Feeling unwell after going to church. Poor condition after attending church. How to spend Sundays and holidays
Hello. Please answer the question without "sarcasm" and "jokes" if you have nothing to say, pass by. I don't go to church very often, but I do. I always light candles for the health of my loved ones, I pray in my own words. But always after those whom she prayed, they begin to quarrel or people have troubles. The same applies to yourself. I feel good in the church, there are no problems with this. And not so long ago, because of problems with my brother (we were already desperate), my mother and I went to 3 churches, ordered magpies for health, and prayed. And literally 2 days later I got sick, she got sick, and mowed down all the people whom they entered. Morally, every day I am squeezed more and more, sometimes I think that I will not mentally endure the end of reading 40 mouths. I can’t find a sensible answer to this question, someone says that the energy is being cleansed, someone that it’s bad. We ordinary people, baptized, with their problems and joys. I know that everyone in my family has a kind soul .... why is this happening, give advice.
The fact that you pray for your neighbors ... well, now you need to participate in the sacraments of the church so that there is no gap between your prayers and reality ... from here and health problems ...
A lot of nonsense and nonsense have been written here, although there are good advice. But first of all, decide on the church of which you are a parishioner. Speak to the rector if there are any concerns and prepare for communion. Most often, suffering and illness come to us as a lesson for disobedience and breaking fasts. Try to fast regularly and correctly, read the prayer rule and everything will work itself out.
Churches and all possible branches of religions were originally created to rule the masses, as laws are now (criminal, administrative, labor, etc.), education was also through the church, which means you can rub 1000 children with what you need and after 20 years an obedient army of believers , replenished every year, another question is where you will then send this army and for what purposes. And GOD, or the creator of everything on this planet and the planet in particular, may be the Gods, the creators of them along the way, this is not necessary, sinners go to church, and you are apparently clean and kind soul, which means there’s nothing for you to do there, to attract other people’s sins, thereby pushing you away from there, if you didn’t understand, two, then it reflects more strongly on you and your family. Or maybe, on the contrary, you are sinners too much, and thus through torment and illness you are cleansed (for some reason, it seems to me that they will answer in the church). These are just my two mind conclusions, please do not judge.
Your trips to church have nothing to do with it. .
Notice how God intervenes in our thoughts. . Have you seen him yourself? He does not interfere with what must develop of itself in its own way.
This suggests that you simply wasted time in church for your own illusion that your loved ones suddenly evolve as opposed to natural development.
In fact, God is not to solve problems, on the contrary, He gives himself to us in Communion, forgives in Confession, saturates the soul with the Word, and we must solve problems ourselves, for this we were given the Commandments and the opportunity to repent...
the church is the army of Christ. when you do good. hostile demons get angry and attack your relatives. for you to stop doing it. don't give in to them. if they understand. that your faith is strong. no doubt and determined. they will retreat
Here are those who say "energy is being cleaned" would pull out their tongues. There is no such term in Christianity. This is a sign for you to try. When were you at confession, when did you take communion? Write to me in a personal, we will analyze, I will try to help.
God is the Creator of the universe, He created space, time, matter. He established the laws of nature, created thousands of species of animals, birds, fish, created plants, mountains, and created all this for the person whom He created.
The Lord God also created the Angels and endowed them with free will, just like humans. One of the most strong angel-Dennitsa (Satan) became proud, wanted to become like God and was crushed with the angels who joined him in the lower spiritual world. This devil seduced the first people to disobedience to the Supreme Creator and people lost their original state. But God promised them that the Savior would come to earth, who would restore the connection with God. This was His Only Begotten Son, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. (We Christians believe in One God, but trinity in Persons) * Holy Trinity Consubstantial and inseparable Father Son and Holy Spirit. God became a man death on the cross for us, shedding His blood for everyone's sins. Man has free will if he accepts this sacrifice of Christ for us, . Corrects his life, struggles with sin, then God forgives the sinner. We need to participate in the sacraments established by God Himself, which are confession and communion. confession is when a person comes to the temple and before God in the presence of a priest reveals his sins at the lectern with the Cross and the Bible and has the intention to no longer commit his evil deeds. God forgives the repentant sinner and gives strength to correction. Communion or the Eucharist is the GREATEST miracle and sacrament. In which bread and wine are transmuted into the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, exactly the same that He shed 2000 years ago for us. The substance for the Sacrament does not visibly change its properties, but becomes the true Blood of Christ. And by partaking of it, a person is united with the Lord, his sins are washed away by the Blood.
Thoughts are material! Stop believing in it, Not in God, but in the situation! This is difficult, but try to think about it as little as possible and prove to yourself that this happens after going to church or praying! Have you asked the priests?
God gives you trials to strengthen your spirit... it’s just so mowed down by everyone, than they fell ill with a common cold, isn’t everyone with cancer? The Lord does not give us trials that we cannot endure. I am more than sure that your family is the beloved children of Christ, how can you be afraid of something? ! In my opinion, it is not worth associating all the problems and negative aspects that arise around with divine providence ... after all, all our troubles are from our misguided will ... but faith in Christ, in his presence, multiplies our strength in the fight against any evil and troubles, gives us peace and grace
Number of entries: 43
Hello! I have such a problem, as soon as I go into the church, I immediately feel uneasy, my head is spinning, but somehow I was at a fortune teller, she said that I was walking under the devil. Sometimes it seems that something is twitching inside. And, if it matters, I was born on Friday the 13th. Can you please explain what that could be?
Vitaly
Vitaly, you don’t need to go to fortune-tellers anymore, no matter how much worse they do to you, but go to the temple, don’t leave, over time this temptation will leave you. This enemy will not let you go: either you went to visit him, to that fortuneteller, or maybe you read some kind of occult literature, they amused him, and now you turned away from him and went to God. How will he like it? Here it is spiteful, frightening, tempting, it gives all sorts of sensations to feel. And don't be afraid! But through such "tricks" you will be even more convinced that there is a spiritual world. And when it gets bad, you can even say: “Thank you, enemy, you strengthen me in faith with your tricks: if there is such rubbish as you in the spiritual world, then, therefore, there are angels, and the Lord Himself, here I am to them and I will strive!
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father. When I stand in the service, I feel bad - first there comes a continuous yawning, then bad. The same goes for the subway. Doctors say it's heart failure syndrome. How to be?
Iraida
Quite possibly, Iraida, it is. In any case, the situation in the subway is not at all similar to spiritual warfare. Consult with your parish priest, perhaps it is simply stuffy in your church.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good afternoon, father. I have a difficult situation - my mother-in-law has schizophrenia, and my wife has some kind of mental illness, because of which we have a very limited ability to marital cohabitation. The mother-in-law, leaving the house, turns off electrical appliances, the wife turns them off before going to bed, because "they squeak." My wife wanted a wardrobe with mirrored doors, I bought it for her, so she went to sleep in another place - she is afraid of mirrors. He doesn’t listen to me or the priests, but on all issues he turns to the Internet, or to his friends. controversial situations incapable of a calm dialogue, immediately breaks into a heart-rending cry, even if it is two in the morning. It came to breaking dishes and throwing the phone. On Saturday, because of her, we did not go to church, because "on Saturday you have to go to church only if you take communion." And this despite the fact that there is a post in the yard! Then she gave me something that makes me still in a stupor: “I feel bad in the temple, my faith is not confirmed by anything, why does God need my torment, because no one asked me to be born.” She uttered many other terrible words, but when I asked her: "So you are a Christian or not," she answered: "I don't know." How do I not know! It became unbearable to live with her - I am constantly afraid that she will lay hands on herself, probably, from this I will soon be moved by my mind. For some reason, the priest who married us does not allow divorce, although there are all reasons for this. What should I do?
Alexei
Dear Alexey, a lot of patience and love is needed in your situation. Your wife feels bad, she is nervous, and you need to understand why and why, what problems oppress her so much. If this is a mental disorder, a doctor's consultation is necessary, and it may take a lot of effort for her to agree to go. He listens more than to you, to his girlfriends - it means that a common language has not developed very well. You seem to be more of a rational person, and your wife lives more with emotions. Learn mutual understanding, go to the contact that she understands. Slowly figure out what's going on. In the meantime, we must be sympathetic to unexpected, seemingly strange actions, such as turning off electrical appliances. Some people especially feel either electro or magnetic fields, and experience discomfort from electrical engineering. Without understanding what internal problem, beware of putting pressure on compliance with the outside. Do not appeal to the concepts of "you are a Christian." Not words will help here, but an ardent prayer for the spouse. May God help you!
Priest Sergiy Osipov
Hello! Tell me, please, what to do, what to do if things get bad in the church? When I stand in the service, I feel very bad, there is ringing in my ears, I feel sick. The grannies who are there say that, despite this, we must stand. But I can't - it's too bad. And I want to go to church. Tell me how to proceed? Thank you
Kate
Katya, first of all, do not be afraid and not embarrassed, it happened to many, this will pass. Secondly, to understand that these conditions are brought down on us by the devil, our enemy, if you do not retreat and give in, then win: he can only scare us, but the Lord will not allow him to really harm him. On the other hand, how is this not a reinforcement in faith?! See how it works? And thereby involuntarily assures us that there really is a spiritual thin world and that in this world some people feel very bad because we are going to God.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father. I have a question. Everything changed in my worldview after I came to faith, but when I come to the temple, I cannot hold back my tears, especially when I hear singing or stand at miraculous icons, and I tremble during confession, and I am so ashamed, and sobs I’m choking that I can’t say a word, but then, like a mountain, I moved, but I don’t stop crying. I am ashamed of this, no one is crying, but I am in tears, and people are watching, I have already become afraid to go to the temple, and suddenly I will burst into tears again. What is it, how to deal with it?
Elena
Don't fight it, Elena, it's very good! Tears of tenderness are a wonderful gift. If they flow, don't hold back, don't be shy. Of course, you don’t need to somehow artificially evoke them in yourself or stir up some other emotions in the church, but if you already have tears, don’t be embarrassed: it’s good to cry about your sins, about your life.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, today I was at the morning service with my mother, 30-40 minutes passed, and I suddenly became ill, began to burn in my head, ring in my ears, closed my eyes, got lost in space. With difficulty I reached the shop, I felt a little better, then they took me out into the street and I felt good, and I returned to the temple. This is the second time, tell me, please, what is happening to me? Thank you.
Daniel
This can happen for various reasons, Daniel. And from spiritual reasons, when the demon begins to tempt us, and simply from stuffiness in the temple and the smoke of candles, if there are too many of them. It is best to talk about this with the priest at confession: here you will need to delve into the reasons together.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! I am pregnant! After I found out, I can't stand a single service. Before that everything was fine. Please tell me what to do and why is this happening? Thank you.
Marina
Hello Marina. It is better to think about God while sitting than standing about your feet. Standing service is not necessary. You can hatch them. And get up only at the most crucial moments - for the reading of the Gospel and for the Eucharistic canon. The main thing is that you do not forget to pray. There is nothing to be ashamed of. God help you.
Priest Alexander Beloslyudov
Hello! Father, please help me. Sometimes when I come to church I feel like crying. Sometimes tears come out of the eyes on their own during the service, for no apparent reason. Tell me, is this normal? I don't understand why I want to cry.
Masha
Masha, just the soul yearned without God. It would be best for you to prepare somehow for confession, communion, come early in the morning to the service, repent of your sins, cleanse your soul, and take communion with a clear conscience. That would be solace for the soul! And they would do it more often. And so, of course, our situation is deplorable - and the sea of \u200b\u200bsins, and on the cleansing of the soul from them, we will be frank, we do not work, as we should. This is where the tears will flow.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, fathers! When they were getting married in the church, she fainted, but the priest held the wedding to the end after some time. My mother's friend asked the ministers of the church how to feel about this, they said that I would bear all the hardships of family life on my shoulders and I needed to be patient. Is it really? And another question, I heard that you can’t cry for the dead, they feel bad there, is that so?
Svetlana
Hello Svetlana! I think such a strange explanation was given not by the priest, but by some church employee from the category of "church grandmothers." Such explanations should not be trusted. Even the holy Apostle Paul warned: “Resist the wicked and the fables of women, but train yourself in godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). Family life itself is a common bearing of the Cross, and fainting does not matter here. In relation to the dead, we must mourn, but with the hope of God's mercy and eternal life. Inconsolable crying can only speak of our unbelief.
Priest Vladimir Shlykov
Hello, father! I have a friend with whom I have many common interests, both personal and professional. This year, she declared herself a "healer" after several sessions with a man who calls himself a sorcerer. Now she "heals" people with conspiracies and, as she says, with prayers; "takes strength" from the trees. This is alien to me, like a wall has grown in front of me, after ten years of good, fruitful communication, I completely lost the desire to communicate. And the most surprising thing for me is that I can’t go into church with her, just go in, light a candle, I can’t pray if she is next to me. So I remain at the threshold, and she enters. I can't pray next to the "healer". What is this, my pride? How should I behave?
Larisa
Larisa, all sorts of "healers", "sorcerers", "psychics" are servants of the dark forces. Your friend uses magic - this is witchcraft, it is ungodly. If you can’t convince, then it’s better to stay away from such a “girlfriend”, otherwise, what’s good, communicating with her, you yourself will begin to “treat people”. It's not pride, it's just that your soul feels that it's not from God. Go to church without her, alone. Or find yourself another girlfriend, Orthodox.
Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)
Hello. Recently, at the age of 63, my father died. He accepted baptism consciously at the age of 40, but did not go to church. He said that he felt bad there, that from childhood he felt uncomfortable there, something like fear. And his back always hurt a lot, he could not stand for a long time. I don't know if it's always after baptism, but at least recent years ten constantly wore pectoral cross. I think he did not know prayers, although I may be mistaken. But almost every day he went up to the icons at home, was baptized, and asked God for something. Lately it seemed to me that he was getting closer spiritually to God. But at the same time, he moves away from him in his actions: he suffered from the sin of drinking wine. He died (was sober) suddenly, from a stroke. What I now regret very much, if he lay down for at least a few days, maybe we could invite a priest to the hospital or home. But that was the will of God. Can the soul of a person who turned to God but did not go to church have hope for salvation? How to pray for him?
Tatiana
Tanya, we Christians believe that the judgment of God is more merciful than the judgment of man. Pray for dad and don't despair. Your diligence is his justification before the Lord that he has a Christian daughter.
Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy
Father, good afternoon! Today I was at confession in a note my sins were listed: irritation, resentment, condemnation. Batiushka reproached me for being so nervous. I consulted with him that after the patristic books, this world seems hostile to me, I worry about the child, that there is a lot of abundant destructive information in the world ... Batiushka said that only my nervousness could affect the child. I felt a little embarrassed. I try to improve, it is difficult for me to get away from my passions, I repent, I pray, I ask God for help, I want the child to be healthy and pious. Today I felt bad again in the temple.
Marina
Marina, situations like the one you described are just passing, commonplace for spiritual life. Yes, confessors sometimes reproach us, sometimes they are even very strict with us. And there is a reason! If we are petted on the head all the time, what will grow out of us? We must remember that we did not come to the temple to look for caresses, but serious spiritual people. Those of the parishioners who came only to be pitied, believe me, very soon fall off the temple. Do not grieve, try to accept the priest's reproach with wisdom: we have nothing to be offended with - we are only taking the first clumsy and rather lazy steps in faith, along the path of salvation. Reproaches and shakes are our dear guests, without them, in caress and bliss, none of us will be saved.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! I went to the temple on the Exaltation of the Lord early service. This day was my birthday. I lit candles for the saints, stood in the service for 50 minutes. Then I suddenly became ill while reading the Gospel, my eyes darkened and nausea began, I could not stay on my feet, I understand that I will fall now. This is the first time with me. I left the temple, but the fresh air did not help me either, so I went home. It didn't get any better at home. I believe in God, I don't do magic, I go to the temple. I cannot understand why this happened. I really wanted to stay until the end of the service, but the condition did not allow. I am very ashamed and embarrassed that I left the temple at such a moment, because it is impossible. Why is this so, and what could it be connected with?
Vivey
Dear Vivea, do not attach importance to what happened if it does not happen again. If this becomes a regular occurrence, consult a doctor. At your age, what happened may be the cause of hormonal changes in the body. And, of course, pray before the service that the Lord will help and this will not happen again. God bless you!
Archpriest Andrey Efanov
After going to church for services, for confession, for Communion, I already felt bad several times. Tell me what it says? Tell me what to do? Thank you.
Peter
Peter, I am not inclined to immediately give this ailment some kind of spiritual connotation, although this, of course, happens. I think this may be the result of fatigue, early rises to the service in the morning, perhaps stuffiness in the temple. Do not rush to worry. But don’t stop praying either, otherwise the demon will take advantage of this situation and will simulate such attacks for you, just not to let you into the temple.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Bless, father! The last time, when I had just taken communion and was already listening to the Prayers of Thanksgiving, my nose suddenly began to bleed. I don’t know what it is connected with, I just think that everything happens not by chance, and I don’t think this is just an accident either. And they immediately gave me a napkin, it was all covered in blood. What should I do with this napkin? I did not throw it away, because it all happened after the acceptance of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Svetlana
Svetlana, you could just throw away the napkin, no need to add mysticism to such simple things, and the situation, even if it happened after the sacrament. Everything is fine! Do not worry.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Good afternoon I went to communion on my birthday, got a headache in church, and after that I became very irritable, nervous, even quarreled with the saleswoman in the store, I was surprised by my behavior. Today is the second day, and the state too. What could it be?
Natalia
Natalia, this is the most banal temptation. Too bad you succumbed to it. This often happens: the enemy attacks a person either before he is going to the temple, or after. Be more vigilant for the future.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello! I don't have much opportunity to visit church services, because I live very far from the nearest Church, and my grandfather cannot take me every time, so I often pray at home. But with breaks: for example, the first week I pray, and the second one too, but on the third week I’m already too lazy. And now, after one week, I begin to pray again, and in the morning I (during prayers) feel very ill! I paused, lay down, and then continued again. And again I felt so bad that I could not even stand on my feet! This has never happened before! Only in the Church, perhaps.
Anna
Anna, there is no need to leave prayer, especially for you, in your position, when you cannot often go to church and receive spiritual reinforcement. Try, at least, when you manage to come to the service, to go to confession and communion without fail, this will strengthen you greatly. And if for a long time there is no opportunity to get to the service, then you can also agree with the priest to take communion at home. Hold on to these simple rules and I hope your infirmity will pass.
hegumen Nikon (Golovko)
Hello, father! I am on my way to becoming a church. Unfortunately, I am not a strong and hardy person. I am not distinguished by good health, I suffer from frequent headaches, I get very tired. For me, even to defend the service in the temple is a serious test. Because of this, I don’t visit the temple often (depending on how I feel). I understand that the Lord gives each of us the trials that he is able to endure, for our own good. However, I feel guilty about not being able to become a good Christian! How to be? What do you advise, father? And 1 more question. Is it possible to shorten the morning and evening rule? Is there any obligatory minimum of morning and evening prayers? Unfortunately, I often do not have enough strength and time to read all the morning and evening prayers contained in my prayer book.
Olesya
Hello Olesya. What happened can be explained by physical causes. Perhaps six hours of stress is too much for a teenage girl. Do not doubt, the Lord God hears the prayer appeals of all who came to bow to the Holy Relics of the Blessed One, and the feat of your standing did not go unnoticed by God. God bless.
Priest Sergiy Osipov
Good afternoon On Sunday I went to confession and communion. Already after the confession (at the service) I felt bad (the lower back ached, my head was spinning). After communion, it got even worse - she lay at home until the evening, besides, some kind of depression began, such a heaviness in her soul ... But in the evening everything suddenly passed - the pain subsided, and the mood became just wonderful. What does it mean? How to evaluate it? When I used to go to church, I rested my soul there. The church has never been bad. I was preparing for communion - it was very important for me. The last time I attended communion was about 15 years ago ...
Anastasia
Hello Anastasia. I congratulate you on receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The one who kept you from Holy Communion for 15 years does not immediately give up, he tries with all his might to bring discouragement to a person, but under the influence of the Grace of God, he eventually retreats. Try to come to Confession and Holy Communion more often so as not to expose yourself to such attacks by enemy forces. God bless.
Priest Sergiy Osipov
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Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he loves me (John 14:21)
Fourth Commandment given by God says: Wash this day of God, that you may keep it holy. Six days work and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work on it, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor (your ox, nor your donkey, nor any) your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your dwellings. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Ex. 20:8-11).
Thus, by the fourth commandment, the Lord commands the seventh day to be devoted to the service of the Lord, to holy and pleasing deeds. In the Old Testament, the seventh day of the week was celebrated - Saturday (which in Hebrew means rest) in remembrance of the completion of the creation of the world by the Lord God. And God finished on the seventh day His works which He did, and rested on the seventh day from all His works which He did(Gen. 2:2).
In the New Testament, from the time of Sts. Apostles, began to celebrate the first day of the week - Sunday, in remembrance of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior in His Flesh and Blood revealed the Passover of the New Testament and became the New Passover himself. And this final and complete fulfillment of it meant at the same time the completion of the history of the Old Testament Moses Passover, its replacement by the Passover of Christ: “Our Passover, Christ, was slain for us (1 Cor.)
It is necessary to realize that every Sunday is a small Easter, and the heart of a Christian should call him to the temple, so that, rejoicing together with the Lord Jesus Christ, to celebrate the incomparable day of liberation from death. Small Easter for an Orthodox Christian is also the Day of the Angel (Name Day). By the name of the seventh day, one must mean not only the Sunday, but also other holidays established by the Church.
Most of us are willful or unwilling violators of the fourth commandment. God said: honor the holiday, and we work, it is said: work for six days, and sometimes we do nothing - that means we violate the same fourth commandment.
For us, Orthodox Christians, the holiday begins in the evening, when the vigil is served. Therefore, to indulge in entertainment or work at this time means to mock the holiday. But not everyone who works on a holiday sins against the fourth commandment. If a Christian on a holiday spends time on holy and God-pleasing deeds, then this will not be imputed to him as a sin. For example, if a relative or close person is on a holiday at hospital bed in a difficult condition and a meeting with him will bring him joy and a surge of strength, then it is necessary to sacrifice a visit to the temple, even if he planned to take communion. True, you can go to an early service at 6 o’clock in the morning, and then do other charitable deeds that do not abolish, but, on the contrary, support festive mood Orthodox people.
So, on Sunday and a holiday, an Orthodox Christian must free himself from the affairs of this world, associated with personal material gain, intense care for his worldly affairs. This is beautifully sung in the Cherubic Hymn: Let us lay aside all worldly cares now.” This day should be devoted entirely to God, to the service of one's neighbor, to one's spiritual ascent.
How to be modern woman busy at work during the whole week? By Saturday-Sunday, household chores accumulate, physical fatigue, and sometimes the soul is torn: you want to go to the temple, but you can’t start the house.
Sunday, often the only opportunity to restore physical well-being. True, it is not always restored by long sleep and long lying on the couch in front of the TV. Often it is spiritual wakefulness that contributes to the restoration of strength: prayer at the liturgy, reading the Holy Scriptures, visiting the sick, and so on. It must be remembered that a wife is a co-heir to her husband in a life of grace (See 1 Pet. 8:7) and, as an equal member of the Church, needs to go to church, read literature, and so on. In light of this, in Orthodox family the question of the distribution of household duties and the reasonable adaptation of housekeeping to specific life circumstances .
We must also not forget that there are countless everyday inconspicuous deeds that must be performed out of obedience. When the soul rushes between the desire to go to the temple or fulfill obedience. In this case, let us remember the words that pacify the spirit: “Obedience is more important than fasting and prayer.” Evgeny Trubetskoy remarkably said about this: “Creating relative values, a person, without noticing it, does something else, immeasurably more important: he defines himself, forges his human image, which will either pass into eternal life, or become the prey of the second death. Creating one's own image in the image and likeness of God is that genuine, substantial and creative work to which a person is called. Relative values serve only as a means for this creativity, but in themselves do not express its essence.
However, as a means, these values are necessary. Both the food we eat, the clothes we put on, and the health we enjoy belong to the realm of relative blessings. And yet, if I do not take care of the food, clothing, and health of my fellow men, I myself will suffer an irrelevant loss. And since relative values serve as means for the realization of love, they acquire the highest sanctification, for they become ways of the manifestation of the unconditional and eternal in the world. Any man of sense acts in this or that situation with reason, being guided, first of all, by a sincere feeling of Christian conscience and love and the peculiarities of the life situation in which he is. If the mistress of the house, forgetting about her family, spends all the days of Holy Week in the church, then this “forgetfulness” will not add saving grace to her due to her elementary failure to do household chores preparatory to the holiday.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to plan and intelligently combine household chores with prayer in the temple. However, one should also take into account the fact that a person tends to justify his inability or unwillingness (laziness) to do charitable deeds. There is always a reason: lack of time, "feeling bad", lack of mood, resentment, decadent state of mind, etc. Referring to such reasons, some people for years cannot go to the temple of God, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
On the other hand, there are quite a few people who, under the pretense of having to go to the temple rigorously regularly, consciously or unconsciously shirk their household chores. For a believer, there should be no pretexts that would prevent him from being saved in this disastrous and sinful world. It is difficult for us to fulfill church statutes, not because we are physically weaker than our ancestors, but because our spiritual and moral state is weakened, which is not able to lift us up with the routine of everyday everyday life.
"Child-loving mother, our Holy Orthodox Church does not force anyone to feats that exceed their strength, she accepts every feasible sacrifice, she will accept a humble sigh that we cannot fulfill her salvific charters to the accuracy. She rejects only those who stubbornly oppose her and dare to find her wisdom incompatible with the enlightenment of the age. To live in the world, but not to imitate it, to choose the “narrow path and narrow gates” is a sign of pious and salvific deed. At the same time, you must certainly maintain a sincere attitude towards what you are doing.
“Holidays are sacred days, on which our spirit rises above earthly cares, and the soul and body are freed from daily, tedious worries and duties. They remind us of the high destiny of a person to become the heir of a blessed life, when the work of life assigned to us by the Lord is completed. Therefore, we must be in the church for the festive service. What to do the rest of the time, when the service is over? The rules of the holy councils say nothing about this. Christian tradition prescribes pious rest. This fully corresponds to the meaning and purpose of the holiday. The person must be in a bright mood. It is quite clear that the strictness of the Pharisees, which forbids all work and occupation, is incompatible with the spirit of Christian joy. We must take care only that these activities do not tire us and do not captivate. The motives of these activities should be far from greed. In a word, on holidays, after returning from the church, light, pleasant work is allowed, leading us away from relaxing idleness, which so often leads to despondency,” priest Afanasy Gumerov advises his children.
The existing principle of “separation of the Church from the state, and schools from the Church” has introduced spiritual confusion into the lives of the citizens of our country, and the state, as it were, itself limits the believer in visiting the temple. In our country, only three church holidays are recognized by the state: Christmas, Easter and Trinity. Therefore, the rest of the great holidays the people of God spend in their workplaces. But the wealth and power of the state depends on the spiritual potential, spiritual enlightenment and spiritual and moral strength of the people.
In addition to the above, it can be added that the reasons for postponing temple attendance are illness or special life circumstances. The Church is a saving ship from worldly storms in comparison with a fragile boat on which a single person tries to swim across the roaring ocean.
We all boast of faith, but do we do works that are in accordance with faith? You believe that God is one: you do well, and the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, unfounded man, that faith without works is dead?(James 2:19-20). Therefore, believers often ask the priest a question: how great is the sin of not attending church on Sunday or the Great Feast? We cannot save ourselves, the Lord God saves us by His mercy and love for mankind; and the gospel says no one is holy, only one God, a person needs to approach his life carefully and responsibly. To determine the spiritual state of a person, God gave the Commandments of the Decalogue ( Old Testament), Beatitudes ( New Testament) and God gave the human soul a conscience. So, willful non-attendance of the temple is a sin, the same severity as all other sins.
A believing person is drawn to grace as a gift from God, without which there is no normal spiritual well-being, and tries not to upset the Creator with his sinful behavior. Therefore, if we are in the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of Christ and live its life, which is the Union of Love, and in which, according to the promise of God, the Holy Spirit invariably dwells, sending down His grace-filled gifts in the Sacraments of the Church, then we will avoid the devil's networks.
GENERAL CUSTOMS FROM THE CHURCH LIFE OF ANCIENT CHRISTIANS
The ancient Christians left us, far behind them in piety, an example worthy of imitation of the celebration of Sundays and feast days. They in every possible way avoided occupations that distract from the service of God, and exercised themselves in charitable and soul-beneficial activities. “We celebrate, but we celebrate as the Spirit pleases. And He wants us to say or do something proper. And to celebrate means to acquire from us permanent and eternal blessings for the soul, and not transient and soon-perishing, which, in my opinion, little sweeten the feeling, but rather corrupt it and harm it,” writes Gregory the Theologian.
On all Sundays and feast days without exception, the ancient Christians especially zealously visited the temples of God to participate in public worship. It was considered criminal to celebrate the holidays at home and in a state of sleep. All the night preceding the holiday, they read the Holy Scriptures in the temple or in another place of prayer, sang psalms, listened to instructive teachings, meeting the morning of the holiday.
Clement of Alexandria mentions vigils on the eve of feast days. Tertullian speaks of the pious, and in his time no longer new, custom of Christians to spend the night before feasts in church. In the “Epistle to the Wife,” he considers that a great obstacle to the marriage of a Christian woman with a pagan is the fact that, in this case, a Christian woman can no longer, with her former zeal, go to the church of God for an all-night vigil at the onset of the holidays: “What kind of husband (idolater ) agree to let his wife go to pray with the faithful during the all-night vigils? Will he allow her to spend the whole night in church on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ?
St. Gregory of Nyssa in his “Word for Pascha” describes his condition: “Our hearing resounded throughout the night with the word of God, psalms, singing and spiritual songs, which, flowing into the soul with a joyful stream, filled us with good hopes; and our heart, coming into rapture from the audible and visible, and ascending through the sensual to the spiritual, anticipated unspeakable bliss.
POPULAR WORSHIP
No matter how long the vigils were, Christians did not leave the holy temples until the end of the Divine Service. John Chrysostom says: “I rejoice that you are so zealous for the common mother of all - the Church, you stand unceasingly throughout the entire all-night service ... bring unceasing praise to the Creator.”
Despite the preceding all-night vigils, Christians flowed to the temple and to holidays. The Evangelist Luke in the Acts of the Holy Apostles notes that the inalienable part of Sunday is a public meeting during which the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated. Origen, in one of his conversations on the prophet Isaiah, mentions the multitude of people in the temple on Sunday, the holy fathers of the fourth century speak with delight about the confluence of people to the temple on holidays. Joy seized St. Gregory of Nyssa when he went out to offer a lesson to the people on the feast of Theophany and saw such a great confluence of people into the church that “many, according to him, not fitting inside the temple, occupied all the entrances, just as bees - alone work inside while others fly near the hive. Inspiration, at the sight of such zeal of the flock, does not leave the shepherd throughout the entire sermon. He addresses them: “Seeing you, gathered in a multitude for the feast together with your household and relatives, I recall the prophetic saying that Isaiah proclaimed, foreshadowing the many children of the Church: “Who is it that flies like clouds and like doves to their dovecotes?” (Is. LX, 8), and again: “The place is narrow for me; yield to me so that I may live” (Is. XLIX, 20)
John Chrysostom often mentions in his conversations about the numerous gatherings of Christians in the temple on holidays. “You should be praised,” he said to the Antiochians, “for zeal, for the fact that you do not leave us on a single Sunday, but, leaving everything, come to church ... as if on wings, flock to hearing the word about virtue and put everything below divine words. In the “Word for the Nativity of Christ,” Chrysostom says: “I very much desired to see this day and, moreover, so that it would be celebrated nationwide, as I now see ... For the space of this temple is almost cramped for such a large congregation ... The Savior who was born today will richly reward you for this jealousy".
In the “Word for Pascha” of the same saint we read: “For seven days we gather and offer you a spiritual meal that delights you with Divine verbs, so that every day we teach you and arm you against the devil.” John Chrysostom begins the “Word for Pentecost” as follows: “Again a feast, again a triumph, and again the many-child and child-loving Church is adorned with a great gathering of children ... The large number of those who come,” he continues, “is clothing for the Church, as the prophet said, addressing the Church:“ With all of them you will put on as a garment, and you will dress yourself with them like a bride ”(Is. XLIX, 18). Just as a chaste and noble wife in clothes that stretch to her very heels seems the most beautiful and best, so the Church, now covered by your numerous congregation, like a long garment, is today more cheerful.
Meeting the holidays in the temple, spending the festive morning there, the ancient Christians ended the holidays by visiting temples. With the onset of evening, they went to the temple to listen to instructive teachings and, probably, to pray. Evening meetings of Christians for listening to teachings on holidays were as numerous as meetings for all-night vigils and for the liturgy.
Only some urgent need, such as illness or captivity, kept some at home. But Christians did not abuse these circumstances. Those who were ill prayed at home on feast days during the hours appointed for public worship, and thus united in spirit with their brethren. Praying at home, the sick, however, grieved that they could not go to the temple. In the life of St. Sampson the Hospitable, it is told that the very sick royal adviser was very worried that he could not be in the church on the feast of the holy martyr Mokiy.
Even greater grief was felt by those who were comprehended by the heavy lot of captivity. “The road along which I walked,” one young man, who was captured by a pagan and then miraculously returned to his homeland, conveyed his feelings on a holiday, “ran past the Christian courtyard, in which there was a church. At that hour, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. I heard the kontakion that was sung to St. George: “Thou hast been cultivated by God…” and so on, because there was a feast in memory of St. George the Victorious. This song moved me to tears."
In the biography of the martyr Sira, an incident is told that clearly testifies to the equal zeal of the ancient Christians, who lived both in calm times, under Orthodox rulers, and in times of persecution, for vigils on the eve of the holidays. Sira was imprisoned for the name of Christ and remained there in constant prayer. The feast of the martyrs who suffered in Persia has come. Sira knows that all Christians, according to custom, go to the temple, because she herself, along with others, participated in all-night vigil; but he also knows that this time she will no longer be there. This plunged her into a new sorrow. At that moment, one God-lover comes, asks the guards to let Sira go to the church, and makes a promise that he himself will lead her back to the dungeon with the onset of the morning dawn. The door of the dungeon is open, Sira is in the church at the all-night vigil, and in the morning again in the dungeon, but without sorrow.
The cruel acts of the pagans did not in the least weaken the zeal of Christians for sacred assemblies on holidays; they still gathered together to give praise to the Lord. “We were persecuted,” writes the Hieromartyr Dionysius of Alexandria, “but persecuted and killed, we nevertheless celebrated at that time. Every place of our grief was for us a place of a solemn meeting, whether it was a village, a desert, a ship, a hotel or a dungeon. So for the ancient Christians, it was desirable to attend festive services.
EARTH BOWINGS
External worship on holidays, according to the martyr Justin the Philosopher, Tertullian, Eusebius Pamphilus and others, had the peculiarity that, praying in simple days with kneeling, - on Sundays and holidays, ancient Christians "did not kneel and did not bow great - to the ground, but small ones, bowing their heads, until they reach the earth with their hands."
This custom had its origins in apostolic times, as Irenaeus, martyr and Bishop of Lyon, said in the book on Pascha, where he also mentions Pentecost, during which no knees were bowed, for its days are equal to Sundays. Martyr Hilarius writes: “The apostles celebrated the Sabbath of Saturdays in such a way that for fifty days no one prayed to the ground ... it was also decreed to pray in the days of the Lord.” Later Christians followed the example of the apostles. Tertullian says: "We refrain from kneeling on the day of the Resurrection of the Lord ... also during Pentecost." And elsewhere: "We deem it impermissible to pray with kneeling on the Lord's day." Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, writes: “We spend Sunday as a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One… On this day we do not even bow our knees.” This is also evidenced by Saints Epiphanius of Cyprus and Basil the Great.
This tradition had a deep inner meaning, a special meaning, defined by one ancient writer as follows: “Since we must constantly remember two things: about our fall through sins and about the grace of Christ, by the power of which we rose from the fall; then kneeling for six days is a sign of our fall through sins. And that we do not bow our knees on the day of resurrection - this signifies the resurrection, through which, by the grace of Christ, we have been freed both from sins and from the death mortified with them. Basil the Great writes: “As those who have resurrected with Christ and are obliged to seek those on high, on Sunday, by the direct position of the body during prayer, we remind ourselves of the grace bestowed on us.” Tertullian, in the Christian custom of praying on holidays without kneeling, sees an expression of spiritual joy: "We pray standing up when we refrain from revealing any sorrow and sorrow."
Christians were forbidden to kneel in holiday prayers and Council resolutions. At the First Ecumenical Council, it was decided: “Since some kneel on the day of the Lord and on the days of Pentecost, then, in order to observe agreement in everything in all dioceses, the holy Council determined standing to offer (on these days) prayers to God.” The same rule is found in the decisions of the Trullo (Sixth Ecumenical) Council: “From our God-bearing fathers, it is canonically given to us not to kneel on Sundays, for the sake of the honor of the resurrection of Christ. In order not to be in ignorance of how to observe this, we clearly show the faithful: on Saturday, at the evening entrance of the clergy to the altar, according to the accepted custom, no one kneels until the next evening on Sunday, on which, at the entrance, at lamp time, bending our knees again, thus we send up prayers to the Lord. For, considering the night of Saturday as the forerunner of the resurrection of our Savior, we spiritually begin songs from it and bring the feast from darkness into light. So from now on, both night and day, we fully celebrate the resurrection.
ON AVOIDING THE EVENING TEMPLE MEETINGS
In the time of Chrysostom, if some of the Christians shied away from evening meetings, it was not so much due to negligence, but because of the prejudice that after dinner one should not be in the temple and listen to the word of God. “Not everyone, I see, came here,” said the saint. - What is the reason? What drove them away from our meal? Having tasted sensual food, it seems that he thought that after it he should not go to hearing the word of God. But it is unfair to think so, because even Christ, who repeatedly fed the people in the desert, would not have offered them a conversation after the meal, if it were indecent. When you are convinced that after eating and drinking it is necessary to go to the (church) meeting; then, of course, you will involuntarily take care of sobriety. Care and thought to go to church teaches to eat and drink with due moderation.
The words of John Chrysostom had a strong effect on the erring ones, and since then evening meetings for listening to teachings have become more numerous. “I rejoice and rejoice to all of you,” the saint said the next Sunday, “that you are fulfilling our recent advice to those who remain (at home). For many, I think, of those who have tasted food today are present here and fill this beautiful assembly; I think so because our spectacle has become more brilliant and the crowd of listeners has become more numerous. Not in vain, it seems, we recently convinced that it is possible, even after eating bodily food, to participate in spiritual food. For tell me, beloved, when did you do better? Was it during the past meeting, when after the table they turned to sleep, or now, when after the table they gathered to hear the Divine commandments? It is not shameful to take food, beloved, but, having taken it, stay at home and deprive yourself of the sacred celebration.
PUNISHMENT FOR NEGLIGENCE
The Holy Church has always taken care of maintaining pious zeal in Christians to visit the temple of God on feast days. At her Councils, she determined severe punishments for those who, without good reason, would leave Sunday worship for three weeks. At the Trull Council it was decided: “If a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or one of those who are numbered among the clergy, or a layman, without an urgent need or obstacle, by which he would be removed from his church for a long time, but staying in the city, at three Sundays ... will not come to the church meeting: then let the clergy be expelled from the clergy, and let the layman be removed from communion.
COMMUNICATION OF THE HOLY MYSTERIES
Ancient Christians every Sunday and feast began to receive the Holy Mysteries. There is no doubt that they also communed on simple days; in some places even daily, as testified by Saints Cyprian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, Blessed Augustine and St. Jerome the Blessed; and in other churches - only on Wednesday and Friday, as Basil the Great wrote. On Sundays and holidays, only the catechumens and penitents did not come to the Divine Meal.
The custom of accepting the Holy Gifts on feast days originated in the deepest antiquity. We find a mention of him in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “On the very first day of the week [at that time Sunday was considered the first day of the week], when the disciples gathered to break bread, Paul ... talked with them ... until midnight” (Acts XX, 7).
Hieromartyr Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians: “Try to gather more often for Divine Communion and glorification of God. For from your frequent gatherings, the powers of Satan are weakened, and by the union of your faith, the destruction he intends for you is terminated.
The Great Sacrament was honored not only by those who were present at the Divine Liturgy, but also by those who were not present for any reason. good reason: the sick, imprisoned in dungeons. To these people, according to the testimony of the martyr Justin, the Holy Gifts were sent through deacons [the Sixth Ecumenical Council abolished this rule, and subsequently they began to pass blessed bread to the sick and prisoners, expressing their love and holy friendship]. In times of persecution, elders sometimes secretly went to the dungeons on feast days and communed the Christians who were there.
DONATIONS
History has preserved another pious custom of the ancient Christians, by which they fulfilled the commandment of the Lord, given to ancient Israel: “Three times a year, the entire male sex should appear before the face of the Lord your God, in the place that He chooses: on the feast of unleavened bread, in the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles; and no one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each one with a gift in his hand, considering the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you” (Deut. XVI, 16-17). On all Sundays, on all holidays, also on the days of memory of the saints, the ancient Christians made offerings to the church. They consisted, first of all, of things necessary for worship: bread and wine for the Eucharist, incense for incense, oil for lamps. All this was brought directly to the church. The other part of the donation, consisting of money, fruits, and other things, was sent to the houses of the bishop and presbyters, for the benefit of the clergy and to help those in need.
In the second century, offerings are mentioned by the martyr Justin the Philosopher and Tertullian, in the third century by the holy martyr Cyprian, in the fourth century by St. John Chrysostom and others. This custom was sacredly observed by all Christians, so that when one rich woman did not make a donation on Sunday, Cyprian, denouncing, spoke of her act as unworthy and strange. “You are in contentment and rich,” he said, “how do you want to celebrate the day of the Lord without thinking at all about the offering? How do you come on the day of the Lord without a sacrifice? How will you take a share of the sacrifice that the poor have brought?”
It was not allowed to make offerings only to those who had a clear or secret enmity against others, oppressed the poor; open and seductive sinners. Thus, the early Christians considered it a sacred duty to make donations, not to appear empty-handed on holidays before the Lord God, for which they received a great reward. The clergy, during their prayers in the temple, remembered those who had made offerings and pronounced their names aloud, as evidenced by Saints Cyprian and John Chrysostom, Jerome the Blessed. The decrees of the apostles and John Chrysostom also mention that the bishop had to call the name of the bearer to the poor, so that they would pray for him.
SHOW PROHIBITION
Christians in antiquity did not attend theaters, did not participate in other popular amusements, because some served as an expression of false pagan beliefs others were extremely cruel and immoral. Although subsequently popular amusements lost both properties, and some of the many converts in the fourth century could not immediately wean themselves from pagan habits, did not refrain from attending spectacles, but these violators of Christian customs were subjected to severe denunciations of the pastors of the Church, denunciations to which pastoral zeal sometimes added threats of severe punishment.
St. John Chrysostom, strongly denouncing, according to him, for visiting theaters, uttered the following threat: Church, with great severity we will teach them not to do such things. And the laws of the Church prescribed to excommunicate those who attend theaters on holidays from the communion of the Holy Mysteries. In another conversation, John Chrysostom said: “I declare loudly that if anyone, after this exhortation and instruction, goes to the fatal infection of theaters, I will not allow him to enter the temple.”
However, the Fathers of the Church even took care that spectacles and other popular amusements be completely abolished on holidays. The Fathers of the African Church, who were at the Local Council of Carthage (418), decided to ask Emperor Honorius to ban shameful games on Sunday and other holidays. The pious Christian emperors, who recognized the importance of holidays, fulfilled the desire of the pastors of the Church. The code of Theodosius decreed: “On holidays, none of the judges should be in the theater, or in the circus, or on the persecution of animals ... No one should give spectacles to the people on the day of the sun and, moving away from the triumph of the Church, violate pious reverence.”
It also says: “On Sunday, the first of the week, and on the days of Easter, the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, Pentecost in all cities, remove from the people all the fun of spectacles and circuses and take care that all thoughts of Christians and the faithful are occupied with charitable deeds. . If anyone is still carried away either by the foolishness of Jewish impiety, or by the gross error and folly of paganism, let it be known to him that there is a special time for prayer and a special time for entertainment.
Their triumph and mirth have never been revealed by that which can offend God and which is unworthy of virtue. Even on civil holidays, for example, in honor of emperors, Christians did not allow themselves any of the pagan pleasures, although the pagans declared them enemies of the empire and even insults to the majesty of emperors for this.
Tertullian, defending Christians, wrote: “Christians are enemies of the state, because they give honors to emperors not vain, not false, not reckless, but, professing the true religion, they celebrate their triumphs in conscience, and not with lust. To tell the truth, it is a great proof of zeal: laying fires and beds in the square, feasting through the streets, turning the city into a tavern (tavern or tavern), pouring wine everywhere, running in crowds, producing insults, shamelessness and all kinds of outrages. Is the joy of the people to be revealed by the general disgrace? Can it be that what is obscene at other times becomes obscene in the days dedicated to the sovereign? Will those who observe the laws out of respect for the sovereign begin to violate them under the pretext of honoring him? Can dishonesty be called deanery? Can an occasion for intemperance be considered a reverent feast?”
CHARITY
For the same pious impulse, the ancient Christians generously did good to the poor. Eusebius tells how Constantine the Great, with the onset of Easter morning, “in imitation of the beneficence of the Savior, stretched out his beneficent right hand to all citizens and blacks and gave them all kinds of rich gifts.” Gregory of Turin writes that King Guntram distributed alms during the first three days of Easter. Imitating the emperors, and their subjects for charity to their neighbors mainly chose holidays.
John Chrysostom speaks of Sunday as a day of special blessings, in comparison with other days of the week, and explains why he has more than others to give alms: day we received countless blessings. On this day, death is destroyed, the curse is destroyed, sin is destroyed, the gates of hell are crushed, the devil is bound, the long-term war is stopped, the reconciliation of God with people has taken place, our race has entered the former or much best condition, and the sun saw an amazing and wonderful sight - a man who became immortal.
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Little information has been preserved by the story of how the ancient Christians spent holidays at home, but even from them it can be seen that family life adorned with piety. All Christian families gathered at home with their family members to spend together the few hours that remained free after public worship and the performance of works of mercy. St. Gregory of Nyssa in the “Word for Easter” says: “Just as a new, newly formed swarm of bees, for the first time flying out of a bee house into the light and air, all sit down together on one branch of a tree, so on a real holiday all members of the family gather from everywhere to their homes." These home meetings were joyful.
The slaves felt joy even more strongly, because the masters not only freed them from work on holidays, but also forgave them misconduct, even important ones. Gregory of Nyssa spoke about the Easter holiday: “If a slave has committed many misdeeds that can neither be forgiven nor excused, then his master, out of respect for the day, conducive to joy and philanthropy, accepts the outcast and shamed.”
HOLIDAY CLOTHING
The joy of the ancient Christians was also revealed in their outward behavior. casual clothes, usually simple, were replaced by more valuable and bright ones. This is how St. Gregory of Nyssa depicts the solemnity of Easter: “The farmer, having left the plow and spade, adorned himself with festive clothes ... the poor adorned himself like a rich man, the rich dressed better than usual.” However, the festive clothes of Christians were not magnificent; they were clean, and sometimes the robes were significant from some recollection. Reverend Anthony V solemn days Easter and Pentecost, he put on the palm clothes dear to his heart, which he inherited after the Apostle Paul.
END OF THE FAST
On holidays, everyone stopped fasting, but they did not allow themselves excesses in eating and drinking, based on their usual rule: not to live in order to eat; but in order to eat, to live. Martyr Hilarius points to the termination of fasting on feast days as an apostolic custom.
Tertullian writes: "On the day of the Lord we consider it indecent to fast ... with the same freedom (from fasting) we rejoice from Easter to Pentecost." Epiphanius of Cyprus also testifies that there is no fasting on the days of Pentecost. Ambrose of Milan condemns the Manicheans for fasting on Sunday: "Their fasting on this day shows that they do not believe in the resurrection of Christ." Blessed Augustine writes: “We consider it reprehensible to fast on Sunday.” Postponed fasting and those of the ascetics who in fast days sometimes they were completely without food. Epiphanius testifies that true ascetics did not fast on Sundays and Pentecost. Cassian says that all Eastern monks fast five days a week without ceasing, but on Sunday and Saturday they postpone fasting.
It is narrated about St. Melania: “Saint Melania gradually began to accustom herself to fasting more and more strict, at first she ate every other day, then after two, and finally, she was left without food all week, except Saturday and Sunday.”
On the Sundays of Holy Forty Days (Great Lent), fasting was weakened. “Like on high roads,” says St. John Chrysostom, “there are hotels in which weary travelers can rest and calm down from labors, so that later they can continue the journey again; just as there are marinas on the sea, where sailors, having overcome many waves and withstanding the pressure of the winds, can rest for a while, so that later they can start sailing again - so at the present time, the Lord has granted those two days (Saturday and Sunday) to those who have embarked on the path of fasting. like an inn or a pier for a short rest, so that they, both the body and calming a little from labors, and encouraging the soul, again, after two days, with zeal, embark on the same path and continue this beautiful and saving journey.
There were, however, holidays on which Christians observed fasting: the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist.
The Holy Church, by its decrees, approved the custom of ancient Christians to break the fast on holidays. The apostolic canons threaten the disobedient with excommunication for fasting on Sundays. The same was decreed at the Councils: Gangra and Trull. The Rule of the Sixth Ecumenical (Trullo) Council forbids fasting on the Saturdays of Holy Lent.
MEAL FOR EVERYONE
There is no doubt that Christians in ancient times, as now, used to visit the homes of their relatives and friends. Relatives and friends were pleased to share the joy of the holidays and enjoy a festive meal together. In the life of St. Theodore Sykeot, there is mention of a feast, which was arranged for relatives and neighbors in the house of his parent on Pascha. Christian homes these days were filled with the poor, orphans, wanderers. They were called here by Christian love, wishing to feed the hungry.
The pious custom of arranging a meal for the poor on feast days originated in the very early days of Christianity. Only then was a meal served at the temples, as pointed out by the Apostle Paul, Pliny, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, and at the tombs of the martyrs on the days of the celebration of their memory. So it was for the first three centuries
It is told about the Monk Macarius of Egypt that, according to the custom of his parents, on the feast of one saint, he prepared dinner in his house, “not only for neighbors, but also for the poor.” Tertullian wrote about love suppers: “Everything that happens at our suppers is in accordance with the faith that we profess. There is nothing wrong with them, nothing contrary to good morals. The Supper begins with a prayer to God; eat as much as necessary to satisfy hunger; they drink as befits people who strictly observe abstinence and sobriety; they are sated so that on the same night they can offer up prayers to God; they talk, knowing that the Lord hears everything ... The Supper ends as it began.
The article used the materials of the priest Viktor Grozovsky
Reader question:
I don't know how to be. Every visit to the temple (almost every) is associated with illness for me. I go in healthy, I go out sick. And health and so the cat cried.
I go, confess, take communion and fall down with the flu. If I go on a pilgrimage, then the disease gets worse. It all started with baptism. Baptized in Moscow in an ice font at the beginning of November in a church that was not particularly heated. After - two years of temperature, chronic sinusitis. I get out and again I fall into the disease. Again and again.
In the summer I took holy water in the temple - I caught an intestinal infection. I don't know what to do anymore. This has been going on for 14 years already. Where can I get the strength? I heard advice to pray and fast. I pray every day, I can’t fast from the word at all - an ulcer, and in general the entire gastrointestinal tract is on the way out. Embracing despondency and melancholy. Who would have thought that eating meat could be a punishment?
People leave the temple joyfully, and I fall down on my feet - if only to get to the house and collapse on the bed there. But I'm only 46 years old! I also ordered personalized bricks throughout the country, and so I always ask my friends to light a candle for me when traveling. All the time I want to live at least a little more, breathe deeply, feel the joy of life. This year I buried my mother. I have very mixed feelings about this: I had to take care of her for almost a year, and she was already in dementia. The day began with accusations of stealing money and ended with the fact that “you sold your apartment, but drank the money away”. It seems that I did everything I could, but I am sinful - a month before her death, I could not stand it and hired a nurse, because I realized that a little more - and I would commit suicide, just not to see her. With death, her relief did not come, and could not come, because death is always a horror, it is something that is impossible to get used to. Yes, I confessed, repented, but it didn’t get any easier.
How and what to live on? Where do you get the strength to go to the temple and still drag your husband on the lasso?
Archpriest Andrey Efanov answers:
Good afternoon Yes ... not every person can withstand baptism in ice water, and even in a poorly heated room! You are 46. That is, a streak of illnesses of the year began at 32. Both that and that age are not yet such big summers and a lot can be changed. I would advise you to be very careful about your health. Take the time and money to find out why you have such a weak immune system and what you can do about it. Also, if it is possible (it is possible, and not in the sense that you yourself are not lazy or unusual) to focus not on taking medications, but on some active health procedures, including slowly (and on the advice of a specialist) - playing sports and strengthening the overall physical form. If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, the menu is strictly the same as the doctor advises. This will be your post. And during the fasting time, in agreement with the confessor, you will somehow change the prayer rule, the reading of church literature, and so on. But right now put your health at the forefront or almost at the forefront, that is, this is your priority. Find a doctor, write down your own daily routine, understand what you eat, how and when to visit fresh air What to do to lift your mood and strength.
You don’t need to drag your husband anywhere on the lasso! He is an adult, he will figure out what's what. But ask for his support. It is not so easy to restore health, and care, attention, help loved one will be relevant and important as never before. What does your husband think about your health? Is he trying to help his beloved wife? Sometimes it is difficult for a man to understand what to do. So understand what you need, and feel free to ask him about it. Just don't drag it to the temple. That is, to help you - yes, but for him to change his life under pressure - you cannot demand this.
Next, discuss with the priest to whom you are confessing the circumstances of your spiritual life. Maybe you need to change something, do something in this direction? Here it is more visible to the priest, who knows you well.
It happens that the physical state of a person is connected with his spiritual and mental state. Talk about spiritual things with the priest. But about the mental, you can also consult a specialist psychologist.
As a recommendation, I can advise you to seek help from the Center crisis psychology at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on Semenovskaya (Moscow).
The oldest Center for Crisis Psychology, created with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, is located next to the Semenovskaya metro station. Highly professional Orthodox psychologists serve here, who have already helped many people. If you have a difficult financial situation, then in no case should this stop you from receiving psychological help in the center. Donations to the center are determined only by your ability and gratitude. The provision of assistance at the Center has nothing to do with the amount of the donation (or its complete absence). living outside Moscow consultations of the head of the crisis psychologist center are available via Skype.
An archive of all questions can be found. If you have not found the question you are interested in, you can always ask it
Anastasia, Nizhny Novgorod
Why do misfortunes happen at home after going to church?
Hello! My problem is this: I began to be afraid to go to the temple. Just after visiting church, misfortunes happen at home: children get sick, scandals with loved ones. I want to go to communion with my children, pray at the icons, but I'm just already afraid. Help advice: how to be? And another question: is it possible to do some work on holidays, namely, to wash? It’s just that children have the peculiarity of getting dirty, and it’s simply impossible not to wash. Does it mean that I'm wrong?
Hello! I'll start by repeating the well-known rule of logic: after this does not mean because of this. Why do you connect your misfortunes, children's illnesses and domestic scandals with visiting the temple? Do you seriously think that if you stop going to church, the children will stop getting sick? But let's assume this is the case. Then you are faced with temptation. IN this case it is checked how devoted and faithful you are to God, how ready you are to overcome obstacles on the way of fulfilling the commandments of God. And the fact that visiting the temple is a commandment of God is superfluous to say. So to whom, if not to God, pour out your soul and tell about your problems and difficulties? You have probably heard the words of the psalm that are sung at every Vespers: Prolia before Him I will proclaim my prayer and my grief to him» (Ps. 142:1-2).
So, trust God and do not listen to the slander of the evil one. It is he who, knowing what benefit we gain from prayer, tries to distract us from pleasing God and drive us out of the church. Keep going to the temple and take the kids to Communion. For your faithfulness (by the way, faith and fidelity are one word) the Lord will bless you, does not lead into temptation and delivers from the evil one(Matthew 6:13).
As for scandals with loved ones, here we need to understand in more detail. Perhaps the point is in you, in your character and sinful passions. If after prayer you do not change, but, on the contrary, become irritable, nervous, if you condemn and reproach your neighbors, then your prayer is wrong. So, you were in the service, but did not appear to God. He who loves God cannot but love every man. The Holy Apostle John the Theologian in his epistle says: Whoever says "I love God" and hates his brother is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see» (1 John 4:20).
So, be faithful to God, do not deviate from the chosen path, do not be afraid to go to the temple, bring your children. Remember, " he who fears is imperfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
And about the work on holidays, we have already answered, published on this site.
