wise woman, that if a person cries during prayer, it means his prayer is sincere and he opens his soul, and his soul is pure, and when tears flow by themselves in front of some icon, especially the Mother of God - it means his prayer was heard. With tears we receive cleansing.
But if a person wants to laugh during prayer or service, it means demons are fighting for his soul or his thoughts are not pure.
